The Godfather: Blackhand Edition

What would happen if the Corleone family ruled Liberty City? The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, based on the 1972 Academy Award winner for Best Picture (which was itself based on a 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo) places players in the role of an associate to the Corleone family whose mission is to rise through the ranks from Outsider to eventual Don of New York City. The Big Apple represented here is sprawling and open-ended, and the ability to roam freely around it - stealing cars and messing with pedestrians along the way - is sure to remind players of a Grand Theft Auto scenario set in 1945. What separates this game from the countless number of GTA clones that have saturated the video game market since 2001 is Blackhand controls that make use of the motion-sensitive Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and the faithful treatment of its source material.

The first thing players will do is create their own Italian-American gangster using the game's "Mobface" character-creation system. Although it is a variant of the "Gameface" character-creation system found in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, it is nowhere near as deep. Nonetheless, the game provides enough options for players to put their personal touch on their character, who they will later dress in a variety of different styles as the amount of respect (and disposable income) they have increases.

Create-a-Corleone

After an opening sequence that outlines your character's motivation, complete with chillingly compassionate advice offered by the incomparable Don Vito Corleone, the game fast forwards nine years to where the film opens: the wedding of Connie Corleone. After a shot of Luca Brasi practicing his salutations to the Don, players are brought inside Vito's office where your character's mother is asking that you be taken in by The Family. Don Vito sends Luca to Little Italy to find your character, and from that point on players will be tightly woven into the events surrounding the Corleones.

Marlon Brando is excellent again as Don Vito.

Players will complete missions to advance a compelling and multi-layered storyline. On one hand, your character will serve as a participant in some of the film's most memorable scenes, including, in the first few hours: accompanying Luca to his meeting with Sollozzo; sneaking into Johnny Fontane's house; and driving the Don to the hospital. Meanwhile, your player will also follow an original story arc (written by Mark Winegardner, who wrote the successor to Puzo's trilogy with The Godfather Returns in 2004) that involves his evolving friendship with Marty "Monk" Malone and his sister Frankie, while trying to achieve personal glory. In addition to the story, players can execute contract kills, bribe policemen, perform favors for various denizens, and incite mob wars.

There are many things to do in The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, but they all feel connected thanks to an overwhelming sense of authenticity. This is primarily achieved due through your character's interactions with relevant personages in the story, many of whom are portrayed convincingly by the actors who starred in the film. Marlon Brando, James Caan, Abe Vigoda, and Robert Duvall reprise their roles and give stellar performances. While the game might not offer the most technically impressive graphics on Wii, the player models and environments are pleasant to look at and fit within the game's motif. It is the game's ability to immerse players in The Godfather mythos from the very beginning, though, that pushes its presentation over the top.

When not directly following the storyline, players have the ability to extort one of the many businesses around New York City to earn money and respect. This involves players entering a business and intimidating the shop keeper. If demands are not not met, players can "Pressure" the target into seeing things their way. The "Pressure" meter at the top of the screen will show how much damage your character can do to the shop, its customers, or the shopkeeper before a breaking point is reached and your payout is lost.

Convince the owner he needs protection. A tommy gun should work.

The extortion system is one of Blackhand Edition's best features, made even better by the Wii-exclusive Blackhand controls. Melee combat, handled by the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, looks fittingly brutal thanks to precise collision detection for regular attacks and a variety of execution maneuvers for those feeling flashy. With one controller in your left hand and the other in your right, each becomes one of your character's hands. Flicking quickly with either one will do punches from that hand. Punching across your body will perform hooks. Even more advanced animations, like strangling characters, head-butting them, and throwing them through windows are handled with an intuitive corresponding gesture. So far they're all responsive and, more importantly, a ton of fun.

Imagine the controllers are your arms and thrust them forward. Look out below!

The Wii Remote shines when it comes to shooting, as well. Hitting the Nunchuk's Z button will lock-on to an enemy, after which a click of the Wii Remote's trigger will fire shots. By pointing the Wii Remote at various places on their enemy, players can cause location-specific damage. Shooting an enemy in the shoulder might cause them to drop their gun, while shooting them in the knee will drop them to their knees and put them at your mercy. For players who want even more control, hitting the (+) button forgoes the lock-on system entirely, allowing free-aim with the Wii Remote pointer. While free-aim was almost useless in other versions of The Godfather game, it is wholly satisfying here.

The Godfather: Blackhand Edition makes an excellent first impression due to its faithful presentation of an iconic story, and its intuitive and responsive implementation of motion controls. Does it hold up when things start to get more complicated? Stay tuned for Stage 2, where we'll discuss driving, leveling-up your character, AI for friend and foe alike, and the game's long-term appeal.