By Phil Villarreal
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Two guns-blazing, thug-life games have put out hits on the Xbox 360. Both are extremely violent and strictly intended for adults.
The Godfather: The Game
($59.99, Xbox 360, Rated M)
Adapting one of moviedom's greatest classics to the video-game realm is no easy feat, but EA has managed to pull off the trick. Several movie cast member voices and likenesses from the film return for the game, which plunges you into old New York as you start off as a nobody and attempt to rise to the top ranks of the Corleone crime family.
The depth of the backgrounds and options for gameplay are astounding, almost to the point of intimidation. You can enter local businesses and shake down the owners into your protection rackets, pull off hits on opposing gang leaders and battle for turf, then sit back and take in cinematic cut scenes. The graphics could show a little more polish, and the story missions tend to get repetitive, but the offer to relive "The Godfather" legend with your controller is one you can't refuse.
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Rating: 8.5/10
Saints Row
($59.99, Xbox 360, Rated M)
It's been two years since the release of the landmark gangsta epic "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" rocked the gamer world, and "Saints Row" fills the void with an admirable facsimile of what makes the "GTA" series great.
You play as a new member of the fictional Third Street Saints, an up-and-coming gang looking to take over the streets. Customization options begin at the opening gun. You can design every conceivable visual aspect of your character, and if you don't like the way he looks midway through, you can redesign him at a plastic surgery center.
While driving around the city, usually in a car you jacked from an unsuspecting citizen, you can toggle between music and talk radio stations. It's a game you can play for hours without plugging through a single story mission.
Like "San Andreas," one of the driving goals of the game is to earn respect by accomplishing various daredevil tasks around the decrepit city. "Saints Row" offers addictive minigames that involve the usual hit-man missions and even getting hit by cars to collect on insurance fraud.
The game tries a little too hard to be bad, with profuse vulgarity and lame sexually tinged jokes that badly miss the mark. This one will hold you over until "Grand Theft Auto IV" comes out next year.
Rating: 8.5/10
