The Godfather Dons Edition - PS3 review

Godfather Redux or a worthy new edition?

29 March 2007 11:00 GMT / By Chris Pickering

If you read our views on EA’s last Godfather title, you’ll know just what to expect here.

Making its first appearance way back in the early months of 2006, this Grand Theft Auto style free roaming driver and shooter simply didn’t cut the mustard. And if it couldn’t keep up with the likes of Saint’s Row back then, what hope does it have against the incredible Crackdown now?

Still, those money making maniacs at EA have still seen fit to get The Godfather out on the PS3. Why the Don’s Edition? Well, there’s a few extra missions presumably to tempt some poor schmuck to part with their hard earned green. We’ve got the lingo down at least.

Just like the previous versions, Don’s Edition opens with you witnessing the murder of your father in the street. Your Eye-talian mother wants to keep you safe, so she turns to the Don himself for help.

But our definition of safe and the Don’s are two different things. He signs you up to the Corleone mafia machine and your gun toting ways begin. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

There’s plenty of cutscenes based on famous parts of the film and thankfully these include most of the original cast. You even get to poke your nose in on some of the film’s biggest set pieces, so you can really flex your Mafioso muscle to the max.

Using both your brain and brawn, you’ll scare shop owners to offer up oodles of cash in exchange for protection and batter any hoodlum that threatens your patch.

Then there’s the driving model that infuriated us before. Sad to say, it’s still exactly the same so expect to chuck the pad at your TV all over again. We need to work on our Italian swearing.

Verdict

If you bought one of the previous versions, you’ll recognise all this. So what about the new stuff? Well, EA have tacked on a few extra missions and locations to pad out this short lived thrill ride. Don’t expect anything too fresh and exciting mind, it’s all the same brand of mafia type brutality we’ve all seen before.

Your rival families have obviously gone back to school since they’re quite a lot brighter than last time out. You won’t be able to amble up and point a shotgun at their face while they stand rooted to the spot at least.

They haven’t been measured up for new suits though, as Don’s Edition barely looks any different from the PS3 version.

So let’s do the Maths. You shell out £425 on the console, fifty quid on the game and it plays and looks exactly the same? This game is not molto bene. At all.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: EA
Price as reviewed: £40
The good: A few added missions and locations, scenes nabbed direct from the film
The bad: Barely anything new here, not much of a graphical touch up, driving still atrocious
Quick verdict: So let’s do the Maths. You shell out £425 on the console, 50 quid on the game and it plays and looks exactly the same? This game is not molto bene. At all
Score