Review

Since EA has (unwisely) decided to excise all of the driving missions, there appears to be no need for a full city. On the console New York City was fleshed out and somewhat interesting, but you won't be seeing any of that in this PSP game. Instead all of the missions take place in identical looking buildings, some of which are repeated several times. There are a few outdoor missions, but even those quickly lead you to an indoor area that will put you to sleep. Perhaps I wouldn't have such a problem with the corridor levels if it wasn't for the terrible camera and aiming, but the narrow passageways only compound the problem.

 

To make up for the missing driving missions Electronic Arts has decided to give this PSP game an exclusive … card game? In the main hub you will have a choice between the story mode and the Mob Wars mode, which is an odd turn-based card game that has a bit of a learning curve, but proves to be somewhat entertaining. You buy cards, move characters around the board, and even get to play some on-foot missions to steal other territories. This mode is actually pretty deep, and once you've gotten into it Mob Wars can be pretty addicting. Of course, this is when compared to the watered down story mode. As a stand alone product Mob Wars gets old quick, but it's certainly more fun that fighting with the camera in the story mode.

 

I get the feeling that the developers had a good idea with Mob Wars, but they never quite figured out how to make it work in the confines of the game. This mode, much like the story mode, doesn’t feel very complete, and ends up making you yearn for something more, something that was fun. As it is, neither mode is as much fun as it thinks it is.

 

One thing The Godfather: Mob Wars does get right is the presentation.  Many of the biggest names from the movie make an appearance, which means that we get fine work from first-time voice actors like James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Abe Vigoda. The Godfather: Mob Wars also marks one of the final performances by Hollywood legend Marlon Brando, who manages to add a lot of credibility to the Don Corleone character. It's a shame that not everybody came back to reprise their roles (the most disappointing being the lack of Al Pacino), but you'll hardly notice thanks to some otherwise amazing voice work.

 

As you complete the missions you will get experience points, which allows you to level up and increase your character's stats. Each time you level up you will be given a couple of points to put wherever you want, such as your fighting, aim, speed, health and so on. Getting your character to a high level will make him extremely difficult to kill, especially if you've upgraded your weapons and have mastered the control. That won't mean you won't die from a direct shotgun blast to the face, but it curbs those unfortunate situations quite a bit.

 

The graphics, while adequate, are something of a mixed bag. The Godfather looks great when you're given a close up of the characters, each modeled perfectly from the movie. As you step back, though, you'll be disappointed by the repeating textures, occasionally grainy graphics, and strange animations. This version also has a few hiccups that are exclusive to the PSP. Sometimes when you shoot a character the game will freeze for a second or two for what seems like no reason. While this isn't the worst thing about the game, it does feel like yet another problem in a long line of disappointing setbacks.

 

After seeing what Rockstar was able to do with Grand Theft Atuo on the PSP it's hard to accept this half-assed port of The Godfather. It seems odd that Electronic Arts decided to take out most of the fun elements of the game and replace them with additions that are barely worth talking about. There is no good reason to own The Godfather: Mob Wars on the PSP, it's a port that should not have been attempted. I hate to say it, but this is an offer that you CAN refuse!

 

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