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Is this the most unlikely game ever? Iain Davidson play—tests the Godfather videogame.
he playwright Tom Stoppard did a clever thing. He looked at one ol‘
Shakespeare's theatrical masterpieces. Hum/('1. and imagined what
happened when characters left a scene. The result was [town-run]: A'- (iuiltlmstw'n xIII' Haul. a witty and selli-consciously postmodern play that followed the lives ol‘ Hamlet‘s chums. The relevance to The (ind/titlin- game'.’ Well. it follows the same structure. placing the main character within some of the most memorable moments in movie history. lirom the birthday party. where the Don cannot i'el'use a request. to Sonny‘s demise and the horse‘s head. you become part of The Godfather story. In between these scenes you are free to follow whatever gangster- related nonsense you want.
Borrowing heavily from (:"IEl (what doesn‘t'.’). The (furl/itI/u'r presents you with the streets ol‘ New York and asks. ‘llow much do you want to own'." And boy do those streets look great. Driving through them is a breeze. the few automotive missions being among the easiest challenges The Godfather has to ol'l'er. with a simple yet enjoyable system.
But it is only when you step onto the streets yoursell' that the true game emerges. Alongside the set missions and optional side tasks. you are encouraged to develop from lowly thug scrabbling tor a little respect to the Don himsell'. New York is packed with businesses eager to give you protection money. They only need a little persuasion. 'l'his almost strategic angle to the game is a welcome expansion on the last l‘ew (III-t models.
Indeed the whole game is a collection of bits from other games. A little bit of FPS here. a slice of I-‘ig/it Night there. sprinkle the (iamel’ace feature from 'Iigcr ll'umlv over the top. But the main problem is the Rose/mun]: & Guilt/mister): problem. The play worked because it used two characters from the original. It has depth that The (foil/mm;- simply lacks. l-‘or
example. while James (‘aan and even Marlon Brando (in his last ever
‘role‘) are all present and correct for voice talent. Al Pacino is missing because he signed up to the Scarf/21cc game instead. The integrity ol the title is crippled by these important details.
Which means you are left with a nice compilation ol‘ gaming styles presented by a well-executed. though shallow. device. So don‘t expect the revolution in storytelling that was promised. This is a good game that borrows from. but does not pay back. a cinema classic.
And what will fans of The (ind/miter lilm think'.’ I think llamlet put it best when he said. "l‘hat it should come to this.~
Available now on PSZ/XBOX/PC (EA Games) 0000
Reviews
MIDWAY ARCADE TREASURES: EXTENDED PLAY
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MEGAMAN POWERED UP (Capcom) O...
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HAPPINESS
Short and sweet. Just too on even day for something nice. as photographer Jason Evans treats us to a photo of something that made me happy" every 2.1 hours. It Changes daily so it's the webs‘ite that keeps on gWng. www.thedai|ynice.com
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100 THE LIST 13—27 Apr 2006