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Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 336 Ratings

  • Summary: Mafia brings the 1930's underworld to life in this 3rd person 3D action game. Rise from the lowly but well-dressed footsoldier to the envied and feared Made Man in an era of big bands, zoot suits and Model T's. Take on the role of a hitman, enforcer, getaway driver and more in your struggle for respect, money and power within the Salieri Family. [Take 2] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Yet Mafia oozes class, polish, and style like no other game so far this year. To not "experience" Mafia is a far greater crime than any in the Salieri family ever committed.
  2. Looks and sounds great, it's exciting, it's suitably bug-free, and, at a time when eight hours is becoming the standard length for single-player shooters, it's long. Quite simply, Mafia is one of the best games of the year.
  3. 82
    An enjoyable romp while it lasts, I just wish driving wasn't such a big part of it all.
  4. The pacing seems a little off in this game, and to compound the issue, there's no in-mission save. [Dec 2002, p.120]

See all 27 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 75
  2. Negative: 12 out of 75
  1. llolol4
    10
    It is a best game I've ever played.Graphics are amazing,the gameplay is brilliant.I was all in game when I've played it.
  2. ChrisP.
    10
    Probably one of the best games I have played. I don't know why everyone is complaining with XP. I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 and it works fine. Even though its been out for a long time, still worth getting it and playing it. Even after you beat the main game, there is still other parts of the game to finish before truly "beating" it.

    Definately a great game.
    Expand
  3. I unfortunately played this game after having played Sleeping Dogs, the latest GTA, Just Cause 2, and Saints Row: The Third, so it was difficult for me to get excited playing a game that looks so dated compared to the ones I've played recently. Not only that, but the gameplay isn't as great as everyone raves it to be. Sure, the story is decent, there are some strong characters, and there are some fun missions, but there were to me too many flaws that prevented it from being a stellar piece.

    The biggest gripe I had with it? Lack of open-world/sandbox. It's actually a very controlled environment and there isn't much else to do between missions outside of breaking laws, driving like a maniac, and ending on a standoff with the police. With such a vast area, it felt so... boring and empty beyond the missions.

    Next biggest gripe would be that it is buggy at times with lots of graphics and physics errors as well as objects and sometimes even people getting stuck in the environment. Sometimes the AI would bug out too.

    Cars, while understandably made to be realistic, were annoying to maneuver particularly during car chase scenes. The lack of driving guidance/GPS also bugged me, though I guess that was part of the whole realism factor they were going for.

    Graphics, while great for it's time, did not perform any better on my high-end gaming rig than on my mid-level one, which was frustrating.

    Overrated, wouldn't really recommend it unless it's cheap.
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  4. The opposite of fun. Most of the missions are driving missions drive from point A to point B broken up by somewhat lengthy dialogue cutscenes.

    The story seems interesting, but the game is just too damn boring. Maybe if the driving was a little more exciting, it wouldn't be so bad, but this is set in the 30s and the developers really want you to feel like you're in that time period, so most cars are a pain to drive (some topping out at 40mph), and the city itself is a pain to navigate.

    The combat mechanics, while awkward, are fun, but you don't get to use them too frequently, and you lose everything you pick up after every mission. You'd think with a story set around violence and money, you'd get to keep and use the weapons and cash you acquire, but that's not a part of the game. Instead, you guessed it, more driving.
    Expand

See all 75 User Reviews