Mafia (video game)

Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Developer(s)	Illusion Softworks
Publisher(s)	Gathering of Developers
Engine	LS3D engine
Platform(s)	Windows, PS2, Xbox
Release	August 29, 2002
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven is a computer and video game initially made for Microsoft Windows and released in 2002. It was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 and the Microsoft Xbox in 2004. It was developed by Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers. It has an ESRB rating of "Mature" for graphic violence.

The highly original plot and revolutionary capabilities within gameplay at the time have made The City Of Lost Heaven meet great acclaim from critics and even labelled the best game about Mafia to date, believed to have outclassed even The Godfather Game by Electronic Arts.

Plot

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Chapter sequence

Prologue (1930)
- An Offer You Can't Refuse
- Running Man; "Taxi Driver"/"Running Man" (PS2 version)
- Molotov Party
- Ordinary Routine

Intermezzo 1 (1932)
- Fairplay; "Fairplay"/"Race Day" (PS2 version)
- Sarah
- Better Get Used To It
- The Whore/The Priest

Intermezzo 2 (1933)
- A Trip to the Country
- Omerta
- Visiting Rich People
- A Great Deal

Intermezzo 3 (1935; 1938 in the PS2 version)
- Bon Appetit; "Buon Appetito" (PS2 version)
- Happy Birthday
- You Lucky Bastard
- Creme de la Creme

Intermezzo 4 (1938)
- Election Campaign
- Just for Relaxation
- Moonlightning
- The Death of Art

Epilogue

Mafia is set in the 1930s, between autumn of 1930 to 1938, through the Prohibition era, in a fictitious large city, Lost Heaven: a city which is probably a representation of New York City and Chicago in the same era. The player is set in the role of cabbie Tommy Angelo, who unexpectedly begins his career in organized crime as a driver for the crime syndicate of Don Salieri. He continues to rise in the ranks of the mob, battling the competing family of Don Morello. Eventually, he becomes disillusioned with the life of crime he has chosen and meets a detective to aid him in shattering Salieri's organization.

After a casual encounter with Don Salieri's two henchmen, Sam and Paulie, Tommy is given the chance to work for the Famiglia, an offer he's forced to accept after Don Morello's mobsters, the ones he helped Sam and Paulie escape from, try to exact their revenge. Throughout a series of assignments given to him by Salieri himself, the young Tommy quickly delves deeper into the Family's business, although a series of events (climaxing in his refusal to assassinate one of his future wife's friends and the Famiglia's traitorous lawyer, Frank) bring about his rejection of certain aspects of his new lifestyle.

Later on, he gets married to Sarah, the daughter of Salieri's bartender, who gives birth to a girl one year later. In the meanwhile, Tommy partakes in Paulie's suspicions that Salieri is hiding part of his earnings from them, which are later confirmed once a stolen batch of Cuban cigars turns out to be a considerable amount of well-hidden diamonds. Following this theft, Tommy and Paulie decide to rob a bank in order to "make up for their missed earnings". The hit is successful, but the day after young Tommy finds his friend in a pool of blood, bullets driven through his back; panicking, he is tricked by Sam to meet him at the art gallery, where it is revealed that Salieri, upon discovery of their bravado, has ordered their deaths.

After a climatic battle on the museum's top floor, resulting in Sam's spectacular death, the flashback finally ends and the detective agrees to put Tommy and his family under police's protection, given he testifies against Don Salieri. From a protected house, Tommy does so, and therefore Salieri is arrested and imprisoned, supposedly dying during his detention.

Circa 1957-1960, two hitmen pull up to a big two-story house in a red tudor car resembling a 1957 Ford Thunderbird and then approach a much older Tommy Angelo by addressing him by his real name (which was changed beforehand by the FBI), and after one of the game's strongest lines ("Tommy Angelo? Don Salieri sends his regards..."), hit him at point-blank range with a lupara (typical sawed-off shotgun used by the Sicilian Mafia in assassination, as explained during the game). The game ends with Tommy's thoughts, while he's left dying on the bloodied grass of his front garden. Template:Endspoiler

The game's plot has been inspired by movies such as Goodfellas, The Godfather, and Mobsters. Though the game is rich in graphic violence and blood, at no time is the player required or urged to harm innocent characters. But just as in real life, players can do as they feel inclined.

