The Godfather makes an offer some may refuse.
Cons: Although the graphics are better than previous versions, they still aren’t up to 360 standards, missions can get repetitive, reflections are a bit choppy
The Godfather finally arrives on the Xbox 360, months after it's initial release on the PS2 and Xbox. After such a long wait, 360 owners have a chance to get a copy, but is it worth spending the extra $10 for this version? The decision may vary from person to person, but The Godfather on the 360 delivers some significant improvements over its pre-gen counterparts.
In the beginning, you are the son of a mobster who works for the Corleone family. Your father is killed by a rival family, and leaves you wanting revenge. When you become older, an enforcer from the Corleone family, Luca, is sent to find and recruit you by your mother’s request. From there on out, you work for the family and serve the Godfather.
The visuals in The Godfather are only improved to a certain degree from previous versions. For one, the draw distance is much farther, and there isn’t a brown haze around every corner. Another pro in this version is the improved textures; characters and buildings look more crisp and less muddy.
The textures and draw distance may have improved, but the character models themselves have not, or very little. They still look rather smooth with a few small details on them. Main characters look great, but everyone out on the street looks the same and isn’t nearly as detailed as others. There are some times where you can see inside of the character model if you talk to the right people (ex. FBI Agent), and other areas where a character’s animation goes through clothing....but not like that.
The world itself is basically the same as what has been seen on the PS2 and Xbox with a few improvements in the textures, framerate, and amount of stuff going on in the environment. Buildings boast an old NYC look, but all the surfaces seem flat; without much surface detail. It’s not entirely noticeable in most parts, but in some places you can tell that the wall, floor, or other surface could have been upgraded to a greater extent, especially with the 360 hardware.
The core gameplay has you doing the main story and working your way up through the ranks. The story will last maybe around 20hrs, but there’s still plenty to do. After completing the story, you will have the option of exhorting all the businesses in NYC, doing hits, or favors; all of which relate to the story and theme in some way.
Although gameplay goes far beyond the story mode, it can get repetitive. There are only a select few missions that will have you doing something other than shooting or driving. Once you master how to do those, the rest of the game’s activity is a “been there, done that” scenario. Sound in The Godfather is fantastic and is the game’s strongest point. All the voice acting is done by the original cast from the movie, and is nothing short of stellar. The voice acting brings out the mood and seriousness of the family business and gives all characters their own personality.
Voice acting is only made better by the game’s awesome soundtrack. Music comes in at the right time to highlight moments within the game and the mood of various places. Tracks are, for the most part, from the movie itself. Other music provided is from or around the same time period that the movie takes place in.
You probably won’t be playing through the Godfather more than once, but you’ll get well over 35hrs of gameplay if you go through all the side quests and main story. There is the option of collecting film reels that unlock clips of the actual film. Other than that, once you’ve played through the game once, there isn’t much to go back to; unless you’d like to shoot a mobster or two.
Out of all the versions of The Godfather, this is the one to get. The upgraded game performance makes it worth the extra $10, but you may be disappointed by the game’s visuals. However, don’t let the visuals hold you back; this is one of the most immersive GTA-style games out there.