Mafia (series)

Mafia is a series of action-adventure video games developed by 2K Czech (formerly Illusion Softworks) with the third installment by Hangar 13, and published by 2K Games.

Mafia
Series logo, used since Mafia III (2016)
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, third-person shooter
Developer(s)	2K Czech (1998–2010, 2016) Hangar 13 (2014–present)
Publisher(s)	Gathering of Developers (2002–2004) 2K (2005–present)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows OS X PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One
First release	Mafia 27 August 2002
Latest release	Mafia III 7 October 2016

Games in the Mafia series are set in fictional locales modeled after American cities, and usually take place in a historical setting, from Great Depression-era Lost Heaven in the original game, to 1960s New Bordeaux in Mafia III. Gameplay focuses on an open world environment where the player can choose missions to progress an overall story, as well as engaging in side activities, albeit in a more linear manner. The Freeride Extreme game mode in The City of Lost Heaven and expansion packs for Mafia II, however, allow players to trigger missions from the open world.

The three games in the Mafia series focus around different protagonists who attempt to rise (and subsequently fall out of favour or are disillusioned with the illicit lifestyle) through the ranks of the criminal underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in each game. The antagonists are commonly characters who have betrayed the protagonist or his organisation, or characters who have the most impact impeding the protagonist's progress.

On May 14, 2020, publisher 2K Games announced the Mafia: Trilogy, containing a remaster of the second game, an extended edition of the third one, and a remake of the original one, all three developed by Hangar 13.[1]

Games

Year	Title	Developer	Home release
			Console	Computer	Mobile
Main series
2002	Mafia	Illusion Softworks	PS2, Xbox	Windows
2010	Mafia II	2K Czech	PS3, Xbox 360	Windows, OS X
2016	Mafia III	Hangar 13	PS4, Xbox One
2020	Mafia: Definitive Edition			Windows
Story expansion packs
2010	Mafia II: The Betrayal of Jimmy	2K Czech	PS3, Xbox 360	Windows
2010	Mafia II: Jimmy's Vendetta
2010	Mafia II: Joe's Adventures
2017	Mafia III: Faster, Baby!	Hangar 13	PS4, Xbox One	Windows, OS X
2017	Mafia III: Stones Unturned
2017	Mafia III: Sign of the Times
Remastered editions
2020	Mafia II: Definitive Edition	d3t Ltd	PS4, Xbox One	Windows
2020	Mafia III: Definitive Edition	Hangar 13		Windows, OS X
Mobile spin-offs
2010	Mafia II Mobile	Twistbox Games			Mobile phone
2016	Mafia III: Rivals	Cat Daddy Games			iOS, Android

Video games

The first game, Mafia was released on 27 August 2002 for Microsoft Windows. Ports of the game for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 were released in April and January 2004 respectively. The second game, Mafia II was released on 24 August 2010 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The third game, Mafia III was released on October 7, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On 13 May 2020, a teaser trailer for an upcoming collection of all three installments titled Mafia: Trilogy was released with an official announcement revealed on 19 May 2020. On that day, the definitive editions of Mafia II and Mafia III were released. The remake of the first Mafia title is scheduled for release on 25 September 2020.[2]

Downloadable content

Throughout 2010, The Betrayal of Jimmy, Jimmy's Vendetta and Joe's Adventures were released as downloadable content (DLC) expansion packs to Mafia II. The Betrayal of Jimmy was exclusive to PlayStation 3; the other two were released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The Betrayal of Jimmy was later released on Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Downloadable content (DLC) expansion packs, Faster, Baby!, Stones Unturned and Sign of the Times were released for Mafia III throughout 2017, all 3 are available on Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Common elements

Gameplay

Each game in the Mafia series allows the player to take on the role of a criminal in a large city, typically an individual who plans to rise through the ranks of organised crime. The player character is given various missions by friends and mafia figures in the city underworld which must be completed to progress through the storyline.

The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city, complete with pedestrians who generally obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open-ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games. Traffic rules and regulations are stringently and realistically enforced in the games; failure to obey them through speeding or reckless driving are usually met with penalties such as citations, with further violations resulting in efforts by law enforcement to retaliate more aggressively and thus incapacitate the player.[3]

Setting

Games in the Mafia series are set in fictional locales through different time periods.

Mafia is set in Lost Heaven in the 1930s. Lost Heaven is loosely based on New York City, Chicago and San Francisco.[4][5] Mafia II is set in Empire Bay in the 1940s and early 1950s, which is based on New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit.[6][7][8] Mafia III is set in the late 1960s in New Bordeaux, a fictionalised version of New Orleans.[9]

Mafia II controversy

Main article: Mafia II § Controversies

Sonia Alfano, a member of the European Parliament and president of Italy's association for the families of mafia victims and whose father was murdered by the mafia, called for the game to be banned.[10] Take-Two Interactive responded to the issue, stating that the game's depiction of the American Mafia was no different from organized crime films such as The Godfather.

They responded to allegations of racism from Unico National, who claimed that the game portrayed Italian-Americans unfairly and "indoctrinating" youth into violent stereotypes.[11]

The game used to hold a record for the most profanity used in a video game, particularly the word "fuck", which is spoken over 200 times, beating previous record holder, The House of the Dead: Overkill,[12] until it was beaten by Grand Theft Auto V, which the word "fuck" is spoken over 1000 times.[13]

Reception

Sales and aggregate review scores
As of 15 May 2020.

Game	Year	Units sold	Metacritic
Mafia	2002	3 million	(PC) 88/100[14] (PS2) 65/100[15] (XBOX) 66/100[16]
Mafia II	2010	5 million	(PC) 84/100[17] (PS3) 74/100[18] (X360) 74/100[19]
Mafia III	2016	7 million	(PC) 62/100[20] (PS4) 68/100[21] (XONE) 67/100[22]

The first two games in the franchise have received generally positive reviews while the third game received mixed reviews. All three installments have been praised for their narratives, with the first installment particularly praised for its realism in its gameplay. However, Mafia II was criticized for its linear open world design and Mafia III was criticized for its repetitive gameplay and technical issues.

References

1. Bonifacic, Igor. "Publisher 2K Games announced the Mafia: Trilogy". engadget. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
2. Winslow, Jeremy (19 May 2020). "Mafia: Definitive Edition Remake's Release Date Confirmed For August". Gamespot. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
3. Kasavin, Greg (27 January 2004). "Mafia Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
4. Mafia - Amazon.com
5. Smith, Edward. 10 Years On: Interview With Mafia Director Daniel Vavra, ibtimes.co.uk 29 November 2012. Retrieved on 5 October 2015.
6. Interview: 2K Czech discusses 'Mafia II'
7. Ivan, Tom (19 October 2008). "First Mafia 2 details roll in". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
8. "GC09: Mafia II interview". Gamereactor Deutschland. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
9. "Mafia 3 Hands On".
10. "Mob violence victim calls for Mafia II ban News • News • Eurogamer.net". Eurogamer. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
11. "Take-Two rubbishes Mafia II racism claims News • News • Eurogamer.net". Eurogamer. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
12. "Guinness Gives Mafia II The F-Bomb Record". Kotaku.com. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
13. "Every Swear Counted in GTA V's NSFW Supercut". Kotaku.com. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
14. "Mafia for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
15. "Mafia for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
16. "Mafia for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
17. "Mafia II for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
18. "Mafia II for PlayStation 3". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
19. "Mafia II for Xbox 360". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
20. "Mafia III for PC". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
21. "Mafia III for PS4". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
22. "Mafia III for XONE". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 December 2016.

External links