The Godfather: The Don's Edition

🎮 Overview

• Title: The Godfather: The Don’s Edition

• Platform: PlayStation 3 (exclusive enhanced edition)

• Release Year: 2007

• Developer: EA Redwood Shores (later became Visceral Games)

• Publisher: Electronic Arts

• Genre: Open-World Action / Crime

• Based On: The Godfather (1972 film), with extra story content.

📖 Story

The game retells the story of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, but from the perspective of a new character — an original mobster who rises through the ranks of the Corleone family.

• You start as a small-time thug taken under Don Corleone’s wing.

• As you prove your loyalty, you participate in iconic moments from the film (the horse’s head scene, the restaurant hit, the hospital escape).

• You also experience original story missions that expand on the Corleone empire.

• The ultimate goal: rise to the rank of Don of New York by taking control of rackets, businesses, and territory from rival families.

Notably, some of the movie’s stars returned to voice their characters, including James Caan (Sonny) and Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen). Marlon Brando recorded lines before his passing, but most of his dialogue was voiced by a sound-alike.

🕹 Gameplay

The Don’s Edition plays like a blend of Grand Theft Auto–style open-world action and mafia strategy elements:

• Open World:

  • Set in 1940s–50s New York City, divided among five mafia families: Corleone, Tattaglia, Barzini, Stracci, and Cuneo.

  • Explore neighborhoods, drive classic cars, and interact with rackets, shops, and mob hangouts.

• Missions:

  • Story missions tied to the film + original side missions.

  • Extortion missions: shake down businesses to add them under Corleone protection.

  • Racket takeovers: fight rival mobsters and seize control of their fronts.

• Combat:

  • Third-person gunplay with pistols, Tommy guns, shotguns, Molotovs, and dynamite.

  • Melee combat uses the “BlackHand” system: grab, punch, choke, slam, or throw enemies using analog stick movements.

  • Intimidation plays a big role — scare shopkeepers into paying protection.

• Strategy Layer:

  • The city is a living turf war. Rival families try to take back businesses you’ve claimed.

  • To fully control a family, you must wipe out their compounds and mob bosses.

• PS3 “Don’s Edition” Enhancements:

  • Exclusive missions and hits (about 30 new ones).

  • Expanded map with new neighborhoods (Little Italy and more).

  • New execution styles and weapons.

  • Motion controls with the Sixaxis controller for more immersive BlackHand combat.

🎨 Presentation

• Graphics: Upgraded slightly from the PS2/Xbox version, though not on par with other 2007 PS3 titles.

• Atmosphere: Authentic 1940s–50s New York feel with period-accurate cars, clothes, and buildings.

• Sound: Memorable Godfather theme music, ambient city sounds, and strong voice acting from many original cast members.

📝 Reception

• Praise:

  • Faithful to the Godfather tone while adding new story content.

  • Fun blend of open-world action and mafia strategy.

  • BlackHand combat and extortion system felt unique compared to GTA.

  • The Don’s Edition was considered the “definitive” version of the game.

• Criticism:

  • Graphics and animations felt dated, especially compared to other PS3 launch-era games.

  • Combat and missions could get repetitive.

  • Not all film actors returned, which hurt authenticity for some fans.

✅ In short: The Godfather: The Don’s Edition on PS3 is an expanded, definitive version of EA’s mafia-themed open-world game. With storylines weaving through iconic film moments and original missions, plus turf wars and BlackHand combat, it gave fans a chance to live the rise of a mobster inside the Corleone family — even if it wasn’t as polished as GTA.