[Video Games] The Godfather
Apr. 24th, 2006 04:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trooper6An Xbox review:
The Godfather -- EA
What the Game Is: 3rd Person sandbox action-adventure, set in the world of the film The Godfather.
Plot/Level Design: Well, the game has the main story missions--which involve weaving your character into the Godfather film. For example, someone had to put the horses head in the bed of the Hollywood exec--that someone would be you. They do a great job of doing that. Besides the plot line, there is extortion, mob wars, racketeering--which take up a bulk of the game, and hits. The main missions have a great narrative and are very compelling. They really drew me into the story and I found myself really, really angry at the rival mob families. The hits are also varied and interesting. The taking over the businesses is repetitive, though still fun. The way to get over the repetitive nature of taking over businesses is to not rush through the short number of main story missions. Space out your taking over missions with doing hits and taking over businesses. If spread it all out it should be great. Spreading things out can get a bit difficult when the mission storyline really starts to pick up, because all you'll want to do is follow that story line--but resist that and take over some businesses at the same time. Also, I love the fact that the game lets you know what percentage of the game you've finished. I love games that do that. I love having a sense of how much time I have left in a game.
Audio: The audio is good. Robert Duval, James Caan and Marlon Brando reprise their roles, and the voice alikes for everyone else is really good--especially the Abe Vigoda sound alike. The generic voices are okay, sometimes repetitive...but sometimes you'll pass by a few bystanders who say very funny things. The woman who did the voice of the "dancing girls" sometimes has odd phrasing choices that were grating...but overall good work. Of course, you also get the Nino Rota film score, so that is a real bonus.
Graphics: The graphics are good. They are not "oh my god" gorgeous, but GTA-style. Some people have complained that there are only 4 different car models...but there wasn't that huge variety of car models in the 40's so I wasn't all that bugged. There is a great system to customize your character. Al Pacino didn't give his permission to use his likeness, so he was the only character who looked completely different. The model they used reminded me a bit of Harry Connick Jr.
Controls: The controls are well done. Combat is fun...and strangling people is way more fun than it should be. Driving is okay.
Extras: Lots and lots of cool Godfather related extras--including scenes from the film.
Replay/Spectatorship: I'd say no replay value. And this is not the sort of game that you'd want to watch a friend play--the plot is good, but short and you really need to space the story missions out between taking down businesses...which may not be the most fun thing to watch...but there is about 35 hours of play if you want to become the Capo tutti Capi...and those are fun hours. Once your are done with all of that, you'll probably not revisit the game...unless you want to replay as a blonde.
Critical Reception: Looks like generally good reception. Some didn't think it was as good as GTA, some thought it wasn't as good as the films...but generally people liked it. The big complaint was that the main story was short and the taking over businesses was repetitive--fair, but can be worked around if you pace yourself. Some people thought it too easy...I didn't think so...I thought it was just right. I think some of the bad will is because it is an EA game. But I think EA does a good job here.
Deep Thoughts: The game pulled me in and made be really want to kill lots of rival gangster. Generally, you don't want to kill civilians--which I thought was cool...but I was a bit surprised at how blood thirsty the game made me. After a few bad things happened, I went on a rampage taking out lots of this one particular rival mob family. Not many video games make me blood-thirsty and full of the desire for vengeance--this game was successful in turning me away from my boy scout self and into a hardened mobster. That's pretty amazing. I wonder if it is because the game simultaneously involves a lot of extorting poor shopkeepers through threats of violence...which puts you into bully mode...but that you really, really care about the members of the Corleone family, and when rival families kill Luca Brazi or shoot Vito--the investment I had in those characters really made me want to take out those rival families who did it.
Grade: A-
Summation: I really enjoyed the game...it distracted me from WoW...so that's impressive...it also distracted me from Silent Hill 4. So that says quite a bit about the game. There are bits that can be repetitive, though this can be tolerated. I don't know if the game will appeal to people aren't fans of The Godfather. I'm a huge Godfather fan and grew up watching it over and over again. So being really invested in the films, the game was like a huge treat for me. I don't what the game would be like without the investment I had in the films. It was really great to see two of my fave people from Godfather--Sonny and Tom Hagen. So that was awesome. There was one really annoying thing--the traffic. There is a lot of traffic in New York, it turns out. Sometimes there are really slow moving patches of traffic. It annoyed me...but I really loved it anyway...I wish more video games had bad traffic. I remember being totally stupefied by the lack of traffic on the 10 freeway in True Crime: Streets of LA. So thumbs up for annoying traffic!
If You Liked...You'd Love...: If you are a fan of sandbox games, fan of The Godfather...then by all means pick it up.
What's next?
Quickie Game: I don't know, I'm finding myself not having lots of time for quickie games. Maybe Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Main Feature Game: Silent Hill 4: The Room (which I'm really close to the end)...and World of Warcraft
On the Horizon: I really have to find a game to be a contrast to Godfather and Silent Hill 4. I'm thinking of playing Beyond Good and Evil Next, then perhaps sliding over to an RPG.
