Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2889 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2006-03-24
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Adults Only
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Preview
On the face of it The Godfather isn’t an obvious movie to be made into a video game, what with it being more than thirty years old and staring a lot of middle age men in hats. On the other hand it is incredibly violent; and morally ambiguous enough to make an excellent period version of Grand Theft Auto…which is exactly what this appears to be.

Although lots of missions from and inspired by the movie are promised you actually play a completely new character and control them over a period of ten years, between 1945 and 1955. During this time you get to take part in all manner of mobster type activities including managing protection rackets, assassination missions and full blown gang wars against the five different mob families in the game.

Despite all the big name stars lending their voices and faces to the game it’s actually New York that seems to be the main star with a highly impressive, if somewhat sparsely populated, virtual city. The graphics are excellent, although it remains to be seen just how much variety there is to the missions, considering the game can’t really go to some of the more surreal excess of Grand Theft Auto. So even if this isn’t quite an offer you can’t refuse, it’s at least looking like one to be taken very seriously. --Harrison Dent

This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.

Manufacturer's Description
Gamers will create their own mob character in the game, putting themselves into the action while reliving classic moments from the fiction and experiencing original missions alongside memorable characters from the film. After a life of small-time jobs and petty thefts the player will be accepted into the Corleone family, America's most famous criminal organization. It will be up to the player to carry out orders, earn respect and make New York City their own.

Customer Reviews

Quality gaming experience
First of all I think you should ignore the review by 'themanwithimpeccabletaste' his so called impeccable taste is somewhat tarnished by the fact that he's never watched the greatest gangster movie of all time. On to the game, I loved it! I thought the graphics were excellent for a PS2 game (especially a third person shooter), the cut scenes looked good, the characters moved like real people and they looked like the characters from the movie as well (for the most part eh, michael)
There was decent enough voice acting as well (again for the most part, cough, michael). As for the storyline well you can't really go wrong with the Godfather to work from, there are subtle changes here and there but that is mostly to do with that you play a totally imagined character not featured in any of the films, this can work well though, placing you in many of the films most famous moments without replacing any of the famous characters and in that sense it is cleverly done. That brings me on to what I like best about the game, the customisation of the character. Before you join the family you can make your character look like you want him to look and to be fair there are a good deal of customisation options to choose from, give him scars, moles change his facial features make him fat thin or in the middle. Also as you progress in the game you can buy him different clothes and give him new styles, you can also name him what you like. Yes the storyline is linear but at least you can put your mark on the game unlike gta which has a linear story and limited custom options. On to the gameplay, be warned it is VERY addictive, i found hours just rolling away and when i did stop playing it was only because i had to pyhsically tell my self that the amount of time i had played on it was getting ridiculous (im glad someone mentioned that it was normal to spend 40 hours completing this game because for me that is a long time to play a game) but i enjoyed every minute of it. Yes there is repititon in buildings etc but to be honest i never got tired of extorting, bribing, taking over rackets, killing rival family members, robbing banks, buying high calibre weapons from black market dealers, hijacking trucks, assassinating other family big wigs in hit missions, taking over businesses and warehouses and of course blowing up a family compound and wiping them off the face of the map and all in the name of Corleone! Also what i thought was a nice touch was getting to know some of the peripheral characters from the film you get to do missions with Clemenza and walk and talk with Luca Brasi. I know this game has it's critics but that is because they don't give it a chance, they don't appreciate the subtler aspects of the game, there are gliches and it is annoying sometimes but on the whole I found it to be a quality gaming experience and it has somethings a game like gta could definately learn from. P.S Really, how many types of cars were there in the 1940's?

Really really good
I wasn't planning on buying this but saw it cheap and thought why not. Very glad I did because it's excellent! Bit of a GTA rip off, but in my opinion much better. For a start the graphics are much better. The storyline is much more involving, and I actually watch the cut scenes because I'm following the story, whereas with GTA I just wanted them finished ASAP. Personally I find the missions on GTA a real chore, and not particularly enjoyable (after a while I just end up driving around or fighting with people!), but the missions on this are really fun, and you cant wait to get on to the next one. Overall a really good game, and unlike the GTA games I think I will play this to the end.

Whatever
you may be questioning my title, as it looks derisory to my rating, it is actually relating to anyone who gave this less than four stars, It is very cool, there is no loading time, the cars are good 1940/50's cars, the missions are fun yet challenging and the controls are easy to master, taking businesses are different each time,

BUY IT