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''The Godfather'' is a 2006 open world
action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback m ...
developed by
EA Redwood Shores Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores) was an American video game developer studio owned by Electronic Arts. The studio is known for the ''Dead Space'' series. History EA Redwood Shores (1998–2009) In 1998, Electronic Arts (EA) moved fr ...
and published by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
. It was originally released in March 2006 for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for se ...
,
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia o ...
, and the original
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
. It was later released for the
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
as ''The Godfather: Mob Wars'',
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
as ''The Godfather'',
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
as ''The Godfather: Blackhand Edition'', and PlayStation 3 as ''The Godfather: The Don's Edition''. Based upon the 1972 film ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...
'', the game follows a non-canon character, Aldo Trapani, who is recruited into the
Corleone family The Corleone family are fictional characters in both the novels and the films created by Mario Puzo, first appearing in his 1969 novel, ''The Godfather''. They are an organized crime family originating from the Sicilian town of Corleone, and b ...
and works his way up its ranks while seeking revenge against his father's killers. The story of the game intersects with the film on numerous occasions, depicting major events from Aldo's perspective, or showing him perform actions that happened off-screen; for example, he avenges Bonasera's daughter, kills Luca Brasi's assassin, drives
Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather' ...
to the hospital after he is shot, plants the gun for
Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominated ...
to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, and places the horse's head in Jack Woltz's bed. Although the game was condemned by
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
, who claimed
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
never told him about its development or asked for his input, it does feature
voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
from several stars of the film, including
James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
as
Sonny Corleone Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel '' The Godfather'' and its 1972 film adaptation. He is the eldest son of the mafia don Vito Corleone and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael ...
,
Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...
as
Tom Hagen Thomas Hagen is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and Francis Ford Coppola's films ''The Godfather'' (1972) and ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974). He is portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He also appears in ...
and
Abe Vigoda Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and ''Fish'' (1977–19 ...
as
Salvatore Tessio Salvatore "Sal" Tessio is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'', as well as two of the films based on it: ''The Godfather'' (1972) and ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974). His given name was created for the films; in the ...
.
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
also recorded dialogue for Vito Corleone, in what would be his final acting job, but his ill health made most of his recordings unusable. ''The Godfather'' received generally positive reviews across most systems, although the PlayStation Portable version was commonly seen as inferior to the others. The game was a commercial success, selling over two million units. A
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
, based on the 1974 film, ''
The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...
'', was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in 2009, but it received mixed reviews and did not sell as well as the first game, causing EA to scrap plans for an adaptation of the third film.


Gameplay

''The Godfather'' is an open world
action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
played from a
third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
, in which the player controls protagonist Aldo Trapani as he ascends through the ranks of the
Corleone family The Corleone family are fictional characters in both the novels and the films created by Mario Puzo, first appearing in his 1969 novel, ''The Godfather''. They are an organized crime family originating from the Sicilian town of Corleone, and b ...
, with his rise intersecting with the narrative of
the film The Film is a 2005 Indian thriller film directed by Junaid Memon also produced along with Amitabh Bhattacharya. The film stars Mahima Chaudhry, Khalid Siddiqui, Ananya Khare, Chahat Khanna, Ravi Gossain, Vaibhav Jhalani and Vivek Madan in l ...
on numerous occasions. The basic
gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pla ...
and
game mechanics In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-sha ...
are similar to most open world titles as the player can travel across the city freely, commandeer vehicles, do whatever they want in terms of attacking and/or killing innocent civilians, and progress through the storyline at their own leisure, spending as much time traversing the city as they wish.


Combat

Much of the game is based around third-person shooting, with the player able to wield a .38 snub nose, a
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
, a magnum, a
Tommy gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Sta ...
, and a
shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...
, as well as projectiles such as
Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with fla ...
s and
dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidly g ...
. The game features both a lock-on system and a manual aiming system. In the manual system, the players have complete freedom to aim wherever they wish. In the lock-on system, when the player locks a target, a targeting reticule appears on-screen. The longer the player is locked on, the smaller the reticule gets, allowing for more precise aiming. Within the lock-on system, the player also has a certain degree of freedom to aim manually; the reticule can be moved around the locked on target, allowing the player to target specific areas. If the reticule turns red, the player has found a weak point. All enemies have five weak points: their two
knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
s and their two shoulders, plus their groin. If the player shoots one of their knees, the enemy will no longer be able to run, but will continue to shoot back. If the player hits a shoulder, the enemy won't be able to fire back or fight. Hitting the groin accomplishes the same effect as a knee shot, also stunning the target. The other mode of combat in the game is
melee combat A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...
, for which the game uses a system dubbed "BlackHand", after the Black Hand
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, a ...
method. Once the player has locked onto an NPC, either hostile or non-hostile, they use the right
analog stick An analog stick (or analogue stick in British English), sometimes called a control stick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller (often a game controller) that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joys ...
to engage in melee combat. The system allows for light attacks, heavy attacks and directional attacks. It also allows the player to swing the opponent around, drag them, strangle them, lift them to their feet if they fall to their knees, slam them against walls, smash their head against counters, throw them over ledges and out windows, and perform execution maneuvers when the opponent is suitably weakened. Players can also wield numerous melee weapons, such as
baseball bat A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histori ...
s,
tire iron A tire iron (also tire lever or tire spoon) is a specialized metal tool used in working with tires. Tire irons have not been in common use for automobile tires since the shift to the use of tubeless tires in the late 1950s. Bicycle tire iron ...
s, police batons, and
wrench A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning. In the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zeala ...
es. For the PlayStation 3 ''Don's Edition'' and the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
''Blackhand Edition'', the BlackHand system has been enhanced, utilizing the
motion sensor A motion detector is an electrical device that utilizes a sensor to detect nearby motion. Such a device is often integrated as a component of a system that automatically performs a task or alerts a user of motion in an area. They form a vital c ...
capabilities of the
SIXAXIS The Sixaxis (trademarked SIXAXIS) is a wireless gamepad produced by Sony for their PlayStation 3 video game console. It was introduced alongside the PlayStation 3 in 2006 and remained the console's official controller until 2008. The Sixaxis was ...
and the
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...
.


