Mafia

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 108
  3. Negative: 11 out of 108
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  1. Duke_Nukem
    Sep 23, 2015
    7
    Mafia does a great job at recreating the atmosphere of the 1930's american-italian underworld. The voice acting is good, the graphics are not so special. Especially if you try to shoot enemies who are hiding in a far distance it can be very annoying because you can't see them, while they are emptying their tommy-guns in your chest and head.

    The driving is also not very good. Just    Mafia does a great job at recreating the atmosphere of the 1930's american-italian underworld. The voice acting is good, the graphics are not so special. Especially if you try to shoot enemies who are hiding in a far distance it can be very annoying because you can't see them, while they are emptying their tommy-guns in your chest and head.

    The driving is also not very good. Just slightly hitting the sidewalk makes your car spin around like a wet piece of soap on an ice rink.

    The shooting will require some time to get used to. There is no auto-aim and you'll have to shoot the enemy a lot of times to make them sleep with the fishes. At times it even feels like you're hitting R1 (the shootbutton) like crazy and nothing happens, which will result in a bullet in your brains coz the enemy rarely misses its target.

    Even with all those little annoyances Mafia is still a game that's hard to put down, thanks to an engrossing story and believable characters. Especially the main character Tommy Angelo feels like a real guy, and by the end of the game you feel like the whole story happened to you. Don Salieri is also very real and makes some funny comments.

    Every mission starts at the Don's bar, where you'll receive your instructions from Salieri. Then it's off to Vincenzo to get a weapon (or two) and then you'll visit Ralph for some wheels. All these little details makes you feel like you're in a real gang, a tight mafia family if you wish.

    After 22 missions the game ends with an interesting twist (which i wont reveal here) and there is little replay-value. There is a racing and freeride mode that allows you to take up Tommy's old job as a taxi driver, and you can replay all the missions, but that wont keep you busy very long. But the storymode of Mafia gives you the feeling of being in a 1930's gangster movie and that is pretty nice. As Don Salieri would say: "Forget about it!".    … Expand
  2. WimB.
    Apr 16, 2004
    5
    I tried, I really did! Ooh I tried so hard to play the fu..ing game!
  3. WimB.
    Apr 16, 2004
    5
    I tried, I really did! Ooh I tried so hard to play the fu..ing game!
  4. JoeyL.
    Feb 21, 2005
    7
    I gave this game a 7. i have it on both ps2 and pc. altyhough it is good on both if you are going to buy it and dont know wheather to but it for ps2 or pc get it for pc. i would give it a 9 or a 10 for pc. good game but better on pc.
  5. Batmanas[foasfo[
    Aug 30, 2004
    6
    A crappy port...graphics were dumbed down on the PS2 and Xbox versions of this game...the graphics were really good on the PC and they look like crap on the consoles...Even the framerate was worse on the consoles...which was surprising...the game was just not as fun playing when it looked that bad.
  6. Rox22
    Sep 12, 2013
    6
    A decent enough GTA wannabe that does what it set out to do. But for the most part I felt the game was lacking. Story is good, but short. Graphics a pretty and detailed, but also dull and boring to look, and gameplay is fun, but pacing feels a little slow at times.

    Overall: An OK game that clearly had great ambition, but could have used a larger studio backing the development as it    A decent enough GTA wannabe that does what it set out to do. But for the most part I felt the game was lacking. Story is good, but short. Graphics a pretty and detailed, but also dull and boring to look, and gameplay is fun, but pacing feels a little slow at times.

    Overall:
    An OK game that clearly had great ambition, but could have used a larger studio backing the development as it does feel a little limited.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2004
23
#23 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 30
  3. Negative: 3 out of 30
  1. GameZone
    69
    The sense of atmosphere and ambience from the excellent PC version is all but gone from the PS2 version, with stiff controls, dumb AI, long loading times and tons of strange bugs. Overall, the gameplay is a shell of the PC version.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer
    60
    When it's good it's fantastic, but when it's not it's a spirit sapping experience. That's Mafia in a nutshell - a flawed classic that'll certainly provide good rental value if nothing else.
    Read full review
  3. Armchair Empire
    69
    This late in the PS2 life cycle, there really isn't any excuse for a port that is so shoddy, especially when it is coming a year and a half later than the original release.
    Read full review
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