PlayStation 2

Mafia

It's not enough to just create a living, breathing virtual world - you've got to give me something interesting to do in it. While I can appreciate this game for its strengths, its flaws have become much more noticeable than they were when it launched on PC.

What is the definition of family? Webster's dictionary defines a family as a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children. This is approximately the response most people will give when they are asked what constitutes a family, but there are a select few who would take the second interpretation: two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside in the same dwelling place. Well it's time for you to join the family; on behalf of the Don, I welcome you to a story-driven game set in the heart of America's past.

Mafia was originally a PC game. From all I have read, it was one of the best games of 2002. Being a console and handheld gamer, I never played the PC version and can only judge Mafia on the PS2 port. It is unlikely it will be considered one of the best console titles of 2004. While Mafia is a compelling game that will suck players deep into its story filled with intrigue, plot twists and 1930s atmosphere, execution brings what could have been a great game down to just above mediocre.

When Mafia busted out onto the PC scene in 2002, it made quite an impact. The game offered up an impressive and convincing 1930’s gangster style take on the freeform on-foot and driving gameplay elements that were established with GTA3. Word of mouth recommendations spread like wildfire and unabashed critical acclaim justified fans overt enthusiasm for the title. The only problem was Mafia required a pretty hefty computer set-up to run smoothly, which left those with sub-par systems out in the cold. Now, a little over a year and a half later, Mafia has been ported over to the PS2 and Xbox, giving console owners a long-awaited chance to actually see what all the fuss was about.

For all of the skill evident in the authentic ambience and faithfully recreated 1930s cars and firearms, Mafia fails to deliver in the all-important gameplay department. A headache-inducing bouncy driving camera, bad on-foot controls, and some of the worst load times I've ever seen make this a title only mob enthusiasts should consider.

ONE OF THE MORE romanticised periods of history is the 1930s. Whether portrayed as the era of the Great Depression, of jazz, or of gangsters, many books and movies are seemingly drawn to that time. So it is with Mafia, which tells the story of a crime family set in the city of Lost Heaven.

Because the PS2 version of Mafia compromises the PC version's graphical presentation and also introduces more interruptions into the gameplay, it comes off like a mere shadow of the original.

When Mafia was released on the PC in the late summer of 2002, it offered a deep, involving story, gorgeous graphics, and extremely authentic driving and became the sleeper hit of the summer. Now, the game is hitting consoles, first on the PS2 and then the Xbox (the Xbox version is set to come out next month). The PS2 version still retains much of the atmosphere of the PC game. However, it falls prey to many of the same technical shortcomings that plague most PC-to-PS2 ports, like lousy graphics, unintuitive controls, long loading times and bugs galore.

In 2002, Take-Two released a period-piece action-driving game by the name of Mafia. The game offered PC gamers a beautiful, well-organized and engaging story about an ordinary guy swept up in the Italian Mafioso lifestyle. That game was tough, perhaps tilted a little toward the hard side of games, but it captured gamers' imaginations because, despite the natural comparisons to the Grand Theft Auto series, it was true to itself -- the characters were engaging, the story driving, and overall, it was well presented. You felt like you were actually playing The Godfather or Goodfellas in the most genuine way.

Like everything else Illusion Softworks is responsible for, Mafia is a flawed classic. For many, the ever-present niggles and frustrations are too much to bear, and they'll shout from the rooftops about how much they despise it. You never have to look too deeply to recognise the fundamental design issues that conspire to ruin its chances of being remembered as a masterpiece. So how is it that an equally vocal band of loyal supporters rank this mission-based driving epic amongst their favourite ever games? Is it the grand cinematic atmosphere, or are they just blind in their praise and more forgiving than a priest?

Mafia is bound to be dismissed by PS2 owners as a mere Prohibition-era Grand Theft Auto clone, and though it suffers in comparison by not being nearly as open-ended, its carefully measured pace, compelling characters, and lofty narrative make it a unique animal. Unfortunately, it?s also one of missed potential resulting from technical flaws suffered during the translation from PC to console.

If history has taught us one thing about the mafia - provided the teachers are Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola – it’s that the decline of a mob family is as dramatic as its rise. The players all act invincible, but for every sweet heist there’s a bittersweet bust, and all fantastic stories of mafia survival end at the bottom of a lake.

Excellent sur PC, Mafia prend une sale tournure sur PS2. Tout est là pour repousser, une maniabilité atroce, une réalisation rédhibitoire, des loadings intempestifs et longs et une progression qui perd tout son charme, dont le rythme volontairement lent devient laborieux. On finit même par sortir complètement du jeu et de l'ambiance. Il n'est pas trop tard pour y jouer sur PC.