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The Game You Cannot Refuse

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was one of 10 people from around the world (one flew in from Naples!) invited to Electronic Arts in San Francisco to preview the game, meet and talk with the game developers, and take a tour of EA's main campus.

I'm not much of gamer in general. The last console I owned was a Sega, ok? So, I nervously (yet also curiously) sat down with this game to give it a shot.

Wow. First off, the graphics were great! (Personally, I think the X-BOX version looked a little better than the PS2 version, but both were really nice. However, the PC version of course blew them both away). There was no "official confirmation" -- nor denial -- of a 360 version in the works, but I have a feeling they're working on that for a later release. Incidentally, they're also going to release a special edition which will include a DVD with special features (making-of) for the console versions.

Anyway, back to the game itself: I played mostly on the PS2 version, and have always had trouble with all those buttons. That's just me, of course. But I tell you, I had fewer problems with this game than most others I've tried -- the "Black Hand" controls were quite intuitive for once, and it never felt like I had to fumble around to find the right button.

What's unique -- and wonderful!! -- about this game is that you are NOT Vito or Michael or Sonny or anyone like that, but you are you -- your own character (that you can even create to look however you want to the most minor detail) interacting with the characters from the movie. You start out as a lowly hood and work your way up the ranks by first strong-arming shop keepers for protection money, bribing cops, and going on specific missions set forth by Clemenza or other characters. What is REALLY cool is that you can be doing your thing and at any moment, a major scene from the movie will happen, say, outside the window!

For instance, while in a shop muscling the shopkeeper, outside I saw Don Vito get shot, and my new mission was then to kill the would-be assassins before escorting the ambulance to the hospital! And what's great is, events such as these happen pretty much chronologically, and pretty true to the story -- the movie and surprisingly also the book itself.

One of my favorite features was walking down the street, and hearing passers-by having conversations! Very much like real life.

The idea of the game, of course, is to move up in rank in the Corleone family by earning money and respect. As you progress, you'll be taking control of neighborhoods and the compounds themselves of the Barzini's, Tattaglia's, Stracci's and Cuneo's (the other 4 of the 5 Families). Your ultimate goal is to be The Don of NY/NJ controlling everything.

Some of Marlon Brando's dialogue was used I was told, but they got a terrific voice actor to record bits they needed afterwards. Of course, Caan, Duvall, and Vigoda lent their voices as well, and I was told that they had a terrific time doing it! (We saw some footage of them, which will be on the bonus DVD of the special edition).

All in all, I was VERY impressed with this effort from EA! And even tho I'm not much of a gamer, this is definitely one that I will spend some time with!

I think all Godfather fans (not just gamers) will love to check this out!

It's Only Business!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First off, this review is for the XB Godfather Collector's Edition which I own.

Second, for many hard-core GTA fans, they might see this as a rip-off. It's not. If anything, it's a testament to how well GTA has done its work for a game based on one of the all-time mobster genre movies.

The Godfather allows you to step into the role of a small-time crook that has ties to the Corleone family. Until his mother begs Don Corleone to help "save" him, this gangster has been running around with the "wrong" crowd. Luca Brasi is asked by the Don to help and rescue him.

From there, you begin your rise in the Corleone family. Like GTA, this game allows you to do the main missions and also pick up numerous side missions, giving you that "freedom" to run around and do what you want.

However, unlike GTA, what you do on the streets in the side missions can affect your standing in the family. You have to earn respect in this game, and that comes with experience. Your clothes can either make or break how people react to you, especially when you need to go collect "protection" money from the many businesses and rackets that are abound in the city.

Combat in The Godfather is MUCH improved over GTA. In fact, you can just go and knock people off if you want from a distance to protect yourself from bullets and damage, but your respect level won't really get anywhere if you do that. Also, rather than just targeting and pressing a button on the controller (which results in digital-button mashing), EA has come up with an innovative way of "fighting".

First, the left trigger is used to target. Next, you can pull the right trigger to fire. Nothing new there. But, when you need to use your fists, things get a little more interesting. Instead of using the right trigger to punch, you instead use the right analog stick to punch or swing a weapon at your opponent. But, it's not just flicking the stick that makes it great. Flicking it NW, N or NE results in quick hits and shots to your opponent and each makes a shot to a different part of the body. Pull back on the stick and then flick it forward results in a much harder "punch", just like if you were pulling back to hit someone.

You can also grab the opponent when you are near him by pulling on both triggers. Hold onto them to keep a hold of your enemy and use the right stick to really lay some punches on him. Or, use the left stick to bash him into a wall or whatever obstacle is right next to you. If you push down on both analog sticks, you begin to choke your victim. When you do this, you'll feel the pad beat as his heartbeat begins to slow down. The entire way you grip the pad can almost make you feel like you are in the action.

This alone makes the combat system MUCH better than GTAs and makes you feel like you are in the middle of the action. But, it's not just the combat system that makes this game work. It's the entire Godfather saga (or at least, what is in the book and the first movie) that also help elevate this game into being more than just a GTA clone.

Yes, GTA 3 was inspired by the Godfather movies, but The Godfather Game itself actually makes you a part of the crime family. Instead of using a programmer's "character", you use MobFace to make your character look how you want him to look. And, unlike GTA 3's main bad dude, your character speaks. The addition of using James Caan, Robert Duvall and Abe Vigoda immerses you even more into the game, especially when you get to partake in such pivotal scenes from the movie, including when Vito is gunned down in the streets, as well as helping Michael out when he switches his father's room. There's so much more and the play time of this game is as immense as the GTA games.

