Mafia

"They made a game that you can't refuse..."

Finally. A game of true criminal origins. None of those gangstas of todays who pop their locks and does hippohop beats or whatever, instead, I'm talking about the Mafia. 1930's organized crime is brilliant and we can't help but romanticise about it all day. Every since the Godfather, we've hungered for this era of gaming...

...We want to get our hands on a Tommy Gun.
...We want to make that guy an offer he can't refuse.
...We want to be top-brass and be the Don.
...We need to wait no more.

The hero (or anti-hero or whatever) of this game is Tommy. Tommy's not some underling in some gang or whatever, but in fact an honest cabbie just trying to make his living. Tommy's life as a lowly cabbie is soon changed when he's thrusted straight into a mob chase, where two of the local Don's henchmen pile into your cab and tell you to drive! Why? Because a bunch of opposing gangsters are right behind your tail! After some nifty driving on Tommy's half, the two henchmen are impressed and soon an offer arrives to Tommy in the form of a job as a getaway driver. You're in!

The plot, as well as the gameplay, is highly familiar, isn't it? Some down-on-his-luck guy enters the world of crime at the bottom of the ladder doing crummy jobs before moving on up in the world. The similarities don't stop there, either. The weapons Tommy can use include baseball bats, pistols and shotguns. There's also a very similar map in the corner, the ability to jack cars and beat the crap out of anybody you feel like...much like GTA, huh? Well, there is a difference...the car's top speed is about 30MPH. High-speed chases a-go-go! Yeah. Right.

Looking past the GTA-imitations, you do have a solid game. There's also a type of "Take-A-Ride" mode which features in the Driver series in which you can hit the streets and do whatever you want. Not only is there this free roaming portion, but there is also the option to play some driving games and races.

On the whole, you do have a really nice game here. There's plenty of missions and objectives to complete in Story mode, with some relief in the form of exploring and racing in the two other modes. Great game which tries to include all that we know and love about gangsters and crime into one solid bundle. It's worthy of your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/11/05