Many years a go when I received a free copy of Mafia 2 for Xbox games for gold I had no idea I was just handed what would be one of my favorite story-driven open-world games. Well fast forward several years later I finally got to play the original entry in the series via Mafia: Definitive Edition. Obviously I had high hopes for the title; I wanted to know if it could deliver the same engaging experience of it's sequel. Having finished the game I'm quite pleased with this first installment even if it didn't stand out like Mafia 2. The story is still the main draw with a very interesting cast of characters playing out like something you'd expect from the classic mobster movies. The gameplay is fairly straight forward but is pleasant enough and serves the story well.
In Mafia you play as Tommy Angelo who's simple life as cab drive is turned upside when two mobsters jump in his cab with a gun pointed at his head. Those two are Sam and Paulie, two of Don Salieri's top made men and eventually they'll end up being your partners in crime and good friends. Salieri's big rival is Don Morello and when his goons beat up Tommy's cab he quickly seeks Salieri's blessing to get revenge. Tommy quickly builds a reputation as being a reliable part of Salieri's crew and he soon has himself a new job working for the family. Salieri seems like quite a stable and leveled head mob boss but that may change as his his power and influence grows. In the meantime Tommy is sent out on more challenging jobs and his loyalty to friends and family may be put at odds with his sense of morality.
Mafia is broken up into several bite size chapters each featuring a new challenge facing the family. As a New York City cab driver it is unsurprising that Tommy's excels in his ability to drive. Much of your time in the game is spend driving whether it is just heading to your next mission or trying to escape the police. The driving in the game feels quite good the only problem I found sometimes was having to keep the camera lined up with the direction I wanted to go. At some point your even get to race cars which I think if it was expanded could have been a fun addition to the game. Instead it seems like the developers intended to continuously mix things up so that you never do the exact same thing twice.
When you aren't driving you'll either being sneaking around or hiding behind cover in a shoot-out. If you can manage to sneak up on your targets you can quickly choke them out. From there you can even hide their bodies although this is often isn't nessacary. The gunplay is quite intense especially considering you can only recover health at a limited number of first aid stations scatter across each level. Staying behind cover is key to survival as your health will drain quickly out in the open. Once behind cover you can take a couple shots as your opponents are reloading or moving between cover. The aiming can be a bit though but you should be able to find certain weapons that will better fit your particular play style.
I had quite a bit of fun playing Mafia: Definitive Edition even though is does show its age a little in terms of the gameplay. Visually it certainly looks like a modern title and the voice acting is very well done. It's the heavy reliance on driving to fuel the gameplay and the simple cover-based shooting mechanics that feel a little bit old-school. That is not to say the game play isn't fun and it certainly helps support the rather enjoyable story. Playing Mafia just makes me that much more excited to jump into the sequel which I remember being a real treat. If your new to the series you can start here or skip the the second game. Either way if you enjoy story-driven open-world games make sure you look into the Mafia series.