With the Collector's Edition, you get a second DVD with a number of special features. One is a video describing some tips and strategies to help you make your way to being the Don. Also are "Behind the Scenes" videos with James Caan and Robert Duvall, as well as other shorts on how the game was made.

There's also a 22-minute video with a bunch of "Hip Hop" people and how the Godfather influenced them. I was not that interested in the video and found it scary how these guys "looked up" to the gangsters and how the "Godfather" was a perfect example for them of how families should stick together. For me, the Godfather is a fictional movie that was NOT made to stress family values. But, for some, this may be an interesting video to watch.

Overall, the Collector's Edition is a nice package. But, if you're not interested in the extra DVD and want to save some cash, then getting the regular version takes nothing away from the game.

Definitely worth getting, especially if you're a GTA fan. If you're not a GTA fan, but love the Godfather, you can't go wrong with this game. Just remember; never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking.

'Respect the Game'

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Movie tie-ins are usually a rather tiresome affair. They sell bundles of units and are more often than not a large pile of mediocrity. The Godfather game is different. Obviously it's been made on the back of the unparalleled success of Francis Ford Coppolla's gangster masterpiece. And it will sell for this reason as well. However, The Godfather game has it's own place in the epic narrative.

It would have been easy for EA to put the player in the shoes of Michael Corleone - the main protagonist in the movies. Indeed, it may have been due to the failure in securing a license to use Al Pacino's voice and likeness that forced EA's hand in creating a fresh perspective on the famous storyline. What we're left with is a new take featuring your good self; a narrative that sees you seamlessly weave in and out of events loyal to the film. For example, when Luca Brasi is stabbed through the hand and garrotted - at the start of the first movie - you look in on the event through a window, you're spotted and the scene turns into a revenge mission. It's expertly executed as you feel a part of a story that is genuine and loyal to film.

The violence has been superbly recreated also. The realistic nature of the firearms in The Godfather makes for interesting gameplay. As you might be used to the rather `cartoonish' gunplay of Saint's Row and GTA, The Godfather might at first seem unforgiving. And it is. But it's realistic - take one bullet from close range and you're sleeping with the fishes... it's as simple as that. Conversely your own guns carry the same clout, so shootouts often become intense and challenging affairs, if a little frustrating. Where as in GTA's gun fighting success is dependent on how quickly you can change targets and get your shots off, The Godfather sees you picking your shots and timing runs between cover. It's obvious that EA's development focussed heavily on the walking and shooting parts of the game, as this is where most of the appeal lies.

Driving however is a different affair altogether. Given the nature of The Godfather EA were limited on what is and isn't possible for the driving sections. The physics of the cars mean they are frustrating to play with. Most of the vehicles are slow and the faster cars seem unnaturally quick. The handbrake turns that work so well in GTA are irritatingly difficult to pull off, especially when being chased by the coppers. Cars bounce off kerbs but smash right through lampposts practically unaffected. Other vehicles, however, are seemingly made of concrete.

Also, getting from one way point to another can be at times be tedious - GTA gets round this by the superbly scripted radio stations, but The Godfather doesn't have such ingenuity - you're instead treated to a violin-based soundtrack that is depressing once the novelty has done a runner. The valid excuse is that most of this isn't EA's fault - this is more or less what it was like to drive a car in 'them days'. There was no radio; the cars were lame, classic, but moved like pair of concrete boots. Where the violence is so real, so must the rest of the game be if only for consistency.

As you would expect much of what you do is directed by the storyline. However there have been provisions for those who are more impulsive. Outside of the missions there are businesses to extort and rackets to take over. Doing as such will build your weekly wage, which you can then in turn spend on clobber and sorting your hair out. You have a respect bar that increases with each completed mission, but coolly this isn't the only way to gain kudos amongst fellow gangsters. Buying a nice wise guy suit brings in the plaudits and boosts the respect meter as much as whacking a guy. Each time your character levels up you get a point to allocate to his attributes. It's a bit of a weak RPG element, but worth thinking about when acquiring garments.

Extorting businesses is tricky, but worth the effort. You'll usually have to take out two or three 'bad guys' before being able to get to the owner. When you do the situation requires thought. Essentially you need to scare the businessman into paying, and you do so by finding his or her 'limit'. So while some owners will agree to 'protection' as soon as you ask, others will have to be battered to the brink of death. Pretty sick, but then the life of a gangster isn't for fairies. Be warned though, going over the top or killing the proprietor will render the business inactive for a while and you'll get nothing but a bruised set of knuckles. It's a fantastic sidetrack to the main game that has to be taken seriously if you want to hire muscle and buy more powerful weapons for later missions.

And so you've got two sections of the same game that sit paradoxically to each other. The superbly well balanced combat game play that forces you to be thoughtful and timely. And the very dodgy vehicle part that frustrates and bores more than anything else. It's difficult to review a sandbox game without making a comparison to GTA, although it's slightly unfair to do so with The Godfather given the rules imposed by the subject matter. At it's very best it delivers a gritty realism, but by the same realistic token, it can be at times terribly dull.

It is difficult to dislike The Godfather as EA have been so faithful to everything we loved about the films - but this is the undoing of the game also. It would have been forgivable to exaggerate the gameplay in places in order to make it more entertaining. But The Godfather is a game for the purists and in order to please it has to feel genuine, The Godfather certainly is.

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