Extortion and rival families

A major part of ''The Godfather''s gameplay is extorting businesses. The player must extort business to earn enough respect to level up, to complete certain missions, and to earn money. When the player is attempting to intimidate a business owner into paying
protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...
, a meter appears on screen with a green bar and a red bar. To get the owner to agree to pay, the player must intimidate them until the meter fills up to the green bar. After this point, the more intimidation the player can achieve, the more money the owner will pay out. However, if the meter passes the red bar, the owner will begin to fight back and will refuse to pay anything. Every business owner has a weak point, something they particularly fear, and if the player finds it, the amount of money paid out will rise faster than the meter fills, allowing the player to extort more money before the meter reaches the red zone. Intimidation methods include beating the owner up, throwing them around, smashing their shop, attacking customers, or pointing firearms at them. In the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
, Wii and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, the player will occasionally have the option of carrying out a favor for a business owner rather than intimidating them. This can involve carrying out a hit on someone, scaring someone, or going to a particular location at a particular time. If the player chooses to perform the favor, the amount of protection money paid by the owner will be maximized. There are five main geographical regions in the game;
Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
(controlled by the Corleone family), Brooklyn (controlled by the Tattaglia family),
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
(controlled by the Stracci family),
Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the ea ...
(controlled by the Cuneo family) and Midtown (controlled by the
Barzini family Emilio "The Wolf" Barzini is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in its 1972 film adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Richard Conte. The Barzini crime family was inspired by the Gen ...
). At the start of the game, the entire map is available for the player to explore, but the game encourages the player to remain in Little Italy, as it is the easiest area of which to gain control. To completely control an area, the player must extort all business and rackets owned by the other families, and take over their warehouses and hubs. Many businesses serve as fronts to rackets, which can be taken over in a similar manner to the front, although in the case of a racket, the player has the option of simply buying the racket boss out. Controlling rackets yield the player more money than extorting businesses. The player can also gain control of warehouses and hubs. Warehouses supply rackets, and hubs supply warehouses. Both warehouses and hubs are heavily guarded, and the player must fight their way inside, and find the boss, who they can then intimidate as with business owners and racket bosses. Warehouses pay out more than rackets and hubs pay out more than warehouses. Ultimately, the player must tackle the enemies' strongest holdout - their compound. Once the compound is destroyed, that family has been defeated. To destroy a compound, the player must fight their way inside and then plant a bomb. All compounds have two buildings, both of which must be bombed, and are heavily guarded by soldiers and enforcers aligned with the controlling family.


Vendetta and heat

As the player takes over rival families' businesses and kills their men, their vendetta level will rise. If it gets too high, a mob war will break out. This results in members of the opposing family attacking the player on sight, and going after Corleone-owned businesses, rackets, warehouses and hubs. The ways to win a mob war is to either bomb a rival family business in retaliation or
bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...
an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
agent to distract the opposing family until the vendetta level has lowered. As well as vendetta levels, the player must also be aware of "heat" during the game. Shooting rival family members in public, killing civilians and innocent people, or attacking police officers will all raise heat levels. If the level gets too high, police will fire upon the player on sight. To avoid this, the player can bribe police to ignore them for a while. Alternatively, bribing a
police captain A police captain is a police rank in some countries, such as the United States and France and in the Philippines. By country France France uses the rank of ''capitaine'' for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The ...
will earn the player a specific amount of time during which the police will turn a blind eye to illegal actions. In the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 versions, bribed police will fight on the player's side in shootouts with rival families. Also in the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 versions, the player can
blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
rather than bribe the captain, but only if certain information has been learned from an NPC about the captain's activities.


Rank

In addition to extorting businesses and attempting to destroy rival families, the player must also engage in story missions. Completing story missions is the only way for the player to advance in rank in the Corleone family, moving from Outsider through the ranks of Enforcer, Associate,
Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
,
Capo Capo or capos, may refer to: Designation, akin to captain *Capo, short for ''Caporegime'', a rank in the Mafia *''Capo dei capi'', or ''capo di tutti capi'', Italian for "boss of bosses", a phrase used to indicate a powerful individual in organiz ...
,
Underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The underb ...
,
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a v ...
and, finally, Don of NYC. However, completing all of the storyline missions will only take the player to the level of Underboss. To achieve the Don of NYC level, the player must take over all rival businesses, rackets, warehouses, and hubs, destroy all compounds, and own every safehouse. Apart from progressing in rank in the Corleone family, the other method of progression in the game involves "Respect." Earning respect allows the player to level up, which awards skill points to spend on various attributes. Respect can be earned by numerous means, such as completing missions, extorting businesses, taking over rackets, blowing up safes, bribing police officers, robbing banks, successfully flirting with women, entering new areas, carrying out execution maneuvers, or performing hits and favors.


