The Godfather





Condensing Mario Puzo's/Francis Ford Coppola's epic Godfather trilogy into pixels must have seemed like a daunting prospect for Electronic Arts. Taking one of the greatest films ever produced and blending it into a cross between ‘Mafia’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto’ was always going to turn heads, and from the outset that’s exactly what the gaming equivalent has done. It could so easily have gone wrong; you only need to take a look at the glut of poor movie to game translations we’ve all had to sit through in the past.

The parallel between ‘computer game’ and ‘feature film’ has been helped along in spades by managing to retain most of the original cast. For starters Marlon Brando had brought along his exceptional talent and two cotton balls to the party, playing the hard hitting, but fair boss, Don Vito Corleone. Other retainers include James Caan who plays Santino 'Sonny' Corleone and Robert Duvall who recreates his role as Tom Hagen. All voice actors sound convincing and energetic which helps the unfolding storyline of a crime syndicate striving to retain control of the streets, and ultimately the family.

When you are not taking part in missions you’ll probably be trying to increase the family’s wealth by forcing local shopkeepers to sign up to the family’s protection racquet. When you enter newly discovered premises you have a chance to extort the owner which can be achieved in numerous ways. You can simply walk up to the owner and threaten them with words alone; if that doesn’t work you can either smash up the place or get physical with the shopkeeper. Each person will have a stress level though, and if you push them too hard you could find them fighting back. To that case sometimes just pointing a gun at someone works better than actually pulling the trigger.



The fist based combat system borrows slightly from EA’s other success, Fight Night. It’s obviously not as refined but essentially you use the right analogue stick to attack and dodge. When things demand more firepower you can of course use weapons that range from standard pistols, baseball bats and dynamite. When firing you have a further choice of automatic and manual aiming, for times when precession is essential, ala headshots or when disarming. You can still slightly alter the target when using auto-aim but it can be frustrating trying to compensate under this method as the ‘sights’ try and centre into the target.

One area we particularly enjoyed was the ‘injury zones’ placed on each character. Single shots to the legs didn’t kill but merely incapacitated troublesome enemies, or shopkeepers unwilling to pay the weekly extortion fees. Head shots bring down targets straight away and hand and arm shots disarm. In an early scene this method was used to great effect. We found ourselves in a fire fight, after dispatching most of the mob one foot soldier grabbed our girl and threatened to kill her. Using her as a shield, a careful aim to the head rescued the girl and brought the mobster down cold. Yes this has been done so many times before but the controls and mechanics actually made the process a pleasure and dare we say it, breathtakingly cinematic.

Taking a leaf from Mafia, the 2002 hit from Take 2, The Godfather is heavily story driven and it’s a pleasure to see that story evolve as your character does. Players take control of a new recruit fresh from the streets, and under your guidance, and with advice from the family, your ultimate task is to grow into someone capable of eventually taking control of the Carleone’s business. The Godfather manages to do this via light RPG elements that allow you to ‘level up’ and improve your skills in areas you see fit, from lightweight to crime lord, the game ultimately grows as you do.

There will, of course, be similar comparisons between this and the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto franchise, and that is certainly not a bad thing, if done correctly. Missions are awarded and received in an unobtrusive way allowing you to explore the streets on foot, or via car, at your leisure, and this free-form nature works exceptionally well.

There are a few problems but they are certainly not showstoppers. At times the AI seems sloppy, especially during the extortion missions. You’ll be slapping away at riving families and for some reason mobsters that are carrying shotguns and baseball bats seemingly forget what powerful weapons they are carrying and join in and use their fists. When it happens it takes away from some of the realism the developers worked so frantically to create but thankfully these moments are rare, and the stellar moments soon help you forget.



With language fruiter than a Puccini cocktail, The Godfather is definitely not for the kids. The game will shock, however it should entertain, and if you don’t take it too seriously it’ll probably end up being one of the better releases this year. Electronic Arts have made you an offer you can’t refuse; and put quite simply, you’ll be a fool if you pass it up.



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