The Godfather: The Game - A Retrospective Review

Leave the game. Take the canoli.
The Godfather: The Game is an openworld action games, styled very similiarly to the games in the Grand Theft Auto series. Often dismissed as just another run of the mill GTA clone, the time has come to revisit this game, a favorite from my youth and see if it is truly nothing but a flash in the pan or if the game actually holds up.
This game was played using the original Playstation 2 Disc on the PCSX2 emulator. There is a noticeable graphical glitch in this footage where lights can be seen through solid objects. However, this is a problem with the emulator and not with the game itself.
Link to My Let's Play: • #1 WAY OF THE BLACKHAN...
My Second Channel - / @poqreslux2letsplayboo...
The media encompassed within this game is used for the purposes of critique, commentary, education and parody. This video and the contents within function as fair use. All rights of respective copyrighted works belong the holders.

[@SzajKornik]

Such an underrated gem, nothing beats throwing shopkeepers out their own windows to intimidate them.

[@Praetorian8814]

Best part of the game is the extortion & racket parts imo. Hang the shopkeep over a furnace or murder one of his innocent customers, maybe strangle him a bit for good measure

[@Nomad-97]

Or when you grab them, and the way you haul your arm or knee back like your charging it up and blast them with a strike 😂 pointing a gun at them, a little shot to the kneecap. One of my favourite games ever

[@Spyrex420]

leaning that poor baker into the furnace, weak spot bonus xD

[@aliquidgaming1068]

It isn't underrated Many people played this back in the day. It's a well known GTA clone, like saints row, and like saints row is one of the best GTA clones

[@floydthomas2194]

This game is a great classic

[@marceltech]

What about the second one?

[@anthonychavezjr4374]

Honestly

[@ciaranmcguinness8900]

​@@marceltech to sum it up in one word: Dull. its graphically nice to look at but it's really boring

[@freddybeer]

I played this game to DEATH on the PS2! When I got an X Box 360, it was a foregone conclusion I was gonna buy it again! The extended and upgraded edition in HD! I can't tell you how many times I've played this game through from start to finish. I think it's a little masterpiece! Every shop owner having a weak spot, those brutally defended compounds, the MUSIC, the voice acting, the feel and sound of the guns, the customisable options (I'm addicted to changing my wardrobe endlessly!), I just can't rate this game enough!

[@evanhanley6437]

Buddy, this is an exceptional video. Massive fan of the Godfather and this was a joy to watch. I still own my PS2 and Xbox copies. Theres so much I found for this game its ridiculous. I will always cherish this game.

[@daveythegambler6312]

Am i the only one who takes full control of little italy in the game before doing missions???? BTW the movie and game are so good. Godfather 1 and 2 and video games are great. We dont talk about 3.

[@poqreslux]

I used to do the same when I was younger. I believe you get a better at most places if you're higher rank though. Plus, some places like the warehouses and barzini businesses are definitely a lot easier when you're better upgrade from story XP. Also, godfather part 3 doesn't exist. Don't even know what you are talking about.

[@shinigami146]

Haha, I am one of the few that thought 3 wasn't as bad as others think.

[@zoubeirfaouzi149]

@@shinigami146 I don't know. The Godfather 3 game didn't have a good pacing. It was really boring to be honest.

[@shinigami146]

@@zoubeirfaouzi149 Oops, I misread the OP and I was referring to GF3 the movie. I didn't even know there was a GF3 game lol.

[@zoubeirfaouzi149]

@@shinigami146 hahaha dammit you ruined the game. I was gonna make him believe that everybody knew a part 3 game except him. 😂

[@10beybladedude]

I remember watching my dad play this and we would always bond over it, mainly telling me facts about the time period and not actually about the game lol. Still, this game holds a special place in my heart because it's the first bonding moment I can remember having with my father.

[@poqreslux]

I didn't realize it had been so long since I uploaded something. This quarantine thing is messing with my brain man. Hopefully you guys are holding up all right all things considered.

[@undertaker9991]

Im good big fella. Doing college classes at home. Finishing today.

[@poqreslux]

I'm glad I'm not in school during this whole thing. To say things must be chaotic for teachers and students is probably an understatement.

[@jackllanternIsInAnotherCastle]

Please, review JPod. its a show on netflix and it goes too hard. I love it and i think more people need to see it

[@haidersarwar3381]

The world needs to do a petition to the developers, publishers and producers to remake The Godfather 1, The Godfather 2 and Scarface The World is Yours on the PS5 in 8K with full modern gaming mechanics, take the time to tighten up, be creative and add to the story, plot, gameplay, features, creativity and cutscenes. These games are still my all time favourites and with the right time, budget and creativity from other games and innovativity of the originals, this can be the best games on PS5. If they do a remake, add loads more missions, things to do, cutscenes, features, side quests, progression stats, other cool feautures from comparative games that have evolved.

