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| The Godfather: The Game | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Released | PC and Xbox PS2 PSP Xbox 360 PS3 Wii |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Ratings | BBFC: 18 ESRB: Mature (M) PEGI: 18+ OFLC: MA15+ |
| Platform(s) | Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, Wii |
| Media | CD, DVD, DVD-DL |
| System requirements | OS: Windows XP or Windows 2000 CPU: 1.4 GHz or faster Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor RAM: 256 MB or more Disc Drive: 2x or faster DVD drive Hard Drive: At least 5 GB of free space Video: 64 MB T&L capable DirectX 9.0c compatible video card (ATI Radeon 8500 or greater; NVIDIA GeForce 3 or greater [excluding GeForce 4 MX]) Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card. |
| Input methods | Gamepad, keyboard, mouse, joystick |
The Godfather: The Game is a 2006 video game based on the 1972 film of the same name. The game is notable in that it features the return of several original actors from the original film to lend their voice. The participating actors are James Caan as Sonny Corleone, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, John Martino as Paulie Gatto, and Abe Vigoda as Salvatore Tessio, with the most notable absences being Marlon Brando because of his ill health and his later death, the audio producers found that the quality of the recordings were not good enough and hired an imitator (although at one point in the game, players can hear the one piece of audio that Brando recorded), and Al Pacino, due to his involvement with Scarface: The World Is Yours. In addition, Mark Winegardner, author of the novel The Godfather Returns, provided story editing and insight into the fictional world of the Godfather. Electronic Arts announced in 2005 that players would create mobsters of their own, customizing their character's physical features, build and clothing in a very in-depth program known as "MobFace". Also, the game would not be the traditional mission-style type but a sandbox game, in a huge free-roam 1930's style New York City, and have non-linear gameplay (similar to games in the Grand Theft Auto franchise). Electronic Arts has also created the "Black Hand" control system as a means of pressuring and extorting business owners. Using the analog sticks on the game controller, players have a wide range of available methods to achieve their goals. These methods include punching, kicking, headbutting, strangling, etc. EA has released a separate version for the Nintendo Wii titled The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, which includes an enhanced "Black Hand" control system that makes use of the Wii's motion control capabilities. There is also a PlayStation 3 version (titled The Godfather: The Don's Edition) that includes the "Corleone Expansion Pack" (adding new gameplay and missions) and added Shipyard and Rail yard transportation hubs for the player to "explore and exploit".[1] While the game shares much in common with the Grand Theft Auto series, it also has similarities with the video game Mafia (for instance, Don Salieri appears in the Godfather as Mikey Salieri, a Soldier for the Tattaglia family).
Contents |
Plot and overview
The game starts with a cutscene that shows a hit on the father of the main character (who, for the sake of reference, is called Aldo Trapani here, according to the default set name) and blowing up of his bakery by the Barzinis, the Corleones' rivals in 1936 New York City. In the aftermath, Don Vito Corleone comforts the child, telling him that when he is old enough and the time is right he will take his revenge. The story then fastforwards to 1945 with the wedding scene in the opening of the film, wherein Aldo's mother asks Don Corleone to look after her son, who has been hanging with the wrong crowd. Luca Brasi is sent to recruit Aldo and teach him the ways of the Mafia. From this point forward, Aldo is taken under the Corleone Family's wing and works his way up in the organization. Essentially, there are two stories in the game that intertwine, the first involving the major events of the film (with the character making central contributions) and a personal story arc. In the former, Aldo witnesses Luca Brasi's murder, plants the gun for Michael Corleone to kill Sollozzo and the police captain McCluskey, helps Rocco put the horse head in Woltz's bed, guards Don Vito Corleone at the hospital, witnesses the death of Sonny, kills significant Corleone rivals during the baptism, and appears at the meeting of the five families. In the latter storyline, Aldo befriends and later kills Corleone associate "Monk" Malone, because he turns out to be a traitor, romances his sister Francis "Frankie" Malone and takes revenge for her death, and kills Don Barzini in revenge for killing his father, as well as assisting in the murder of the heads of the other three Families. After the story missions have been completed, the character becomes an underboss. After he takes out the rival families' compounds he becomes the Don of the family. Alongside the story missions, the player continues to participate in the business of taking over control of New York from the rival families. This includes extorting businesses and buying out rackets, seizing control of hubs and warehouses, performing contract hits, and fighting mob wars when the vendetta level between the Corleones and a rival family gets high enough. Completion of a series of prerequisites to reach 100% enables Aldo to become Don of New York in 1955.
