GAMES: The Godfather

Normally I don't have time to play video games but I saw the trailers for this one and I just couldn't say no. (See what I did there? I had an opportunity to be a schmuck and I opted against the impulse to say in my best Brando impression, "It was an offer I couldn't refuse.") The graphics are too good to do that. It's like Grand Theft Auto but with the Godfather. Who could turn that down? Not to mention that they got Brando to record his voice for the game before he died. I got it for a good price at Target (29.99); it's been out for a couple months now so I opted to get it on PC. I would have gotten it for my Gamecube, but obviously this game is not very kid-friendly and I guess Nintendo has a reputation to uphold. If you do, however, buy this game, make sure you have an X-Box or a Playstation 'cause the graphics take a hit on the PC. The people and the gameplay are still good but the backgrounds and the cars are white with no definition. I've been having a hell of a time trying to adjust my video options to make the graphics as good as they can be for my Dell, but it ain't working. Still, even with the technical challenges, it's still pretty cool.

You start out, much like in Grand Theft Auto, as a button (enforcer) for the Corleone family. You are trained by Luca Brasi and allowed to roam the streets of New York. Of course they are broken up into the Five families. The Corleone' s are in Little Italy, the Tattaglia's in Brooklyn, Cuneo in Hell's Kitchen, Barzini in Midtown and Stracci in New Jersey. You basically follow the arc of the first Godfather as the Tattaglias try to move in on the Corleones. The difference here is that the perspective is that of a bottom-of-the-trough enforcer. Everyone from the movies is portrayed here, from the Corleones to Sollozzo. Check out The Godfather the Game site over at EA and remember, this game has language and extreme violence so keep the kids away.


The game is available on PC, X-Box, X-Box 360, Playstation 2 and PSP.