For years I had heard of the original Mafia. People would speak of it in hushed tones, and much like my beloved Morrowind they would say that it’s actually quite a rough game, but if you look past that you’ll get one of the best experiences in gaming. Thankfully with the 2020 release of the Mafia Definitive Edition, those rough edges have been sanded off, allowing the good stuff to shine. Following the reveal of the fourth title in the series, a massive sale is bringing people to the 1930s to enjoy this near perfect slice of Mafia life.
It’s a cliché to say that Mafia Definitive Edition feels like a film, but dammit it feels like a film. This crime game has characters that leap to life, even when they’re occasionally portrayed with broad-strokes. You really begin to care about the Salieri crime family with Paulie, Sam, and even the Don himself becoming people you know, respect, and have affection for.
Of course, and there’s no spoilers here, this is a gangster game that heavily cribs from The Godfather, so expect lots of things to go wrong and nothing to be simple as you wade into 1930s Prohibition life. If nothing else, the zip of bullets through the air becomes your near-constant companion as you move up the family, with brutal violence never far away.
It’s the little things that make Mafia what it is, at least to me. Cars are slow and rickety as befits the 1930s, and even though the game lets you fast travel about the city of Lost Heaven I would implore you to take the time to learn and love this world. One of my favorite small details comes when you go into a tunnel, as your radio will spit and fizz as you lose signal – it’s a tiny touch, but it makes everything feel so much more real.
Though much is improved here the original bugbear from the 2002 game is still present, and yes, I’m talking about the racing mission. This was incredibly hard 22 years ago and remains so today, but thankfully if you aren’t playing on classic mode there are several improvements which mean it should be a little more achievable.
Following the reveal of Mafia 4 at Gamescom 2024, players are now flocking to Mafia Definitive Edition with it shooting up the trending games chart on Steam stats site, SteamDB.
Mafia Definitive Edition currently has 80% off on Steam, taking it down to a historical low price of $7.99 / £6.99 from $39.99 / £34.99, and you can grab this deal until Monday September 2. Head over to the game’s store page to check out this deal for yourself, capisce?
Should you want something else in this milieu, our recommendations for the very best open-world games and the best action-adventure games you can play in 2024 will give you tons you can chew on.
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