Gameplay
Gameplay consists of undertaking and completing eighteen story missions while in the meantime performing various tasks such as taking over rival family holdings and carrying out contract hits. The missions are linear and follow the storyline of the first film, starting out with the player's recruitment by Luca Brasi after Connie Corleone's wedding and ending with the baptism of Michael Corleone's godchild during which the player plays an instrumental role in carrying out the killings of the rival family members. The player has to deal with the following aspects below alongside and in addition to these story missions.
Heat
Heat in the game refers to the degree of police attention that the player has attracted from committing crimes, such as killing rival family members, civilians, and police officers. Police response to the player escalates the higher the heat level, with additional reinforcements arriving on the scene in police cars who will chase the player if he flees in a vehicle while shooting at it. Heat can be brought down at lower levels by bribing a police officer, which gives the player a timed grace period, during which the police will attack whoever attacks the player. If the heat level is high enough, entering a safe house brings it down to level two.
Vendetta
Vendetta is the level of hostility that has been earned against rival families by killing their members, taking over their businesses and rackets, stealing their contraband truck shipments, and attacking their major holdings. Once accumulated up to a certain point, a mob war is triggered with the rival family which the player has 48 game hours to win by bombing one of their businesses or bribing an FBI agent, which brings all current vendetta levels down to zero. During this time, roadblocks made by the rival family will appear, and the player will be periodically assaulted by roving hit squads. The rival family wins if the player is killed by members of the rival family during a mob war. If a rival family wins the mob war, as well as during the war, businesses belonging to the Corleones are bombed.
Family members
Family members appear as guards outside and within their respective family holdings. When a rival family's holding is taken over, Corleone family members take the places of the rival family members previously stationed there. The player cannot injure or kill a Corleone family member. They react to threats against the player from rival families or the police by shooting at the attackers. The current vendetta level determines how rival family members react to a player. They will not react at lower levels unless a gun is drawn or hand to hand combat initiated, but will shoot on sight at higher levels.
Respect
Respect in the game is earned in a variety of ways, such as by completing story missions, taking over rival family operations such as businesses, rackets, hubs, warehouses, and compounds, killing rival family members, collecting film reels, blowing up safes, and bribing the police. As the player's respect level increases, points are earned upon reaching each level that allow player attributes and skills to be upgraded. Attributes include health and speed, while skills include fighting, shooting, and street smarts. Upgrades increase the player's capabilities such as having higher health and shooting skill. Respect affects the player's interactions with civilians on the street and rival family members. The latter for example, become more deferential towards the player when conversations are triggered with them the higher the respect level.
Holdings
Each family begins the game with specific local businesses, warehouses, compounds, and transportation hubs under its control in each of the five sections of New York within which the game is set: Little Italy, Brooklyn, Midtown, Hell's Kitchen, and New Jersey, which tend to be more concentrated in those areas controlled by a specific family. Holdings under the Corleone Family's control at the beginning of the game do not generate income for the player. The player's objective is thus to seize control of holdings held by rival families and bring them within the Corleone sphere of influence, which at the same time increases his weekly income. To seize control of a business the player has to physically extort the owner into paying protection money to the Corleones. The dollar figure reached then determines how much the business will pay weekly to the player, from which the Corleones take a percentage. Business owners can be extorted once this threshold is reached, but if it is surpassed, will pay more unless pushed too far. The payout increases if certain weak points are triggered. Many businesses are also fronts masking illegal rackets at work. Taking control of a racket, hub or warehouse involves either coercing the racket owner in a similar fashion, or by buying them out. Each holding is guarded by rival family members in varying degrees of strength depending on how lucrative the holding is. For example, warehouses and hubs are more strongly guarded than minor businesses. Another method of acquiring businesses in the Xbox 360 version is to perform various "favors" for the shop owners, normally murdering a criminal. This will result in the maximum payout possible without requiring physical extortion. A third method, available in all versions, is negotiation by acclaim. Once a particular respect level is reached, the protagonist is easily recognized, and certain business owners capitulate without the use of force while paying the maximum amount.
Money
Money in the game is used for a variety of purposes and can be earned in several ways. Uses include buying safehouses, weapon, upgrades and ammunition from black market merchants, and buying out rackets. While the player receives money from successful story mission completions, he also receives a weekly income which depends on what he has been able to extort from business and taking over rackets and facilities such as warehouses, hubs and compounds. The Corleone Family takes a certain percentage in tribute from this income depending on what rank the player currently holds, which decreases the higher he rises in the hierarchy. Thus the more holdings the player has taken over from rival families and the higher his rank in the Corleone Family, the higher is his payout. This tribute does not affect money awarded for completing story missions, or money stolen from banks, safes, or trucks transporting contraband.
Character level stages
As the player successfully completes story missions in the game, he gets promoted within the Corleone crime family hierarchy. Benefits of promotion include a lesser percentage of weekly salary taken as tribute, enabling the player to keep more earnings, and modifiers to respect. In the Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 versions, the crew features allows higher ranking crew members can be hired to assist the player. Rank affects the appearance of family members that the player encounters who guard family holdings and determines how powerful their weapons are. The stages are as follows:
- Outsider: The player begins the game with this rank, which has no special benefits. A subrank of Enforcer once he meets Tom Hagen at the Corleone compound after completing "The Don is Dead" mission. This Enforcer rank does not affect the percentage of tribute paid out to the Corleones.
- Associate: Promotion to Associate marks the player's official inclusion into the Corleone family, at which point the Corleone crest appears on the shield near his name. This is the first rank at which the percentage of tribute taken by the Corleones begins to decrease. The player reaches this rank after completing the "Fireworks" mission.
- Soldier: At this point the player is a made man. This rank is attained after completing the "Recipe for Revenge" mission, which includes Michael Corleone's departure for Sicily after assassinating Solozzo and McCluskey.
- Caporegime: The player is promoted to this rank after completing the "Change of Plans" mission.
- Underboss: This rank is achieved by completing all of the story missions.
- Don: This rank is achieved after becoming Underboss and bombing each of the rival families' compounds. The Godfather of the title, Vito Corleone, holds this rank as the leader of the Corleone family until he is succeeded by Michael Corleone. When the player becomes the Don, he takes the name Corleone, certain people on the street will address him as Don Corleone when spoken to.
- Don of New York: Achieved once the player has completed all missions, taken control of all rackets and businesses, and has slightly more than 90% completion in the game. Afterwards, the player goes to a hotel in Little Italy as his final mission. At this point all of the families have been unified under a single banner with the player having complete control over the streets of New York with no opposition. Once this rank has been achieved, the player receives $1,000,000 and 1,000,000 respect points. For every version except the PS3 and Wii versions, the player also gets unlimited ammunition. This feature is integrated in the PS3 and Wii versions are integrated as part of the "Enforcer" route.
Families
In the game there are five mafia families that have been adapted from the The Godfather. Each family is distinguished by its members wearing specific color coats as well as a shield bearing the family's first initial in its color with the exception of the Corleones, whose shield bears a rampant lion. Nicknamed The Five Families, these consist of:
- The Barzini Family - The Barzini family hails from Midtown, the richest community in New York City, making them the richest and most powerful family in New York City. Their family color is green. The Barzinis are headed by antaganist Don Emilio Barzini, who rules with an iron fist, who ordered the murder of the main character's father, and is rumored to be in control of another New York Family. The Barzinis' Consigliere is Domenica Mazza, and their Underboss is Emillio Barzini Jr. Their two Caporegimes are Pietro Testa and Big Bobby Toro.
- The Corleone Family - The once-powerful crime Family is based in central Manhattan, in Little Italy, and are troubled by increasingly daring raids by the Tattaglias based in Brooklyn. Little Italy has streets of moderately poor local shops run by well-established Families. Their family color is black. In the game the player meets many members of the Corleone Family, including Vito Corleone, Sonny Corleone, Tom Hagen, Michael Corleone, Fredo Corleone, Salvatore Tessio, Pete Clemenza, Paulie Gatto, Rocco Lampone, Al Neri, Willie Cicci, Jaggy Jovino, Jimmy DeNunzio, Luca Brasi, and "Monk" Malone.
- The Cuneo Family - The Cuneo family hails from Hell's Kitchen. The Cuneo family is not very rich, owning few rackets and businesses. Their family color is red. Don Carmine Cuneo heads the Cuneo Family. They are ruthless killers, always appearing in large groups largely due to the environment of Hell's Kitchen, which is run down and filled with poor communities. According to certain Corleone associates, Cuneos' are trustworthy unless you mess with their business. The Cuneos' Consigliere is Luciano Fabbri, and their Underboss is Marco Cuneo. Their two Caporegimes are Ronnie Tosca and Mario DeBellis.
- The Stracci Family - The Stracci family is based in New Jersey. Don Victor Stracci heads the Stracci Family. In the daytime the neighborhood looks quite peaceful, with fancy houses and well-groomed parks, but at night, it becomes much more dangerous. The Straccis are the most cruel and vicious family. Their family color is blue. The Straccis' consigliere is Jack Fontana, and their Underboss is Salvatore Stracci. Stracci Caporegimes include Oscar Zavarelle and Leon Grossi.
