EA releases titles to capitalize on Wii success

Cartoony, but not over-the-top
"SSX Blur" enjoys a hot soundtrack from Junkie XL that morphs depending on your trick performance. As you lay down more and more successful tricks, the song fills out with new sounds and beats. The new art style could be called cartoon-y thanks to its wild splashes of color and stylized boarders, but it's not over-the-top.

Now, mentioning that a Wii game looks cartoon-y always rouses detractors that believe the Wii will end up, like the GameCube before it, as the dumping ground for rated-E games. EA's "The Godfather: Blackhand Edition" (and Rockstar's upcoming "Manhunt 2") should stay those sentiments.

'The Godfather' is not just a straight port
"The Godfather" takes the sandbox-style gameplay popularized by "Grand Theft Auto" and adds a regimented story that fleshes out off-screen details from the cinema classic. You are a lowly Mafia soldier working your way up the ranks of the Corleone family, interacting with the Don, Michael and Sonny.

The sprawling M-rated "Godfather" has already seen release on the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 and PSP and was met with general acclaim, but the Wii's "Blackhand Edition" is not just a straight port. EA has added hours of new missions for would-be Dons to stake out in this epic.

The extra content is certainly appreciated, but what really makes this Wii edition so engrossing is the smart use of the Wii Remote. When roughing up a rival gangster, a swing with the Wii Remote translates into an on-screen chop across the jaw. Shop owner not coughing up protection money? Squeeze the triggers on the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to grab him by the lapels and then push forward to throw him to the ground. That kind of immersion really connects the player to the adventure more than a simple press of a button.

Newcomers should seek out the Wii version explicitly because of the control, but players that have already notched the original on their gamer belt should also consider revisiting "The Godfather" for the extra content and new level of interaction.

EA's sudden dedication to the Nintendo Wii should be encouraging for owners of the new machine. A wealth or dearth of support from the world's largest third-party publisher can have a huge effect on a console's success. EA's sports games helped the Sega Genesis wrestle half of the market from Nintendo, but a lack of Madden and other EA properties helped bury the Dreamcast before its time.

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