Mafia

 PC
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 2090 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,902 out of 2090
  2. Mixed: 114 out of 2090
  3. Negative: 74 out of 2090
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  1. ovi_bz
    Feb 21, 2011
    10
    You can put 100 on this movie without hesitation. I've played it 4 times. It is the ultimate; it's the supreme game. I'm loving it!
  2. invaderZim
    Sep 16, 2010
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I first played Mafia many years ago when it came out, I was drawn into the story, found the style fascinating and even though i also had GTA at the time, I spent my hours playing Mafia instead. I recently played the game again for nostalgia and again, I can simply say, Mafia is one of my favourite games of all time. There are so many memorable missions, such as the levels where you attack the airport trying to catch someone, or where you break into a persons house to steal from his safe, or the mission where you assassinate someone from miles away and then make a getaway. The game is absolutely fantastic, and even though some people cannot get it to work, i feel that is a real shame as this game truly is one that everyone should play through atleast once.… Expand
  3. ThePessimist
    Sep 10, 2010
    6
    A neat premise is ruined by a moronic leveling system, cardbord characters, a cliched story, and bland environments. I had some fun with it, granted, but it was not what it claimed to be, and was simply mediocre.
  4. nandishh
    Sep 19, 2009
    10
    Un-paralled entertainer.Truly amazing modern(in 2002) gameplay. Great missions and masterly concept.
  5. BernhardF
    Aug 25, 2009
    10
    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 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.… Expand
  6. ChrisP.
    Mar 22, 2008
    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.
  7. N.Z.
    Dec 9, 2007
    9
    Realistic, thrilling, and intriguing, I wish all games were this good.
  8. JacobW.
    Oct 19, 2007
    9
    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 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!… Expand
  9. PetarP.
    Sep 29, 2007
    10
    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:).
  10. SmokeyMcPot
    Sep 20, 2007
    6
    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.
  11. UK_John
    Jun 30, 2007
    9
    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!
  12. JamesL.
    Apr 25, 2007
    10
    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 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.… Expand
  13. Tim
    Jun 8, 2006
    10
    I think this is one of the best ever third person shooter games to come out. A note to those who complain about the slowness of the cars, ahem in reality the cars back in the 1930s were actually a lot slower.. jeez get real this is not Need For Speed. And there are plenty of mods available.
  14. Dragon
    Apr 23, 2006
    10
    Great game , great story.Finished 3 times and the secret levels that open funny cars.
  15. Kev
    Jan 24, 2006
    10
    Definitely one of the best games ever on any platform. The graphics still look very good today although this came out more than 3 years ago. Apart from the grpahics, the story, acting, voiceovers, action, makes this game not to be missed.
  16. Jackhammer
    Nov 1, 2005
    10
    10 thumbs up to this wonderful game.
  17. AmirK.
    Nov 1, 2005
    10
    Those people who rated mafia as a poor game are not real gamers at all. mafia is ok , improve your playing skills !!
  18. Chaser
    Aug 25, 2005
    10
    Its the best game i ever seen. even now in 2005 it remains to be the best game in my chart, and Bricouler, i'll tell yuo why the "handling is poor" and so on and so on... because the game is VERY simular to real life, and they obviosly did the cars very real as well and... EXCUSE ME???? "like in GTA where u have a chance to fight them??? Once u fight them, the wanted level gets Its the best game i ever seen. even now in 2005 it remains to be the best game in my chart, and Bricouler, i'll tell yuo why the "handling is poor" and so on and so on... because the game is VERY simular to real life, and they obviosly did the cars very real as well and... EXCUSE ME???? "like in GTA where u have a chance to fight them??? Once u fight them, the wanted level gets higher and higher! whilst in Mafia u have a chance to hide form them. This game has the best graphics, music, gameplay and story i've ever seen.… Expand
  19. Anima
    Aug 23, 2005
    10
    It's easy to see when game developers like to play themselves.... A game done with love and carefulness.. And as for makers of the Driv3r... c'mon guys, are you kidding me? Have you tried to play it at all? I just love Mafia, can't wait for the sequel.
  20. SriramG.
    Aug 17, 2005
    10
    It's a great game and its like watchin a real time movie.
