Family Affair
The Godfather: The GameEA Games, PC, PS2, PSP, 360, Xbox
4 stars
No matter how good your Don Corleone impression may be, no one does a better Marlon Brando than the late actor himself, who seemingly spent his final years parodying his younger roles, in between trays of cheeseburgers. Fitting then that one of Brando’s last gigs was to provide the voice for his most famous character in the long-awaited Godfather game.
Other familiar faces pop in along the way, yet the game has more to it than just nostalgic mimicry. In a plot that roughly parallels Francis Ford Coppola’s beloved first Godfather film, you play a would-be gangster attempting to win the respect of the Corleones by completing missions in a free-roaming, Grand Theft Auto–style New York, circa 1945, lushly designed to match the look of the movies. Besides the requisite tommy-gunplay, not-yet-made men can deliver a satisfying knuckle sandwich by holding down the controller’s right trigger and using the right analog stick to deliver the blows. (Players hoping to send Part III’s Sofia Coppola to her bloody demise may be disappointed.)
But wanton violence will only bring disrespect to the Family as you rise through the ranks, so strategize carefully — get too reckless, and Sonny, Fredo and Mikey will size you up for a pair of cement loafers.
