The storyline isn’t bad although those looking for a scene-by-scene retelling of the movie should look elsewhere. I am definitely enjoying my time with the game, but there are some issues. The AI could be better and sometimes the controls fail you. There is nothing more annoying than getting in a firefight with opposing crime families and instead accidentally hitting the A button which triggers a conversation in the middle of battle, for example. Sometimes the police are very aware of what’s going on, but other times I have hijacked a vehicle right in view of a policeman but while my ‘heat’ meter increases, the police do not come right after me.

While the game does have plenty of action elements, there are also RPG elements – as you ‘level up’ through the game you earn points which you can use to increase your skills. For example, you can upgrade so that when you hijack a parked car, it won’t increase your ‘heat’ (the more heat you have, the more the police are going to bring you in). It adds a nice touch and another strategy element to the game.

The ESRB has rated this game M and they aren’t kidding – like the movies, it’s definitely not for the kids. If you can get over the AI and the pop-in of the vehicles (which really aren’t game breakers) you will have an enjoyable time with this game. There is plenty to do and with 30+ missions, the game will keep you busy. Godfather Blackhand is definitely worth a rental and if you like the genre, definitely worth a purchase.