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Mafia

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9.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 27 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 88 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Take 2 Interactive - Gathering of Developers

Developer: Illusion Softworks

Genre(s): Third-Person Action

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: August 27, 2002

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]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central Game Revolution

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Four Fat Chicks

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.

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GameSpot

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.

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PC Gameworld

The 30s era vehicles and weaponry are unique to the PC shooter market and provide a challenge to even the most seasoned gamers.

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GameZone

The question here is: why don't you own this game already? This is an excellent game.

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Game Informer

From the living city in which you reside, to the incredibly realistic vehicles, this title has the heart and sould of a blockbuster. [Nov 2002, p.147]

Gamers' Temple

Outside of my complaint with the racing level and a few very minor issues, Mafia is a really immersive game. The story is very good, and the cutscenes and voice acting are of the highest caliber.

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IGN

Mafia is dripping with style and class and has certainly shoved itself into the ranks of the best games of this year.

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PC Gamer

It's rare in this day and age to be truly impressed by a game's graphics, but a lot of your early game time will be spent just marveling at the scenery. [Dec 2002, p.90]

GamerWeb PC

It's not "GTA 3." It goes way above and beyond the arcadey style of GTA, and is just an overall satisfying game.

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PGNx Media

The PC version is the best you can get. If you have a PC that meets the requirements below, you’ll have a much better time than you would with either console version. Furthermore, GameStop.com is selling this game for a mere $10, several times less than the console versions.

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GameSpy

A game hasn't oozed this much style since the release of "Max Payne." The gameplay, the story, the graphics -- the entire presentation is topnotch.

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Game Revolution

Mafia takes the idea of the bustling city to a new, incredibly ambitious level with an awe-inspiring sense of detail and forethought. Without a doubt, the game is gorgeous.

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Total Video Games

For a superbly crafted single player experience you probably won’t find many to touch it, everything combines to create such a cinematic experience that you can’t help but find yourself completely encompassed into it.

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PC Format

As cinematic games go, Mafia is in a league of its own.

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AtomicGamer

Even with its problems, Mafia was a joy to play, and I really hope we see more games that expand on the Grand Theft Auto formula. But if you are going to do a GTA3-alike game, a unique setting as well as a few major gameplay additions are absolute musts. Luckily, Mafia delivers in those areas.

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Yahoo! Games

Happens to have a fantastic storyline backing it up, mixed with what's proving to be some of the most enjoyable gameplay to be seen this year.

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Game Over Online

The quintessential difference between other gangster games and this one is the fact that the story gives reason for the action to exist. It doesn't work the other way around.

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Computer Games Online RO

The missions are very well linked between them and in the background you thought of a very interesting but somehow sad story.

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Media and Games Online Network

The excellent storyline, huge environment, fantastic graphics and superb voice acting create an atmosphere which is unmatched in any PC game today.

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Gamer's Pulse

I really enjoyed the missions, and even though they could be tough, the movie-like atmosphere makes for a truly compelling gaming experience.

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netjak

An enjoyable romp while it lasts, I just wish driving wasn't such a big part of it all.

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G4 TV

A real treat... However, the occasional way-too-difficult mission leads to some frustrating repetition, and behaving while driving around so as not to blow the last leg of a driving mission can become slightly tedious.

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Armchair Empire

While I didn't appreciate the sudden difficulty of the racing mission, it doesn't wreck the game as a whole.

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Adrenaline Vault

With gorgeous graphics, an enthralling story, nifty sound and music, and fun gameplay, it's a blast from beginning to end.

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All Game Guide

With better cut-scenes, more realistic driving physics, and a cinematic story, Mafia holds its own. While not as revolutionary as "GTA 3," it’s solid and oozes style.

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ActionTrip

This game looks and feels like "GTA3," only better looking and not as funny and 'open-ended.'

