Queen City Underground is a 2002 open world, action adventure, crime video game and is the first in the American Crime Tales series of video games. It was released on April 11, 2002 for Xbox, Playstation 2, and PC. It took inspiration from Guy Ritchie crime movies such as Lock Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels and Snatch It recieved medium reviews upon release and has since gained a cult following.
Plot[]
In 2001, Aiden McCreary is working as a bouncer in a mafia owned nightclub called "The Guido" in the fictional American city of Queen City , New Porter which is owned by mobsters in the Gambinuchi Crime Family namedGuido Vittanese and Mario Montinelli . One night after beating up two patrons that were touching a stripper inappropriately Aiden is recruited as an associate into the Gambinuchi organization and is taken to see the don, Ricardo Gambinuchi . McCreary begins by working for Mario and Guido and then after impressing them, begins doing favors for the don. Ricardo explains that they are having issues with a German family called the Alfred Crime Family and are locked in a war with them. Ricardo tasks McCreary with helping them gain the upper hand in the war and with the help of Irish bomb maker,John Callahan manages to help the family gain the upper hand. After several more missions Aiden begins working withEnzo Tortelli , a reporter for the news in Queen City whom the Gambinuchi family hired to spread bad news about the Alfreds. Unfortunately afte several missions, Enzo is killed and the family hires another reporter named Ronald Kowalski and a corrupt cop namedSteven Clozzi and while Kowalski continues spreading bad press, Clozzi informs them that another cop, Leo Menenziani is on the Alfreds payroll and had discovered Enzo and had him killed so Aiden and Ricardo's sons, Silvio and Vinnie kill Menenziani. Aiden works with Vinnie and Sil for several missions before he is contacted by a businessman and friend of Ricardo's named David Henderson . Henderson task Aiden with providing help with his various rivals including Bob Linton and his wife Hayley. After Henderson's missions, Ricardo announces that there is a peace settlment being arranged between the waring factions and he sends McCreary, Silvio, and Vinnie to meet a man namedFranz Volner but the deal turns out to be a trap and the men barely escape with their lives. After this, Ricardo, Aiden, his sons, and several more men engage in a full blown war with the Alfreds and finally kill the boss, Adal Alfred and his men before returning to the Gambinuchi estate to have a party. During this, Aiden is appointed as the unofficial consigliere of the family and Ricardo's right hand.
Public Reception[]
Upon released the game recieved favorable reviews from fans and critics but it would never reach the amount of fame as its successors which would be released in the years following. Despite these reviews it also recieved much praise for it's ground breaking mechanics and graphics with several critics claiming them to be the best of their time and the graphics have since become inconic.
Cast[]
All castmembers did their own voicing and also motion capture
- Ellie McGuinn as Aiden McCreary
- Robert De Niro as Ricardo Gambinuchi
- Anthony DeMeo as Silvio Gambinuchi
- Anthony DeMeo as Vinnie Gambinuchi
- Jack Juliano as Mario Montinelli
- Michael Luchesse as Rocco the Diamond
- John Michael Gambetti as Guido Vittanese
- James Elroy Jones as David Henderson
- Danny Talucci as Bob Linton
- Elaine Wolven as Hayley Linton
- Jim Kreiger as Ronald Kowalski
- Gordon Campbell as Enzo Tortelli
- Barry Han as Franz Volner
- James Cornell as Adal Alfred
- Jack McCauley as John Callahan
- Lloyd Prince as Steven Clozzi
- Aurther Abrams as Leo Menenziani
- James Gunther as Hanz Alfred
- Leonid Petrotenko as Frank Gobonik