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Mafia
Monday, 06 November 2006   
Audio:
 
 8.5
Visual:
 
 9.5
Gameplay:
 
 9.0
Story:
 
 0.0
Replay:
 
 8.8
Score:
 
 9.5
Players: 1
Website: http://www.mafia-game.com/
Release Date: August 28, 2002
Rating: M
I found it particularly difficult to place Mafia: The City of LostHeaven into a specific genre. The game play spans from racing, murder,to stealing. It fits best into the action genre but players can expectso much more from the elaborate plot and exceptionally good graphics.

Mafia’s time line accurately depicts the 1930s’ in the fictionalcity of Lost Heaven. It is obvious to me that there was a great amountof time put into the background graphics. Players are able to explorefrom the heart of the city to the more rural areas. There are however,limited reasons to wander from your beaten path as there is nothing toobtain by doing so, however, it’s fun to explore the sights and soundsof the 30s’.

Although the game may be eerily reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto:III; its possibilities by far outweigh its counterpart. Much like GTA:III gamers will be able to steal cars but only after you are taught thespecifics of how to gain entry to each car by one of the mafia’s manyspecialists. Each mission will require a different type of vehicle,which the player will be rewarded with should they complete what isasked of you. There are roughly 50-60 different models to choose from.Since this game is set in the 30s’ the speed capabilities of thevehicles are low and sometimes tedious to drive. Unlike GTA the localpolice will expect players to obey the laws of Lost Heaven. This meansobeying speed limits/traffic direction devices, not brandishing weaponsin public, and not causing accidents. Players can expect to be cited bythe police or arrested at gun point depending on how severely theyinfringe upon the law.

Admittedlythe police and cars can be annoying at times. The police continuallyfumble up your missions adding an entirely different level ofdifficulty to the already hard game. The cars have difficulty climbinglarge hills (to the point of nearly rolling backwards), traveling highspeeds, and taking sharp corners. This part of the game simulates thetime so accurately that it’s almost a buzz kill. Don’t expect to beable to jump buildings or outrun the cops. I was almost relieved to getmissions where I didn’t have to drive a car.

Theweaponry is somewhat more in comparison but more than ample for thegame play. Players can obtain knuckle dusters, bats, crowbars, anddifferent models of handguns, shotguns, or rifles. The aiming andfiring of weapons is very similar to that of GTA, so players can catchon very quickly. The weapons will mostly be used on missions, whichplayers will lose upon the completion of said mission.

There is no night/day cycle in the game, nor is there simulatedweather. The time of day or weather will vary only with the change ofthe mission. Players, unfortunately, will not be able to experiencerealistic weather changes when they are in game’s “freeride” mode.Personally I don’t understand why Illusion Software felt compelled toadd the free play option. When out of the game’s campaign mode there isvery little to accomplish. After a player completes the campaign modethey will be able to access the “freeride extreme” which consists ofdriving challenges.

Gamersare unable to customize the difficulty level of the game. So howdifficult is Mafia? It’s actually a fairly difficult game. There weremore than several times that I had to restart a mission. Each missionis done in elaborate detail and sets the player up for a worthwhileaction scene. The cinematic value is truly something every game studioshould envy.