[@vinniecorleone62]

This is by far the greatest profile on this amazing iconic game to date! I sunk do much time into the original Xbox version, your review brings back wonderful memories of this gem! A big thumbs up from me & a sub my friend!

[@Gytiss93]

fucking hell, i was hoping watching this would make me feel like it was just a nostalgia, but nah, this game WAS a true gem. needs a remaster ASAP

[@anthonychavezjr4374]

Honestly fr

[@bobhope4949]

I’d buy it, played the shit out of this game on Xbox, then played it on a psp emulator on my phone and beat it before whatever the hell I was using expired lol

[@campercreed6185]

PlayStation 3 version seems like remastered. If you have Ps3 - play it! New guns, mission, better graphic and other. Much and much better others version of this game. Xbox 360 not bad, but this version is worse than the PS3 version a little.

[@adlibbed2138]

that awkward moment when EA managed made functional police chases in their Godfather games better than CD Projekt Red did with Cyberprank 2076, and it was many years ago and made by the same company that being constantly lambasted for their anti-consumer practices at daily basis

[@S1234-u7f]

My favorite part in the movie? Where you chase Paulie through a maze of exploding crates and fire barrels! Lololol

[@nouryy]

Excellent review! Such a great game and the soundtrack is just timeless. It's a shame they didn't allow us to mod the game. Definitely check out "Scarface the world is yours" it's another classic.

[@nickraes3483]

Love the Raphael TMNT reference. " Bridge book of mafia fighting " got me cracking up!

[@TheShinyShow]

Brilliant video mate. I loved this game. I got the coffin ps2 version, and later got the xbox 360 one too because I loved it so much. I never even watched the film. The sound of the cars suspension when you mount a kerb, love that.

[@playerunkown8699]

The ps3 is the best because more content

[@walttholomew]

I love this review in so many ways, if for no other reason than there aren't a lot of people who give a decent overview of this seemingly forgotten game. But it's probably my most-played game ever, and I have over 700 hours in Stardew Valley. (Now that would be an interesting crossover...) And every now and then you get tiny, inconsequential things wrong and it's making my, "Um, actually..." nerve go fucking crazy. That's not a real criticism or mark against you or the review. Because, not only do I have probably something like a thousand hours of playing this game in the PS2 version, the PS3 version, and like you emulating the PS2 version to keep replaying it today (the graphics look worse but you get rid of that car lights glitch by turning on software rendering instead of hardware) despite my PS2 biting it years ago, but I was lucky enough to have the giant beast of a strategy guide that was sold with the game which revealed a lot of both minor things (like, you can pick up the garrotte wire from Luca's dead body and kill the assassin with his own tool) and game-changing things (like the best extortion strategy and breaking points of all shopkeepers and racketeers, even if some are wrong or impossible, yes, IMPOSSIBLE!).

[@SpellNcheck]

When I first played this game, I never seen The Godfather. So, in a way I had the same perspective as my character had.

[@LynxStarAuto]

Please tell me you have seen the first two by now.

[@ivansorola1997]

Same and later when i was about to finish the game i saw the movie i was so amazed by what a great film it was

[@qurimpv3]

Came back to this video because of how damn funny you are and how amazing your review is.

[@alfieknott2041]

I’m glad someone finally gave a proper review of this game with humour as well it’s one of my favourites literally just brought a PS3 to play the don’s edition again great review mate

[@aarav3890]

You did a phenomenal job covering one of my favorite games

[@supremetsaul5980]

Oh man you brought me back! This game was a GEM!!

[@jaydenc27]

This game was my childhood I want it to be available on xbox1 so bad

[@chaise1122]

Nice TMNT1 Rapheal quote! "C'mon. How do you guys expect to beat me!? More Foot Clan approaches...."Good answer, good answer"

[@Lbineville]

Loved this game when I was younger. Great game, great video.

[@jonny5777]

I’ve just started playing mafia after a decade long hiatus thinking that it was the godfather game. They’re both great but I kind of wanted it to be this game, I’d love to see a remastered version of the game some day. Great review

[@Godfather9814]

We really need the dons edition remastered for the series x/s and ps5!

[@forknife326]

Damn this was a good video, didn't even feel like 38 minutes

[@valentinoesposito3614]

As an Italian from Brooklyn I can confirm that the first part is very very true indeed.

