“Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your home on the wedding day of your daughter.” It’s time to enter the world of organized crime again. The Xbox 360 version of the The Godfather arrives exactly six months after it saw release on the current generation of platforms. Would it take a leap into HD the correct way with stunning graphics and introduction to new features? Well, let’s take a look to see if the transition to next-gen is as smooth as it could have been.
There are a few drawbacks right from the get go. First off, EA had some trouble translating the movie franchise faithfully into the video game art form. This isn’t their fault completely since a few actors didn’t want their images in the game. Al Pacino’s character, Michael Corleone, doesn’t bare any resemblance to what you will remember from the movie. Robert Duvall’s character, Tom Hagan, also is lost in translation for some reason. With the absence of both, it’s sad to see that the game can’t be fully faithful to the movies.
The story of the game takes place between the late ‘40s until the mid ‘50s. You have the role of a young man who is taken in under the leadership of Don Corleone. As you start learning the ropes people start dying and it then falls on you to hits the streets and get some revenge. The Godfather will be strikingly similar to any Grand Theft Auto game you have played or any of the clones like True Crime: Streets of L.A, it is played with open-ended missions so that you have the opportunity to complete them at your own discretion. Unlike GTA or True Crime, you’ll have the power to create your own character. The customization isn’t necessarily deep, but having the chance to create a character in your own likeness is a positive addition to the game.
One of the newer elements to the game is that you are able to level up ranks and have henchmen follow you around. If you have already played Saints Row, you’ll know the value of having a little meat and muscle behind you to back you up. The henchmen aren’t incredibly smart or physical, but they are great for distractions. When you begin the game though, be prepared to go through the introductory tutorials to give you the overall feel of game.
You may be asking what the overall feel of the game is. Well, the combat has its ups & downs – the targeting system isn’t what it could be. Being able to shoot specific areas of the body of your enemy is a great addition, but it’s a tad bit tight for me. Shooting them in the legs will drop your enemy to the ground and then of course there are headshots, but the targeting isn’t on par with what we have seen in other action shooters. The other part of the controls is the melee combat, which are also hot & cold at different times. Being able to grab your opponents and throw them to the ground is a plus, but it does take some practice in order to be able to use this move to its full potential.
