Mafia

"Haven't got/played the PC version? Then Mafia will be one hell of a 1930's experience."

We're all mostly aware that back in 2002, Mafia was an absolutely huge hit on the PC and developed quite an excellent fan-base. Now in 2004, the port from PC to PS2 was finally made, with a few slight touches. Illusion Softworks aren't a very big company, but they proved they can deal with the best by placing so much time and effort into the making of Mafia, making it one of the best PC games out there. How well is the PS2 version, though? Like many PC-to-PS2 ports, they're aren't that up-to-par with the original versions, but can Mafia be an exception? Find out in my review of the 1930's gangster-era game Mafia.

Gameplay - 9.1/10
The controls are, at times, quite basic yet very effective. On foot there may seem there is a lot of buttons to get used to, but just give it a couple of shoot-outs and you'll master it. The driving controls are basically like any other driving game out there today - X to Accelerate, Square to Brake, Circle for Handbrake, etc etc. That's basically all you will need when roaming around in a vehicle, so as you can see the controls are very well done and perform a solid job. Even though at times when on-foot the controls may seem a bit ''sticky'', there aren't really any major problems.

Just driving around Lost Heaven in a classic car is just unbelievable and you'll be amazed at what Illusion have done to get it like it is. Speaking of the cars, you'll have to learn how to lockpick different types, so you can't just go on Free Roam straight away and expect to hack into all the other cars, because Tommy will say; ''I don't know how to picklock this yet'', or something in the lines of that. There are two main mechanics in the city, real car junkies, and one will normally provide the cars for free and also tell you how to picklock it, but the other will tell you where a car of this type is and you'll have to steal it. The only problem I have with the vehicles is that sometimes it may get ''stuck'' on a ledge and you will have to steal another car, putting you at risk with the police. This is actually quite rare, thankfully. There is also a wide variety of cars around Lost Heaven, so I doubt you'll keep seeing the same cars over and over again, which brings up the realism.

There is a Free Roam mode, but it's not recommended that you play this straight away, unless you want to get used to the Mafia control scheme. I say this because you can only use one car (the Taxi) but as you progress through the main game you unlock new cars for Free Roam, which is why I don't recommend going on Free Roam first, unless you just want a quick 5 minutes of getting used to the game. A 'Carcyclopedia' is also in the main menu, which is like some kind of bible for Mafia, highlighting every car in the game in greater detail. I absolutely love this feature and if you're a big fan of cars you will love it too. There is also a Racing mode, which lets you choose from a wide variety of different cars and complete in an Exhibition or a Championship. See, there's something for everyone in Mafia.

Roaming around on-foot is also a pleasure, mainly because you may enter buildings at times and view the beautiful surroundings. I like driving around in cars much more better though, probably because the cars just seem to lure you into the action, especially when shooting out of the window with your Thompson while driving.

Speaking of guns, you can normally use a lot of different types. Obviously you're all aware of the Thompsons (aka. Tommy guns), but there are also plenty more, such as normal Pistols, Colts, Sawn-Offs or just normal Shotguns. We can't forget about the Baseball bat either, can we? This weapon comes in handy, especially for missions requiring Stealth (only a few unfortunately). Even though you will generally encounter the same weapons over and over again, your enemy may drop different weapons you can pick up. If there wasn't a big range of weapons, I don't know what I'd do.

Who doesn't enjoy a piece of history? Back in the 1930s, the Mob was a major thing, and this is where Mafia is set in. It's pretty much guaranteed that you'd be glued to the screen everytime you play as all of the historic culture just pulls you in. The Gameplay may not be as bright as the PC version (which thoroughly deserves a 10/10), Mafia's Gameplay on the PS2 is still simply amazing.

Graphics - 7.7/10
Sadly, this is where the port falls, but it's not really that much of a major problem. Who cares for the graphical features anyway? Seeing as the port was from PC to PS2, the keyword being 'PC', I didn't expect the graphics to be stunning at all.

