Fighting in the game falls into one of two categories: hand to hand and gunplay. The fist fighting in the game is well-implemented – you use the left trigger to lock onto an opponent and the right stick to swing your fists and throw various punches. The right trigger will cause you to grab your opponent which allows you to shake him around, slam him into walls or other hard objects, and even to toss him off of a building or into oncoming traffic. In addition there are a number execution styles that you can use to off your opponent – such as snapping his neck – and the game will keep track of the ones you’ve used. This gives you a grim goal of trying to rub out enemies in every way conceived of by the game.

Another day at the office for a mobster.

Gunfights make use of the same target locking mechanism as had-to-hand fights. There is also a free-aim mode if you prefer to go at it FPS style, but this can be tough in some of the larger battles. It’s easy to control the gunplay but you have to go about it cautiously as it doesn’t take many hits to take you down. The game allows you to use walls for cover and to lean around obstacles, which you’ll have to take advantage of if you don’t want to make a number of trips to the clinic. There are plenty of weapons in the game, from revolvers to that favorite of mobsters, the Tommy gun. There are also alternative weapons such as Molotov cocktails and dynamite for when you really want to make a statement.

The Godfather includes an RPG element in which your success in your missions, fights, extortions, etc. earns you respect. When you earn enough respect you’ll be able to level up and add bonus points to skills and attributes such as marksmanship and health. It’s not as deep a system as you’d find in an RPG, but the skill boosts will allow you to take on harder missions and take out harder foes.

The downside to the game is that the play can get repetitive outside of the missions. There are only a handful of types of businesses in the game and they’ll tend to blend together as you make your way across town extorting one after another. The building interiors are recycled by the game and this adds even more to the feeling of repetition. In this game, if you’ve seen one bakery, then you’ve literally seen them all. Another issue that may be a factor for some gamers is that the game gets pretty difficult as you progress to the later missions. A lot of action gamers will appreciate this added challenge, but if you are an action game newbie or get easily frustrated you may find yourself walking away from the game.

Overall the game does an excellent job of making you feel a part of the timeless Godfather saga. In a world where movie-licensed games are forgettable attempts to cash in on a movie’s fleeting popularity, this is no small accomplishment.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 84%. Put The Godfather on your hit list.

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