The Sopranos: Road to Respect

Lore & Background

The game begins with Tony Soprano offering Joey LaRocca a place in the Mafia after discovering he has become a petty thief. While dealing with a rude customer, Joey accidentally bludgeons the man to death and disposes of the body with associate Reggie. The victim is Mario Buscetta, nephew of Philadelphia mob boss Angelo Buscetta, leading to a conflict that forces Joey to kill Reggie. Later, Joey retrieves Tony's car after A.J.'s drug deal goes bad, but the car is stolen by Angelo's men; Joey retaliates by burning down a porn studio run by Angelo's brother Dino. Angelo returns the car wrecked, containing Joey's girlfriend Trichelle beaten and raped, prompting Joey to track down and drown Angelo. Throughout the game, Joey is visited by the ghost of his father Salvatore, who warns him about trouble ahead. Impressed, Tony allows Joey to become a made man. An alternative ending shows Joey on a boat with Tony and Paulie, asking if 'he can keep his eyes.'

Reader's Guide

The Sopranos: Road to Respect is notable as the only video game adaptation of the acclaimed HBO series, though it received generally unfavorable reviews. Critics on GameSpot and IGN complained of overly simplistic gameplay, a small linear world with little exploration, blocky graphics, marginal mechanics, and clipping/collision bugs. The voice acting by Sopranos cast members—including James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Joseph Gannascoli, Vincent Pastore, and Robert Iler—was praised. The game's concept originated from an idea by series creator David Chase, though Chase stated it was not his idea to develop a game and that HBO executives spearheaded the project. He oversaw the script to ensure characters were true to the series but insisted the game had little connection to the show's story arcs. A making-of documentary aired on HBO in 2006.

Did You Know?

• The game's concept originated from an idea by Sopranos creator David Chase, though he stated it was not his idea to develop a video game.
• Christian Maelen, who voiced Joey LaRocca, was reportedly Chase's second choice to play Christopher Moltisanti on the show.
• An alternative ending is unlocked if Joey loses all his respect, showing him on a boat with Tony and Paulie asking if 'he can keep his eyes.'