Mafia

"Grand Theft Auto wannabe! *spits out tongue*"

If there’s one thing to be learned from the hair-metal bands of the eighties, it’s that every rose has its thorn. Most are familiar with the lesson therein; and those who play through Mafia, a console conversion of the PC action game released almost two years ago, will certainly be able to relate.

After a lengthy introduction, you’re thrust immediately into the action. Driving a taxi, trying to avoid the mobsters on your tail, you start to have fun, maybe even crack a smile. The frame rate falters here and there, but it really doesn’t affect the gameplay. After finishing up the first mission, and sitting through another cinematic, you eagerly begin the next mission. Halfway through though, you realize you aren’t having fun anymore. You’re just driving people from one side of the map to the other, and even worse, the game keeps stopping to load up the new areas. Finally, you take the last passenger to their location, expecting the worst to be over. Then you’re introduced to the on-foot portion of the game.

The on-foot aspect of Mafia is easily the worst part of the game. It’s marred with poor control and jerky animation. The animation of the main character is so poor that, at times, it seemed the character was not moving through the virtual world at all – instead, it was moving around him while he stood still! Even worse, the design of the game makes the difficulty unnecessarily frustrating. For example, in one mission, you sneak into a building through a second story door in order to infiltrate the bottom floor. Checking the upstairs hallway, you discover nothing but locked doors. Moving downstairs, you discover a multitude of enemies, only to die from shots fired by unseen foes. It takes three or four attempts before you realize you are being killed by an enemy who attacking from behind. Eventually, you find that he comes from the upstairs bathroom, except the vision of the bathroom door had been obscured by the camera and the door you originally entered through. The whole of the upper floor, except this virtually invisible room, was locked and enemy free. If this were an isolated incident, it’d be understandable. But similar situations crop up throughout the game.

The driving aspect of the game, thankfully, is much more tolerable. Each car handles differently, and more importantly, realistically. Driving through the meticulously rendered city is a surreal, sometimes relaxing experience. While driving, you’re supposed to obey traffic rules, stopping at the red lights, not exceeding the speed limit - that sort of thing. If you happen to slip up and a cop sees you, he’ll attempt to pull you over. You can either opt to submit and receive a ticket, which has no ill effect, or you can flee and hope to lose the cop. The best way to lose a cop is usually to steal a new car. However, you have to be careful; carjacking is not as simple as you would think. To be able to steal a car, you must first learn how to steal that particular model, which is done by playing through the single player mode.

The shining glory of Mafia, however, lies in the cinematics. Not only do the cinematics help to tell an intriguing story of trust and betrayal, but they are directed in a Hollywood-esque style. Utilizing superb animation, quality voice acting, and a variety of camera angles and movements, the cinematics are so engrossing that you sometimes forget you’re playing a video game. The top-notch soundtrack is also worth mentioning, as it perfectly fits the style of the game.

If you get bored with story mode, you can always go back through and replay your favorite missions in ‘Mission Select’, or you can try your hand in ‘Racing’. 'Free Ride’ mode allows you to just cruise around the city with no goals or missions, while the Carcyclopedia provides information on every car in the game.

In the end, Mafia is a mixed bag. On one hand, there's a strong narrative featuring beautiful cinematics and atmospheric music to set the mood perfectly. On the other, you have clunky on-foot controls combined with frustrating gameplay. Those with a hunger for a story-heavy experience will be satisfied, but if you’re looking for the freedom, chaos and variety of the Grand Theft Auto series, you should check elsewhere.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/04