[@NoBody-kv3yd]

Interestingly, I played the shit out of this game years back and I’ve seen The Godfather 1000 times, but I never remembered Michael not being Pacino in the game. But now that you showed me, I can’t unsee it.

[@wallaroo1295]

Great review! I had this game when I lived in a cabin in the woods in Alaska - and I *loved* this game. I played it through four or five times, using different approaches on skills and story. If you run the story missions first, everything else gets *way* easier. I'm not a "speed run" gamer, but I think it only took a few hours that way. Once you are the Don of New York, the businesses basically just give you the max payouts. It was easier, but it was fun too. I spent *hours* working the character appearance to look like me to an uncanny valley level. Hours and hours and hours playing it. Modern adventure games like Red Dead, Far Cry, etc - could really take a lesson in minitasking from a game like this. All the little stores to work, the rackets, the compounds - it was just awesome for hours and hours of entertainment... when it was -40 below zero. LOL

[@sligacheese6470]

Was my number 1 game for years. ❤

[@LeUberTroll]

My favorite memory of this game was the fact I had took out the hideouts of the other families before I finished the story. When the story ended, I got spawned in with the message to take them out. That’s when I hit the button to say okay, then the final cutscene played where you become the Don of New York. Such an anti-climactic moment

[@oscu3]

Yo your videos are sick, this is Mac from Hasbro, hope you good bro

[@nunopereira265]

When you said fiambre and presunto once again I said to my self that the Italians are similar to us the Portuguese

[@medalgearsalad1419]

Romance languages are similar bro.

[@davidroudebush6947]

The game is really fun, it’s also very impressive on the Xbox, decent graphics for an old game

[@leftyzappa]

Fantastic review my friend. I sincerely hope you have read the book. You betta…

[@mgm3649]

I remember having a lot of fun with this game. What I remember not liking is that the open world seems empty and everything looks the same.

[@shinigami146]

I enjoyed your review! I also love this game and have not played it in many, many years. Thankfully, I kept my disc (PC) and will be playing soon, if I can get it to work with windows 10, but first I will check out your Let's Play.

[@KurokiSamurai]

What a coincidence that I talked about The Godfather a while back and now you make a video on it. The world is such a mystery.

[@poqreslux]

If I have a nickel for every strange coincidence I've experienced in life, I'd be a very wealthy man.

[@KurokiSamurai]

@@poqreslux indeed. How ya been man?

[@poqreslux]

@@KurokiSamurai I'm all right, was sick but not Covid. Now just trying not to go nuts while it feels like everyone else does around me. How about you?

[@FD_and_B]

youre a thoughtful guy and a talented writer. well done man, very good video.

[@stefall27]

Scarface was a game I played during my youth, but I don't remember playing that one!

[@muziworldwide]

I like how all the people in the game have a first and last name. Every single one.

[@williamlim5234]

The first Godfather game is an instant classic, the second however is an instant cashgrab

[@hihowrya370]

The fact that the engine used for this game is the exact same engine used for Dead Space is mind boggling.

[@Chainsawsaladman]

One of the greatest movies ever made

[@SamandColbyfan2k23]

I had the game for the ps2 and I watched the Godfather part 1 and I just bought the Game. I never completed the game before. I'm not Italian but the movie is good and so is the Game :) also I'm a new subscriber :)

[@davidroudebush6947]

A feature in this game that makes it less frustrating than earlier gta games is there are mid mission checkpoints so if you fail you don’t have to do the entire mission again

[@D20000]

you sound like you came right out of the movie or game haha

[@mde1953]

Would you believe this was released by EA?

[@adlibbed2138]

I mean you can compare Cyberfraud to Godfather games to show how low CDPR was

[@LynxStarAuto]

I played the shit out of this game way back when. Some folks called it repetitive and monotonous, but fuck that, I put thousands of hours into it. part 2 was an improvement in some departments, but I cherish both equally.

[@Praetorian8814]

I decided to replay this nostalgia trip of a game, only this time the Don's Edition on PS3 emulator. Holy hell. If you've beaten this game on PC, Ps2, or even Xbox 360, I seriously suggest replaying it on the PS3 (or emulator). It's almost like rewatching the movie only with the deleted scenes included in the actual runtime.

