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The Godfather
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Do the Wii's motion controls make The Godfather: Blackhand Edition an offer you can't refuse? Or does it make it swim with the fishes? Find out below.

I have to be completely honest here. Until I was told that I was to review this game, I had never seen any of the Godfather movies in my life (Yes I know, I'm horrible.) So if you're looking for a review from a hardcore Godfather fan, you might want to check out Michael Triggs' review of The Godfather: The Don's Edition for the PS3, then check back here and skip to the part about how the Wii controls work. For the most part, all of the versions of The Godfather video game are the same with a couple of minor differences in the number of missions, some throw away gameplay elements, and the obvious differences in how the game is controlled. However, regardless of what version of the game you play, The Godfather remains one of the better Grand Theft Auto clones to have come out in recent memory and will certainly provide Wii owners with a lengthy and wholly satisfying adventure during this game drought that the Wii seems to be caught up in.

Move along people, nothing to see here. Certainly not a man strangling someone in the middle of the street in broad daylight.

Just like in the previous versions of the game, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition puts you in control of a creatable and customizable original character whom has been taken in by the Corleone family at the request of his mother (because as we know, a true Sicilian can never refuse a request on the day of his daughter's wedding.) From there you work your way up the ranks by extorting businesses, making offers that can't be refused, and whacking a few troublemakers.

You will also be playing key roles in some of the more memorable parts of the movie. For example, remember the scene in the movie where Jack Woltz awakens to find his beloved horse's head lying in his bed? In the game, you will be the one who has to sneak into his house at night, clear a path to the stables for your partner so he can cut off the head, and then make your way to Woltz's room to deliver the package. All in all, the original character that you play as is for the most part cleverly and seamlessly integrated into the storyline without compromising the original plot of the movie.

While the character models may look great, the backgrounds and environments are pretty ugly.

As far as gameplay goes, The Godfather uses the tried and true Grand Theft Auto formula that has been replicated in lesser games ever since GTA3 came out. In other words, you've got an enormous free roaming city filled with cars to steal, pedestrians to flatten, banks to rob, and cops to run the hell away from. Unique to The Godfather game is the ability to "convince" storeowners that they ought to pay the Corleone family a cut of their profits in exchange for some extra protection. Most owners initially won't have any part of it, so it's up to you to ensure that they change their mind by trashing their store or trashing their face.

Eventually, when they start to see things your way, their business will be added to your payroll and you'll receive a cut of the money every couple of in-game days. In addition taking over shops, you can also pass the time by robbing banks, looking for hidden film reels, participating in prize fights (if you can find their locations), starting mob wars with the rival families, taking on hit contracts, doing favors for important people, finding upgrades for your weapons, purchasing new safehouses, and yeah, you get the picture. There is an absolute ton of stuff to do in The Godfather, and surprisingly it's all pretty fun.

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