The Godfather -- EA
What the Game Is: 3rd Person sandbox action-adventure, set in the world of the film The Godfather.
Plot/Level Design: Well, the game has the main story missions--which involve weaving your character into the Godfather film. For example, someone had to put the horses head in the bed of the Hollywood exec--that someone would be you. They do a great job of doing that. Besides the plot line, there is extortion, mob wars, racketeering--which take up a bulk of the game, and hits. The main missions have a great narrative and are very compelling. They really drew me into the story and I found myself really, really angry at the rival mob families. The hits are also varied and interesting. The taking over the businesses is repetitive, though still fun. The way to get over the repetitive nature of taking over businesses is to not rush through the short number of main story missions. Space out your taking over missions with doing hits and taking over businesses. If spread it all out it should be great. Spreading things out can get a bit difficult when the mission storyline really starts to pick up, because all you'll want to do is follow that story line--but resist that and take over some businesses at the same time. Also, I love the fact that the game lets you know what percentage of the game you've finished. I love games that do that. I love having a sense of how much time I have left in a game.
Audio: The audio is good. Robert Duval, James Caan and Marlon Brando reprise their roles, and the voice alikes for everyone else is really good--especially the Abe Vigoda sound alike. The generic voices are okay, sometimes repetitive...but sometimes you'll pass by a few bystanders who say very funny things. The woman who did the voice of the "dancing girls" sometimes has odd phrasing choices that were grating...but overall good work. Of course, you also get the Nino Rota film score, so that is a real bonus.
Graphics: The graphics are good. They are not "oh my god" gorgeous, but GTA-style. Some people have complained that there are only 4 different car models...but there wasn't that huge variety of car models in the 40's so I wasn't all that bugged. There is a great system to customize your character. Al Pacino didn't give his permission to use his likeness, so he was the only character who looked completely different. The model they used reminded me a bit of Harry Connick Jr.
Controls: The controls are well done. Combat is fun...and strangling people is way more fun than it should be. Driving is okay.
Extras: Lots and lots of cool Godfather related extras--including scenes from the film.
Replay/Spectatorship: I'd say no replay value. And this is not the sort of game that you'd want to watch a friend play--the plot is good, but short and you really need to space the story missions out between taking down businesses...which may not be the most fun thing to watch...but there is about 35 hours of play if you want to become the Capo tutti Capi...and those are fun hours. Once your are done with all of that, you'll probably not revisit the game...unless you want to replay as a blonde.
Critical Reception: Looks like generally good reception. Some didn't think it was as good as GTA, some thought it wasn't as good as the films...but generally people liked it. The big complaint was that the main story was short and the taking over businesses was repetitive--fair, but can be worked around if you pace yourself. Some people thought it too easy...I didn't think so...I thought it was just right. I think some of the bad will is because it is an EA game. But I think EA does a good job here.
Deep Thoughts: The game pulled me in and made be really want to kill lots of rival gangster. Generally, you don't want to kill civilians--which I thought was cool...but I was a bit surprised at how blood thirsty the game made me. After a few bad things happened, I went on a rampage taking out lots of this one particular rival mob family. Not many video games make me blood-thirsty and full of the desire for vengeance--this game was successful in turning me away from my boy scout self and into a hardened mobster. That's pretty amazing. I wonder if it is because the game simultaneously involves a lot of extorting poor shopkeepers through threats of violence...which puts you into bully mode...but that you really, really care about the members of the Corleone family, and when rival families kill Luca Brazi or shoot Vito--the investment I had in those characters really made me want to take out those rival families who did it.
Grade: A-
Summation: I really enjoyed the game...it distracted me from WoW...so that's impressive...it also distracted me from Silent Hill 4. So that says quite a bit about the game. There are bits that can be repetitive, though this can be tolerated. I don't know if the game will appeal to people aren't fans of The Godfather. I'm a huge Godfather fan and grew up watching it over and over again. So being really invested in the films, the game was like a huge treat for me. I don't what the game would be like without the investment I had in the films. It was really great to see two of my fave people from Godfather--Sonny and Tom Hagen. So that was awesome. There was one really annoying thing--the traffic. There is a lot of traffic in New York, it turns out. Sometimes there are really slow moving patches of traffic. It annoyed me...but I really loved it anyway...I wish more video games had bad traffic. I remember being totally stupefied by the lack of traffic on the 10 freeway in True Crime: Streets of LA. So thumbs up for annoying traffic!
If You Liked...You'd Love...: If you are a fan of sandbox games, fan of The Godfather...then by all means pick it up.
What's next?
Quickie Game: I don't know, I'm finding myself not having lots of time for quickie games. Maybe Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Main Feature Game: Silent Hill 4: The Room (which I'm really close to the end)...and World of Warcraft
On the Horizon: I really have to find a game to be a contrast to Godfather and Silent Hill 4. I'm thinking of playing Beyond Good and Evil Next, then perhaps sliding over to an RPG.
