Introduction
Play as the newest recruit in the Corleone Family in 1940's New York in a GTA-style reworking of the films.
Gameplay
This game is very much in the Grand Theft Auto vein, but with the stylings, major scenes and multiple video clips of the Godfather films. While you are cast as a new recruit to the Corleone family, the roles you are called on to perform often mirror those of more important characters, such as Michael Corleone in the films, particularly as your character is said to have just returned from WWII service.
It's an obvious console conversion, and apart from the ability to select free mouse aim mode and to look around with the mouse, has the same controls as the console versions - a rather confusing array of single-purpose buttons and context-sensitive actions. This results in a rather awkward feel, as the camera will shift according to your movement instructions, but is overridden by mouse movements. The auto-aim is more useful than manual aim in most situations, and the whole thing seems like it would be less of a struggle on a console.
It works well enough as a game, but there's not much that hasn't been seen before, and in my opinion more impressively in the 2002 release, Mafia. Varying "execution styles" add quite a bit to the fight sequences, but they seem a little out of your control as the auto-aim takes over.
Sights and Sounds
While not groundbreaking, the game does have an impressive style - relying heavily on the tie-in with the films. The characters are well-visualised, Marlon Brando's Don Vito being particularly impressive, but Al Pacino's Michael rather less so. The feel is good, though - the thing that kept me playing was the experience of playing out scenes from the film, even knowing what would come next.
The streets are rather hard to navigate, as the mini-map doesn't show a wide enough area, and the full map doesn't show enough detail.
It's worth mentioning that for every mission you complete, you get to see a video clip from the films, but you have to quit the game and access these from the Load Game menu.
You can also customise your character's appearance using money you have earned in-game, but again this feature is accessed via the Load Game menu, rather than in the game itself.
Locations you can interact with are clearly marked on the map, and have big neon signs, which while simplifying the gameplay seems a little at odds with the style.
It's not without its bugs and oddities - one memorable moment was when I screeched into the Corleone estate in a truck, Don Vito was near the gate, and he panicked and fell over - hardly the behaviour one would expect from someone so distiguished - even less so since he was supposed to be fighting for his lfe in hospital at the time.
Stuff that sucks
The controls are rather clumsy on the PC, and it's easy to forget how to do things, which had me replaying the tutorial. That in itself is rather annoying, as you can only complete objectives if done in a certain way - one guy is impervious to any attack unless you bang his head against a gravestone as instructed.
The driving is a real let-down. It's partially that there's no analogue control, but the cars generally handle jerkily and unpredictably.
Conclusion
A slightly clumsy conversion from console, which is not totally broken but probably more enjoyable on a console. I would recommend Mafia as a better example of GTA-style gameplay in an old-fashioned New York, although it lacks the "authenticity" of The Godfather.
Score :
5/10