  21. Nick
    Jul 20, 2005
    10
    Still my favorite game now in 2005. this filmlike story (cosa nostra) with great voices, amazig graphics and several perfectly smart levels, huge and complex - hard to describe. just GREAT. And as for the guy who "cannot drive around" - just not true, after you finish the game, prety optional freedrive & freedrive extreme open with helluva hard tasks. but as i said, this games rocks... andStill my favorite game now in 2005. this filmlike story (cosa nostra) with great voices, amazig graphics and several perfectly smart levels, huge and complex - hard to describe. just GREAT. And as for the guy who "cannot drive around" - just not true, after you finish the game, prety optional freedrive & freedrive extreme open with helluva hard tasks. but as i said, this games rocks... and compliments to the check programmers, they've copied vienna (austria) art museum 1:1, i was amased, since i've been working there as studen, and spent hours and hous in the museum. nice one. with message too!… Expand
  22. JasonB.
    Jun 20, 2005
    10
    One of my top 10 games of all time! Can't wait for the sequel!
  23. Bricoleur
    Feb 1, 2005
    4
    They don't date this reviews, so it's hard to say what everyone else was used to. For 2005 though, this game is a prime example of developers who had no idea what makes a game fun to play. Endless driving through the city back and forth, underpowered, poor handling cars, and an environment full of police who jump on you the moment you travel over 40mph. (The cars even have a They don't date this reviews, so it's hard to say what everyone else was used to. For 2005 though, this game is a prime example of developers who had no idea what makes a game fun to play. Endless driving through the city back and forth, underpowered, poor handling cars, and an environment full of police who jump on you the moment you travel over 40mph. (The cars even have a governor so you can stay within the speed limit, which you really have to do most of the time since unlike GTA where you have a fighting chance against them, unless you hide from the police in MAFIA, you're going to lose. A decent storyline, some nice graphics, and an otherwise fun game marred by level designers more interested in showing off their handiwork than in providing a fun experience for the user. Unless you're bored, I'd recommend skipping this one.… Expand
  24. Mike
    Jan 28, 2005
    10
    Amazing.
  25. N.B.
    Nov 21, 2004
    10
    This is a truly amazing game, its got everything, the story is engrossing and the car chases and firefights are ace! beats the hell out of GTA! GET IT NOW!!!!
  26. BatmanMonkey
    Aug 30, 2004
    10
    Awesome Graphics...faces, cars, animations...Awesome Gameplay...unlike GTA 3 and Vice City the missions are fun...It runs extremely awesome on my Radeon 9200 with 1280x1024 resolution all details up and Anti-Aliasing 4x. O yea the best thing was IT WAS $10!!!!!!!!!
  27. llolol4
    Jul 13, 2004
    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.
  28. VinayN.
    May 31, 2004
    7
    This game is definitely the best game i have played in years more eloquent and stylish than GTA/GTA Vice City but it has a host of stability issues it crashes occasionally on my GeForce 440Mx system...maybe it has some incompatibility issues....
  29. LegolasGreenleaf
    Mar 12, 2004
    10
    MAFIA is one of the best games ever made ! It kicks the crap out of Vice City & gta3.
  30. BradD.
    Dec 27, 2003
    9
    While not as light or fast paced as gta3 and vc, it is much more realistic, has a huge map, much more cinematic, and very different gunplay. The game felt more like Max Payne with cars to me, but I think its because the graphics are so similar. After you've finished GTA3 and Vice City you need to play this game. Its great.
  31. MafiaBadass
    Dec 20, 2003
    9
    I just gave it a nine because the racing level was pissing me off. Then I learned how to cheat.
  32. JoelB.
    Nov 19, 2003
    10
    Easily one of the best, if not, the best game I have ever played. I wish more games had stories laid out like this. It truly is like playing out a character in the movie. It never disappoints from the start and from the very end. A++
  33. PaulW.
    Oct 9, 2003
    10
    This is one of the best games i've ever played. The graphics are outstanding and the story line is one of the best i've played out. Im in the process of beating the game for a 2nd time. I would like to tell the people who gave mafia a 1 because they couldnt get XP to work, It works fine on all my XP computers.
  34. GlennR.
    Jul 25, 2003
    10
    The game has the best graphics on the planet, they are far better than gta 3+ vice city, you can go miles and miles round a detailed american city or you can go blasting around the country side in a lassiteer v16 that you can get in a 2 story car park on freeride small city mode, drive around the working quarters/ industrial district next to an hardware store ''lost heavenThe game has the best graphics on the planet, they are far better than gta 3+ vice city, you can go miles and miles round a detailed american city or you can go blasting around the country side in a lassiteer v16 that you can get in a 2 story car park on freeride small city mode, drive around the working quarters/ industrial district next to an hardware store ''lost heaven hardware co''. drive up the ramp and in the corner on the second level should be a large green car, its unlocked! drive it fast and see the money fall into your bloody killer hands. … Expand
  35. WiseGuy
    Jul 22, 2003
    9
    Great game. Great story. Could have been longer, still the bonus stages help....
