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Game gives 'The Godfather' respect

By Marc Saltzman
Gannett News Service

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"The Godfather: The Game" features many of the characters from the 1972 film, including Don Vito Corleone.

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Video Games
Organized Crime
Francis Ford Coppola
Mario Puzo

Video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) is making an offer you can't refuse: an invitation to step into the shoes of a Corleone to see if you can work your way up to become don of the infamous Mafia family from the classic film "The Godfather."

"The Godfather: The Game" is an ambitious interactive version of director Francis Ford Coppola's celluloid masterpiece that manages to capture the look and sound - and most importantly, the magic - of the 1972 film.

And despite the fact that this adventure borrows heavily from the often-imitated "Grand Theft Auto" game design formula, "The Godfather: The Game" is worth every penny for mature players.

Like the movie based on Mario Puzo's celebrated novel, "The Godfather: The Game" takes place in New York City between 1945 and 1955. At the start of the tale, you play as a boy who witnesses the murder of his father in broad daylight. Don Vito Corleone tries to shield your eyes from the bloody scene and whispers for you to save your anger.

Fast-forward a decade and you're a young man taken in by the Corleone family, tasked with performing missions that range from roughing up hoodlums and extorting money out of backroom gambling houses to more serious jobs such as drive-bys, bank heists and snuffing out rival mob bosses. Some scenarios are taken right from the film, while many others were written specifically for the game.

Your decisions, such as how much pressure to put on a shopkeeper for protection money, will have lasting consequences throughout the course of the single-player game. For example, getting physical with a store owner is permitted, but if you go too far and fatally injure him, you won't make money from that store in the future, and worse, it may bring unnecessary heat from the police or trigger events with other Mafia families, such as the Tattaglias, Straccis or Cuneos.

With a feature EA calls "MobFace technology," you can change the look of the main character by selecting desired facial features, hair style and color, body type and attire. What's more, you can upgrade the protagonist's clothes throughout the game - if you earn enough money to afford the luxury. And similar to fantasy role-playing games, "The Godfather" also lets you increase your character's skills in a number of areas - such as fighting, shooting, health, weapon upgrades and more - and you get to choose which attributes to spend your earned points on.

The game's premise may feel like deja vu to "Grand Theft Auto" fans; strip away "The Godfather" mythos and the goal between both games is the same: work your way up the criminal underworld to become the most powerful and feared boss of the city. Other similarities ripped right from the "GTA" series include a nonlinear mission structure (perform jobs in any order you like), a bustling interactive city you can roam around in, and vehicles you can carjack at any time.

But in spite of this game's lack of ingenuity, the smart writing, smooth control and ultra-realistic-looking characters (on all platforms) all help give "The Godfather: The Game" its own legs to stand on.

"The Godfather: The Game" also benefits from the famous motion picture soundtrack and exceptional voice talent recorded by many actors from the movie, including Robert Duvall (as consigliore Tom Hagen), James Caan (as Sonny Corleone) and even the late Marlon Brando as the Don.

Fans of the infamous film and action-adventure gamers in search of an entertaining (albeit violent) virtual getaway will find the "The Godfather: The Game" well worth the price of admission.

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