The Godfather: The Game Review (Xbox)

The Godfather videogame from EA is an intriguing blend of great story, many different gameplay elements, and decent production values that all come together to create a surprisingly good videogame adaptation of one of the most beloved films of all time. This is a license that EA couldn’t afford to mess up and, thankfully, they have delivered an experience that should make fans of The Godfather very happy.

Story

In The Godfather, you play a character that didn’t appear in the film but you still have a major impact on the story. Amazingly, the character doesn’t feel tacked on or forced into the story and the game manages to retain the same overall feel as the movie. Pretty much everything else in the game follows the movie and starts up right at the wedding scene where the mother of your character asks the Don to give you work and thus begins your life as a mobster.

The game uses a version of the EA Sports “Gameface” character creator so making a nice looking character is pretty easy. You have to create an Italian-American male to fit in with the story, but you still have a fair bit of freedom.

The story overall does a good job of maintaining the same feel as the movie. Some sequences were cut or altered to better work as a videogame, but for the most part EA has done a good job of being respectful of the source material and creating a game that fans of The Godfather will surely appreciate. The only downside is that Al Pacino didn’t grant his likeness or voice to the game so Michael’s character is very different than what you remember, but it isn’t a deal breaker.

The Mob Life

Similar to the Grand Theft Auto games, The Godfather is a free roaming “sandbox” type of game where you have the freedom to come and go as you please and do whatever you want. You can steal cars, kill random NPCs, get into police chases, and just run around and goof off. There are also 100 film reels hidden throughout the city, which unlock bonus clips from the movie. The city itself is massive and includes 5 parts of NYC - Little Italy, Brooklyn, Midtown, Hell's Kitchen, and New Jersey – each with its own look and feel.

In addition to the main storyline where you’ll have to do things such as plant the pistol for Michael to use in the diner or the horse head scene, you also play the role as the Don’s enforcer and you have to bully businesses into paying protection money. Many businesses also have illegal shops in the back that you can also take over. Taking over more shops means more money for the family and more control over the city. The real fun and longevity comes from the constantly changing balance of power between all of the rival families and you have a number of different ways to gain and lose power and the freedom to do it all whenever and however you want.

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