Characters

Major

Thomas "Tommy" Angelo: Tom is the main character in the game. Originally a cab driver, but due to a combination of unpleasant circumstances, he is forced to join the Mafia. Tom is all in all a nice guy, but a tough childhood and life in the 1930's have changed his moral values a little. Thus, he is capable of doing things that a normal person would not understand, but his conscience sometimes haunts him.

Norman: Norman is the typical example of a detective brought up through the school of hard knocks. He is a scruffy, tough guy, who acts like he hates everybody around him. Tom tells him his story, but does not get much sympathy.

Don Salieri: The Don is the boss of the family that Tommy works for. He is a guy who's lived through a lot and doesn't get excited too easily. He is typical of a Mafioso, who has not built up his position just for money and does not always kill to get what he wants. He is friendly, but when he gets tough he can become dangerous. Sometimes business is more important than friendship to him.

Paulie: Paulie is Tom's sidekick, and energetic and hot-tempered guy, who sometimes behaves and often work and have fun together. Paulie is very similar in appearance to Joe Pesci.

Sam: Another of Tom's colleagues. He is a big, friendly guy, with a nice smile. In spite of his size, he is timid and a little clumsy, and does not talk much. He often works with Tom and Paulie, and they are good friends.

Frank: Frank is Don Salieri's best friend and consigliere. His main concern is family finance and the legal side of business. He is well suited to this. At first sight he does not seem to belong among these criminals, as he is a very quiet inconspicuous nice guy. He does his work mainly because of an attachment to Don Salieri, as well as their mutual past. They grew up together in a poor quarter and thanks to Don he gained most of what he has, so he cannot just turn his back on him. If he had grown up in any other place he would certainly be a successful lawyer or businessman.

Vincenzo: He has worked for the family for a long time and it means everything to him. It's strange that such a good guy like Vincenzo found his greatest love in guns, but that is why he takes care of Salieri's arsenal of weapons and selects the best equipment for a mission.

Ralph: Ralph is excellent when it comes to dealing with vehicles. He can take apart, repair, improve and then rebuild whatever he gets his hands on and that is about it. His world revolves around anything on four wheels, and he knows little about anything else. That is why he will only talk about vehicles, though even conversations about vehicles are not easy for him; as he stutters.

Don Morello: Salieri's main adversary. Where Salieri opts for negotiation, Morello uses an army of men with Thompsons. Where Salieri punishes treachery, Morello indiscriminately shows his might. Because of this he has a big influence in the city, which he is trying to extend into Salieri family territory. He is greatly helped by his brother Sergio. However, he ultimately destroys everything he's involved in through his overly brutal behavior.

Lucas Bertone: Lucas is a pleasant Sicilian of middle age, a car mechanic for the rich. He is very big-hearted even though, in view of the services he provides to the Mafia, he is no saint.

Minor

Luigi: The bartender at Salieri's bar. He is a kind man who has many a conversation with Tommy. He appears in nearly every mission, behind the bar, waiting for customers. He usually tells Tommy to check back later, when they can have an interesting and informative conversation.

Sarah: Luigi's daughter. Tommy escorts her home in "Sarah" and protects her from a street gang. They develop a relationship which evolves throughout the game. He eventually marries her and has a kid. This relationship blossoms in "Sarah," and is touched on in other missions, such as "A Trip To The Country" and "Epilogue"

Bobby: The gate guard for the City of Lost Heaven racing track night shift. His assistance is needed in the mission "Fairplay"

Michelle: She congratulates Tommy after his win in "Fairplay" and turns out to be "The Whore" in mission 8, which has the same name. Under Tommy's request, she leaves the city, never to return; however in "The Death of Art" it is revealed that she has returned to the city causing Tom to be hunted by the Mafia.

Big Biff: An informant for the Salieri Family who usually hangs out in Chinatown. He informs the player of the gang's base of operations in "Better get used to it" and tries to help the player find Frank in "Omerta."

Billy: An obnoxious little street punk. Tommy hunts him down in the mission "Better Get Used To It." However, as he is the son of an important politician, his death creates quite a commotion, and a problem for Tommy.

