4cr Review – Godfather: Blackhand Edition

Most people will dismiss The Godfather: Blackhand Edition without a second thought. It is a port of a game that was not all that well-received last year. That’s a shame because Blackhand Edition is not only a good game, but it also features some of the best motion controls on the system. Those controls also make it one of the most controversial Wii titles to date.

First, let me get some of my biases out in the open. I’ve never been a fan of the GTA-style sandbox game. I played Grand Theft Auto 3 and couldn’t get into it; a number of things just didn’t click. So, as you can imagine, I’m a bit of a newbie to the sandbox experience. Second, I’m a huge fan of the Godfather movie. I think that it is one of the greatest movies of the twentieth century, and Francis Ford Coppola is a genius. However, when critics pegged the Godfather game as a mediocre GTA-clone, I stayed far away. For once, I have NeoGAF to thank for making me change my mind on the Wii version.

That said, how does the Blackhand Edition fair? Amazingly well, considering the uphill battle that Electronic Arts had ahead of it. Godfather creates a fairly impressive digitized version of 1940s New York City. Starting out, I actually got lost several times before I really tackled using the map to navigate. The amount of space to explore is huge, and it’s full of stuff to do. There are tons of shops to take over and NPCs to interact with. However, there are a couple of issues. First of all, most of the people on the streets are just there as background. You can’t interact with them, except to shoot them down. Their dialogue is actually limited to the point where you’ll get tired of hearing the same couple of lines over and over again. The other thing that hurt the immersion value was the fact that most of the buildings are almost identical. You can narrow down every structure to a few generic subtypes. This makes sneaking through and taking down rackets somewhat predictable. Still, I do have to give EA props for coming up with a stylish and massive playground for the player to romp in.

Sure, we all know and accept that the Wii can’t handle HD. That doesn’t mean that Wii games can’t have beautiful graphics. Godfather, however, does not have beautiful graphics. At times, it is downright ugly. The draw distance is pitiful, people are animated awkwardly, and there are glitches galore. I actually saw people and common objects just floating in midair several times. The graphics are the one area where it really does feel like a quick port. The AI also varies wildly from situation to situation. The helper AI is usually pretty awful. More often than not, the computer-controlled allies will be little more than additional targets. The enemies will also vary from brain dead to world-class assassin, sometimes in the very same room.

Despite these flaws, I loved this game from start to finish. Why is that? The controls. The motion controls are what makes this game worth playing. This is where EA’s development time clearly went. Not only are the added motion controls intuitive, they actually work. Fans of the boxing in Wii Sports will be right at home with the hand-to-hand combat. To punch someone, simply make a punching motion with either the remote or the nunchuck. You’ll actually hit them in different ways depending on how you hold both controllers. To knock someone to the ground, hold the controllers together and bring them down, as if delivering a blow to the head. To strangle your foe, you bring the controllers together and shake them until they die.

Gun control comes in two different flavors, “free aim” and “lock-on.” You’ll find yourself alternating between them fairly often. For most situations, locking on is easier. You target your opponent with the Z button and then aim the pointer at different parts of their body. In free-aim, you can angle the pointer anywhere. It’s most useful when trying to hit a specific object, like a box of dynamite. Even the mundane tasks, like extorting shopkeepers, are a blast because of the Wii controller.

The controls are also the most controversial thing about this game. As I mentioned earlier, you actually strangle your opponents. You beat them to death with your own hands. I normally just sigh when someone brings up the topic of videogame violence, but this game really did make me think about it in a more serious light. In other violent games, there is a definite disconnect from the on-screen action. You’re pushing a button and someone is dying, so what? It is a little different here, where you make an active strangling motion. Watching people play this game is fascinating. When we get into games, our faces actually do betray our level of involvement.

Wired did an interesting piece on this recently. I even noticed myself cringing as I desperately tried to beat someone to death. I’ve seen people asking why EA doesn’t promote this game more. I’m willing to bet that it is because they don’t want someone like Jack Thompson getting their hands on it. In all honesty, this is the first game that I have played that I would consider giving an “Adults Only” ESRB rating. I would actually pause before letting anyone younger than an older teen play. That, in itself, is all kinds of remarkable, and it is a topic that will become far more relevant when Manhunt 2 hits stores.

Other than a few glitches, I was impressed. EA went the extra mile here. The motion controls work really well and this version features new content not found in the original release. If EA puts this much effort into their future Wii releases, I’ll be ecstatic. Ubisoft could learn a few lessons from this game. If you’re a GTA fan, you’ll want to grab this right away. I’d also recommend it for anybody looking for another immersive full-length experience on the Wii.

Score – 8/10

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