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  • $39.99
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The Godfather: The Game (PlayStation 2)

common sense media says

Gory game may satisfy movie's fans -- adults only.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this game far surpasses the violence in Francis Ford Coppola's mob masterpiece. The game features 22 execution styles; enemies can be "kneecapped" and "wallpapered." Players spend most of their time slapping around local shopkeepers and attempting to intimidate them into paying protection money. All of this is in addition to the standard Grand Theft Auto template of carjackings, violence against innocents, and cop-killing.

Educational value: Not applicable.
Positive messages: Corleone family values: intimidation earns respect, crime pays.
Violence: Torture, contract killing, violence against cops and innocents, lots of blood.
Sex: Players extort money from brothels and flirt with prostitutes for extra information.
Language: Lots of f-words, etc.
Consumerism: Featured clips from the Godfather movies encourage players to buy the DVD.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Booze and tobacco litter the underworld.

More on The Godfather: The Game

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how the Academy Award-winning film and cast (Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall both lend their voices to the game) influence the perception of the game. Is the violence and vulgarity legitimized by The Godfather name? Can movie-based video games ever be something more than an extended marketing vehicle for their source material?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Players control a young hood whose mother asks Don Vito Corleone to find a place for him in his more established -- and somehow more respectable -- crime family. Players work their way up in the syndicate's structure by extorting businesses controlled by rival families, performing contract killing, and generally hustling on the street. When Vito Corleone faces a life-or-death crisis, players make a name for themselves in the organization and begin their fight to become crime king of New York.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Fans of the movies may have fun with the Godfather-based material: Familiar faces and scenes pop up, and dialogue is often straight from the movie. Players chat with hotheaded Sonny Corleone or drive the hapless Fredo around town. They hide the gun for Michael to retrieve and visit Hollywood to deposit a bloody -- uh, present -- in the bed of an uncooperative producer.

But there aren't enough of these moments. Mostly players operate around the Godfather story, not getting involved in its unfolding. Missing that connection, The Godfather: The Game seems to exploit the most brutal aspects of the films without expanding its narrative. What we're left with is a well-executed and fun-enough Grand Theft Auto knock-off (with all the associated liabilities) dressed up in a snappy pinstriped suit.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: PlayStation 2
Not available online
Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Electronic Arts
Released on: July 6, 2006
Price: 39.99
ESRB Rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes

This review was written by Aaron Lazenby
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14

Most useful reviews by all members

da rater
teen, 18 years old
 
da rater
It is a great game but there is lots of blood,shooting, and explosions. They could have worked better on the graphics too

acmrockstar
kid, 10 years old
 
for mature people.
Great game but EXTREMLY violent.

Dylan103
teen, 17 years old
 
i live with my mom
people hate me. i have a playstation2.

gameco
teen, 13 years old
 
For teens
love it love the concept of real life and doing things thatyou could never do without getting shot or killed

 
The godfather, Is obviously violent much like the films.
The godfather is indeed an amazing game. But its almost disturbing. You start with a man getting bombarded by a load of mobsters with Thompsons. Blood spraying all over the place and you can see him actually suffering as he is getting shot. You are able to choke people. You decapitate a horse, Not shown on camera though. You shoot random people and police. Lots of torture. You put a horses head on a mans bed and it looks very realistic. The sexual content is being in a brothel with half naked women which isn't too bad. The language is extreme. Swearing is frequently heard by The don and the rival families. Its an amazing game. Just so so mature.

dfgui
teen, 16 years old
 
gggggggggggg
i just think its an amazing games the best ever peace out

Tomrock101
teen, 16 years old
 
You lot forgot.
Horses head? Cutting the head off a horse? At the start using tommy guns to dismantle a man? Its nuts.

DaringFever
teen, 14 years old
 
Really fun game
This game is really fun and I honestly don't think it is all that bad. They say that all these games are really innapropriate but most of this stuff is what happens in real life. I can play this and every other game but not GTA. My parents won't let me play because of the strip halls in the game. I wouldn't even look at that. Any advice to convince them?

 
great game very long
this is a great game its very long. The violence in this game is not as bad as it sounds there is no torture and i watched my 3 kids play it there is blood and a lot of f words you can kill cops and innocent people but its amazing i have 3 kids age 8 12 16 they all play it its different than grand theft auto there is almost no sex in this game

Squier
teen, 16 years old
 
Brilliant!
Very impressive mob game aimed towards mature audiences. A much cleaner version of titles like "Scarface" and "Grand theft auto." Very violent, but practically no sex.

michaelc
teen, 14 years old
 
Ok for Kids 12 and over.
I personally would alow a child to play this game (if they were mature enough) at age 12. However I would not allow any child to see it until they had first viewed the Godfather film. The Violence in this game is quite constant and consistant with the nature of the game - it is in many ways though quite un-realistic, most of it is not a problem. Language throughout the game is vulgur I would not allow a child to use the bad language in the game, but as long as they know not to use the language it is fine for Kids 12 and older.

Treythetired
parent of 4 , 8 , 11 , and 12 , 18 , 18 year old
 
Perfect for adults and older teens, iffy for kids.
As a parent, I have owned this game for more than 4 years. I strongly recommend this game. It is a fine work of art. For mature audiences, the bank robberies, store robberies, missions, compound takeovers, police chases, bombings and story is EXCELLENT! DEFINITELY get this game. For children though, it's still great, but here are my concerns. As far as sexual, women are COMPLETELY covered. Off topic, but they're kind of sexy. The only sexual marks include "Oooooohhhh.... Your a bad boy. I like bad boys." and some others. Other sexual actions include pressing each others bodies together, spanking, and some close sexual scenes. The only sexual scene that didn't happen, but was suppose to, is when Frankie is about to have sex with you, but then a mission begins. Cursing is strong, and almost 24/7. Death threats are common. But for anyone older, this is a must-have!

swantar66
teen, 15 years old
 
its a good game but the second one is way better

crazyman508
teen, 14 years old
 
awsome
i thin that it is very good. it is very helpful for teaching kids about what happened yaers ago. and it shows the importance of famliy

CSM Screen ...
teen, 15 years old
 
I laughed
Its a good game

alienman
teen, 18 years old
 
Not too bad!
yes, the game is bloody but so, it's fake. People need to understand that it's all fake animated violence. doesn't mean you're going to go out and become a crime lord and kill billions of people

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age