[@SoloSeason]

FORGETTAA BOUT IT!….. This is why we come to KZbin. As black/Sicilian guy I just love the fact you can’t go TOO DARK on character model -- al the most authentic thing about this game 😂 😅

[@flintcityhc1524]

The snub is awesome. It’s basically a head-shot gun. After listening to your video I went ahead and started the game over with these rules 1) always use the snub unless underfire and out of ammo, then go to pistol and magnum as last resort 2) only use shotgun and machine gun to bust crates looking for bags o cash Once I robbed a few banks and got the lv 3 snub and lv 2 pistols I took out all compounds one after the other - Tatagglia, Barzini, Cuneo, then Stracci. No I control all areas and can pretty much walk into any biz and take over. The snub is fucking dope if you use it right.

[@khangly7285]

Why isn't this as popular as GTA? I really enjoy playing this game. Great review BTW.

[@jldldr3933]

Good thing the game actually includes clips of the movie so you know who is who, what is what, badabing, badabang.

[@joncaples2624]

Amazing video bro. This game needs to be remastered

[@RiderWithTheScarf]

Molto bene Michele. But what about the Maccu or the MOST important sicialian food : Stigghiola? It's what connects "us" after all. :D I'll be honest, even after rewatching the movie, I still don't get why they had to kill Paulie beyond Sonny having a murderboner due to Vito being shot and he just took it out to the poor guy who probably wasn't even pretending to be sick. Heck, Sonny's quick anger led to Carlo becoming an even bigger asshole, when he could have sold it in a more..."professional" manner. As for the game, pretty good. Those early GTA VC clones have always been the superior product than any open world Rockstar game post VC for me anyways(yeah, VC is my favourite, didn't care for V) and they run with the ideas in that in a very nice manner. My only problem was that nobody bothered to copy VC's control which I thought were ok(one or two swaps between the face buttons and it was perfect)...going for the control scheme of "Too Human" for fisticuffs sure was something. It's a shame the OG developers didn't return for the second game but it's not like you can make a game out of the second movie exactly, it's far easier to do for the first movie. That period of consoles really was great for criminal / gang-based sandbox games. Something that just hit me, is that they attempted to parallel you character with both Vito and Michael at the same time, even to the point of Frankie being the Apollonia while Monk is basically the semi-italian version of Tom Hagen, except a stupid asshole in the end for some reason.

[@normanpatterson3451]

The music is so nostalgic

[@Mickey-v7p]

“Hey, let’s make a game based on one of the greatest movies of all time and make it into an open world type of game! We’ll show those geeks at Rockstar that they are not the only ones who can master the do whatever the heck you want type of gameplay!”

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

Haven't played this game in forever. Need to get it again.

[@ogMrtakinoff]

Loved this game! But in 2006 I had never seen the movie, honestly didn't see it until 2017. I definitely wanna replay it now

[@xxkyle93xx93]

This game seriously deserves a remaster even if they don’t, they can still just bring it to the PS4 an I’d be happy with that

[@georgejr.7182]

Great video. Great review. You earned yourself a sub. Keep it up

[@RaisinBran0291]

I’ve had this game for years but never checked it out. This video inspired me to play it

[@jstube36]

I do really miss playing this game. The best way to play it is with the PC version. Aiming and shooting is much easier with a mouse-click. And with a hooked up controller, it's a better way to control to walking/running/driving of our character Aldo Trapani. Unfortunately this game is difficult to load on newer computers. I know there are calls to bring this back. I join that call. I would also love to see a Godfather prequel game for the PC. A game that centers around the Olive Oil Wars of the 1930's. Or something that involves Prohibition and the fight to control the Booze Rackets. Just a thought.

[@hadinasrallah8928]

36:42 the ending of goodfellas literally shows that crime doesn't pay and that henry is stupid for missing the life. irishman too

[@seanmaclean1013]

The fact that this game is better than the Mafia game that have been made recently just goes to show developers don't give a fuck no more

[@darkopecanac5533]

This game is what got me into the open world gaming. There was never any shortage in things to do. Just like the game Black, The Godfather was way ahead of its time. EA should remake this game.

[@conmanreloaded4249]

I think you hit the nail on the head with this game not shying away from showing the more grimy side of the mob. For example in one of the hit missions you have to got to a hotel parking garage and kill a guy without leaving any witnesses. The guys standing next to a car and there’s a maid and a civilian male NPC standing a little bit away. So I try multiple times to stealth kill him from behind the car by each time the couple would spot me and I’d fail the objective of no witnesses. So I decided to just pull out the trusty .38 Snub nose (which is quite effective due to headshots and reloads fast) and shot The man and the women first, then the target and bam mission success. I was actually kinda shocked weirdly enough. Like I had killed civilians before but never intentionally usually they’d just be walking at the same time that I was speeding/ running from cops.

