Mafia

"Anarchy in the 20's"

I'm halfway through this game, and I'm already singing it's praises. The fact that a GTAish game, being set in the twenties, it's almost compulsory to involve the Mafia.

You are Thomas Angelo; a taxi driver, who is one missing flat cap away from being a down and out. He gets involved with the Mafia, after helping two members escape from their rivals, which is when the game starts. This is a good aspect, because it works up towards the full swing of the game, instead of jumping straight into it, and it explains Toms story.

From that good deed, Tom gets into a spot of bother with the rival gangsters, and sought his friends help. Add a couple of imploded rival automobiles later, and Tom is a full time member. And the game really gets going at exactly the right time.

The cars are, of course, very retro. What else? You start off small, by driving a taxi-cab and then a Yellow Falconer which have top speeds of 60 MPH. But it'll be worth driving those tin pots, to have a Bigfoot Truck! Probably because of realism or mistake, they do handle like shopping trolleys, and it'll take practice to get fully used to them. And taking a U-turn on GTA hijacking any car you see, you have to get lock picking lessons from Ralph the Engineer as the game progresses, which relieves you of the temptation to ditch your taxi cab at the start for a cop car.

Speaking of practice, before going into the real game, I recommend trying out the freeride, which leaves you to explore the entire town, try your potshots on random gangsters, and recap on the amount of vehicles you can steal.

But what I wouldn't recommend, and this is one of my few nitpicks about this game, is that your energy plummets to zero in a matter of gunshots. If you're lucky, you'll be dead in five shots. While it's realistic, it's also kind of irritating. Another thing that gets me, is the sensitivity of the aiming, but luckily that can be adjusted.

The weapons are old and now obsolete...and it's about time too! If you've yearned for the day you can shoot down pedestrians with a Tommy Gun, this is your game! There is a wide variety of weapons, ranging from a baseball bat, belonging to the nephew of the family's personal weapons manufacturer, to the legendary Colt series. In freeride, a few basic weapons are given to you. Which is nice.

Graphics: Spot-on! Very well done people and locations with few glitches. 9

Controls: Considering the driving, the cars and shooting, it's complicated. It'll take a few days to master. 7

Longevity- Not much replay value, but there are a few rewards to be had, when you complete this and have enjoyed it enough. 8

Not as good as GTA, but is up there with some of the best crime games, and if you're interested in organized crime at the beginning of the 20th century, it's an added bonus.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/28/04