Billy's Friend (unnamed): This friend of Billy's somehow lives though his ordeal with Tommy in "Better Get Used To It" and brings the councilor and all of the corrupt politicians down hard on Salieri.

Idiot Joe: A reluctant informant who gives Tommy a ton of snappy backtalk before telling him about Frank and the accounting books in "Omerta." He can be found not far from Lucas Bertone's shop, under the Giuliano Bridge. Shooting him once with an "S&W 10 M&P" or beating him with a bat will get him to talk.

Salvatore: Salvatore is the best lock pick in the city. He aids Tommy in the mission "Visiting Rich People" by opening the gate, the safe in the office, and the prosecutor's Silver Fletcher.

William "Bill" Gates: Whether or not any pun is aimed at Microsoft's multi-billion dollar man is unknown. In this game, Bill is introduced as a whiskey dealer from Kentucky who arranges a deal with Paulie. His part is very minor, as he gets shot almost immediately after Tommy meets him. However, it turns out that he is not from Kentucky. In fact, he is just a small time thief who stole from Morello, which is why the gangsters came to hunt him down.

Pepe: Pepe is the owner of a fine Italian Bar and Pizzeria in New Ark. His restaurant is the personal favorite dining spot of Don Salieri. In the mission "Bon Appetit!" the Tommy accompanies the Don for a lunch at Pepe's, though the situation turns rapidly downhill once they finish their meal. However, Pepe survives the ordeal, and receives some money from Don Salieri to fix up his restaurant.

Carlo: Salieri's double-crossing driver. He called in sick the day when Morello attempted to assassinate Salieri. Tommy hunts him down for retribution. Again, there is no mention as to whether or not this is the same Carlo as Lucas' friend who wants Tommy to beat up Stan in "Omerta."

Councilor (unnamed): Tommy is sent aboard his party steamer to kill the councilor in the mission "Happy Birthday!" This is a major event in the chain of Salieri's attack on those who associate with Morello.

Sergio Morello Jr.: The younger brother of Salieri's rival Don. His uncanny ability to avoid death becomes evident in the mission "You Lucky Bastard" where Tommy is sent to kill him. This is another major event in the chain, as it marks the death of one of Morello's closest accomplices.

Don Peppone: The Don under whom both Morello and Salieri served in the early parts of their lives. Tommy mentions him to Norman during "Intermezzo 4".

Yellow Pete: A one-armed gunsmith who, despite being off the beaten path, is helpful to the game. Although the player only has access to his shop in the last few missions, his arsenal of weapons is very helpful when trying to beat said missions. His shop (though not his body) remains in Freeride mode and is a source of purchasing new weaponry. His shop can be found in the parking lot behind the Twister theater in Western Hoboken.

Gameplay

File:Mafia-CoLH Street.jpg

Walking on New Ark street in Lost Heaven, PC version. In addition to cars, Mafia allows players to ride trams and elevated trains around the city.

The bulk of Mafia's storyline gameplay consists of driving for standard travel, car chases and races; the remaining portions of the game consists of on-foot third-person exploration and shooting. In addition to the entire city of Lost Heaven and countryside, several detailed interior levels were also included for much of the on-foot levels, including the city's airport and museum, a church, a hotel, an abandoned prison, a restaurant, and Don Salieri's bar. Weather and night effects are also available in the game.

Mafia offers players the opportunity to drive a total of 51 classic cars based off real-life counterparts, in addition to another 19 bonus vehicles (including five classic racing models) available for unlocking in a new mode upon completion of the game's storyline. Unlike the Grand Theft Auto series, however, cars are introduced progressively through time in the storyline, with 1920s models available earlier on during the storyline, while newer varieties from the 1930s appear later. In addition, the players must "learn" how to steal a car by acquiring such knowledge from experts or experience, as opposed to the Grand Theft Auto series, where players are free to acquire any type of vehicle, superior or otherwise.

The game was well received by critics and gamers upon release as a more realistic and serious Grand Theft Auto-styled game. Police would book players for minor offences such as speeding or running a red light, and car accidents caused physical harm to the driver (indeed, so much that unless a mission was timed, many found that actually obeying the road rules proved to be faster than speeding, as the latter would more likely result in accidents and injuries). Mafia had a much bigger city to explore than Vice City, with more forms of transport available (such as trams and elevated rail), in addition to an expansive countryside.

