Gangland (2004): An RTS Lost to Time
Ever since stumbling on this title in GameTalesHQ's video essay 1, I have been obsessed with getting my hands on this niche Mafia RTS and breathing a bit more life into this forgotten game.
I did in fact, find a copy fairly easily on My Abandonware 2, but getting it to work on a MacBook Pro was a challenge on its own that lazily occupied me for the better half of a year.
This weekend I finally cracked the code - I found the missing piece 3 that allowed me to run the game and it is every bit as satisfying as I hoped it would be.
The game throws you into a Prohibition-era world rife with corruption and shootouts (of which you are mostly involved). The city-life is impressively bustling and similar to games of that period, evoking an atmosphere reminiscent of VTMB or GTA: San Andreas and granting unmistakable nostalgic appeal.
The gameplay loop is simple but fun: You'll extort businesses, complete tasks, and rise through the ranks as you expand the Mafia influence in Paradise City.
As GameTalesHQ rightfully points out in their video essay, the game does a wonderful job of mixing aspects of RTS, Management simulation, and RPG that ensures a unique experience that keeps you playing.
Enjoy the trailer to this hidden gem down below:
Cheers,
Morrowindnostalgia
for those wishing to follow suit: you basically need to use a software like CrossOver (26.0 used for testing) or Whisky -> install a 32-bit bottle of Windows XP (you may need to enable deprecated features on CrossOver) -> install "ISO Version (StarForce is ON, Do not launch without NOCD)" -> install "Patch v1.4" -> overwrite the GANGLAND.EXE with gangland.exe found in "NOCD For Version 1.4". Yes, I couldv'e figured this out a long time ago if I had concentrated more.↩