The Godfather: Mob Wars

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Release Date: September 19, 2006

The Godfather

EA pulls out all the stops with its GTA-styled Godfather.

Does this mean that Sonny Corleone doesn't take the spray of three dozen Tommy gun bullets in the film's most bloody scene? EA's Senior Producer Hunter Smith explained that The Godfather will stay true to the fiction, meaning that your character can neither help not hinder Sonny's inevitable death. The same is true to all parts of the movie, meaning that yes, Vito Corleone dies in a tragic slow-motion scene walking through the tomato vines, Michael Corleone becomes the new Don, and Fredo (if there is a Godfather 2) gets the kiss of death from brother Michael.

But you can affect the ending, depending on how hardcore of a gamer you are. Attaining one of the three endings depends somewhat on the quality and quantity of jobs you take. If you're a hard-ass killer and you intimidate everyone, you're more likely to get one ending, versus acting in a more benign, friendly fashion. Still, the game stays true to the movie, so if you read the book and watched the movie a dozen times like I've done over the years, you won't be surprised.

The Godfather looks like EA's entr¿e into Grand Theft Auto phenomenon, the one that cemented Take-Two as a major player in the game industry. EA is way past needing to forge its name in the industry, but with Francisco Ford Coppola's fantastic movie as its landscape, EA's game is certain to do several things: A) Gain a lot of attention from the mainstream press because, after all, everyone has seen The Godfather, and if they haven't, they should. B) Using The Godfather as a means to create a GTA-style game is undoubtedly intriguing. How much like the movie will it be? How will the evolving storyline work out? Will the drama of the five families' struggles to gain ultimate power shine through? Can EA beat Rockstar at its own game? See? Just a few quick seconds thinking about it makes one very curious indeed. C) EA's game is very early looking right now, and many aspects -- like the play mechanics, the physics, the control, all of the important things -- have been held back, so we cannot determine how well the game plays at this point. There is no need to worry yet. It's due this fall, which gives the team about nine months to make it all happen.

At this early stage, I can say The Godfather looks only mildly original, and from the screenshots and little snippets, there is nothing drastically different in it that I haven't seen or played before. It gleans a little from many previous titles. EA's movie-game models the basic elements from GTA's open city structure and NPCs; the storyline branching seems similar but not exactly the same as that in True Crime, and in the sense that it takes place in an older age, it's similar in looks and style to Mafia.

Characters will "remember" your deeds as the game progresses.

After having played all of the games mentioned above, plus Mercenaries and The Getaway, all I can say is this, The Godfather better be damned good. Right now, there isn't much that can top GTA: San Andreas or Mercenaries in the field, and EA has the monkey on its back to make or break this one, having the Godfather license and all. When all is said and done this fall, I sincerely hope it's a game no one can refuse. But until then, I await its outcome with an open mind, crossed arms, and a smirk on my face. The license indeed might be impressive, but without a great game to back it up, it's just more Hollywood showbiz in my eyes.

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Game Details

Published by: Electronic Arts
Genre: Action
Release Date:
United States: September 19, 2006
UK: September 29, 2006
Australia: September 21, 2006
MSRP: 39.99 USD
Also Available On: Xbox 360, PC, Xbox, PS3, Wii, PS2
Also known as: The Godfather