RSS
July 22, 2006 | 7:49 PM PST
by: Ray Almeda
When The Godfather for the current-gen systems was released last year, people were disappointed. Plain and simple, the gameplay seemed rushed, and certainly didn’t fit the bill for those who thought that the licensed-videogame from EA would become an enjoyable gangster title. That being said, the game did have its high points, and there was still promise lying around the corner. What type of promise you asked?
The Xbox 360 version of the The Godfather may seem like it’s simply a visual upgrade over the original version of the “same game,” but rather the dev team at EA has some cool extra content that tweaks most of what made the current-gen inferior from its predecessors. At EA’s Studio Showcase last week, AMN was able to get a first-hand look how things have evolved and improved over the hard-working months.
When speaking with Joel Wade, producer for the game during EA’s event, the Xbox 360 version is more like a “mission pack, not a port,” with a lot more to do than most will think. One of the newest implementations is the new favor system, where certain characters will ask you to complete certain tasks for them, and in exchange receive more respect for businesses, protection money, and even spawning more missions to keep a fellow gangster busy. The improvement of interactions in the game is evident, as we saw a shop owner asking the player to get rid of some thugs outside his building – in which we decided to take advantage of that with rather bloody sequences. Four new warehouses have been added to the game, making the hit missions more in abundance. One of these missions includes the hit on Mo Green, as seen in the original motion picture. In total, there are over 30 new missions to play around – bringing the grand total to “enough.”
Also new is the addition of a night/day cycle that affects what’s available to the player (similar to the N64 classic, Zelda: Majora’s Mask). Some missions will also be available only at night, hence making the city’s security more intense and with less passersby walking around the street, creating a concentrated battle for that matter. Buildings have been upgraded visually as well. Now, one of the more important tweaks in the game includes the vehicle physics, which have been significantly adjusted for more realistic turning and denser traffic. The auto-targeting system has been fixed, much to relief that innocent bystanders won’t be a part of the action whenever your enemies are shooting at you. This also allows for better manual aim, including shooting gangsters in the kneecaps, feet, or even throwing them onto the street so fast-moving cars can finish the deal.
A Hollywood moment...
EA also included a crew member to the gang-fold, allowing powerful mob allies to join you during missions. Your partner will be able to ride with you in a car, blasting other cars and enemies [from both sides] as you focus on driving, and even have your back during on-the-foot missions.
Visually, you’ll have new lighting, advanced textures, and particle effects – all upgraded enough to see a big difference from the previous Xbox version. Characters will now sport injuries over the course of time, and of course will heal their injuries over time. The game’s environment also allows the player to pick up lots and lots of destructables, such as shelves in shops, tables in houses, bottles, and anything else to show the town that your mafia really means business. Of course, the game runs in HD resolution with frame-rates obtaining optimal quality.
Did I do that?
With nearly 40 different achievements, including robbing all of the banks of the city at the same time, there’s already enough to do on this new version for experienced players of the current-gen title. When your main duty in the game is to make the most money and earn the most respect of the city, there’s enough here to justify over 50-60 hours of gameplay (according to the game’s producer, Wade). Xbox Live will also have a few more unlockables and additions to the game, but EA hasn’t broken that piece of news just yet.
We’ll have more on the September-bound The Godfather for the Xbox 360 soon. Check back in the meantime. It’ll be an offer you simply can’t refuse.
The Xbox 360 version of the The Godfather may seem like it’s simply a visual upgrade over the original version of the “same game,” but rather the dev team at EA has some cool extra content that tweaks most of what made the current-gen inferior from its predecessors. At EA’s Studio Showcase last week, AMN was able to get a first-hand look how things have evolved and improved over the hard-working months.
When speaking with Joel Wade, producer for the game during EA’s event, the Xbox 360 version is more like a “mission pack, not a port,” with a lot more to do than most will think. One of the newest implementations is the new favor system, where certain characters will ask you to complete certain tasks for them, and in exchange receive more respect for businesses, protection money, and even spawning more missions to keep a fellow gangster busy. The improvement of interactions in the game is evident, as we saw a shop owner asking the player to get rid of some thugs outside his building – in which we decided to take advantage of that with rather bloody sequences. Four new warehouses have been added to the game, making the hit missions more in abundance. One of these missions includes the hit on Mo Green, as seen in the original motion picture. In total, there are over 30 new missions to play around – bringing the grand total to “enough.”
Also new is the addition of a night/day cycle that affects what’s available to the player (similar to the N64 classic, Zelda: Majora’s Mask). Some missions will also be available only at night, hence making the city’s security more intense and with less passersby walking around the street, creating a concentrated battle for that matter. Buildings have been upgraded visually as well. Now, one of the more important tweaks in the game includes the vehicle physics, which have been significantly adjusted for more realistic turning and denser traffic. The auto-targeting system has been fixed, much to relief that innocent bystanders won’t be a part of the action whenever your enemies are shooting at you. This also allows for better manual aim, including shooting gangsters in the kneecaps, feet, or even throwing them onto the street so fast-moving cars can finish the deal.
A Hollywood moment...
EA also included a crew member to the gang-fold, allowing powerful mob allies to join you during missions. Your partner will be able to ride with you in a car, blasting other cars and enemies [from both sides] as you focus on driving, and even have your back during on-the-foot missions.
Visually, you’ll have new lighting, advanced textures, and particle effects – all upgraded enough to see a big difference from the previous Xbox version. Characters will now sport injuries over the course of time, and of course will heal their injuries over time. The game’s environment also allows the player to pick up lots and lots of destructables, such as shelves in shops, tables in houses, bottles, and anything else to show the town that your mafia really means business. Of course, the game runs in HD resolution with frame-rates obtaining optimal quality.
Did I do that?
With nearly 40 different achievements, including robbing all of the banks of the city at the same time, there’s already enough to do on this new version for experienced players of the current-gen title. When your main duty in the game is to make the most money and earn the most respect of the city, there’s enough here to justify over 50-60 hours of gameplay (according to the game’s producer, Wade). Xbox Live will also have a few more unlockables and additions to the game, but EA hasn’t broken that piece of news just yet.
We’ll have more on the September-bound The Godfather for the Xbox 360 soon. Check back in the meantime. It’ll be an offer you simply can’t refuse.
February 8, 2010