- The Tattaglia Family - The Tattaglia family dominates Brooklyn, owning almost every business and racket on the Brooklyn waterfront. The Tattaglia family has a serious rivalry with the Corleone family because of their business expansion into Little Italy, the Corleone's turf. Their family color is tan. Don Philip Tattaglia heads the Tattaglia Family, and his son Bruno is next in line to become Don of the Tattaglia Family. Bruno has an alliance with Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo. The Tattaglias' consigliere is Freddie Nobile, and their Underbosses are Bruno and Johnny Tattaglia. The Tattaglias' Caporegimes are Tony Bianchi and Donnie Marinelli. Under Bianchi are Soldiers Mikey Saleri and Squeegie McNeese. Under Marinelli are Soldiers Luigi Bonetti and Rocky Della Barca.
Supporting characters
- Joe Galtosino: A corrupt police sergeant based in Little Italy, known to abuse power. The player murders him when he assaults Rosa by throwing him off of a rooftop.
- Rosa Morelli: Corleone Associate and owner of a flower shop in Little Italy. Is known to have a friendship or possible attraction to the player. She was later taken hostage by Jaggy Jovino, but she was saved by the player. She can be killed after when saved.
- McCluskey: Corrupt, bigoted police captain believed to be in line with Sollozzo. The player hides the gun that Michael kills him and Sollozzo with.
- Frances "Frankie" Malone: Marty "Monk" Malone's sister, main character's love interest. It turns out that she is older than her brother. They eventually become lovers until she is murdered by Bruno Tattaglia.
- Amerigo Bonasera: Funeral home operator, daughter is beaten up by punks. He has his vengeance when the player, Paulie Gatto and Monk Malone beat the punks to a pulp.
- Emilio Brunetti: Butcher shop owner under the Tattaglias. He is the first person to be extorted by the player.
- The Trojan: Mysterious Corleone special operations go-to guy. He has many missions for the player to carry out. He apparently has a grudge against the Straccis.
- Marty "Monk" Malone: A wise guy working for Clemenza who becomes good friends with the player. He becomes an FBI informent after his sister Francis dies and when he is not allowed to rise in the family due to his Irish heritage. In one of the missions, when Monk killed an FBI fed, it turns out that he became an informant against the Corleones. In the end he dies trying to kill the player.
- Johnny Trapani: The player's father who was evidently a high ranking mafioso in the twenties and thirties. He is shot to death at Don Barzini's orders while trying to make sure his son, the young player, is all right. Johnny's death is the catalyst for the player's involvement with the Corleone Family.
- Aldo Trapani: The playable character. This is his default name, but can be changed to anything the player desires.
- Jaggy Jovino: A Soldier of the Corleone Family who gives the player advice in the game. But in 1955, he betrays the Corleone Family and starts to work for the Barzinis. He is killed by the player in Rosa's flower shop.
- Mikey Saleri: A Soldier to the Tattaglia Family. In the game, He and Donnie Marinelli are the ones who shot Don Corleone, and are also the ones who took Tom Hagen under Sollozzo's order. He is killed by the player for trying to kill Emilio Brunetti.
Other versions
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 version was released on September 19, 2006, which improved on the earlier versions with several new features. Among these were three additional story missions that were in the movie but not included in the initial release of the game and the addition of a crew option. The latter allows the player to hire additional assistance from the family throughout the game. Higher rankings allow access to higher ranked and more heavily armed recruits. Crewmembers can also shoot out of vehicles. In a similar manner, the police can now be bribed to fight alongside the player in certain situations. Graphics were improved, including weather physics for added realism, and characters' faces reflecting the effects of physical attacks. The enemy A.I has been improved, with rival family members going into a "search and kill" mode if they cannot target the player. Hijacking contraband trucks now requires the player to drive the trucks to specific points to receive an increased payout from $2,000 to $7,000. Additional hit contracts and execution styles are also now available.
PSP
A Sony PlayStation Portable version was released, titled The Godfather: Mob Wars. Unlike the console versions, Mob Wars does not feature free-roaming environments. Instead, the game is restricted to a series of story missions involving Aldo Trapani. However, Mob Wars includes a new turn-based strategy mode with the aim of controlling all of New York City by neutralizing the rival families, completed by issuing orders and executing them as real-time missions. The portable version of the game also lacks the entire section of driving, even in the story missions, where the driving segments are replaced with cutscenes.