[@quentinwade8506]

New subscriber. Great video man I like the attention to detail, I still got my original 2006 ps2 copy.

[@poqreslux]

Thanks for subscribing! My channel is on a little hiatus right now, but I'm hoping to get back to business by mid June.

[@sligacheese6470]

The best game ever made. Rob banks. Blow up shops. Enemy’s can drop expensive upgraded weapons

[@vinniecorleone62]

I see you haven't uploaded a video in some time. I hope you'll return my friend, you have a real knack for making solid content!

[@marcuswalters8093]

6:50 I liked aging my character up. I also made him look more disheveled during a harrowing period.

[@flavioelgato5809]

eyyy eyyy what imma gonna do, u told me to rough em up a little

[@Bluejoltyt]

You deserve more than 3000 subs

[@playerunkown8699]

The warriors game was good too

[@kccastorena1102]

Awesome video man! I just started playing this great game again on my Xbox 360. I subscribed to your channel keep up the good work

[@poqreslux]

Thanks dude! Things are a little slow around here right now, but I'm doing my best to pickup the pace. Thanks for the support.

[@KrisVic91]

Hello, is it worth buying for the xbox360? 😃

[@kccastorena1102]

@@KrisVic91 it's definitely worth buying

[@alonzoaguilar-vazquez5218]

This guys 3 min rant at the beginnin of the video is hilarious, felt like 20 mins long lmfao immediate follow

[@richardharrow2513]

What do you mean why Bruno kidnapped Frankie? All you did prior to this mission was ruining his plans. Apart from taking over regular businesses, you’ve helped killing Sollozzo, Bruno’s partner. And if you’ve completed Tessio’s contracts then you’ve also killed Bruno’s own brother, his consigliere and a couple of capos. So I think Bruno has enough of a motive for revenge right? Btw exceptional video on one of my favorite games! Thanks!

[@GhostofMcNabb]

I’ve been playing this game a ton lately.. it’s such an addictive game. I felt the controls were very clunky but this game is so good it’s worth the steep learning curve. There’s just something about running all of virtual New York lol

[@svrnny]

Love the vid bro!

[@MidnightMedium]

Excellent review. One of my very favorite open world games

[@NelsonStJames]

I can always reinstall this game and have a great time. It has probably seen the most replays of any game I own., and I still haven't found all those film reels!

[@youtubehatestruthtellers8065]

Loved this game. Definitely needs a remaster

[@damiansalvino1128]

As a fellow Italian American I thank you for reviewing this game. It brings me back a lot of memories from my childhood. Do you have any plans to do a video on the second game that was released on PS3?

[@poqreslux]

Believe it or not, I never played the second game surprisingly. I also don't own a working PS3 or 360, so it's not anytime soon, but not off the table entirely either.

[@OneUponADime]

Wii version is called Black Hand Edition, playing now, I really like it.

[@Pschmitty420]

One of my favorite things was the executions lol

[@francohuaro5331]

my favorite game of all time! Thanks for the video, it was so funny.

[@aftrthejake6843]

Nice Raphael line!

[@alfieknott2041]

I do also believe this game had the best mafia style side content I don’t understand how mafia games nowadays can’t at least implement the business take over or how families actually matter

[@OneUponADime]

First Godfather movie I found was a slog, but Godfather 2 is the best movie ever made

[@HOLE9YARDS18]

and the snub nose is absolutely fucking useless xD i laughed pretty hard at that part

[@rolandorevidizo1757]

If this is not based on the movie, this could be as gta in game ranking.

[@everglow101]

I rate this game 5/5 for me and it's just the best game I've ever played in my opinion. I love this review of it! I haven't gotten the privilege of playing the Don's Edition but I still love it to death! Also, I'm guilty of using the garrote wire all the time... XD

[@trentonayershandsoffire3620]

I gotta agree with you....100% one of the two games I fully completed to 💯 percent...

[@jerometurner8759]

They should make a prequel aka leading into this story. Like in the second movie how they show the early 1900s ... that part.

[@SihirbazTsar55]

The Wii version of this game is basically John Bonham meets Fist of the North Star

[@ghoulschoolfan80s35]

I remember this game It was the first M rated game I ever played

[@undertaker9991]

Peter Griffin has strange taste.

[@poqreslux]

He really tends to insist upon himself.

[@Justin-li8sx]

Just watched all three and miss the game so much

[@timsweeney612]

I got this game for 360 the other day for my birthday Just as I started it my xbox fell and the disc was unreadable saddest moment of my life 💔