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Lately I’ve been running around the office trying to loan money to co-workers with outrageous vigs, while drinking espresso like it was liquid crack and eating pasta and cannolis like they were going out of style. I have caught myself on numerous occasions introducing people as “friends of ours” or “friends of mine,” and yesterday I kissed the janitor on both cheeks and recited that famous line, “I know it was you Fredo, you broke my heart. You broke my heart!”

After a tirade of obscenities in Spanish, the only words I could understand from his broken English were “degenerate” and “I hate your face.” It’s been extremely hard to decipher fiction from reality ever since Electronic Arts released The Godfather The Game for the new Xbox 360 console.

Based on the book by Mario Puzo and the film by Francis Ford Coppola, the game follows every inch of this fabled tragic family, which incorporates a subplot that keeps the story accurate, making the game play intense and original.

As far as creating a character that matches what you might perceive as a mafia gangster, EA uses the same “create a player” mode as Tiger Woods PGA Tour. But EA Games definitely falls short in making your characters really customizable. If you’re looking for a punked-up gangster with nose rings and a Mohawk, you’re not going to find it here.

The Godfather The Game is probably the first game to use the Grand Theft Auto engine without really stealing it. EA games did it with such finesse and creativity, that you barely realize the missions and the gaming area mimic GTA. The subplot follows every aspect of the movie right down to witnessing Luca Brasi getting strangled to death, as well as seeing Sonny pumped full of bullets in the toll booth scene. The main goal of the game is to work your way up through the ranks of the Corleone family by extorting business owners and completing missions for the family, all with the end goal of becoming the next Don of

New York.

With an all-star cast of voice-overs, including James Caan as Sonny Corleone, Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen and the legendary Abe Vigoda, who plays the part of Sal Tessio, you can’t help but feel part of the family. But it’s Marlon Brando who steals the show with his eerie post-mortem voice-over. He actually recorded the voice-over before his death in 2004, which could make this game a collectors item if you’re into that sick kind of stuff.

As far as the game play is concerned, my favorite thing is the ability to fight and extort money from store owners. You have the ability to grab them and beat them senseless, throw them off a building or, if you’re in the mood, strangle them stupid. Along with an array of weapons that include garrote wire, tommy guns, and dynamite, you really get a good gauge on what it was like to kill someone back in late the ‘40s/ early ‘50s.

There are some downsides to this epic family tragedy, which include a shoddy voice-over for Michael Corleone, as well as weak handling on most cars. But if you don’t let that distract you from a superb plot and an all-star cast of talent, you won’t let this game sleep with the fishes. If I were going to rate this game I would definitely give it three out of five cement shoes.