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GTA is not fun in a model T

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

While a lot of effort was put into this game's graphics, stop-motion animation and story the game play is very dull. Cars are slow. The fighting controls are weak. Even civilian AI is screwed; they kept driving through the streets like normal despite the fact that a massive gun fight was happening. Overall it just wasn't fun.

Good Game Sucky Ending

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I reccomend to buy this game it is great! But, always expect the unexpected. That is all i have to say.

...

Actually, not that bad of a game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First off, unlike some reviews state, this game's controls are not as bad as they seem. I actually have not had any issues with controlling the player nor the cars.

True, the cars seem to handle poorly and they take awhile to get moving and to stop, but that's how they worked back then. The cars were heavy and this adds more realism to the game itself. They didn't have Porsche's and other sports cars that handled turns effectively. Cars were made of heavy-duty materials, not fiberglass and such. I think it compliments the era that you are playing in, which is the 1930's gangster era.

The graphics are not top-notch, but they are better than the GTA series. The acting is not bad and the story unfolds in a connected, linear fashion, but it's an engaging story.

Basically, you are Tommy Angelo, taxi cab driver who gets pulled into the seedy underground of the mob. The story itself is told from Tommy's perspective as he reports his history with the Salieri family to a policeman. I haven't completed the game yet, but I'm interested in seeing how it all plays out.

The first couple of missions will get you introduced to driving around the city. Here is where the game might stick in some peoples craw because there is a lot of driving from one mission to the next and the driving can be somewhat slow at times due to the era the game takes place in. The cars, as I stated, cannot go from zero to sixty in 6 seconds. But, that adds to the realism. Also, when you switch from one section of the city to the next, the game pauses for about 5 seconds as it loads. It's not bad and I hear it's worse on a competing console. On PCs, it's non-existent, but I've never played the PC game so I cannot say for sure. The driving is more of a "cut scene" to the actual mission. Luckily, from what I've read, the XBox version has made this go faster than the PC version, so you spend less time driving in the XBox version so you can get to the actual mission itself.

Once you make it to the destination, the real mission begins and so does the fun. There are different missions to do: drive people to where they need to be to make a pickup, shootouts and even a car chase. I've only just joined the family, and already, that is what I've experienced.

Overall, the gameplay itself, along with the story, definitely overshadow any graphical shortcomings in this game. Of course, with the Godfather already out on the market and Scarface on the horizon, Mafia might be something you would never decide to pickup. However, with current bargain-bin prices this game is worth getting, especially if you love games that allow you to play as a mafia member.

My only other gripe with the game is how linear it is. It's not free-form like GTA. When you finish one mission, you immediately move onto the next. There are areas where you can choose to roam free if you wish, but there aren't any hidden "packages" to find, so in many respects, it's not really worth it unless you just want to take break and sight see.

There is a free driving game that you can play outside of the actual story from the main menu. I haven't played it yet, but from what I hear, it's not that exciting and isn't really worth playing.

One thing I do like is when you reload your clips. In Mafia, unlike other games, if you throw a clip away with some rounds remaining in it, you will NOT get those carried over to your new clip. Just as in real life, throwing away a half-spent ammo clip results in those rounds being lost! So, you better be sure whether it's worth reloading now and throwing away some rounds, or emptying the clip completely and then reloading. MUCH more realistic and forces you to strategize how you spend your rounds in a gun fight.

Overall, the story is what engages you with this game. The GTA series had a story as well, but it felt disconnected at times and didn't flow completely due to the free-form nature of the game. With Mafia, the story continues to unfold uninterrupted and makes for a compelling story to watch.

Clunky

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was dissapointed by the "clunkiness" of this game. The framerates are choppy, controls were stiff and the aiming stinks. Not a comparrison with [edited] but I could see this game having some fans. I would rent first.

AWSOME!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: January 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is spectacular i had it for pc and it was great.
The enviroment of Lost Heaven is so detailed.The missons are filled with gun shootouts! and alot of explosions.I reccomend that anyone who is upsessed with Mafia History should get this game!

sad performance for an x-box game!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: April 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

first off I had better graphics and playability in the game "[edited]. with as much power you have in an x-box, you should be able to come up with something better looking than this! the story is great. some annoying characters, ... this is the 30's, so the cars are paifully slow, and handle like jello. so if your looking for [edited], look elsewhere. its hard to get excited in a car chase when you are screaming along at a mind numbing 45 mph.
all in all, BORING!

good game, but one flaw

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

this is a great game in the beggining. the story is good missions good care pretty nice especially the good ones you get to steal. the maps are pretty much the same as the new york used to be. including clarks motel. if you dont know what that is you probably dont know much about mafia things. it got me to learn about the mafia and watch the goodfather. but anyway once you get stuck on a mission you might stop for a little and play another game. once you go back you realize how bad the graphics are. you start to loose interest in the game and not play it and that is the one flaw.

Dissappointing!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First of all -- contrary to word-on-the-street, this is NOT [edited] in Mafia days!!! This is a "Mission Based" game with many limits, rules, and regulations -- no blood in game, no freedoms outside of pre-set story. Other than that, if you are not comparing this to [edited], decent. There is a fair amount of foul language, sex, violence - but that's why its rated M. As for the gameplay, the aiming is akward, the carchases are lousy, while the atmospheres, and storyline are enjoyable. This COULD have been real great it it WERE a [edited] back in the 1930s... but it really isnt...

Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: June 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This was a great game with a great story line. It had the freedom of [edited], but with a 1930's theme. Because you have to work your way up through the ranks of the mob, this game was challanging but not impossible. Overall this is a great game!

Presently Surprised

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: August 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It's always good to play a game that you have no expectations for and it blows you away.

You're a hitman for the mafia or kind of a fix it man. I don't know if you're suppose to be but that's how it comes off. You do different mission though out the game in a fairly large city, anything from beating someone with a bat to robbing a bank. Almost like GTA but in the 1930's. It has some pretty nice cut scenes and a good story, my favorite part of the game is the tommy gun(you will understand).

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