The Godfather : PS2

Brando will be turning in his grave

The frustrations don’t end there. The A.I opponents in The Godfather are certainly lacking some brain cells. For example, whilst interrogating the local barber, his bodyguard let me smash up the shop without blinking an eye lid. As soon as I threatened the barber, his assailant killed me. The Godfather is full of these inconsistencies. The problems don’t stop there, at times you’ll beat up an NPC, whilst their friends will stand by without assisting him.

Surely these inadequacies don't translate to the game's graphics, do they? The marketing of The Godfather has been huge, dozens of trailers, hundreds of screenshots and TV and billboard advertising, have been thrust in our faces. The trailer and graphics have always gave the impression that The Godfather will sport the latest graphical technology. It's always looked superb.

Disappointingly, the game's graphics are adequate, quite frankly PS2 graphics are looking old.

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The models of the main characters are the highlight, Don Corleone and his side-kicks are accurately portrayed and add to the game’s believability. The characters that you’ll see wandering around the streets are also well-detailed and each model differs in some way.

The streets of New York lack the atmosphere of that time - yes there’s debris floating about, and steam rising through street vents, and the dull browns and greys of the buildings and streets may be somewhat accurate to the gangster period -but, after you’ve travelled a few blocks you’ll soon be aware that everything looks the same. Where’s the romanticism that encompasses the movie?

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There are slight differences between the various areas of the city, but most buildings look the same, even inside.

The cut-scenes and voice acting is superb but, if they weren't here, The Godfather would lack the power that the film managed to successfully project onto it's audience.

The Godfather is a gloriously violent game. It gives you the chance to re-enact those times in your life when you’ve wanted to seek revenge but were too scared, or not that way inclined. Now the boot is on your foot and you can use that boot to cause all sorts of long-term damage, and you will. You’ll need no excuse to torture, bully, interrogate and humiliate the NPCs, and often get a strange feeling of satisfaction as you stamp on someone’s head for the umpteenth time. This may all sound rather nasty, but I’m keen to emphasise just how far games have gone in bringing extreme violence into our living rooms.

I’m in no doubt that many people will play The Godfather based on the violence that was seen in the film; they’ll be hoping to recreate some of the classic scenes. We play these violent games so we can experience something that we wouldn’t dream of doing in real life, but in some way we’re attracted to the power it holds.

Since the release of The Godfather I’ve spoken to numerous people who have enjoyed sharing their violent exploits. One friend was revelling in the fact that he knocked over a pedestrian, jumped out of his car, dragged him into a side-alley, and threw him about like a rag doll before stamping on his head and taking his money. Essentially this is where The Godfather's strength lies, the violence is the most entertaining aspect.

Despite all of it’s flaws, fans of The Godfather will probably still love it, but I’m disappointed that EA’s game doesn’t live up to what I’d expected. It’s a gritty, introduction into mob culture, but it fails to capture any of the romanticism of 1940’s New York. The cut scenes are great, and the game does have its moments, but overall it’s a dull, chore. The side quests quickly become repetitive, and the only reason you’ll want to continue is to watch the cut scenes at the end of the main missions.

Pros
Based on 'The Godfather'
Great cut-scenes
Voice Acting
Interrogration

Cons
Poor A.I
Boring environments
Confusing map
Unenjoyable combat system

Marlon Brando will be turning in his grave

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