The Godfather Review (X360)

Gameplay

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.

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.

Xbox Version Graphics and Sound

Graphically, The Godfather isn’t terribly impressive. The City is remarkably bland which makes it easy to get lost and while there are a lot of building interiors to explore, a lot of them are recycled over and over again. The character models look pretty good, particularly the faces, and the animation is nicely done – particularly in hand-to-hand combat.

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. 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.

The Xbox 360 version is easily the best version of The Godfather available, but if you have already played it on other systems the minor upgrades aren’t really worth it. If you haven’t played it already, however, the 360 version is the one to play.