Godfather: Don's Edition (PS3) Review
Posted by Sean Garmer on 04.27.2007
Does the PS3 version make you an offer you can't refuse? Well it does and it doesn't.
Since it’s release in 1972, no other film in American history has topped more “Greatest Movie of all time” lists. Of course I can only be talking about the Godfather. Francis Coppola’s masterpiece isn’t just a movie though, it has become part of pop culture throughout the years. So it’s only fitting that it has it’s own video game. EA took the license and made the original game for the last gen systems a year ago. This PS3 port should be the final iteration of it. EA promised some exclusive additions to this version to entice PS3 owners to buy this game. Does this game do the movie justice? I’d say that it does. However, does the PS3 have enough to warrant a purchase? Maybe by reading this you’ll know.
Graphics Normally with EA this is one aspect of a game that you don’t have to worry about. However, the PS3 version of this game looks like a cross between an XBOX 360 game and a PS2 game at times. The character models are very well detailed but they still aren’t what the PS3 is capable. Other things like the cars or buildings are not that well done. The interiors however, are detailed (again not PS3 graphics) but look decent on the system. This is a letdown considering that since this is a port, graphics are a major part. If you are going to put something on another system, the graphics should be updated to match that. That’s the main incentive you are giving PS3 owners, aside from a few extra things for them to pay $60 dollars for the game. Everything still looks good but at times also looks awkward, because it’s not all even in a XBOX 360 look. The city is molded after various locales in the movie. They did do a good job in making each one unique so that you could tell where you are, but, the city itself seems rather empty, which is weird considering that this is New York City after all. Moving on, the fighting and shooting animations are fluid and you will see blood fly every time a punch is thrown or a shot is fired at someone. The best part is there are no load times from entering one place and leaving it, which makes everything run smoothly and that’s great. Ultimately though, the game is not hindered by the graphics, it’s just that it doesn’t look right because the PS3 can do much better.
Gameplay This game is done similar to GTA, in that it gives you free roam of the city to do what you want, but it also has story missions, as well as extra missions and ways for you to earn money. You play as some generic character that is hired by the Corleone family, after, you sadly see your father get shot and killed. Your job? You are an enforcer for the family, and you go around town collecting money from various places. You go inside a certain building and push the storeowner to his “pressure point.” I’m not kidding, every store owner literally has a pressure point that is shown on a small little bar on the top of the screen, once you begin to coax the owner. Then all you have to do is beat him up or destroy the shop until you get to the green part of the bar. After that, they agree to pay you. Some of these missions vary including having to chase them down in a car, or just paying them, but for the most part they are very easy, which in a way is good because having a source of income from the game, shouldn’t be too difficult. Thankfully, that’s not all you can do. The 25 story missions follow various scenes from the movie and some of them are taken straight from the film and faithfully created for the game, which I can’t deem anything but awesome. Other missions included car chases and shooting down people that cause issues around town. As you complete missions and get more money, respect is gained, in the form of points. This allows you to upgrade one of eight things. If you want your character to be a great fighter, or a snipe shooter you can do that. This helps moves the game along and makes you want to keep playing to improve the character.
That in itself is made better (once you join the family) by the ability to hire henchmen and even a hit squad that can follow you around on missions and protect you. The A.I. is actually, pretty good, but the missions vary in difficulty, so you will probably die hit squad or not. However, no violence can happen without some resistance. Similar to GTA once again, you gain heat through every violent act that you incur. Badges will appear on the side of your map telling you how much heat you have. So there will be many times you won’t just be fighting the enemy, but the police as well. Not all lost though, because all that money you gathered can be used to bribe the cops. This will give you a little bit of rest and relaxation when you do some violent acts in that city. Remember, you only have a limited amount that you can do before they come after you again. If you are lucky enough, you can even hire some of the police to fight along side you, which will again help you add to the violence.
