I played EA's "Godfather" game last year. And while it was a solid enough interpretation of the "Grand Theft Auto" open-world formula, it did not feel much like I was playing "The Godfather" movie.
I started playing BioWare's "Mass Effect" a few weeks ago. And, well, I'm only exaggerating a little when I say it felt a little like I was playing "The Godfather" movie.
How "Godfather" was "The Godfather" EA game? It had lots of shooting, driving, and twisting of merchants' arms. It was never designed to ape the film. It told a story that ran parallel to it, focusing on the experience of a young man hopeful to join the Corleone family.
But is that the "Godfather" fantasy? The classic "Star Wars" fantasy involves swinging lightsabers or flying starfighters. The James Bond fantasy requires gadgets and beautiful women. I look at the picture at the top of this post and I'm reminded that the Godfather image many people like me have is of the Don, sitting in a dark room, listening to the pleas of the desperate, raising a finger, muttering decisions and being untouchably powerful without directly soiling his hands.
Is there a lot of violence in "The Godfather"? Sure. But there is even more potent... talking. That's not really the recipe for a fun game, most people would agree. It certainly isn't the recipe for a popular console game.
Or is it?
BioWare developers, this is where you come in.
Image courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.
The first several hours of "Mass Effect" have very little action. The first full planet the player explores is buzzing with activity, rich with quests, but low on gunfire. Players of the game can go hours without emptying their ammo clip, but they just might have fun anyway. And they will likely have that fun just by having their character talk. Anyone who has played "Mass Effect" or read press about it surely is familiar with the sci-fi role-playing game's innovative dialogue wheel. The wheel lets you pick your character's emotional responses rather than select from scripted lines. It is designed to make conversations between the player character and the many aliens in "Mass Effect" more spontaneous, more natural, and more engaging.
Consider BioWare's strengths. The reviews I've read have been very positive about "Mass Effect"'s conversation system. They've been less uniformly glowing of the game's shooting controls, which may reflect BioWare's development priorities. Overall, though, the praise for this game has been quite high.
So if we've got a developer that's really good at making a game fun for players who would like to ask questions first and shoot later, and if we've got a blockbuster license in "The Godfather" that is famous for its verbiage as much -- and I would argue moreso than -- its violence, then how about we make a deal?
Here's the added bonus. EA just bought BioWare. And EA Games president Frank Gibeau has already gone on record in BusinessWeek saying that "Mass Effect"'s dialogue engine could benefit other EA projects. (There are also rumors that a sequel to the game is in development).
Surely others of you out there can picture scenes from "The Godfather" movies (or books) that would work with the "Mass Effect" dialogue wheel?
I sent my theory to BioWare public relations a couple of weeks ago, asking for any of the studio team's thoughts. They've not commented yet. But I'm hoping for the thumbs up, if not for the commission.
I remember my father surprising me by asking me about "The Godfather" game when it first got written up in The New York Times. This was a license people who would have nothing to do with epic video games could find intriguing. But a "GTA"-style game? Not for my dad. Something that plays and sounds like the movies he and so many other people love?
I think that has potential.
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