Nintendo Wii
Rated M (For Mature) by the ESRB
Published by Electronic Arts
Developed by EA Redwood Shores
Players: One
Nunchuck Required


Warning: This game is rated M for Mature. I do not suggest the game to those who do not fit the age requirements set by the ESRB. Of course, this is up to your parent's and/or guardian's decision.

You are a new member of the Corleone family. The Don has helped you and your mother live comfortably after your father was killed in a hit. As time goes on, you start hanging out with the wrong crowd. Your mother, for fear of your safety, goes to the Don to see if he can help you. He sends Luca Brasi to get you out of a jam. Brasi then starts you on jobs for the Corleone family.


The Godfather: Blackhand Edition is an expansion on the original The Godfather for the PC and yet another clone of the popular GTA franchise. It features the use of the Wii remote for aiming, calling a hit squad, and being able to hire lackeys to work for you. However, is this really enough to go out to get the Wii edition?

The Godfather, first book, then movie, and now game, is one of the best Mafia stories ever written. Not only does the game stay some what faithful to the movie (which in turn stayed faithful to the book), but it does so while putting you into the center of the folds.

The game divides New York City into five districts that you can drive in and out of. Your Jobs will have you going to and from each one of the districts over time.

As the game is played out, you advance in the family. Through gaining respect you climb the family ranks. After just joining the family, you find yourself deep in New York City. For a beginning Wii game, the graphics are actually fairly decent. From the explosion effects to the character designs, most of the graphics will resemble the PC version. The one downfall of the graphic rendering will be when you are flying through the map while driving. Sometimes, sections of the city will render slower than others, leaving you looking at grey blocks in the distance.

All the main characters will be recognizable from the movie. However, second tier characters will be recycled. A lot. Be prepared when you go to collect your “insurance” money that NPC #3 is there.


During the game, you will also note that the gameplay can become very repetitive. Going out and doing the same thing over and over again can become very tiresome and boring. The initial impact of the game is great, but after playing the game for a decent amount of time, you will become less enthused about the gameplay.

The music comes primarily from Nino Rota's compositions from the movie. When the game starts, you hear The Godfather's Waltz kick in setting the mood of the story. The voice acting is done reasonably well. However, if you watched the movie, you can tell that a lot of the dialog is recycled, and sometimes even misplaced. Of course, when you make something go boom, you will hear it go boom. Nothing exceptional, but nothing to complain about either.

It is known that the controls on the Wii have been very hit or miss. Thankfully, they hit, and hit hard in this game. In hand to hand combat, you are really engaging the opponent. You can choke your opponent, throw your opponent, etc, just by performing the action with the Wii Remote/Nunchuck combo. There are two ways to aim while using weapons in the game, lock on and free aim. It is very preferable to use the lock on, it is very easy to use, and it allows you to aim anywhere on the body of the enemy. The free aim only moves the screen when it hits the edge of the screen, leaving you disoriented much of the time.

Final Thoughts:

After you play the game for a while and advance through the game, it will become increasingly repetitive leaving the replayability factor low. This game is really a must buy for fans of The Godfather, unless you already have a previous version. If you like GTA clones, or would like to be part of the family, purchasing this game is a good idea. This version of the game is arguably the best because of the unique controls. However, if you already have the game, or you don't like GTA clones, the best idea is to stay away.

Final Verdict:

Graphics: 8.5
Audio: 8.0
Gameplay:7.0
Longetivity: 6.5

Final Score:
7.5/10