Budget does matter
The graphics stay consistent with the movie as well supporting the same dark atmosphere of New York City. The faces of the characters match spot on with their Hollywood counterparts and they move with great realism.
But when you strip down the production values, does the core meet a playable, enjoyable standard?
You bet your ass it does.
It is a GTA clone, yes, the minimap is ripped straight from it, but it’s still awesome. One thing that needs special mention is the fighting system. This is the Godfather and you will be beating up a lot of guys but most importantly its mad fun. Right trigger grabs your enemy by the collar, and you pull back the right thumbstick to pull back your fist, then jerk it forward to throw your fist at their face. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Or, alternately, you can just vigorously tap the thumbstick forward and you can throw a frenzy of fists (and knees and elbows and other body parts) at your enemy until they collapse on their knees at which point you can press black to ‘execute’ them. Works also with bats and pipes. You can also use the environment; slam them against counters, hurl them out of glass windows, it just feels like the damage you’re doing really fits the bill of the film. That said, the gunplay is good, and the driving can be a bit sensitive in turning, but the real fun is in bashing the crap out of people.
The story sticks faithfully to the film. Interestingly enough however you don’t take the role of anybody who was in it. Instead you create your own character and the developers have managed to incorporate your new character into a film that was made in 1972. For instance, you’re the one who hid the guns behind the toilet tank in the restaurant, you’re the one who drove the don to the hospital when he got shot, and you’re the one who snuck the severed horse head in that guy’s bedroom. It’s all quite well implemented without any restrictions or need to go off on any non-scripted tangents.
In the run against GTA however, The Godfather falls short in failing to deliver the length. You’ll be through with the story in say, 3-5 days if you’re good, maybe a week or two. Once you’ve completed the games story there’s not much else to do apart from extorting all the businesses. The basic gameplay isn’t varied as much either. There will be shooting, there will be fighting, and there will be driving, a few stealth sequences here and there, but ultimately, that’s it.
If you loved the movies, and there are a lot of you, you should be impressed with what you’re given here. EA has made it possible for another, brand new, yet totally acceptable Godfather experience and that right there is something worth a lot of credit. That said, if you’re just out looking for fun, say, the type you’d find in GTA, then you’re also gonna like what you see. Just don’t expect the fun to last you months and months.