Once upon a time, there was a little film called The Godfather, which inspired movies like Goodfellas, which, in turn, inspired video games like the Grand Theft Auto series, which, now, have inspired a game based on The Godfather. The circle of crime life is complete. But in tackling the granddaddy of Mafia licenses, EA has put itself under enormous pressure to deliver a successful hit or risk swimming with the fishes.
The Godfather proves to be a fascinating game, especially if you have any familiarity with the film. As an ambitious mob enforcer, you get to be the guy who leaves the horse's head in the producer's bed and the gun in the restaurant bathroom for Michael Corleone's hit. The voice talents of Robert Duvall, James Caan and the late Marlon Brando all assist in making you feel like a part of cinematic history (although the absence of Pacino's voice and likeness can be a little jarring).
But the bulk of the game has to do with your takeover of the open-ended New York territories. This is where the game moves into GTA territory. But with its dull color palette and many identical businesses, The Godfather's protection racket can begin to drag. The game's imperfect but still impressive. And it never becomes remotely as disappointing as Godfather III.
VIEWTIFUL JOE: RED HOT RUMBLE by Capcom (2.5 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation Portable.
Rated: T.
Joe appears a bit claustrophobic on the small PSP screen. Consequently, his high-speed, special effects-packed brawls quickly deteriorate into incomprehensible bouts of button-mashing, which is a far cry from the stylish finesse usually required to work your way through a Viewtiful Joe game. It ain't pretty, and it's far from viewtiful.
SYPHON FILTER: DARK MIRROR by Sony Computer Entertainment (4 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation Portable.
Rated: M.
After the latest disappointing PS2 installment in this series, I was afraid to gaze into Dark Mirror. But even with the limitations of the PSP's controls, this title winds up being a riveting and shockingly playable third-person shooter. The production values and cut-scenes are even home console-worthy, so the only downside is that you may long to hook this up to your TV.
CAPCOM CLASSICS COLLECTION: REMIXED by Capcom (3.5 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation Portable.
Rated: T.
After a couple souped-up, portable Mega Man remakes, Capcom is now giving us an assortment of quarter-gobbling classics left in their original, minimalist glory. These games have been authentically preserved to the last pixel, and perfectly capture everything from the chaotic excitement of 1941 to the utter mediocrity of the very first Street Fighter.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].