Flaws and fixes

Some programming flaws and limitations cause unrealistic behavior under special circumstances. For example, while police AI is sophisticated enough to identify certain offenses committed by players, they may continue to pursue a player, even when the player is pursued by an equally speeding hostile car; the police also ignores players who drive in the wrong lane of the road and sidewalk, or co-drivers and hostile cars who carry weapons openly.

In fights, the enemy AI is far from perfect. Enemies will attempt to attack with fists even when players are still armed or driving a car. They constantly crouch, enter the player's range before reloading their weapons, and then return to their hiding positions to shoot, while the enemy's limited field of view and occasional tendency to rotate themselves meant that players could easily kill an enemy while he predictably turns his back towards players.

There is only a small amount of vehicles available on each level. The game becomes repetitive because there are only three or four other types of car on each level. They are also in the same colours.

Another notable problem faced by players is the racing level, which was almost impossible to complete without proper training and controls, and turned a number of players off the game. Many fan websites even offer saved games with this level completed for download. In addition, official game patches have since added the ability to select a difficulty level before starting the race (there is also a cheat feature that allows the player complete the race fast and easily). These problems were fixed in versions 1.2 and 1.3, making the racing mission far more enjoyable.

Console version differences

The PC version was noted to have a very "alive" city. Unlike Grand Theft Auto III or Vice City where there would be fewer cars or pedestrians on screen, short view distances and "disappearing" cars, and very short-term street damage, Mafia featured many cars and pedestrians on screen at once, along with collateral damage lasting the length of a mission. The console ports, on the other hand, were noted to be very poor, suffering from control problems, longer loading times, low-resolution textures and severely reduced city activity (due to the limited hardware of the consoles it was ported to). Overall, the PC version is a better play due to superior hardware.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the game features Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club de France, The Mills Brothers, Louis Prima, Lonnie Johnson, and one track by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. The main theme to Mafia was composed by Vladimir Šimůnek, and performed by the Bohemia Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Klemens.

Weapon list

File:Mafia-CoLH Car Pursuit.jpg

Pursuing a fleeing target in a car, with two passengers aiding by shooting the car with Thompson 1928 submachine guns.

The following is a list of weapons found in Mafia. Six small weapons and one large weapon can be concealed at any given time, not including any weapon the player may be holding.

Game modding

Since the release of Mafia, several fan-made mods have been created to alter visual and game play experiences of the game. Major mods that have been released for Mafia include:

The City of Lost Dreams Mod (CoLD) is an unofficial sequel to the original scenario. It was well received by fans, including popular magazine PC Gamer, who featured the mod on an accompanying demo disc. A new version is currently in production by the CoLD team, led by The Gray Erazor and entirely written by PauliesGrandson of PGCreations.

CityBars, a recently released mod that changes the entire city with buildings from the missions and even some new buildings added to Free Ride mode. The team is led by Russian modder Golod55.

The Modern mod, giving Lost Heaven a touch of modernisation, changing textures and models for more modern equivalents.

The Mafia: Beyond the End mod, providing additional mission within the Free Ride mode, designated for experienced Mafia gamers. A new version of this mod is currently in production, also by PauliesGrandson.

The Mafia 70s Mod, with cars and textures replaced. One of the first mods in development.

The Alive Mod, by MikeMouse, adds many new objectives and options to all the standard Freeride missions/levels.

Trivia

The end roster after completing the race lists the names of the opponent drivers. Fans of heavy music may note that the names are taken from notable metal musicians, such as Mark "Barney" Greenway of Napalm Death, Chris Barnes of Cannibal Corpse, Page Hamilton of Helmet, or Kirk Windstein of Crowbar.
In the mission "Ordinary Routine", Tommy jokingly takes a leak in the restroom at Clark's Motel.
The Art Gallery as seen in the Final Mission, is the famous Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It may not be exactly identical, but most of the features of the museum are there.
Despite the game's obvious setting in North America, the models of railway locomotives and rolling-stock encountered at, among other places, the docks are all of European origin.

External links

General resources

Community websites

MafiaMods; a modification website, including downloads and a forum.
MafiaScene; a fansite with guides and a forum community.
Bar Mafieuso; a French fansite.