There's just no stopping the Godfather! After beginning life on the Playstation 2, Xbox and PC in March of 2006, the newly created sandbox-style series took time to visit the Xbox 360 and PSP near the end of the year, before moving across to the Wii and PS3 this March, with the Wii version sporting the very physical subtitle of Blackhand Edition. If you are one of the few souls who have yet to experience the classic film and novel in digital form then there's no time like the present to amend your ways and join 'The Family' with haste, as the innovative controls, varied missions and excellent ambience make this anything but just another 'GTA clone'.

As yet another version of an existing game, what is there to recommend the Wii version? Well, for starters, no Nintendo console until now has received this game, opening it up to a new set of gamers left untapped by EA's previous forays on Sony and Microsoft's consoles. Then there are the Wii owners who have been waiting for the system's first adult-oriented, sandbox-style game to grace their system. And last but definitely not least, even gamers who are old hands at the Corleone style of mafia action will find the gesture-based motion controls so liberating and refreshing that attempting to play the game any other way will prove futile. If only the game wasn't so damn ugly, the only blemish on what should be a fitting end to this chapter in the Godfather gaming series.

Anyone who is yet to experience another version of The Godfather should check out my review of the Xbox 360 version version, as the core game has seen only minor changes, so I'm going to focus on what is new or altered here.

Upon booting up the Blackhand Edition you will immediately notice the most obvious feature of the title - the graphics. Despite being released over a year after the release of the original last-generation versions, there appears to be little change between the two. Considering the timeframe, especially with the first batch technically in the 2005 mindset, this is a huge disappointment. Textures are flat, low resolution and constantly covered in a rainbow film, as if doused in gasoline. The sense of decay that has been injected into the texture palette to give the impression of the elder state of 1940s New York backfires horribly, as the blurry mixture of browns, greens and grays instead makes objects not appear in ruin but rather victims of a city of chronic vomiters. The animation is robotic and rigid, and with the characters models receiving little in the way of changes, they've gone from being impressive to just above average. The game does support a 16x9 widescreen presentation and progressive scan, but a wild swarm of jaggies temper any benefits provided by the two. On a standard TV the game still carries a decent look, but eludes nothing but discouragement on an HDTV.

But much like when Clemenza tells your character that Sonny Corleone's a good guy underneath his gruff exterior, the same can be said for what the Blackhand Edition brings to the gameplay table. For starters, exploration is given a boost by the addition of new buildings (including individual compounds for each family and two transportation hubs), a greater variety of interior layouts and the addition of rooftop battles, all of which address a significant complaint about the previous versions, injecting added realism to The Godfather's New York. Walking around streets and engaging with NPCs brings about an array of new lines from both parties, especially when extorting businesses. Your character will make specific comments about the business he is trying to take over, allied NPCs with discussion points (meaning they have the puppet hand floating above their head) appear frequently and NPCs actually harass you for your past actions. One lady was giving me hell for stealing a parked car, claiming that I stole her car, causing her to lose her job and have to use welfare.

In previous versions, you could only obtain the service of one fellow Corleone member to help you fight off entire families of enemies, leaving you feeling disconnected and outcast by your family, despite the story telling you the contrary. Not longer is this the case, as you can now call upon a crew to help you in any battle the takes place outdoors. Once you have your meter filled, a simple button press calls in the troops, allowing you to even the odds. Some many say this decreases the challenge of tackling compounds as a one man wrecking crew, but with the slow-building meter keeping everything in check, you can't really exploit the system in a way that ruins the difficulty. All of the above little details, of which there are plenty more, may seem insignificant in print, but in play they increase an excellent (albeit last generation) ambience level and your ability to believe in the world you are interacting with.

The experience system, an aspect of the previous games that didn't seem to be broken, has been revised to give a more direct focus on the abilities of your character. Eight different mobster-related skills trees are broken into two sets - Enforcer and Operator. Skill points are still earned by leveling up your Respect meter and applying them grants a very specific upgrade, such as increases in health total and regeneration, Blackhand abilities and law manipulation (including the first level skill that causes parked car boosting to become an overlooked crime). Once you hit the 15 and 30 point plateau for either set, you're rewarded with an incredible bonus, the most tantalizing being unlimited ammo for all guns once you spend 30 points on Enforcer stats. I would have looked at this area before and say it needed improving, but I must say that I'm impressed with the changes and glad to have them on board.

Gameplay changes aside, it is the Wii-exclusive control scheme that truly is the star of this version, as well as the series as a whole. While the PS3 version had a small set of gimmicky SIXAXIS moves, there is no part of the combat that leaves the Wii's motion capabilities left untouched. Melee attacks are now executed by dipping either the Wiimote or nunchuck forward, with stronger punches activated by holding down on the d-pad. Grappling attacks take advantage of both controllers, as slamming calls for you to jut both controllers either left, right or forward towards an object while pulling both forward delivers a head butt. The most satisfying of the new controls is the choking gesture, which is performed by pulling both controllers away from each other, then bringing them together. Pushing in analog sticks has nothing on that gesture!

But the fun isn't limited to melee, as it rolls right over into shooting. Whether you use lock-on or free aim, you can move the crosshair with the Wiimote. This opens up shooting to a near first person shooter standard, as precise aiming - something that every sandbox-style title has struggled with - is now possible. There was no way you could survive using the Free Aim mode exclusively on all the other consoles, but now it is not only possible, but it's a complete blast! There is a slight learning curve when using Free Aim, but any shooter fan will be able to overcome it easily, especially with the adjustable pointer sensitivity. If you would prefer some aiming help then lock-on still gets the job done, allowing you to couple it with the moving crosshair for deadly accuracy.

After using these controls, not only will you never be able to look at any other Godfather game the same, you'll feel claustrophobic in any other game of the same style! Just think about that for a minute - think of the other best-selling series that fits the bill…to say that all of those games control like garbage compared to what EA has achieved is one mammoth pile of praise. Simply put, the entire genre will be taking a step back unless they move their titles to the Wii and adapt to the possibilities.

There is no denying that the original Godfather games were staked deep in a cave of replay value and the Wii version only takes that concept further into the depths. To go along with all the returning content - which amounts to a hefty hour count of forty and up alone - there's a number of new missions, a new family to go with new hit missions and a new career arc that leads you down the path to become an Operator. This version may be missing the PS3's online leaderboard, but that's not really a big deal. Anyone looking for a game with substantial staying power - a facet lacking in many Wii titles - should look no further than this game.

I have to admit that after playing the Xbox 360 port a few months back, I was convinced I had played all the Godfather I needed to play and that there would be no better port. The PS3 version justified that feeling, but The Godfather: Blackhand Edition was quick to correct my assumption. The series is now an absolutely empty experience without the fluid, accurate and fun as hell gesture-based controls, a fact that even the lackluster graphics of this version can't detract from.

Reviewed by Tony Peters for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).