The Godfather: The Game
EA
Available on PS2, Xbox, PC
The Verdict: Jumping into the shoes of a Corleone mobster is a dream come true for fans of the films, but some gameplay flaws will irritate the most serious of gamers.
2 1/2 of 4 stars
It’s time to move up in the world, kid. You’re now a member of the Corleone crime family. Sure, you can’t be trusted, you have no experience with the Mafia and you get beaten up by much shorter, more unfit guys, but the Don owes your mother a favor on this, the day of his daughter’s wedding.
Aside from the nonsensical fashion in which you join the mob, the videogame rendition of Francis Ford Coppola’s film “The Godfather,” based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, stays true to the look, feel and sounds that the original film captured. The sepia-tone New York City is wide open, much like the fictional cities of the “Grand Theft Auto” series, and the post-war era of the late ’40s and early ’50s feels nearly authentic.
The story, though it lacks depth, is believable for most of the game. You rise through the ranks of the Corleone Cosa Nostra, becoming a made man, a capo and eventually the Don of New York City. Apparently Michael Corleone doesn’t mind.
Adding authenticity to the game is Robert Duvall, James Caan, Abe Vigoda and Don Vito himself, the late Marlon Brando, who lend their voices to reprise their roles for cutscenes and in-game dialogue. Al Pacino, on the other hand, wanted no part in the project. A shame, too, because his voice would have really sealed the deal on the cinematic aspect of the game.
The film’s original score is also cleverly used. Pull up to the Corleone compound in Little Italy, and “The Godfather Waltz” invites you in with its slow, powerful crescendos, just as it did in the film.
The developers really knew their stuff when it came to dynamics and style, but the most important aspect of “The Godfather: The Game,” the gameplay, has numerous flaws.
Your duties as a mobster include running around five districts in the NYC area to rob banks, exploit businesses, take over rackets and pump members of other crime families full of lead. A glitchy automatic aiming system takes some of the fun out of shooting up the mafiosi, but an optional manual aiming system remedies the problem. Of course, going execution-style on them is a lot more fun, using creative ways to give an unlucky mobster a third eye.
In-game driving is nothing special, but it’s fairly convenient when, say, cops and enemies are blasting shells at you without a stutter. And as interesting as the environment is, there’s no aspect of sight-seeing. No Statue of Liberty? No Empire State Building? There’s no point in driving other than to get from point A to point B.
However, using your vehicle for easy kills by running over adversaries or just plain blowing it up can get you out of a bind when you’re running low on health.
The game uses RPG-inspired upgrades through respect points and the black market to increase effeciency as a mobster. Players gain street smarts for easier extortion, shooting accuracy, fighting skills, speed and a tougher health meter as the game progresses. Arms dealers offer upgrades on weapons if you can pony up the green, and they’re always worth it.
Most secondary missions are repetitive: Take this guy out, bribe this cop, take over this warehouse. Some of the hits offer incentives for creative executions, though, making that aspect of the game a little more fun and challenging, but repetitive nonetheless.
It’s the primary missions that boast the most exciting and original gameplay of the title. These missions entwine your character with memorable events from the first movie.
Remember the part of “The Godfather” where Hollywood hotshot Woltz wakes up covered in blood, with the head of his prize racehorse tucked nicely in his bed sheets? Let’s just say you get involved in a little horseplay during the game. Players will chase down Sonny Corleone’s killers, protect Don Vito while he’s in the hospital and plant the gun Michael uses to cap Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey behind the toilet in Louis’ Restaurant.
It’s these missions that make “The Godfather: The Game” worth playing. Fans will appreciate the work that went into creating an environment synonymous with that of the film, but gamers will sigh with disapproval when Joey Generic-Italian-Name shoots them through a concrete wall.