Mafia Classic

Yes, the great Music is gone, but that should not be a problem these days- fire up Youtube or find a Patch. Seriously, because If younever played this game you missed out on one of the best games ever made. It has an exciting story and a fantastic atmosphere that just sucks you in.

There is often mentioned, that the game is a GTA Clone. To me it is a different kind of game. GTA you are free roaming first, doing missions afterwards. Here you have missions and then you are allowed to free roam (but there is not really much to do except for a few activities). You always come back to the home base and then another mission is triggered automatically. There is not a ton of optional stuff like in GTA (Cop or Paramedic missions etc..). The game is strongly story driven and everyuthing revolves around that (and that is why you do not have those side missions like in GTA). As I read through the reviews - they are criticizing the over-realistic take compared to GTA - as I said, it is not a GTA, do not compare it so much just because you can free roam. It is a different take on a mob-kind of game - you have a member of a mob, who wants out (in GTA nobody really wanted to be out (GTA3 - it begans with a heist, GTA VC - drug trade went sideways GTA SA - JC returns for a funeral and then goes to reestablish the Grove street as a name.... etc). The difficulty is from the time it was created - there is autosaving on certain points, but you cannot go rambo style (which again, is possible in GTA) because you will die very quickly. Cars can easily go into slide in higher speeds (narrow tires). You have to actually start to think before shooting, because also the ammo is not so common. You have to watch the speed limit, traffic lights, etc. because of the cops. You have to holster the weapon, because then everybody starts to freak out (plus again police notices). If you can make it work in those borders, it is a pleasant game with great story. If you like the casual gaming, this will probably not be for you at all - the game will not give you anything for free, you have to earn the progression, by actually playing the game. Pros: -Great Story -You have to think! -the era of 30's USA Cons -for somebody the difficulty -missing soundtrack -clunkier controls

I still like playing Mafia today, especially as there aren't too many games set in this time period. The driving is a bit stiff, but still fun. I do own the original CD, so I'm not missing the music. But there is an easy solution to those of you who want to buy it on GOG, get the great Mod "Mafia Remastered" on Moddb! Not only you will get a nice graphics update together with widescreen support but also the option to add the missing music! So go, get it!

The mechanics of the game and the gameplay itself is a bit lacking. Aiming really isn't smooth, driving and especially the cops are getting really annoying. The cars are slow to begin with, but you also have to drive with the speed limiter on all the time to avoid getting pulled over. Nonetheless, this game is a masterpiece in storytelling and creating a unique, atmospherical experience.

For its time Mafia is a pretty impressive game. The 1930's aesthetic and attention to details are quite remarkable for the time. This graphics in this game would've been amazing back in 2002 and I still think they aren't too bad, despite the fact that they are noticeably dated. The race mission was mildly annoying and it took me several attempts on normal difficulty. The car spins out way too easily, but I managed to get in the lead and hold it together for 5 laps. The combat mechanics are pretty janky though and this results in alot of getting killed, or having to restart missions because your partner died. The cops are pretty annoying too, sometimes ruining your missions and causing you to have to restart over and over. The game has a nice mission variety, the likes of which is not seen anymore in modern games and the character faces look extremely good for the time this game came out. All in all, this is a game worth getting. I wish I had played it sooner, since it is an instant classic. 4/5 because I had to go find the missing soundtrack somewhere else.