As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster
Welcome to Lost Heaven. It's a good place for any average Joe to make a living. But not everyone is an average Joe, and sometimes choices get thrust upon us. For Tommy, the choice of being a mobster was thrust upon him by two mobsters who hijacked his cab. For us, choices are often not this easy to make

From the chase that starts the game action, Mafia is everything that's expected in a stunning Hollywood Blockbuster. Its compelling story of the rise and fall of a foot soldier in the mob is interesting, unique, and trend-setting. From assassination missions aboard a luxury liner to gunfights in a small parking garage, the missions are varied and alot of fun..

An offer you can't refuse
Graphically, Mafia is one of the most stunning and visually pleasing games I've had the pleasure to play this year. Even on my system (Athlon 800/Riva TNT2/192MB RAM), Mafia ran pretty fluidly, with the only real noticeable slowdowns being when there was a lot of action on the screen.

Another complaint, which may be system specific, is creepy eyeballs. During cut-scenes, the eyeballs will be seen in their entirety, with the skin at the forehead just disappearing. As bizarre as this was at first, I was used to it after the fourth mission.

Overall, though, the graphics were impressive, right up to the reflections off the shiny exteriors of the thirties cars.

I don't fear you, Michael. I just dread you. The sound in the game is done quite well, with some 30's-era music, as well as realistic sound effects for the cars. The realism doesn't stop at the sounds, though.

One of the major problems of Mafia is the realistic 30s-era car engines. In some spots, even if you get a good, speedy start to the hills, your speed will die to less than 20 miles per hour. This is one of the most frustrating things about the game.

Another thing that could possibly frustrate is the fact that you can't steal any car you want. You have to learn with the help of two grease monkey's on the Don's payroll. So at the beginning of the game you are severely limited in what you can do

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Overall, Mafia is a very enjoyable game, and one that would be well enjoyed by anyone who loves Grand Theft Auto 3 or Max Payne.

OVERALL SCORE: 89%