Plot

In
Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
in 1936, a young Aldo Trapani (voiced by
Andrew Pifko Andrew Pifko is a Canadian actor, who has worked on numerous projects since beginning his career in 1999. Career Andrew has both appeared as and voiced various characters in several TV series such as '' Queer as Folk'', ''Rescue Heroes'', and '' ...
) witnesses his father Johnny ( Adam Harrington), a
soldato A soldato or soldier is the first official level of both the American Mafia and the Sicilian Mafia in the formal Mafia hierarchy or cadre. It is also commonly used as a rank in other Italian criminal organizations, such as the 'Ndrangheta an ...
in the
Corleone family The Corleone family are fictional characters in both the novels and the films created by Mario Puzo, first appearing in his 1969 novel, ''The Godfather''. They are an organized crime family originating from the Sicilian town of Corleone, and b ...
, being killed by the rival
Barzini family Emilio "The Wolf" Barzini is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in its 1972 film adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Richard Conte. The Barzini crime family was inspired by the Gen ...
.
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a v ...
Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather' ...
(
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
/Doug Abrahams) comforts Aldo, telling him that when he is old enough and the time is right, he will have his revenge. Nine years later, in 1945, Aldo returns from World War II after serving in the U.S. Army. His mother Sarafina (Sirenetta Leoni) visits Vito during his daughter's wedding, telling him that Aldo has fallen in with a disreputable group of young thieves. Vito sends
Luca Brasi Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'', as well as its 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he was portrayed by Lenny Montana, an ex-wrestler and former bodyguard and enforcer for the Colombo crime fami ...
(
Garry Chalk Garry Chalk is a British-born Canadian actor. He has provided the voices for Optimus Primal of '' Beast Wars: Transformers'' and ''Beast Machines'', as well as Optimus Prime in the anime English dubs of '' Transformers: Armada'', '' Transform ...
) to find Aldo and recruit him into the family. After teaching Aldo how to fight and earn
protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...
, Brasi sends him to meet Paulie Gatto ( Tony Alcantar). Aldo helps Gatto and Corleone associate Marty "Monk" Malone (Jason Schombing) take revenge on two men who attacked the daughter of the local
undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as ...
Bonasera, a friend of Vito's. He later goes with Brasi to meet Virgil Sollozzo ( Richard Newman), a Tattaglia family-backed drug baron who seeks revenge against Vito for refusing to enter the cocaine trade. Vito has sent Brasi to pretend he is unhappy working for the Corleones and wishes to join the Tattaglia family in order to spy on them. However, Sollozo and Bruno Tattaglia (Joe Paulino) see through Brasi's deception and kill him. After killing Brasi's assassin, Aldo escapes to tell Monk what happened, just as an attempted hit on Vito happens nearby. After being taken to the hospital by Aldo and his son Fredo (Andrew Moxham), Vito appoints his eldest son,
Sonny Corleone Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel '' The Godfather'' and its 1972 film adaptation. He is the eldest son of the mafia don Vito Corleone and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael ...
(
James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
), as acting Don. At the Corleone compound, Aldo meets
caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a ''made member'' of an Italian crime family who hea ...
s
Peter Clemenza Peter Clemenza is a fictional character who first appeared in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. He is played by Academy Award-nominee Richard Castellano in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film adaptation of the novel, and by Bruno Kirby (as ...
(Doug Abrahams) and
Salvatore Tessio Salvatore "Sal" Tessio is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'', as well as two of the films based on it: ''The Godfather'' (1972) and ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974). His given name was created for the films; in the ...
(
Abe Vigoda Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and ''Fish'' (1977–19 ...
) and
consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...
Tom Hagen Thomas Hagen is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and Francis Ford Coppola's films ''The Godfather'' (1972) and ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974). He is portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He also appears in ...
(
Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...
). Impressed with Aldo's bravery, Tom promotes him to Enforcer, and Clemenza sends him to guard Vito in the hospital. Whilst there, Aldo meets Monk's sister Frankie (Jennifer Copping), with whom he soon starts a relationship, and
Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominated ...
(
Joseph May Joseph May is a British-born Canadian actor, who has appeared in television and film. He is best known for his role as Andy Button in the television series '' Episodes'', Paul who was the boyfriend of Sam Colloby, in '' Casualty'', Luke in '' I L ...
). A Tattaglia hit squad attempts to kill Vito, but Michael gets him to safety while Aldo defends Frankie and kills the assassins. Aldo and Michael are then threatened by corrupt police officers led by Captain Marc McCluskey (Doug Abrahams), who is on Sollozzo's payroll, but Tom arrives and claims that they are private detectives legally employed to guard Vito. After being promoted to Associate, Aldo kills Gatto for selling Vito out to Sollozzo, and travels to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
to help Corleone soldato Rocco Lampone ( Michael Dobson) persuade ill-tempered
studio executive A studio executive is an employee of a film studio or a corporation doing business in the entertainment industry. A studio executive may be a chief executive officer (CEO), a chief financial officer (CFO), or a chief operating officer (COO), or b ...
Jack Woltz (Doug Abrahams) to give Vito's godson Johnny Fontane the starring role in a new film. Aldo and Rocco
decapitate Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...
Woltz' prized
stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" n ...
, and place the head in his bed as he sleeps, terrifying him into giving Fontane the role. After Aldo returns to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
, the Corleones purchase an apartment in Midtown for him and Frankie. Meanwhile, Michael plans to assassinate Sollozzo and McClusky, and arranges a meeting with them, feigning a desire to settle the dispute peacefully. Aldo plants a gun for Michael to use during the assassination, and then drives him to the docks so that he can leave for
Sicily Sicily ( it, Sicilia , ) is the list of islands in the Mediterranean, largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. The Strait of Messina divides it from the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. I ...
. After Vito is released from the hospital, he promotes Aldo to Soldato, making him a
made man In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the o ...
of the Corleone family. After Frankie is killed by Tattaglia assassins on Bruno Tattaglia's orders, an enraged Aldo hunts Bruno down with Sonny's help, and eventually murders him. Later, Aldo witnesses Sonny speeding off in his car and follows him, arriving at a highway toll booth where he was ambushed and killed by a Tattaglia hit squad. Aldo kills the hitmen and interrogates their leader, who reveals that the hit was ordered by Don
Emilio Barzini Emilio "The Wolf" Barzini is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in its 1972 film adaptation, in which he is portrayed by Richard Conte. The Barzini crime family was inspired by the Geno ...
(
Michael Kopsa Michael Kopsa (January 22, 1956 – October 23, 2022) was a Canadian actor. Kopsa was best known for his role as Char Aznable in the English dub of ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' and for his role as Commander Volcott O'Huey in ''Galaxy Angel''. He al ...
). Devastated by Sonny's death and realizing Barzini is controlling most of the other families, Vito meets with the
Five Families The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War. Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gang ...
' heads to secure a peaceful resolution to their feud. In exchange for Michael's safe return to America, Vito promises to withdraw his opposition to their drug business and forgo avenging Sonny's murder. Vito retires and eventually dies, while Michael becomes the new Don and promotes Aldo to Caporegime. Learning the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
are investigating the Corleones and have an
informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
among them, Michael sends Aldo and Monk to a hotel where the informant is meeting with his FBI contact. Monk flees after killing the contact, while Aldo realizes that Monk himself is the informant and notifies Michael. Aldo is subsequently ordered to kill Monk, who, before dying, admits that he blamed the Corleones for Frankie's death and allied with the Cuneo family. Aldo also kills Tessio for setting Michael up to be killed by the Barzini family. On the day of his nephew's
baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
, Michael asks Aldo to assassinate the heads of the four families—Victor Stracci, Carmine Cuneo, Philip Tattaglia, and Emilio Barzini. While Michael attends the ceremony, Aldo carries out each hit with the help of Clemenza, Rocco, Willi Cicci (Gavin Hammon), and
Al Neri Albert "Al" Neri is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and Francis Ford Coppola's trilogy of films based on it. In all three motion pictures, he is portrayed by actor Richard Bright. He functions as ...
( Terence McGovern), finally avenging his father's death at Barzini's hands. Michael then promotes Aldo to
Underboss Underboss ( it, sottocapo) is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian, Greek, and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss. The underb ...
. If the player keeps playing at this point, and Aldo bombs all four rival family compounds, he becomes the Don of New York.


