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IGN Review of The Godfather: Blackhand Edition
Ever since the Wii's launch got off to a thunderous start we've been seeing publishers scrambling to pull together new content for the system. While many of these games are Wii-makes - titles that are basically the same, adding in a couple motion controls or a new mission or two - every once in a while we'll get a title that's truly worth its new subtitle. So when EA announced that a specialized version of The Godfather would be heading to Wii, we were instantly curious to see what the new version entitled, and whether or not it was worth the cash for the Nintendo crowd.
Rather than pulling together a basic Wii port of the originally released Godfather game, EA worked to improve on what was there in the previous generation games, tweaking the game's content and structure for the Wii crowd. The company is releasing two games side-by-side (Don Edition on PS3, and Blackhand Edition on Wii) that both build off the core Godfather game, with system-specific tweaks added on. That being said, the game is a far better choice than many of the other Wii-makes out there (especially when comparing it to basic conversions such as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords), as 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.
Everything mentioned in the original review still stands (which we strongly encourage you to read, as it details the entire original release of The Godfather on last-gen systems), though there's simply more content added in. Blackhand Edition features over 25 unique motion controls, allowing you to pair up the nunchuk and Wii remote to deliver jabs, crosses, uppercuts, and power hits when fighting, IR aiming in both lock-on and free aim mode, and a ton of context sensitive grapple moves. It doesn't change the game by leaps and bounds, but after playing it on Wii I really can't see people wanting to go back to the traditional controls.
Along with the control basics, Blackhand Edition adds a ton of extra depth to the game. This content is essentially just more of the same from previous versions, so players that are new to the franchise won't notice the differences, but there's still a ton of extra content nonetheless. Blackhand Edition features nearly 30 new missions (doubling the amount from the previous games), ten new hit missions, an all-new favors, merchant favors, and police chief blackmail missions not included at all in the original games, as well as more weapons, cars, and gang tactics to use. Granted these additions will also be included in the Don Edition for PS3, but it's still a step up from the Xbox version released last year.
Basically you're getting the same core game, a ton of new tactics and items, and more story; not a bad deal. You'll still play as a starting thug for the Corleone household, still try to rise through the ranks and become the family Don, and still kick a ton of ass to get there. The game works in the same semi-linear fashion as the Grand Theft Auto series, though it definitely expects you to act in a more civil and strategic way. Anyone expecting to jump into the game and start beating up on the nearest civilian is going to go the route of countless wise-guys before them, as the game forces you to be strategic at every turn.
It's mentioned in the game, and it rings very true indeed; one man with a briefcase can rob as much as 100 men with guns. The Godfather is all about finding businesses, extorting the owners, and taking over the city not with guns, but with edgy diplomacy. Of course there's still plenty of time to go to war with the neighboring families, and we often found ourselves skipping out on the story for a few hours and hiring a few goons to go take down a mob headquarters with us, but the primary focus is on smart gameplay, and that's something that is a definite advantage over the GTA series.
All added features aside, the game still plays nearly identical to the original Godfather game, which is where the motion control comes into play. The Wii adds a new element of depth to the experience, as both the nunchuk and Wii remote become extensions of the player's hands. Grabbing and tossing around people with use of the Wii-mote/nunchuk combination feels great, and the actual act of holding a store-owner by the collar, pulling back a punch, and letting them have it is very rewarding.
When using firearms, players can either lock on and use the Wii IR to aim for specific areas (something that works relatively well, aside from a few non-fluid moves here and there), or press the "+" button and go into a total free-aim mode. Free-aim can be tweaked for sensitivity, and while this works great for making distance shots or quickly spinning to hit larger targets, it's often easier just to lock on rather than lining up a precise shot. Still, the option is there, and it's definitely a step above the dual analog option in the other versions.