The main reason is probably when you're burning down the road in your car. The textures on the buildings as you drive by seem a little ''off'' and look rushed. You may also notice this as you drive across the grass (mainly in the countryside area of Lost Heaven). But seeing as I'm no graphic junkie, I don't really pay any attention. On-foot this is a completely different matter. The graphics when on-foot seem 'PC-like' and it's just refreshing when you walk into building, viewing the major detail that has been placed into them, especially in Salieri's bar. Obviously the textures on the outside aren't that refreshing as the inside, and it's just a pain when you go close-up to a non-enter building and view it's rushed features.

Everything in the cutscenes are obviously a delight to view, as the detail put into the faces and surroundings look tremendous, it's just like watching a real Mafia movie. Non-major characters in the cutscenes are a little rushed, though, and look very ''PS1-like'' I'm sad to say. But seeing as they thankfully only play a couple of seconds in the scene, it's all good. Obviously the buildings that you enter quite frequently (such as Salieri's bar, Ralph's garage, etc.) have a lot of detail placed into them.

The 1930-era cars have some of the most detail put into them that I have ever seen. Most of the cars are unique in some kind of fashion, and if you have a favorite car in the game, it's pretty much guaranteed that you won't miss it. I'm so pleased with Illusion, that they have placed so much time and effort to get most of the stuff contained in Mafia up to high detail. I literally drool over all of the cars each time I drive around in them, it's just a delight.

Sound/Audio - 8.8/10
Mafia has some of the best Classical music pieces of that time period. Obviously most will be jazz-like. It's just amazing - burning down the road while the jazz music is blaring out. You'll hear one or two pieces very often and some are quite rare while in-game, but there is actually a big quantity of music. Seeing as radios weren't in cars back then, don't expect anything major like a GTA game.

The voice-overs are very well done, too. Each voice fits each character extremely well and seem very ''Mafia-like''. You can talk to most people, but it's not recommended that you go and talk to an innocent bystander, as he/she will just say the same thing over and over. The characters have a lot of speech in the game and really adds to the story, or at least, boosts it up. I would hate to think what Mafia would be like if it was just text-based, but most games nowadays come with actual voice-overs.

Cars have horns in them, and it's pretty funny when you hear an absolutely absurd horn (then again, it was the 1930's). Other sound effects such as crashing into a post actually sound like the real thing, as well as many other sound effects in the game. The sound of weapons are spot on, whether it be the bashing sound of a baseball bat to the head or the sound of a Tommy gun blasting away, it's all pretty good. I haven't noticed anything majorly bad about the sound effects. Nothing more to say really.

Story - 9.7/10
Tommy Angelo is a cab driver and one day he went out for a smoke when all of a sudden his life changes as he hears a tremendous crash. He is basically forced into the Mob as he has no choice. It all unravels into a simply stunning story and where the game shines really bright. One of the best stories for a game I have ever seen, and you'll simply be pulled in very easily.

Replayability - 8.9/10
Once you've completed the game there is a Mission select mode, so you can easily play any mission you really liked once again. There is also a Free Roam mode, so with the cars you unlocked you'd have a nice blast for an hour or so. Also there is a Racing mode, so the features that you have are amazing. Seeing as the story is simply excellent, there is no stopping you from replaying the whole game over again.

Buy or Rent?
It depends really. If you've got/played the PC version, you shouldn't really pick up Mafia on the PS2, because you'd just criticize it (as with many reviews, as they compared it too much to the PC version). Mafia on the PC (which deserves a 10/10, really) is very cheap now and beats Mafia on the PS2 by a small proportion. If you haven't got/played the PC version, pick up Mafia on the PS2 and you'd simply treasure it, as I did. Trust me on this, you won't be disappointed.

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Mafia on the PS2 is simply an excellent game. If you haven't got/played the PC version and enjoy flat-out Action and refreshing Driving parts, this one is for you. PC gamers who have played Mafia on that system should just stay away, because all they will do is criticize it, and criticism for Mafia on the PS2 is not what it deserves. If your PC can't handle the specs of Mafia, like me, just go out and buy the PS2 version. With a deeply involving story, fantastic Gameplay and other modes that you can replay over and over, you won't be disappointed at all.
Overall: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/04