Development


Early news

''The Godfather'' was first announced by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
on March 10, 2004. Speaking at the
Bear Stearns The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. was a New York-based global investment bank, securities trading and brokerage firm that failed in 2008 as part of the global financial crisis and recession, and was subsequently sold to JPMorgan Chase. The com ...
Media, Entertainment & Information Conference in
Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoast ...
, EA's CFO Warren Jensen confirmed rumors that EA were working on a ''Godfather'' game. No other details were revealed except for the fact that it would "likely be an M-rated game," making it EA's first ever M-rated title. The game was first shown at the 2004
Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ' ...
on December 14. Slated for a third quarter release in 2005 on as yet unspecified current generation systems, EA showed a
pre-rendered Pre-rendering is the process in which video footage is not rendered in real-time by the hardware that is outputting or playing back the video. Instead, the video is a recording of footage that was previously rendered on different equipment (typi ...
cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
depicting
Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather' ...
drinking wine, scratching his cheek, and then looking into the camera and saying "Some day, and that day may never come, I may call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, accept this, as a gift."
Gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pla ...
details remained unknown until January 2005, when ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...
'' published an interview with producer Hunter Smith. He revealed the game would be an open world title in the vein of the ''Grand Theft Auto'' games, and that, at present, developers
EA Redwood Shores Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores) was an American video game developer studio owned by Electronic Arts. The studio is known for the ''Dead Space'' series. History EA Redwood Shores (1998–2009) In 1998, Electronic Arts (EA) moved fr ...
had one-hundred-and-twenty staff working full-time on the game, with that number expected to increase to two-hundred in the coming months. He stated that although the game itself was only 15% complete, the narrative was finalized; players would control an original character who begins as a small-time member of the
Corleone family The Corleone family are fictional characters in both the novels and the films created by Mario Puzo, first appearing in his 1969 novel, ''The Godfather''. They are an organized crime family originating from the Sicilian town of Corleone, and b ...
, and must work his way up through the ranks. He stated that EA had wanted to make an open-world game for some time; "We wanted to make a title with the same style of open world, but with a strong background, one where you build human relationships while creating your own story." He also explained that the player's progression path through the game could be determined by the player, but would intersect with the plot of the film at certain points, and the player would get to participate in famous scenes from the movie; "It's constructed so that players will appear in the scene and will feel as if they are alive within it." On February 1, ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' revealed
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
,
James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
and
Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...
had been hired to reprise their roles as Vito Corleone,
Sonny Corleone Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel '' The Godfather'' and its 1972 film adaptation. He is the eldest son of the mafia don Vito Corleone and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael ...
and
Tom Hagen Thomas Hagen is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and Francis Ford Coppola's films ''The Godfather'' (1972) and ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974). He is portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He also appears in ...
, respectively. All three had also allowed EA to use their likenesses in the game, with both Caan and Duvall doing facial motion capture work. Although Brando had died in July of the previous year, he had recorded dialogue for the game prior to his death, in what was his last acting job. It was also revealed that EA had acquired the rights to
Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visc ...
's score for the film. Later that same day, EA released its first official statement regarding the game, announcing it was being released for
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia o ...
,
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
,
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for se ...
and
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
. Executive producer David De Martini stated "We are incredibly excited and honored to have the opportunity to bring the fiction of ''The Godfather'' to life in a video game. ''The Godfather'' movies raised the standard for cinematic achievement with their high level of drama and intense storytelling, and in fall 2005 gamers will be able to experience that dangerous and living world of ''The Godfather'' for themselves." The game officially premiered on February 10, in a
red carpet A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events. History The earliest known reference to ...
event held in
Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
, with James Caan, Robert Duvall and Johnny Martino (who played Paulie Gatto in the film) in attendance. At the event, it was announced that a playable demo would not be available until the E3 event in May. David De Martini explained the game had already been in development for two years, including a full year of preproduction and research. He revealed the developers had worked closely with
Mark Winegardner Mark Winegardner (born November 24, 1961) is an American writer born and raised in Bryan, Ohio. His novels include '' The Godfather Returns'', ''Crooked River Burning'', and ''The Veracruz Blues''. He published a collection of short stories, '' ...
, author of ''
The Godfather Returns ''The Godfather Returns'' is a novel written by author Mark Winegardner, published in 2004. It is the sequel to Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and ''The Sicilian'' (1984). The publisher, Random House, selected Winegardner to write a s ...
'', to ensure the storyline stayed within the canon of the narrative, and maintained the correct tone. De Martini also stated that as well as Rota's score,
Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (and four of its sequels), ''The Karate Kid'' (and all of its sequels), '' For Your Eyes Only'', '' Dynasty'' (and its ...
and Ashley Irwin had composed one-hundred minutes of new music for the game.


