The Godfather

Has Electronic Arts made you on offer you can't refuse?

If you’ve been to a cinema multiplex in the last six months, then you’ve surely seen one of the stunningly rendered trailers for this game. With a mumbling and frighteningly realistic Don Corleone rambling on about families and debts, while fixing you with the sort of steely gaze that’d melt concrete, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that you were looking at one of the gaming events of the decade.

And that thought it supported further by the subject matter. After all, The Godfather is one of the most atmospheric and popular films of all time and naturally lends itself to the game format. Creating a GTA-style world for the game to play out in is another stroke of gaming genius, as you develop your character from a lowly errand boy for one of the five Mafia families in 1940s New York to eventually become the Don of the whole city.

Plots in games are more often than not just padding for the gameplay and are usually treated as such. Not so with The Godfather though, as from the powerful opening scenes to the multiple threads that open up as you progress through the game, it’s clear that as much attention has been spent on the storyline as it has on the gameplay and graphics.

Having said that though, The Godfather (the game) is inspired by, rather than directly translated, from the original film. So, while you’ll be a witness to classic scenes from the film (the delivery of the horse’s head and Sonny’s violent death at the toll booth, to name but two), your rise through the ranks will deal much more with smaller details. You’re aware that the plot is carrying on above you, but to be a successful member of the Corleone clan, you’ll find yourself dealing far more with the little people on the street.

When your father is brutally murdered before your eyes, you’re taken under the wing of Don Corleone himself and given to the thuggish Luca Brasi to train up in the ways of the Mafia. This basically is the game’s tutorial mode, as Lucia leads you through a series of tasks designed to familiarise you with the controls of the game and the elements of the gameplay, of which there are many. Those expecting The Godfather to be a simple free-roaming action game might be surprised to hear that there’s a lot of depth to be found underneath the thuggery and extortion.

Intimidating the locals and relieving them of their hard-earned cash gets you Respect points and the more of these that you get, the more you can develop your character. Your own breed of justice is dealt out in one of two ways: either by gun or by more ‘traditional’ methods. While targeting and firing your chosen weapon is largely a hit and miss affair (mostly miss to begin with), the hand-to-hand fisticuffs work much better.

Slightly reminiscent of EA’s Fight Night control dynamic, you select your target with the left analogue stick and use the right one to pummel them stupid, kick the bejesus out of them or slam them into a wall. It’s remarkably fluid, shockingly gruesome and worryingly enjoyable. You will need to keep an eye on the meter at the top of the screen, though. Simply bashing your victim to within an inch of their lives isn’t always the best strategy, as they could die or simply panic and refuse to help you. Therefore, you need to include a bit of thought into your thuggery and learn when to lay off slightly.

Knowing the basic plot of the film helps, but it’s not essential, because, as we’ve mentioned before, the game follows its own path – although familiar faces from the Corleone clan make regular appearances, with some of the original cast reprising roles for the game, including Robert Duvall as Tom Hagan and James Caan as Sonny Corleone.

The Godfather is certainly a large game. On top of its 17 main missions are a whole host of side ones designed to flesh out the story. These include contract hits and robbing banks, but there’s also plenty for the completist to get his or her teeth into. Safes need cracking (100 of them, to be exact), six banks need robbing and there are also weapon upgrades to get, safe houses to find and new outfits to add to your wardrobe. This is a big game and, as it’s split up into five boroughs (each with a ruling Mafia family), completing the whole game isn’t going to be done in a weekend.

The grainy, sepia tones of the graphics do a fine job of recreating a New York of the past, and the characters look incredible, but there’s still a feeling that The Godfather isn’t quite as good as it could be. Driving around in the game’s many vehicles isn’t quite the thrill we hoped it would be (many of the cars handle the same, and there’s little skill or thrills to controlling them) and although there’s plenty to do, there’s a feeling that this game isn’t quite the classic a film of this high calibre deserves.

But that’s certainly not to say that we’re looking at a turkey of a game, here. Far from it. There’s a lot to like about The Godfather and enough neat little touches to make it one to look out for (side missions, unlockables, character progression and the fighting style spring immediately to mind). Unfortunately though, there’s not quite enough polish in some areas to make it an essential purchase.

This review comes courtest of our friends at Boomtown.net .