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| The Godfather Blackhand Edition | | genre |
| Action | | date | | Out now! |
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The Godfather Blackhand Edition - Review ( cont'd ) | |
Written by James Hobbs |
That said, once you get really stuck into the game, the graphics do begin to take second-place to the rest of the game. The Godfather, as with most
EA games, sports a character creation system that allows you to personalise your mobster, and after you’ve entered the game properly there is a
vast degree of customisation available to you. As you ‘level up,’ by earning respect, you have the ability to develop your character in certain key
areas. If you like smashing people around the head with weapons, you can develop your more violent skills – if you prefer negotiation, you can
develop the relevant skills to improve your success rate. It’s a well-thought out and easy to use system, and it does have an effect on the gameplay.
Respect is earnt by killing people, completing missions, or by finding hidden items, all of which occur naturally throughout the game, so levelling
up is a simple case of progression through the story, tied in with your progression as a character. It doesn’t feel particularly tacked-on and
pointless, as perhaps it could, and it’s one aspect of the game that really pleases.
In addition to roaming the streets, you can also ‘jack people up, yo.’ That is to say, you can run up to their vehicle, fumble about with the
A button, and eventually get inside. For some reason, it’s somewhat tricky to actually get inside vehicles. It’s not a major problem, but it
is symptomatic of The Godfather’s controls in general: ever so slightly tricky. The camera is rotated by using the D-Pad, and it really
doesn’t work that well – the D-Pad is far too high to be manipulated comfortably, even with my freakishly long fingers. I also had problems
with the aiming system – inverting the controls resulted in the Wii remote ceasing to function almost entirely when in ‘free aim’ mode.
This may well have been due to my left-handedness, but as far as I’m concerned that’s the fault of the developers. Don’t invert the
controls, and in general the control system is good.
It’s undeniably satisfying to sneak up behind someone and throttling them by shaking the Wii remote and nunchuck together, and the
ability to perform execution moves is a nice touch – there’s a multitude of weapons and a multitude of ways in which to use them to
kill people. Whether you’re extorting businesses, taking over illegal rackets, bribing the police, or performing missions for the family,
there’s something strangely satisfying about the whole affair that makes The Godfather seem like a ‘proper’ game, instead of a collection
of minigames that are loosely tied together. The absence of loading screens as you move around the city is also a massive bonus, and
certainly adds to the experience – you can play uninterrupted for quite some time, and there’s plenty to do.
The Godfather Blackhand Edition is a solid title that could have been far better if more time had been spent on it. Whilst it’s not
graphically up to scratch, it’s clear that considerable effort has been put into the rest of the game, and this does shine through as
you play. If you’re a fan of the films and you’ve been hankering for a bit of GTA-style violence on your Wii, then it’s definitely worth investing in.
An immersive and generally solid title that will
please fans of the film and those who like GTA.
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