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Electronic
Arts’ developer Steve Szakal gives us an offer we can’t refuse
as he provides answers to our questions about the recently released
Xbox 360 and PSP versions of The Godfather video game, including
info about some different features gamers can expect in the Xbox 360
and PSP that weren’t in the Xbox and PS2 versions. And of
course, the possibility of sequels.
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The
Godfather: The Game Developer Q&A
Conducted by Lee Cieniawa
First
off, who are you, what’s your official title, and what’s your
background in gaming?
My name is Steve Szakal, I’m a Game Designer, and I’ve been playing
videos games for over 20 years. My first gaming experience started at
the arcades and since then I’ve owned the majority of the consoles
that have come out starting with the original Nintendo and PCs. I've
been designing games professionally for almost six years. I started at
3DO, then moved to Electronic Arts working on a mix of platforming,
action, RPG and open-world games.
I think many industry pundits where really surprised how well The
Godfather video game turned out, not only because it was a worthy
adversary in the sandbox genre to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but
also because it also overcame the dreaded licensed game curse so many
titles succumb to. Why did the game turn out so good, and what has been
done to assure The Godfather on both the Xbox 360 and PSP keeps the
facets that made it such a surprisingly good game in its earlier
releases?
I think the game turned out well for several reasons. First, we focused
long and hard on making each of our fundamental mechanics top-notch
(hand-to-hand
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fighting,
shooting, driving, talking). Second, the game offered many fun
experiences tied into the fantasy of being a real “mobster.” For
example, how mobsters extorted and took over business, fighting with
rival families, paying off the cops, using just enough violence to get
what you want, etc. I think we did a good job translating those elements
into a video game.
Finally, we have one of the most beloved
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stories as
our backdrop … who doesn’t want to be the guy to deliver the
horse’s head or assassinate the heads of the four families? With that
said, we’ll continue to use The Godfather fiction as a guideline to
help deliver a fun and authentic mobster experience.
The obvious improvement to The Godfather on the Xbox 360 will be the
graphics. But the game seems to be designed with a much tougher
challenge level, especially with the police forces you’ll meet
throughout the game. How was the difficulty raised for the Xbox 360
without making it too tough or frustrating for gamers?
When looking at the difficulty in any game the most important factor is
what tools the player has to overcome the challenges he/she is facing.
Players ask themselves what can they do to win. On the Xbox 360 version
we increased the game’s difficulty in several areas but to help the
player overcome these new challenges we gave the player new tools –
specifically hiring Corleone crew and bribing cops.
Crew are hirable as Corleone allies that follow and help the player fight
throughout the city. They can be used as an intimidation tactic when
shaking down businesses – sometimes the mere sight of two Corleone
thugs is enough to make a merchant pay. If you’re occupied with
roughing up a racket boss, your crew can also keep an eye out for cops
or rival family members. Having extra muscle helps tremendously when
taking over warehouses and hubs, and you’ll definitely need the extra
firepower when preparing to attack the rival enemy compounds.
You can even use them to fire out of cars to perform a classic Tommy-gun
mobster drive-by. Bribing cops on the 360 not only has cops turn a blind
eye to petty crimes, they will also help the player fight off rival
families! When combining those two elements the player can have a small
personal army at their disposal at a monetary cost.
We also increased cop chase difficulty by adding more maneuvers to their
arsenal but to help counterbalance that we improved our vehicle tuning.
Essentially what it comes down to is if a game increases its difficulty
then look at what can be done to help the player even the odds.
Vice City Liberty City Stories on the PSP really proved you could
have a great GTA-style game for the PSP. Has that title helped in The
Godfather’s development for the PSP platform?
What we focused on developing was a great Godfather experience for the
PSP and not necessarily a GTA-style game. We have memorable characters
and movie moments from The Godfather fiction that we obviously pulled
from. The gameplay is very similar to what was established for the PS2
version, but it isn’t identical.
We maintain the Blackhand control mechanics and the rise of the player
character through the Corleone family ranks in Story Mode, but in
addition to this the PSP version offers the strategy-based game mode Mob
Wars. Mob Wars caters to the mobility of the PSP platform and allows for
shorter 10- to 15-minute gaming sessions that a person could play while
on a bus or train or anytime you need to get a quick gaming fix.
Since The Godfather video game turned out to be so good and popular,
are there plans for sequels just like the film franchise?
We love The Godfather as a franchise, and are definitely in it for
the long haul, but don’t have any specific details for future products
worked out yet. This definitely won’t be the last you hear from The
Godfather.
(September
20, 2006)
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