  36. IRock
    Jul 22, 2003
    9
    Could have been longer. Some really tough bonus stages as well. Make no mistake, this is a great game. Some really cool missions. Great graphics.
  37. TheVoice
    Jun 17, 2003
    9
    The graphics are realistic, and the weapons are nice to use. However, there are no in-game saves and there are occassionally errors in the game.
  38. MafiaGuy
    Jun 16, 2003
    9
    Realistic and excellent graphics... except that there are some errors in the game.
  39. J.R.
    Jun 7, 2003
    10
    Great game. I just wish it was longer.
  40. Jwan
    Apr 22, 2003
    10
    The best pc game I've played for last 5 years.
  41. TimS.
    Apr 18, 2003
    1
    This really sucks. I have xp and my graphcs are horrible. I can see through walls and i can only see the wheels on the cars. what is dis. how i fix dis shiot.
  42. Gerald
    Nov 10, 2002
    1
    Sorry but tons of users cant get this game to work, myself included.. Huge driver problems with XP, and Soundblasters. Blame who you will but no patch, and no patches planned... Buggy.
  43. MikeH.
    Nov 7, 2002
    9
    If u like GTA for ps2 then youll love this, same type of theme where u can steal cars, but the graphics are top notch quality ( if u have a pc that can handle the graphics turned up high) fun game and it was stared before GTA so they kinda coppied mafia.. all and all a great game, i dont buy much games unless thier good because I get bored of games real quick, but jesh i play the demo If u like GTA for ps2 then youll love this, same type of theme where u can steal cars, but the graphics are top notch quality ( if u have a pc that can handle the graphics turned up high) fun game and it was stared before GTA so they kinda coppied mafia.. all and all a great game, i dont buy much games unless thier good because I get bored of games real quick, but jesh i play the demo everyday a couple times :D heh its that good, i gavei t a 9 because I think the lack of some lilttle tiny things here like some repeates of house paints, but all and all I think its a great game.… Expand
  44. UncleVin
    Oct 16, 2002
    9
    This game kicks ass!!!! One of the best storylines in a game ever!!! Graphics sounds and playability are all top notch... In all seriousness, this is one for every PC game players collection.
  45. JakeM.
    Oct 5, 2002
    10
    Yo this game rocks, its like GTA 3 thrown back in time. But of course the gaming engine is different so naturally the game is nothing visually like GTA 3, in fact, it is better. This game kicks, its like living in the footsteps of Al Capone.
  46. Taffe
    Sep 20, 2002
    0
    This game suck....the racing suck......I give mafia away cause the racing sucks.
  47. [Anonymous]
    Sep 11, 2002
    10
    Why are you reading reviews, and not playing this game? True... some may see a slight comparison to GTA, but is stops at slight. The city is on a grand scale, gameplay is damn addicting, and graphics kick @ss. As far as the story goes, I haven't been this involved since the last season of "The Sopranos." GO GET THIS GAME! Fugetaboutit...
  48. Weldon
    Sep 7, 2002
    10
    At it's base, it is a lot like Max Payne minus the bullet time, mixed with alil GTAIII. I don't know who "ActionTrip" (who?) got to do their review, but this is an all around great game with a great plot that draws you in even more.
  49. Calavera
    Sep 5, 2002
    10
    Like Gamespot said, one of the best games of the year...except I would go farther...one of the best games of the last decade. Let's clear this up...it may look like GTA3, but the 2 are almost nothing alike...and this was started before GTA III. (it may have a bit of inspiration from GTA and GTA2 though) Don't be fooled by people who like GTA3 better (and there aren't Like Gamespot said, one of the best games of the year...except I would go farther...one of the best games of the last decade. Let's clear this up...it may look like GTA3, but the 2 are almost nothing alike...and this was started before GTA III. (it may have a bit of inspiration from GTA and GTA2 though) Don't be fooled by people who like GTA3 better (and there aren't many...this game rocks.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best PC Game of 2002
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2002
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. PC Gamer
    91
    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]
  2. Computer Games Online RO
    90
    The missions are very well linked between them and in the background you thought of a very interesting but somehow sad story.
    Read full review
  3. IGN
    92
    Mafia is dripping with style and class and has certainly shoved itself into the ranks of the best games of this year.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »