Mafia: Definitive Edition review-Uncharted in coat and hat

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The Mafia remake  could have been the next greatness in the remake genre, but it didn’t. And his main problem is not even in the “crutches” of  Mafia 3 , but in the inflated expectations of the players, exactingness and absent negative just because there is an unsurpassed original. The new iteration of Mafia is awesome. It would be worth finishing the review here, but do not rush: everything is not so simple.

Introduction:

The remake status unties the hands of the creators, and the characters – the languages. Now the heroes familiar from childhood are not so languid and mysterious: they have something to talk about, and the players – what to learn from everyday chatter. You can see Expansion of the game universe with new lines, details and a deep description of the setting on F95zone. As in the original, but bigger and better. More because conversations take you from routine cutscenes to optional trips around Lost Haven. 

You will learn about the economic decline in the United States of the thirties and underground bootlegging, about factory strikes and carefree financiers, about the customs of mafia families and a memorial dress code. In the cold and hungry years of the Great American Depression, people demanded chicken in every pot, and not new proxies for the Telegram messenger . The new lyrics from the remake are better – because the scenes from the original have been significantly rewritten. This is a legitimate redaction that removes the narrative refinement and stiffness that the characters used to communicate with in the story. Re-listen to the dialogues from 2002 from the height of 2020 – in the remake, they became lively and logical in a cinematic way.

Tommy Angelo began to sprinkle fewer kid quotes, and your partner Sam Trapani, believe it not, has ceased to look like a flat-bottomed and unmotivated villain with no character. The only one who has suffered from an excess of talkativeness is Paulie Lombardo. By God, it would be better if there was more cardboard left. Not only is his new appearance repulsive and distrustful, but he also turned into a repulsed joker. Reusable jokes about a penis, post-alcoholic jokes and annoying behavior of the annoying uncle from Khabarovsk, who will spam you with last year’s memes and “jokes” from the Saburov stand-up. Such a rzhaka Poli does not suit the face, and the quantity and quality of roflov is surprising. In a bad way.

The new faces are no match for those sharp-edged veneers from the original. But in those lifeless squares with unblinking eyes and crooked mouths, something familiar and real could be seen. Because of the updates, not only Paulie was hurt, but also Ennio Salieri – the old man from the original caused more respect and seemed more dangerous. The new appearance and extended dialogues from the remake dulled the valuable sensations in the context of the crime story: now the boss of a criminal group is catching up with less creepiness, and hence the corresponding attitude towards risky business and dangerous tasks. 

There are more chases and shootings, the heroes are constantly joking, and when they are not joking, they unwind enemies in batches, giving out a cross between the action of Nathan Drake and the defensive tactics of the name of Marcus Phoenix. 

It would be easier to convey: this is still the same Mafia as eighteen years ago, but not according to the precepts of Daniel Vavra with his straightforward and oak game design, but according to Neil Druckmann’s manual: cutscene, shootout, cutscene, chase, cutscene. Shake, but do not mix, repeat for two dozen tasks.

Missions from the remake – exceptional cinematography. And they are built in such a way that all 10 or 15 hours of passing you will not be distracted by side quests, which are not here at all, or exploring the city. Here is a story tunnel. And if you want to see the updated Huniepop 2 not according to the plot markings and without haste, then launch a separate freeride mode from the main menu. Although the city has become livelier and more diverse, its inhabitants and buildings, bridges and parking lots, ethnic quarters and city services are a background, decoration and beautiful furniture that has little interaction with the player. 

Hydrants splash water, chairs can be punctured, and crates are shattered by explosions and gunfire. Women call the police for help, men complain about boring traffic lights, and doctors negotiate with suicides, acting out relatively live scenes on bridges to the bass roar of an emergency siren. The officers write out fines, dig into the homeless in the alleyways and, not without pleasure, snap “bracelets” on your wrists, if you exceed the speed limit, slip through a red light or, God forbid, you will run over an innocent pedestrian!

Like the old one, the new Mafia: Definitive Edition sets a special rhythm from the doorway, you know – this is a highly responsible attitude to the rules of the road, your car, partners and even enemies. No unpunished “gtash”, no dented bumpers and reckless risk. One of the best gameplay choices is leisurely rides with an active speed limiter and tactful skirmishes with an emphasis on stealth assassination. Mafia is about aesthetics. And it is only emphasized by the “classic” complexity: the police will rip off three skins from you for any violation, non-fired cartridges disappear along with the discarded clip, and on an average car you need to switch 2-3 speeds, as well as transfer the gearbox to reverse and “neutral” … 

This is similar to what was in the original. True, the modern player no longer reacts so restrainedly to the constant failures of missions due to the difficult control of the car, a short streak of life, rare first-aid kits, out of ammunition and for another thousand and one reasons, which are certainly offensive, but each is fair.

Conclusion:

This feeling was not there after the passage of Death Stranding , which tired of backtracking. This feeling did not exist even after The Last of difficult person test, which rolled along the emotional roller coaster. The new Mafia is  simpler: there are no hundreds of possibilities and mechanics, and the story itself fits into the format of an anecdotal parable about easy money, male friendship, strong love, loyalty and responsibility. This is the same, in an amicable way, uncomplicated book under a brand new glossy cover. A story of consequences, disfigured morality and heroic transformation.