To develop a game that relates to a masterpiece is quite the challenge...
You start out as a young kid who's father was murdered right in front of you by the Barzinis. With the help of Don Vito, he takes you off the streets and embraces you into the Family, promising that he will also help you avenge your father who gave so much to the Corleones.
What's pretty cool about this game is that you can alter and change the appearance of your character to the way you like. For example, make him fat or thin, ugly or handsome, old or young, even going to the boring details of face characteristics. You can buy clothes that suit him best too. You will soon notice that you are actually "in" the movie but as a side person... The game is The movie but you never star in it. You will soon help the Corleones Rule NYC just like it was supposed to be in the movie.
You also notice that the game is a GTA version of the Godfather. Enabling you to free-roam in the old-fashioned New York City while stealing cars, robbing banks, killing civilians and cops, etc...
Just like in the movie, you compete with the Tattaglias, Straccis, Cuneos, and Barzinis for the complete domination of New York. You will later on take them all and destroy their compounds to accomplish this main goal and put the Corleone Family at the Top...
While killing mobsters and cops, you gain experience points while also gaining respect on the streets. With these points you can upgrade your skills which are:
-Fighting: Increased attack damage with you fists and better negotiation with front owners (discussed later).
-Shooting: Better marksmanship and greater accuracy with pistols, shotguns, and machine guns.
-Health: For increased HP, Health recovery, and increased block defense from guns or fists.
-Speed: Increased sprint duration, advanced attack and movement speed, and weapon reloading and Reveal/Conceal weapons upgrade. -Street Smarts: Negotiation upgrade, heat level decrease, and greater capacity of weapons you can carry.
Be careful with the killing part though. Every time you kill a mobster, the rival family's vendetta level will increase equivalently. When you kill alot of thier men, you will eventually start a mob war. They will become very hostile to you if you step into thier territory. To end a mob war, you must either bomb one of thier fronts or bribe an FBI agent. If you die, they will bomb one of your fronts and you will lose the mob war.
Fronts and Rackets: Fronts are found all over the city. They consist of stores, shops, and markets. All of which you must make thier owners pay for Corleone protection. If the owners don't give in, force must be administered. Ex: Hit them, break some things, and threaten them...
Rackets are found just behind locked doors inside the stores. They consist of small casinos, whore houses, smuggling, and anything that has to do with illegal activities. These are the things that bring you the big money. If you control the rackets, you control the city. Racket owners should be treated just like front owners. But sometimes you can buy them out (pay them money to join the family).
These fronts and rackets will pay you once every week, but most of the money will be for the Corleone family, giving you a slight cut. But with your promotions, the cut will surely decrease.
While finishing the main missions, you will find your self being promoted inside the family. From a street rat you become an Outsider to an Associate to a Soldier, Capo, Underboss, Don (of the Colreone family), and eventually become the Don of New York City.
With every promotion, your respect level will increase and your tribute will decrease, giving you a bigger cut from the protection money taken from fronts and rackets.
A good thing about this game is the ability to bribe the police. In return, they will look away whenever you break the law (stealing and killing for example). They will sometimes even give you a hand when in trouble. Just like in the movie where corrupt cops were found by the dozen.
The game offers good upgrades to all you weapons and explosives, making it easier for you to take out the rival families. You can buy better weapons from the black market dealers found across the city, who also sell ammo for you current guns.
The game has much more to offer and reminds you of the movie too much. The funny thing about it is that every time you enter a car the theme song for the movie starts playing and you're like: "OK! OK! I know it's the Godfather!".
If you loved the movie, buy the game. If you didn't love the movie, you are not a human being. This game is worth your spare time and it offers so much when it comes to living in The Mob World.