The Godfather Collector's Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, this review is for the XB Godfather Collector's Edition which I own.
Second, for many hard-core GTA fans, they might see this as a rip-off. It's not. If anything, it's a testament to how well GTA has done its work for a game based on one of the all-time mobster genre movies.
The Godfather allows you to step into the role of a small-time crook that has ties to the Corleone family. Until his mother begs Don Corleone to help "save" him, this gangster has been running around with the "wrong" crowd. Luca Brasi is asked by the Don to help and rescue him.
From there, you begin your rise in the Corleone family. Like GTA, this game allows you to do the main missions and also pick up numerous side missions, giving you that "freedom" to run around and do what you want.
However, unlike GTA, what you do on the streets in the side missions can affect your standing in the family. You have to earn respect in this game, and that comes with experience. Your clothes can either make or break how people react to you, especially when you need to go collect "protection" money from the many businesses and rackets that are abound in the city.
Combat in The Godfather is MUCH improved over GTA. In fact, you can just go and knock people off if you want from a distance to protect yourself from bullets and damage, but your respect level won't really get anywhere if you do that. Also, rather than just targeting and pressing a button on the controller (which results in digital-button mashing), EA has come up with an innovative way of "fighting".
First, the left trigger is used to target. Next, you can pull the right trigger to fire. Nothing new there. But, when you need to use your fists, things get a little more interesting. Instead of using the right trigger to punch, you instead use the right analog stick to punch or swing a weapon at your opponent. But, it's not just flicking the stick that makes it great. Flicking it NW, N or NE results in quick hits and shots to your opponent and each makes a shot to a different part of the body. Pull back on the stick and then flick it forward results in a much harder "punch", just like if you were pulling back to hit someone.
You can also grab the opponent when you are near him by pulling on both triggers. Hold onto them to keep a hold of your enemy and use the right stick to really lay some punches on him. Or, use the left stick to bash him into a wall or whatever obstacle is right next to you. If you push down on both analog sticks, you begin to choke your victim. When you do this, you'll feel the pad beat as his heartbeat begins to slow down. The entire way you grip the pad can almost make you feel like you are in the action.
This alone makes the combat system MUCH better than GTAs and makes you feel like you are in the middle of the action. But, it's not just the combat system that makes this game work. It's the entire Godfather saga (or at least, what is in the book and the first movie) that also help elevate this game into being more than just a GTA clone.
Yes, GTA 3 was inspired by the Godfather movies, but The Godfather Game itself actually makes you a part of the crime family. Instead of using a programmer's "character", you use MobFace to make your character look how you want him to look. And, unlike GTA 3's main bad dude, your character speaks. The addition of using James Caan, Robert Duvall and Abe Vigoda immerses you even more into the game, especially when you get to partake in such pivotal scenes from the movie, including when Vito is gunned down in the streets, as well as helping Michael out when he switches his father's room. There's so much more and the play time of this game is as immense as the GTA games.
With the Collector's Edition, you get a second DVD with a number of special features. One is a video describing some tips and strategies to help you make your way to being the Don. Also are "Behind the Scenes" videos with James Caan and Robert Duvall, as well as other shorts on how the game was made.
There's also a 22-minute video with a bunch of "Hip Hop" people and how the Godfather influenced them. I was not that interested in the video and found it scary how these guys "looked up" to the gangsters and how the "Godfather" was a perfect example for them of how families should stick together. For me, the Godfather is a fictional movie that was NOT made to stress family values. But, for some, this may be an interesting video to watch.
Overall, the Collector's Edition is a nice package. But, if you're not interested in the extra DVD and want to save some cash, then getting the regular version takes nothing away from the game.
Definitely worth getting, especially if you're a GTA fan. If you're not a GTA fan, but love the Godfather, you can't go wrong with this game. Just remember; never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking.

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Welcome to the Corleone family. After a life of small-time jobs and petty thefts you've been accepted into America's most famous criminal organization. Now it's up to you to carry out orders, earn respect, rise through the ranks, and make New York City your own. Play your cards right and you could even be running everything as the next, and most powerful, Don.

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