More importantly than the countless actions or IR control itself is the fact that the motion control just feels fun, and if you take nothing else from review, just take that one point - the motion control is truly fun to use. I found myself actually being a dick in the game simply because it was fun to grab hold of a smart-ass passerby, shout some amazingly generic Italian lingo at my TV screen, and throw him to the ground. I didn't have anything against him… I just wanted to throw a guy, so I did. As the game progressed, I found myself wanting to use less of the guns and more of the physical weapons as well. Sure it's fun to pop a guy in the knee, slowly walk up to him, and put a single revolver shot in his head, but it's oh so rewarding to walk into a heavily-guarded compound, look at a group of shotgun-toting-mobsters, and think "Ya know… I'm just going to beat the ever-loving hell out of these guys with a bat instead." In any other instance I'd lock on, pop the guys once each, and move on without taking a point of damage. With the Wii controllers, I had a chance to actually get my hands dirty instead, and it's a rewarding experience (though the hospital bill was much higher in retrospect).
As far as the overall look and presentation, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition is somewhere between a low and high end Xbox game, as the animations and effects are decent, but still not mind-blowing. The game does manage to create a solid mood with use of tons of voice acting (Marlon Brando's last role as the Godfather, in fact), an amazingly deep story - something that Wii gamers aren't getting much of thus far - and a 16:9, 480p presentation. Add in the ability to tweak Wii pointer sensitivity and practice any of the game's motions in a tutorial menu (similar to SSX Blur) and you've got a game that is just as good, if not slightly better, than its predecessors.
All things considered though, the game could still be a substantially better. While the character models and in-game cinemas make for a visually impressive experience the game's overworld map leaves a ton to be desired, as the city itself is very plain. More variety in shops and compound layouts would have been greatly appreciated, and the Wii does suffer from some annoying pop-in issues when trying to draw the landscape on the fly. In addition some of the AI can be horribly moronic, having bystanders caught in animation loops or using the same piece of dialogue twice in a row for no reason. We actually witnessed a police officer running continuously into a street lamp (NYPD's finest indeed), which - needless to say - took us out of the experience quite a bit. Still, even with its shortcomings The Godfather: Blackhand Edition has a ton to offer Wii gamers, and many of the issues it suffers from can still be found in any and every GTA game out there. As long as you can take the good with the bad in some instances, you'll find The Godfather to be a very rewarding experience.
©2007, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Rather than pulling together a basic Wii port of the originally released Godfather game, EA worked to improve on what was there in the previous generation games, tweaking the game's content and structure for the Wii crowd. The company is releasing two games side-by-side (Don Edition on PS3, and Blackhand Edition on Wii) that both build off the core Godfather game, with system-specific tweaks added on. That being said, the game is a far better choice than many of the other Wii-makes out there (especially when comparing it to basic conversions such as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords), as 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.
Everything mentioned in the original review still stands (which we strongly encourage you to read, as it details the entire original release of The Godfather on last-gen systems), though there's simply more content added in. Blackhand Edition features over 25 unique motion controls, allowing you to pair up the nunchuk and Wii remote to deliver jabs, crosses, uppercuts, and power hits when fighting, IR aiming in both lock-on and free aim mode, and a ton of context sensitive grapple moves. It doesn't change the game by leaps and bounds, but after playing it on Wii I really can't see people wanting to go back to the traditional controls.
Along with the control basics, Blackhand Edition adds a ton of extra depth to the game. This content is essentially just more of the same from previous versions, so players that are new to the franchise won't notice the differences, but there's still a ton of extra content nonetheless. Blackhand Edition features nearly 30 new missions (doubling the amount from the previous games), ten new hit missions, an all-new favors, merchant favors, and police chief blackmail missions not included at all in the original games, as well as more weapons, cars, and gang tactics to use. Granted these additions will also be included in the Don Edition for PS3, but it's still a step up from the Xbox version released last year.
