Review : The Godfather

You've probably heard a lot of bad things about The Godfather : The Game. The original version on the PC and Xbox was a victim of its own hype and ended up being rushed into production, resulting in a somewhat glitchy game that failed to live up to expectations. It's a shame, since while it may not be groundbreaking this game really is one of the better GTA-clones out there, and now with the updated Xbox 360 version you can play it in a much better form than its ever been in.

I didn't expect a whole lot from the game, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. But then when you look back at the actual reviews themselves, the critical response wasn't as negative as people tend to think ... a four-star review instead of a five-star review doesn't mean it isn't still a good game. It's just not a great game.

At the start of the game you create your characters appearance. This is probably the best physical character creation tool I've ever seen in a game, and you can make your character look like pretty much anyone. My first character looked a lot like Clark Gable, while my brother initially opted to create a fat ugly Amish man. You can choose to create a character who fits into the world like a glove, or who looks comically out of place standing beside the likes of Marlon Brando and James Caan. Now that's freedom.

In the game you take on the role of a guy who becomes intricately involved with the Corleone family, and is involved in the background of pretty much everything that happens in the first Godfather movie. Well, as involved as he can be without ever actually appearing on screen anyway. A lot of effort has gone into recreating famous scenes, and though it doesn't always slot together perfectly with the movie you do have to admit they've done a pretty good job overall.

Movies and computer games have a rather turbulent history. Rarely does a computer game translate well onto the big screen, and most often computer games made from movies are simply a cash-in, these days often rushed through production in order to coincide with (or even act as a prelude to) the release of a movie. But there are some examples of great games that are inspired by movies, the graphic adventure of Blade Runner is one that always springs to mind, as well as various Star Wars games, and now The Godfather can be added to the list.

Thanks to Mafia, we already know that this kind of environment is ideal for a GTA-style game, and they've done a fantastic job of creating the setting for the game. Driving around early on I recognised locations from the movie long before they were actually involved in the story; such as the hospital where they take Don Corleone, or the spot where Sonny gets whacked. The gameplay itself is fantastic, and there are certain aspects of combat, inparticular the close-quarters 'grappling', which are a lot of fun once you get used to them.

As far how freeform the game is, it's around the same level as Grand Theft Auto; you get main storyline missions which sometimes give you the option of what order to do them in, and you also get side-quests. It's quite surprising how much freedom you get, given that a game based so closely on a movie must be fairly linear by definition, and given that almost all the missions tie into the story of the film in some way.

I urge you to check out the Xbox 360 version of this game. It's not so old that the graphics look dated, and you really can't fault the gameplay. Whether your a fan of The Godfather or a fan of GTA, you'll find a lot to enjoy here. Apparently a sequel was 'in development' as far last year, but as to when it will surface who knows. As for me, I've already re-watched The Godfather 2 wondering how it would work as a game ...