Wii
The Wii version, entitled The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, is the highest rated version of The Godfather on Gamerankings and IGN.[2]. It features 20 normal missions, ten new hit missions, a new rival family seen only in the new hit missions, rooftop battles, new favors, and other methods such as blackmail and bribery. It was developed alongside the PS3 edition and released March 20, 2007. Improved upon the Xbox 360 edition, it includes brand new controls designed for the Wii Remote. Aiming is now handled by the pointer function of the Wii Remote, and allow more locational damages, though the lock-on option is still in the game. Melee combat is handled using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, such as swinging a baseball bat, or throwing a molotov cocktail. Once the player has taken hold of a NPC, the player may use a wide variety of hand to hand combat techniques. In total, there are 25 unique motion-based execution moves available in the game. The Wii version also reworked the crew system; unlike the 360 edition, the crew will accompany the player even after loading a saved game where a crew had been hired previously. Furthermore, players also have the ability to call in a four-man hit squad to assist the player in missions; the gauge that is needed to be recharged can be automatically refilled if they did not sustain too much damage before the last save point, allowing player to instantly call upon them. This provides player with an ability to call upon a total of five crew members at any time. The Blackhand Edition adds a second path that the player may take through the game, that of the operator. The main method of progression is by blackmailing police, the FBI or members of other families, and what the player does or says affects the outcome. While the enforcer's goal is to destroy the other families through brute force, the operator's is to blackmail the police chiefs of the five boroughs by finding enough "dirt" on them during missions. The player then blackmails the chiefs, enabling the bribe gauge to fill to the top for free every time the player talks to the chief, effectively allowing the player to take control of the police in that area. The police fight alongside the player's family members and can also arrest or kill rival family members. The path of the operator also grants the player additional tactical abilities that are not open to the enforcer, such as enhanced and regenerating health, the ability to call in the four-man hit squad twice as often, enhanced crew damages and health, ability to plant car bombs and make instant stealth kills, and reduced price on bribing on the police and FBI.
PS3
The Sony PS3 version, titled The Godfather: The Don's Edition, is very similar to the Wii version (such as 4-man hit squad, operator's path, and battle on rooftops) and improves upon the Xbox 360 edition, save for having some minor graphic enhancements, a larger city with additional locale, lack of interactive controlling, and instead, utilization of the SIXAXIS motion sensor controls. While the moves available are less than those available on Wii version, players can use SIXAXIS to shove people around and perform special execution moves. However, unlike Wii, these moves are generally finishing moves and thus not always available. Additionally, the PS3 edition has two special locales, a freighter and a train yard, that serve as transportation hub, providing a few special scenarios, as well as five new hit missions.
Reception and criticism
The director of the film trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola, did not approve of the game's release.[3] Coppola denounced the game, saying that he felt they were profiteering from his work. The average results on GameRankings are:
- Blackhand Edition (Wii) - 77%[4]
- PS2 & Xbox - 77%[5]
- Xbox 360 - 77.4%[6]
- The Don's Edition (PS3) - 72%[7]
- Mob Wars (PSP) - 62%[8]
On Gamespot, the game is ranked separately in each of four categories. The PS2, Xbox, and PC versions are rated 8.1. It has been criticized for the recycling of graphics of shops and buildings, making it difficult to pinpoint the player's location within the game. Mob Wars received a 6 for poor game play. On the Xbox 360 it received 7.9 for its minor improvements recruiting a bodyguard. The PS3 and Wii versions are rated 7.6, similar to the Xbox 360 version. IGN gave every iteration of the Godfather a 7.9 with two exceptions. The Sony PSP was given a 6.2 and the Nintendo Wii edition was given a solid 8.
Sequel
EA have recently announced plans for a sequel, with no date mentioned. It is most likely that this sequel will be based on the The Godfather: Part II since the current Godfather game is based on Godfather Part I. [9]
References
- ^ EA
- ^ IGN.com: The Godfather: Blackhand Edition
- ^ gamesindustry.biz (2005-04-11). "Coppola slams EA's Godfather game". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
- ^ The Godfather: Blackhand Edition - WII. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ The Godfather - PS2. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ The Godfather - X360. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ The Godfather: The Don's Edition - PS3. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ TThe Godfather: Mob Wars - PSP. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ GameSpot
External links
- Electronic Arts - official site
- The Godfather (Xbox) Reviews - at Metacritic.com
- at StrategyWiki
- GameSpot's Review for the XBox 360
- IGN's Review for the XBox
- The Godfather: The Game at MobyGames