Basically you're getting the same core game, a ton of new tactics and items, and more story; not a bad deal. You'll still play as a starting thug for the Corleone household, still try to rise through the ranks and become the family Don, and still kick a ton of ass to get there. The game works in the same semi-linear fashion as the Grand Theft Auto series, though it definitely expects you to act in a more civil and strategic way. Anyone expecting to jump into the game and start beating up on the nearest civilian is going to go the route of countless wise-guys before them, as the game forces you to be strategic at every turn.
It's mentioned in the game, and it rings very true indeed; one man with a briefcase can rob as much as 100 men with guns. The Godfather is all about finding businesses, extorting the owners, and taking over the city not with guns, but with edgy diplomacy. Of course there's still plenty of time to go to war with the neighboring families, and we often found ourselves skipping out on the story for a few hours and hiring a few goons to go take down a mob headquarters with us, but the primary focus is on smart gameplay, and that's something that is a definite advantage over the GTA series.
All added features aside, the game still plays nearly identical to the original Godfather game, which is where the motion control comes into play. The Wii adds a new element of depth to the experience, as both the nunchuk and Wii remote become extensions of the player's hands. Grabbing and tossing around people with use of the Wii-mote/nunchuk combination feels great, and the actual act of holding a store-owner by the collar, pulling back a punch, and letting them have it is very rewarding.
When using firearms, players can either lock on and use the Wii IR to aim for specific areas (something that works relatively well, aside from a few non-fluid moves here and there), or press the "+" button and go into a total free-aim mode. Free-aim can be tweaked for sensitivity, and while this works great for making distance shots or quickly spinning to hit larger targets, it's often easier just to lock on rather than lining up a precise shot. Still, the option is there, and it's definitely a step above the dual analog option in the other versions.
More importantly than the countless actions or IR control itself is the fact that the motion control just feels fun, and if you take nothing else from review, just take that one point - the motion control is truly fun to use. I found myself actually being a dick in the game simply because it was fun to grab hold of a smart-ass passerby, shout some amazingly generic Italian lingo at my TV screen, and throw him to the ground. I didn't have anything against him… I just wanted to throw a guy, so I did. As the game progressed, I found myself wanting to use less of the guns and more of the physical weapons as well. Sure it's fun to pop a guy in the knee, slowly walk up to him, and put a single revolver shot in his head, but it's oh so rewarding to walk into a heavily-guarded compound, look at a group of shotgun-toting-mobsters, and think "Ya know… I'm just going to beat the ever-loving hell out of these guys with a bat instead." In any other instance I'd lock on, pop the guys once each, and move on without taking a point of damage. With the Wii controllers, I had a chance to actually get my hands dirty instead, and it's a rewarding experience (though the hospital bill was much higher in retrospect).
As far as the overall look and presentation, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition is somewhere between a low and high end Xbox game, as the animations and effects are decent, but still not mind-blowing. The game does manage to create a solid mood with use of tons of voice acting (Marlon Brando's last role as the Godfather, in fact), an amazingly deep story - something that Wii gamers aren't getting much of thus far - and a 16:9, 480p presentation. Add in the ability to tweak Wii pointer sensitivity and practice any of the game's motions in a tutorial menu (similar to SSX Blur) and you've got a game that is just as good, if not slightly better, than its predecessors.
All things considered though, the game could still be a substantially better. While the character models and in-game cinemas make for a visually impressive experience the game's overworld map leaves a ton to be desired, as the city itself is very plain. More variety in shops and compound layouts would have been greatly appreciated, and the Wii does suffer from some annoying pop-in issues when trying to draw the landscape on the fly. In addition some of the AI can be horribly moronic, having bystanders caught in animation loops or using the same piece of dialogue twice in a row for no reason. We actually witnessed a police officer running continuously into a street lamp (NYPD's finest indeed), which - needless to say - took us out of the experience quite a bit. Still, even with its shortcomings The Godfather: Blackhand Edition has a ton to offer Wii gamers, and many of the issues it suffers from can still be found in any and every GTA game out there. As long as you can take the good with the bad in some instances, you'll find The Godfather to be a very rewarding experience.
©2007, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved