Gameplay
The actual gameplay is an interesting mix of the driving and freedom of Grand Theft Auto, the third person shooting from the recent James Bond games, and the hand-to-hand combat of Fight Night. Driving around is pretty much what you expect, just slower since it is 1930s New York. The cars do handle exceptionally well, though, which makes weaving in and out of traffic pretty fun. Shootouts in the game use a modified version of the James Bond EoN system where you easily lock on to enemies and can fire at will without worrying too much. The Godfather goes one step further by offering a free aim mode that allows you to go for headshots or even shoot out knees, which leave your enemies in a crumpled, and vulnerable, heap. There are a ton of weapons and they are all upgradeable, which is very nice. The final part of the gameplay is the hand-to-hand fisticuffs and EA used the right analog stick punching from Fight Night here. You can grapple and punch and pick enemies up and do a whole bunch of things that are all context sensitive with the right analog stick. Be warned that the combat is pretty difficult since you often have to fight dozens of enemies all by yourself, but if you are patient you can manage.Graphics and Sound
EA
The sound is a definite high point of The Godfather. Many of the actors from the film did new voice work for the game, including the late Marlon Brando, and it all sounds very good. The absence of Pacino is definitely noteworthy, but you get used to it after a while. I’m also happy to say that the instantly recognizable main theme music from the movie is present and accounted for and the soundtrack overall is pretty good.
Bottom Line
Overall, The Godfather is a well put together game that delivers most of the things fans of the movie have been wanting. The story had to be tweaked a bit, but overall it does a good job of capturing the essence of what made The Godfather so interesting to begin with. The atmosphere and “feel” of the movie are recreated very well here. I do have a few complaints. The graphics are pretty bland and the game can get pretty difficult which can be frustrating. Also, at this point I think the GTA concept is starting to wear a bit thin. Back in 2001 GTAIII was desperately trying to be The Godfather and here we are in 2006 and The Godfather is desperately trying to be GTAIII. While it exceeds it in atmosphere it (and every other open ended game) still falls behind GTA in overall gameplay and variety. We have seen and done all of this before and if you aren’t a huge fan of The Godfather movie the videogame can feel pretty shallow. If you are a big fan of the franchise, then The Godfather videogame will be right up your alley. The Godfather is a good game that definitely ranks high among the GTA clones and is worth playing for fans of the movie. Give it a rental at least.