How do you perform all this violence? Well it’s simple you can either beat the crap out of anyone who gets in your way with a weapon, fists, or just simply shoot them. You can press a button to grab the guy and just keep using the analog sticks to punch them into oblivion, or use the SIXAXIS motion controls to throw them into things bash their head into objects, and Headbutt them too. The SIXAXIS motion works well, but it feels rather tacked on and unnecessary, like they could have done without it. Sometimes it was annoying when the game would ask you to move the controller in a certain to complete something. Leave the motion stuff to games where it adds to the gameplay, for a game like this one it feels like a gimmick more than anything. Continuing forward, there are a variety of weapons that you can pick up, and holding a button will bring up this wheel onto the screen, which shows you all the things at your disposal to wreak havoc. The best part of the game has to be the gunplay. You can either lock on or use free aim to shoot down any detractors. There are several different types of guns available, from a Tommy gun to a .38 pistol. There’s also a nameplate that appears on screen that tells you how accurate your shot was. The A.I. of the enemies while shooting is pretty smart and you will need to duck and take cover, because they don’t have remorse for any reloading.
Finally, there are also special missions that Don Corleone sends you on that can be tracked through an online leaderboard. So there’s incentive for those online folks.
Sound: EA did a terrific job in this department. All the voices in the game are done very well and they were able to get most of the original Godfather actors to do the voiceovers, including Marlon Brando as Don Corleone, as this was the last thing he did before sadly passing away. This is what makes the game in my opinion, the fact that the film is faithfully recreated with it’s original voices (except for Michael, who is not done by Al Pacino) making you feel immersed in everything about the movie. All the sound effects are spot on, and the music from the film is included as well as the memorable “Godfather theme” too. Even your character has a voice, it would have been nice to adjust the voice to match the character you wanted to create, but it’s understandable why he has to have that accent, and can only look a certain way. There is nothing wrong here, it’s time to move along further.
Lasting Appeal: Obviously, just being able to relive scenes from the film could be enough for fans. However, for every story mission completed, a scene from the actual film is unlocked and you can watch it in the menu screen. It’s a nice little touch and most that buy this game will already have the film, but if you want a quick refresher on which scene you just played in the game, or what the back story is for it, you can view it. There are extra missions added for the PS3 version, as well as the ability to do the GTA thing and just freely do damage to the city. Of course, all that stuff can get repetitive, but that’s why it’s just extra. However, unlike GTA, the whole point of this game is to follow the Godfather story. So there may be less of a chance someone would go back and just bombard through the city for no reason.
Fun Factor: If you love the movie, you will enjoy this game. It’s decent on it’s own as an action game, but at it’s core this was made for Godfather fans. You have free roam of the city to do whatever you want, of course, the police will come after you, but you can bribe them to keep them away, if you desire. The police chases are fun, so you might like to spit in the face of danger. The story missions recreate memorable scenes from the film and the wonderful voice acting will keep you involved. The gameplay itself is fun but can get repetitive, overall though, this was an enjoyable experience. The use of the license is superb, the music, voice acting, and playing through the story make it wonderful.
The 411: Again, fans of the film will love this just because of how it stays true to the material and uses the license extremely well. The story mode is around 12 hours, but there’s tons of extra stuff to do. What people will remember is that EA made a game based on a movie that was terrific and used the voice overs, and story to create a specific game storyline that makes you want to keep playing. The one thing I will say is, the game doesn’t look that great in HD, even though some graphical things have been improved in other spots it hasn’t. Unless you want to play with the Wii remote, or you haven’t played this on any other system. I suggest saving money and buying the PS2 version, because the new stuff for the PS3 version isn’t that much of an upgrade. If you need something to buy for your PS3 this isn’t a bad game to get either. Point is, if Godfather is your thing, you need to play at least one version of this game.
Graphics
7.5
The characters are modeled well and interiors are improved but they aren't quite up to the PS3 standards
Gameplay
8.5
Story follows the film well. Car chasing, shooting, and fighting are fun. There's also a way to improve your character that will keep you intrigued when it gets reptetive.
Sound
9.0
The voiceovers are great and really immerses you in the greatness of the film, the music is done well too.
Lasting Appeal
8.5
Aside from the 12 hour story, you have free roam of the city, side missions, and you can even watch film clips too.
Fun Factor
8.5
No bones about it. If you love the movie, you should play this game.