Open world

In the build-up to E3 in May, EA announced the game would also be released for a next-generation platform; the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. At the event itself, a playable demo was made available to journalists, but not to the public. The demo debuted the "BlackHand" control system, which had been developed by the inventor of the swing mechanism in the ''
Tiger Woods PGA Tour ''PGA Tour'' is a series of golf video games developed and published by Electronic Arts - and later their EA Sports sub-label - since 1990. The series primarily features courses featured on the U.S. PGA Tour, and other notable courses (such as t ...
'' franchise. Speaking to
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
in June, David De Martini stated the original idea for the project was Paramount's, who first approached EA about a game adaptation of the film in early 2003. After numerous meetings, the concept was decided upon; a "dual-story" game that would feature a character moving through an open world and rising through the ranks of the Corleone family, whilst at the same time, following the plot of the film. De Martini explained He stated "We wanted the game to heavily focus on what went on behind the scenes and in the living world. Not the ordering around but rather the actual activities that the order takers had to do on a daily basis to move the family interests forward." He also promised the game would be unlike any other open world game;


Delay and release

In July, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that Marlon Brando would not be voicing all of Vito Corleone's dialogue. Although Brando did record dialogue prior to his death, "his actual voice will not appear in the game ..rather, his recordings are guiding a professional voice mimic." The article claimed that Brando's ailing health meant he could only breathe with the aid of an
oxygen tank An oxygen tank is an oxygen storage vessel, which is either held under pressure in gas cylinders, or as liquid oxygen in a cryogenic storage tank. Uses Oxygen tanks are used to store gas for: * medical breathing at medical facilities and at hom ...
, the noise of which was picked up on the audio recordings, making them unusable in the game. After publication of the article, EA confirmed "we recorded multiple sessions with a sound-alike to capture the entire performance of the Don Vito character, something we were not able to do with Mr. Brando." However, they hoped that some of his audio may still make it into the game. Although it was already known that
Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy A ...
had turned down the opportunity to voice
Michael Corleone Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather''. In the three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portrayed by Al Pacino, for which he was twice-nominated ...
, the article also revealed he had refused to lend his likeness to the game. Instead, Pacino had allowed
Radical Entertainment Radical Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver. The studio is best known for developing '' The Simpsons: Hit & Run'', ''Prototype'' and ''Prototype 2'', as well as entries in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' franchise. ...
to use his likeness for their upcoming game for
Sierra Entertainment Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, ...
, '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. On July 13, EA announced the game would also be ported to the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...
. Although they revealed no further information, they did state the port would be custom built to take advantage of the
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...
. The following day, they announced the initial release of the game had been pushed to March 2006 so as to "ensure quality." De Martini explained "''The Godfather'' is one of the most cherished franchises in entertainment. Releasing the game in early 2006 allows us more time to perfect the open-world experience of being a member of the Corleone family." In January 2006, speaking to ''GameSpot'', De Martini said of the delay, "When you are dealing with a property like ''The Godfather'', you have to take special care in making sure your work meets the level fans have come to expect from the franchise. With this fiction in our game, we had to hit a home run. I am tremendously thankful that EA gave our team the time we needed to get it right. I think it turned a good game into a great one." In an interview with
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...
, he further explained, On January 18, EA confirmed the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows versions would be released in March, with the PSP and Xbox 360 versions scheduled for later in the year. On January 26, it was announced the game would be released in North America on March 21. The game went gold on March 14.


Francis Ford Coppola's reaction

In April 2005,
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
, director of the three ''Godfather'' films, was asked about the game on
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** A ...
's '' Sunday Morning Shootout''. He responded, However, the game's executive producer, David De Martini, implied Coppola did know about the game well in advance of its development, stating,


Puzo lawsuit

In June 2008, Anthony Puzo, son of author
Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably ''The Godfather'' (1969), which h ...
, sued Paramount Pictures, claiming that a 1992 agreement between his father and Paramount entitled the author (or, as Mario had died in 1999, his estate) to a share of the profits generated from any audio-visual products based on or using elements of the films or novels. The court filing stated, "In material breach of the audio-visual products agreement, Paramount has failed and refused to pay the Puzo Estate the sums due it in respect of the ''Godfather'' game." In February 2009, Puzo won the suit, with Paramount paying out an undisclosed sum, thought to be in the region of several million dollars.


Ports and adaptations


PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable version of the game was announced on February 1, 2005, alongside the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows versions. Originally scheduled for release with the other versions in Fall 2005, and then rescheduled for March 2006, the game was ultimately released in September 2006. There was no indication the PSP version would be a different game until July 11, 2006, when
Electronics Boutique EB Games (formerly known as Electronics Boutique and EB World) is an American computer and video games retailer. First established as an American company in 1977 by James Kim with a single electronics-focused location in the King of Prussia mall ...
and
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), and is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operates 4,5 ...
changed their listing from simply ''The Godfather'' to ''The Godfather: Mob Wars'', although there was no change in the game's content description on either website. The following day, EA confirmed the PSP version would indeed be called ''Mob Wars'' and would not be the same game as the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows versions. At a press event on July 13, 2006, EA debuted ''Mob Wars''. The main difference between this version and the others is that ''Mob Wars'' does not feature an open-world environment in which the player is free to move around and extort whatever businesses they wish. Instead, the game features two distinct game modes; "Story Mode" and "Mob Wars." The "Mob Wars" mode replaces the open world element from the other versions of the game and is played from a top down view in which the player moves units in a
turn-based strategy A turn-based strategy (TBS) game is a strategy game (usually some type of wargame, especially a strategic-level wargame) where players take turns when playing. This is distinguished from real-time strategy (RTS), in which all players play sim ...
fashion, attempting to capture space owned by the rival families. An important element in this is a card battling mini-game which features a pool of over two-hundred cards with effects such as lowering vendetta levels, strengthening defenses, and allowing extra moves in a given turn. For "Story Mode," the game switches to a 3D third-person perspective similar to that of the other versions, with the same lock-on system, and shooting and grappling
mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects r ...
. In "Mob Wars" mode, each turn has three phases; "Recruiting", "Negotiation", and "Intimidation". "Recruiting" allows the player to hire guards to protect already owned territory. "Negotiation" allows the player to select which cards they wish to use. "Intimidation" sees the player moving their units around the map, attempting to extort rival businesses. The player is free to play through "Story Mode" without playing "Mob Wars," or to play "Mob Wars" as much as they wish between missions in "Story Mode." Like in the other versions of the game, businesses taken over in "Mob Wars" yield money, which can be used to purchase better weaponry for use in "Story Mode". Like in the open world environment of the other versions of the game, to completely defeat a rival family, the player must destroy their compound. Also as in the other versions of the game, to finish the game to 100%, the player must complete all story missions in "Story Mode", and successfully extort all businesses, rackets, warehouses and hubs, and destroy all compounds in "Mob Wars" mode.