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Computer Gaming World

The pacing seems a little off in this game, and to compound the issue, there's no in-mission save. [Dec 2002, p.120]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 88 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bernhard F gave it a10:
My all-time favourite game! Honest! Okay, so yes, its a bit like GTA. Or rather, GTA is a bit like Mafia... This is MILES more fun. Everything about this game is fantastic. It has an excellent storyline, there are miles of roads and alleys to explore, and the music gives it a fantastic atmosphere. Then there's the cars. These are fantastic look-alikes of real 1930s cars with small changes. All (with the exception of the Ulver Airstream) have that coolness present in the real thing. This game gets even more fun if you add a steering wheel! Yay! Drifting in a Ford Model T (or Bolt Ace in-game)! Okay, so first, the things I really loved: The cars- the great majority of the cars are fantastic computer realisations of the real thing. The physics (both with the driving and the crashing) and damage systems are impressive for a 2002 game- one of my friends actually refused to believe a game this old could be this detailed. There are really cool little features as well, such as working mile counters. I'm sure that the car becomes more sluggish the more miles it has done... Also, there are some really cool cars to collect in the subquests and Freeride Extreme. 2) The music- the inclusion of 30s music rounds off the feel of the game. 3) The weaponry- a nice selection of period weapons with acceptable performance. Also, it's nice to see that the AI weapons have the same performance as your own. There are also some random "special" weapons that can be found. !!SPOILER WARNING!! My favourite has got to be in the mission "Better Get Used to It"- if you stop by the crashed truck in the car chase and attack the guy there, he picks up a plank. Kill him and you can pick it up and use it. /SPOILER 4) The scenery- some lovely buildings and items from the 1930s. 5)The racing level- honestly, this thing should be more exploited by the game developers- you know, add more tracks, a choice of any of the ai cars, and a decent 30s racing game is done... 6) The voice acting- this is of great quality, and expressive. Lipsynching is good as well for a 2002 game. Now the things I didn't like: 1) The driving everywhere- after a while, driving gets boring. You go to see Lucas, and then you are told by your friend "I'm beat, drop me off at the bar first". so you drive to the bar, then back. "Hi Lucas..." "Oh, hey Tommy, go to the street by the bar and pick up my friend will you, then drive him to the hospital up the road from here...". Erm, hello designers, maybe by changing the order of these kind of things the game would be, I don't know, less tedious? 2) The Ulver Airstream- somehow, with all the fantastic looking cars in the game, it appears the graphics designers took a day off for this one. The fantastic Chrysler Airflow, a beautiful car, and a design icon, has been totally ruined in its conversion to Mafia. Moving the lights to the wings, removing the big radiator, and making the car available in only the colours "No-detail Blue" and "Vomit Green" has made such a great car ugly. 3) The autosave feature- okay, this has some good points, such as the fact that it makes the game challenging, but sometimes, it becomes annoying. For instance, in one mission, I spent 15 minutes driving to the location of the next objective, then just after the cutscene my friend Paulie gets out of the car, runs in front of a tram, gets flattened and dies... result? I have to do all the driving again. 4) The bugs. This game has a great many bugs for some unknown reason. These include: lorry driver AI - for some reason, lorries will just randomly stop on places such as bridges, and the driver will just walk off. And not come back. Ever. Then there's the wierd one with the cops. If one of the cop car's doors is blocked, the cops will throw each other out of the car repeatedly, until it drives you insane and you walk over and tommygun them. Then there are the invisible walls that occasionally appear if you do something that the designers didnt want you to do, like drive over a hill into the air at 150MPH and go flying, then crash into a big wall of nothing... And the cops sometimes seem a little overenthusiastic. They will chase you for going 0.000000001 MPH over the speed limit, and they will go crazy if you are on a junction as the light changes. 5) My last complaint- there is no draw distance option without modding. So really big buildings that should be visible for miles just "appear", as do cars and people that should be visible. Overall however, I loved this game for its immersive feel, fantastic storyline, and overall great quality.

N. Z. gave it a9:
Realistic, thrilling, and intriguing, I wish all games were this good.

Jacob W. gave it a9:
Probably one of the best games ever in its genre. The atmosphere, the storyline and the great deal of possibilities left to the player are all well composed and fit seamlessly together. The artistic detail of the virtual world (city and exteriors) is astonishing as for the date of release. There is just one emminent drawback to the game. The player cannot save during missions, so he must start the whole mission all over again, if he dies. But, after some time one becomes used to it and develops survival techniques to prevent rash deaths. Even though some technical glitches remain, even after the release of patches, the concept of the game and the devotion it was made with qualifies it for highest rankings. I not only recommand everyone just to play it, but to even recommand it further!

Petar P. gave it a10:
Absolutely amazing game, one of my favs. Every aspect of this tittle is nearly flawless, but without a few patches you will find some bugged elements in the gameplay. Without a doubt it's included in my personal top 10 list of games I've played:).

Smokey McPot gave it a6:
The missions are fun, but as a GTA knock-off it leaves a lot to be desired. Many aspects of the game are pretty frustrating, and I'm not sure how everyone else has overlooked the fact that it's extremely buggy.

UK_John gave it a9:
Given we have had Scarface and The Godfather games, who would have thought a fictional gangster game called Mafia could outdo them both and be the No.1 game to immerse you into the world of the 30;s and the life of a Mafiosi!

James L. gave it a10:
One of the best games Ive played. The story line is amazing. HUGE city to explore. Very realistic. It makes you feel like you actually lived during this time period. The cars drive like they should. As the game progresses so do the cars. They get more horsepower and get less boxy looking. It keeps the game interesting. Once again the story line is awesome. I always kinda wanted them to write a graphic novel or something based on this game.

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What The Critics Said

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