The Mafia series has always been in a conundrum. While the first Mafia game was developed at the same time as Grand Theft Auto 3, the bigger cultural impact of Rockstar’s influential open world game overshadowed Illusion Softworks’ more grounded take on the genre. After all, a game where you can commit heinous crimes like shooting bazookas into traffic and spend money frivolously on prostitutes was always going to make more of a splash than one that reprimands you for running a red light.
Despite its less flashy approach to open-world shenanigans, Mafia did find its audience. It’s highly detailed urban sprawl, the wonderfully acted (for the time) performances, and mature narrative were a far cry from Rockstar’s bullish, at times obnoxious tone. What it lacked in wacky ambulance missions and over-the-top violence, it more than made up for with its approximation of a Mario Puzo-style gangster tale.