Xbox 360

Originally announced on May 12, 2005, the Xbox 360 version was named ''The Godfather''. Initially scheduled for a March 2006 release, when the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC versions were pushed back from Fall 2005 to March 2006, the Xbox 360 and PSP versions were pushed back to September. Regarding the delay, executive producer David De Martini explained "The 360 version of the game will be released later this year, and we will be using the time between our March ship and the 360 version ship to take full advantage of the hardware with some key design modifications that will make the game rock on that platform." The game was first shown at an EA press event on July 13, 2006.
Designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
Mike Olsen explained the 360 version "is 100% of the game on the Xbox, plus some." Graphically, the game features dynamic weather and
diurnal cycle A diurnal cycle (or diel cycle) is any pattern that recurs every 24 hours as a result of one full rotation of the planet Earth around its axis. Earth's rotation causes surface temperature fluctuations throughout the day and night, as well as we ...
s, and an enhanced
particle system A particle system is a technique in game physics, motion graphics, and computer graphics that uses many minute sprites, 3D models, or other graphic objects to simulate certain kinds of "fuzzy" phenomena, which are otherwise very hard to rep ...
. All of the rackets feature new textures and geographical layouts, so they no longer all look the same, and each of the rival family compounds is completely different, with bomb locations different from compound to compound. The game also features new
lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing dayligh ...
and particle effects. In terms of gameplay, the game adds a favor system whereby rather than intimidating shop owners, the player can carry out favors for them. The player can also carry out favors for family members, in much the same way as they can carry out hits. A major addition to the game is the ability for the player to hire Corleone soldiers to join Aldo in combat. This can involve individually hiring a single family member, or hiring a crew of four men who accompany the player everywhere until they are dismissed or killed. Individual crew members cost different amounts, but the more expensive they are, the better they fight. A full crew can only be hired periodically; when a meter on the HUD is full. The game also features new story missions, such as rescuing Tom Hagen from Sollozzo, bombing Sollozzo's drug factories, and assassinating
Moe Greene Morris "Moe" Greene is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel '' The Godfather'' and the 1972 film of the same name. Both Greene's character and personality are based on Bugsy Siegel: his affiliation with the mob in Los A ...
. The aiming system has also been tweaked, and the melee combat system has had additional combat moves added. Twenty-six new execution styles have also been added to the twenty-two existing ones. In an interview with IGN, art manager Mark Lohff stated Creative director Michael Perry stated


Wii

Released in March 2007, the Wii version was originally announced on July 13, 2005. Nothing further was heard until January 10, 2006, when GameFly listed the game under the title ''The Godfather: Blackhand Edition''. The following day, EA confirmed this title. They also announced the Wii version would feature all of the graphical and gameplay enhancements of the Xbox 360 version. New to the Wii edition would be an enhanced upgrade system which allowed the player to spend their upgrade points on more specific attributes. The game would allow for two upgrade paths - "Enforcer" and "Operator". Enforcer would concentrate on fighting and shooting skills, whilst Operator would feature monetary enhancements, intimidation aids and health upgrades. The Wii version would also feature an enhanced "BlackHand" control system making use of the
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...
's unique capabilities. In an interview with IGN, Joel Wade, producer of the Wii and PlayStation 3 versions, stated The ''Blackhand Edition'' uses both the Wii Remote and the
Nunchuk is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...
; if an enemy is on their knees, the player can pull the controllers upwards to lift them off the ground. Similarly, swinging the controllers from side to side swings an enemy around. Melee combat is similar to '' Wii Sports Boxing'' - the player literally throws the type of punch they want Aldo to throw in the game. Slamming enemies against walls is accomplished by shoving the controllers towards the screen, and head-butts, by quickly raising them upwards. The remote can also be used for executions, which require specific gestures, for opening doors, and for reloading weapons. For example, to reload a shotgun, the player must move the Nunchuk upwards and then quickly downwards to mimic the pump action of the weapon, and to reload a revolver, the player must flick the Nunchuk as if emptying the cylinder.


