One of the few liberties developer Electronic Arts has taken with this long-awaited game smacks you in the chops right from the start. Al Pacino's character Michael Corleone (the most important character in the movie after Don Vito Corleone) is not present. The Godfather puts you in the role of a character that did not feature in the film at all. With the packaging and all the hype surrounding the release of The Godfather, you would be wrong in believing it's all so-o-o authentic.
The game begins with your character witnessing his father being gunned down and murdered by rival gangsters. You are then thrust forward nine years into the future to the wedding scene from the opening of the film (at last, something familiar) where your mother is asking Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) to take you under his wing and offer you work. The Don sends his Capo, Luca Brasi to look after you and train you in the fine art of being a mobster.
You are then taken to what EA call the 'Mob Face' part of the game, where you can customise how your character will look (face, hair and clothes etc.). The tools used in this section are very similar to those found in all EA Sports games. Now your character has taken shape, you begin as an unofficial enforcer for the Corleone family, which means your job is to muscle merchants into paying you protection money. Extorting businesses and taking over rackets is not all there is to the game, though. There are plenty of story missions to keep you occupied. Some missions are taken directly from the movie. You will have to drive the Don to the hospital after he is shot in the street, travel to Hollywood to re-enact the famous horse's head scene, and plant the pistol for Michael Corleone to use to kill Salazzo, to name but a few.
In addition to the characters, the city of New York has been carefully rendered in detail, and you can spot specific scenes from the film as you travel the streets of Little Italy, Brooklyn, Midtown, Hell's Kitchen, and New Jersey. For the most part, the game has remained faithful to the legendary movie.
Only after making a name for yourself will you move up the family ladder, starting from 'Outsider', and the game is completed when you become the Don of New York City, ruling over the other New York families (Tattaglia, Stracci, Cuneo and Barzini).
The Don's Edition for the PS3 throws in new pathways to get you from Street Soldier to Don. You can chat to specific characters to get the lowdown on dirty cops, execute five new hits, and call in expanded Corleone Hit Squads when things get messy. It also features the new Shipyard and Railyard transportation hubs to get to grips with as you make your way up the ladder.