PlayStation 3

Released on the same day in March 2007 as the Wii version, and developed alongside it, the PlayStation 3 version was the last version of the game announced, and was not revealed until January 10, 2007, when GameFly listed it under the title ''The Godfather: The Don's Edition''. The following day, EA confirmed the game would be coming to PlayStation 3 under this title, with all the graphical and gameplay enhancements of both the Xbox 360 version and the Wii version (including the deeper upgrade system). In a statement, EA said the ''Don's Edition'' would "take full advantage" of the
SIXAXIS The Sixaxis (trademarked SIXAXIS) is a wireless gamepad produced by Sony for their PlayStation 3 video game console. It was introduced alongside the PlayStation 3 in 2006 and remained the console's official controller until 2008. The Sixaxis was ...
controller's motion sensor, and would also feature added gameplay in the form of "The Corleone Expansion Pack." ''The Don's Edition'' features a more basic form of the gesture-based BlackHand control scheme seen in the Wii version. The game uses the SIXAXIS' motion sensor functionality in interrogations and, to a limited degree, during melee combat. As in the Wii, if the player wishes to lift someone from their knees, they simply pull the controller upwards. Swinging the controller from side to side swings the enemy likewise. Slamming someone against a wall is accomplished by pushing the controller away from the player. Unlike in the Wii version, however, where shooting and driving were handled using the Wii Remote, in ''The Don's Edition'', shooting and driving are controlled using the
analog stick An analog stick (or analogue stick in British English), sometimes called a control stick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller (often a game controller) that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joys ...
s. Unique to ''The Don's Edition'' are the "Corleone challenges". These are time based minigames that have no effect on the story. The player must see how much of a certain action they can accomplish in a given time - such as how many different execution styles they can perform, how many banks they can rob, or many businesses they can extort etc. When the game first came out, the player's scores were uploaded to an online leaderboard. EA shut down their servers for the game on April 13, 2012, meaning players can no longer upload their scores. However, the mini-games are still playable.


Reception

''The Godfather'' received "generally favorable reviews" on all systems except the PlayStation Portable, which received "mixed or average reviews." The Xbox version holds an aggregate scores of 77 out of 100 on
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc D ...
, based on fifty-eight reviews; the Wii version 77 out of 100, based on thirty-eight reviews; the PlayStation 2 version 75 out of 100, based on fifty-six reviews; the Xbox 360 version 77 out of 100, based on fifty-one reviews; the PC version 72 out of 100, based on thirty-two reviews; the PlayStation 3 version 70 out of 100, based on thirty-one reviews; and the PlayStation Portable version 59 out of 100, based on thirty-four reviews.


PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's Greg Mueller scored the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions 8.1 out of 10, calling the game "a satisfying, lengthy adventure," and arguing "it remains faithful to the classic film while managing to create a compelling story of its own ..it handles the source material respectfully and manages to offer enough new content to feel like more than just a by-the-numbers adaptation of the movie."
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...
's Douglass C. Perry scored the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions 7.9 out of 10, with the Xbox version finishing as runner-up in the March 2006 "Xbox Game of the Month" award, losing to '' Far Cry Instincts: Evolution''. Perry praised the concept of placing a new character in the existing narrative; "Much of the story is carefully untarnished, so when you see pivotal scenes, they will be left relatively untouched. You'll hear and see these key scenes unfolding in front of you, but you'll be in the house, the car, the church, or the hospital as a close associate, rather than a bystander. You'll feel like an insider who's part of a great powerful narrative, and the feeling is eerily remarkable." Although he was critical of the melee combat and the driving portions of the game, he called the extortion system "awesome fun." He concluded, "people looking for a perfect game will be disappointed utthere are elements that totally stand out from any similar games in this genre, from the extortion system to the business take-over model. Despite obvious areas in need of improvement, I had a blast playing ''The Godfather''."
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's Will Tuttle scored the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions 3.5 out of 5. Praising the use of the license, he wrote "the game is best viewed as a complementary addition to the ''Godfather'' universe," calling it "an ultimately entertaining sandbox game that doesn't really do much to help or hurt the license." ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
''s Andrew Reiner scored the PlayStation 2 version 7.5 out of 10, writing "while failing to transform the classic film into an engrossing interactive experience, the game does shine when it doesn't have to rely on the film license to pull it along." ''GameSpys William Abner scored the PC version 3 out of 5, and was critical of the use of the license; "where the original movie was full of political intrigue, wicked subplots and occasional gratuitous violence, the game is ''all'' about the violence." He wrote "Being a ''Godfather'' game, you'd expect things to be a bit less "insane" than your run-of-the-mill ''Grand Theft Auto'' clone. But there's more gunplay, more ''
Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respectiv ...
''-inspired car chases, and more thuggery in general, in 30 minutes of the game than in the entire movie trilogy." He concluded "if you can think of it as a generic gangland-themed game without constantly comparing it to the films it borrows its license from, you can certainly have a good time. That said, it's hard to play ''The Godfather'' without thinking that this was a missed opportunity."
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
's Kristan Reed scored the Xbox version 6 out of 10, calling it "way too short, far too easy, too damned repetitive and far too in awe of ''
Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily ...
'' to be held up as anything other than a rather lightweight copycat offering." Although he was critical of the length of the game's story in relation to the extortion gameplay, he felt the combat went some way to redeeming the game; "the one main saving grace is that the combat is actually fun enough to nullify the overwhelming repetition." He argued the game "offers a decent amount of fun, with great combat, occasionally inspired set-pieces, but sub-par driving and a half-baked story mode with barely enough variety to fill a long evening."


PlayStation Portable

IGN's Chris Roper scored ''Mob Wars'' 6.2 out of 10, writing "there are a number of areas where the ball was dropped." He was mildly impressed with the card gameplay, but felt it wasn't enough to "help the game rise above mediocrity." He called the game "an interesting idea, but it doesn't feel cohesive enough or like either part was pushed as far as it could go." ''GameSpots Greg Mueller scored it 6 out of 10. He too was more impressed with Mob Wars mode than Story Mode, writing "it sounds like the makings of an experiment gone awry, like some sort of
Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...
of game design, but it's actually playable--and even fun." However, he called the connection between Story Mode and Mob Wars "tenuous and disjointed." He concluded "''Mob Wars'' doesn't live up to its potential. There are some flashes of a good game in there, and you might have fun for the first couple of hours, but unfortunately that enjoyment is fleeting, and you'll be left feeling aggravated and disappointed." ''GameSpys Justin Speer scored it 3 out of 5. He too was critical of the connection between Story Mode and Mob Wars, and concluded "it can't hold itself together well enough to deliver a really satisfying game experience." ''Game Informer''s Andrew Reiner scored it 4.5 out of 10, stating "Electronic Arts couldn't quite get ''The Godfather'' to run correctly on the PSP, but that didn't stop them from releasing it. Applying
cement shoes Cement shoes, concrete shoes, or Chicago overcoat is a method of murder or body disposal, usually associated with criminals such as the Mafia or gangs. It involves weighing down the victim, who may be dead or alive, with concrete and throwing them ...
to the experience, A havestripped all of the open world gameplay from this version, leaving nothing but the lame missions and a putrid '' Risk''-like minigame."


Xbox 360

''GameSpy'''s David Chapman scored the Xbox 360 version 4 out of 5, calling it "definitely the version to pick up." ''GameSpots Greg Mueller scored it 7.9 out of 10, writing "for the most part, this is the same game that was released six months earlier." IGN's Douglass C. Perry also scored it 7.9 out of 10, calling it "essentially the same game with minor visual and gameplay upgrades. If you played the current-gen version, this plays exactly the same, but every so often you'll see or experience a surprising little tweak." He concluded "EA upgraded a bunch of little things and improved the overall experience. But gamers have higher expectations for next-generation titles, and ''The Godfather'' looks and plays exactly like what it is: a good upgraded current-gen game." ''Game Informer''s Matt Helgeson scored it 7.75 out of 10, calling it "still the same flawed game that was released for the current-gen systems." ''Eurogamers Kristan Reed scored it 6 out of 10, writing "the changes and improvements are so minor that you might not have noticed them were they not written down for you. Tellingly, none of them really address the fundamental gripes that dragged the game down in the first place." He was critical of the graphics, arguing "the game looks like a port from the word go. The low- poly character models, stilted animation and bland texture detail of the original is exposed even more once you see it running in high def." He concluded "the core of ''The Godfather'' can be quite harmlessly entertaining. Like so many openworld games, there's a moreishness to it that keeps you going even when so many alarm bells are ringing about where EA went wrong. But let's face it, ''The Godfather'' should have been far better than it is."


Wii and PlayStation 3

IGN's Mark Bozon scored the Wii version 8 out of 10. It would go on to win the March 2007 "Wii Game of the Month" award. Bozon wrote "it incorporates a ton of great actions with the Wii controller, is one of the better looking games on the system, and actually banks on the system's strong points." Of the controls, he wrote "after playing it on Wii I really can't see people wanting to go back to the traditional controls." ''Eurogamers Richard Leadbetter scored it 7 out of 10, writing "While most of the gameplay flaws inherent in the previous versions are still there in this new version, there are a number of factors that may make this far more appealing to the average Wii owner ..this is generally a decent, well-thought out and enjoyable conversion." ''Game Informer''s Andrew Reiner scored it 6.5 out of 10, writing "the redeveloped skill tree is a step in the right direction, but the sloppy motion-based combat and IR targeting make the game even more painful than it was on the other machines." IGN's Chris Roper scored the PlayStation 3 version 7.5 out of 10, calling it "certainly the best version of the bunch." Of the controls, he wrote "it doesn't feel as rewarding or "realistic" as EA would have liked. Really, it just feels like you're ''suggesting'' what should happen and then hoping it does." He was also critical of the graphics; "its visuals are simply poor for a next-generation title. Other than the high-definition output, it doesn't look like anything has been noticeably changed. Texture resolution is pretty bad, some of the effects are very last-gen and it really does look like you're playing a PS2 game in HD." He concluded "the game is a strong and rather noticeable improvement over the original release, though much of it does feel outdated on the PlayStation 3. EA has done a great job of expanding nearly every facet of the game, utwith last-gen visuals, a frustrating city layout and other issues that plagued the original release, it's still far from perfect." ''Game Informer''s Matt Helgeson also scored it 7.5 out of 10, writing "it still doesn't solve the problems I have with the game as a whole, which remain largely the same." He concluded "''The Godfather''s uninspired craftsmanship falls short of being a truly compelling game experience." Greg Mueller from ''GameSpot'' scored both versions 7.6 out of 10. Of the controls, he wrote "at times the movements don't seem to register properly unless you use exaggerated gestures." ''GameSpys Patrick Joynt scored the PlayStation 3 version 3 out of 5 and the Wii version 3.5 out of 5, and was critical of the game's use of its license; "Sickening bloodlust and a fondness for repetition are essential skills for enjoying ''The Godfather'', placing an otherwise decent open-world game at direct odds with its own license and identity." However, he also felt that "once you get over the disconnect of the license and the gameplay, the missions are plentiful and entertaining." He concluded "a licensed game doesn't need to be slavishly adhered to the property it's coming from. And the actual gameplay here isn't half-bad. But like slapping the word "art" on a toilet, there's a constant dissonance between the license and the gameplay."


Sales and awards

''The Godfather'' sold well across all platforms. In the first week of the game's North American release, the PlayStation 2 version was Blockbuster's top rental title, with the Xbox version coming in second. Together, the two titles rented more copies than the rest of the top ten combined. During its first three months on release, the game sold over one million units across PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. In the game's first week on release in the UK, it entered the charts at No. 1, knocking '' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' from the top spot. It remained in the top ten chart for eight weeks. At the 2006
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, the game received three nominations; "Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show", "Best Supporting Male Performance" (
James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
as
Sonny Corleone Santino "Sonny" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel '' The Godfather'' and its 1972 film adaptation. He is the eldest son of the mafia don Vito Corleone and Carmela Corleone. He has two brothers, Fredo and Michael ...
) and "Best Cast". It lost in the first category to '' Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy'', Caan lost to
James Gandolfini James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. (; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor. For his role as Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'', he won three Emmy Awards, five Screen ...
for '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'', and "Best Cast" went to ''
Family Guy Video Game! ''Family Guy Video Game!'' is an action-adventure video game based on the Fox adult animated television series of the same name, developed by High Voltage Software and published by 2K Games, it was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, ...
'' At the 2007 Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards, composers Ashley Irwin and
Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (and four of its sequels), ''The Karate Kid'' (and all of its sequels), '' For Your Eyes Only'', '' Dynasty'' (and its ...
won the award for "Best Arrangement of a Non-Original Score."


Notes


References

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