User reviews

There might be some people out there who don't like this game, the main reason for this is because they are too young. I am 15 years old myself and I am what the "new" generation is playing. Games like Fortnite, PUBG and other round based shooters. They aren't used to this kind of Game. This Game is like a movie. It is interactive, suspensful and has on of the greatest stories ever made, in my opinion it is actually the best story. My family is from sicily and I love the sicilian references in this Game (Omerta, Lupara,..) The characters and voice actors are great and I don't know how the graphics was back then but I don't care because I still love the old looking graphic. You cannot compare this with Mafia 2 or GTA. I know, Mafia 2 had many new features that reminds about GTA (Shops and more free to play elements) that's why more people prefer Mafia 2 over Mafia 1 (altough I think the story is better in Mafia 1). I would still recommend to play both games, the first is a bit slower but great story, great missions but not many free to play elements and the second has a faster gameplay, better graphics (was released 8 years after Mafia 1), good story but not as good as Mafia, GTA elements and not so many italian references.

10 out of 10. The missions are great, which i sometimes used a guide to. Especially the graphics which are great. The movies are also great, and the , movie graphics aren't that different from gameplay graphics. And that it is the only vice city style game i know about that has a little romance in it. One of the best stories. I can't wait for a sequel.

This is the Godfather of games: It's really long, quite intelligent, and features gangsters. There's even a gun hidden in a toilet. It is without a doubt one of the finest games of all time ever. Full of action, with a great plot and developing characters. I'd recommend it to anyone.

When they say that games are not just graphics, I usually remember this game. Games like this make me wonder how games can entertain as much as movie masterpieces. With a very, very good plot Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven is probably The Godfather of video games, talking about its sequels Mafia II and Mafia III, although much more modern, don't get to the plot of this one.

Full of outstanding characters, difficult missions, memorable dialogues, not to mention the gameplay, radio, features, plot twists, in short, a complete game that delivers a lot to the player.

Well, first the bad news: Most of the complaints from Brandt Sponseller (June '06 review)are pretty much true; moving the character is a little easier on the PC than the PS2, but there's no doubt the game requires a lot of patience and practice. I found that using some of the mods posted for the game on the internet to be useful, and in a couple moments necessary.

So why do I like this game? Of all the computer games I've played so far, this is the only one that allows me to think. There is considerable freedom of movement, and in its "Freeride" mode, you can actually ignore the intended goals and set your own. I like to use this freedom, sometimes, just to have my character walk around the city (and other players report similar experiences). Brandt Sponseller is right to complain that there could be more to see and do; I also think there could be more interaction with some of the background characters. But the design of Lost Heaven is fairly complete, and parts of it are downright charming. (The elements of nostalgia are very clear in some 'neighborhoods' of this town.) I do think that the graphics are very rich, and in looking through the games graphics files, I have to say that the programming does quite a bit more than what the graphic files suggest could be done. I also suggest a ride through the surrounding country-side, which reminds me a great deal of rural sections of downstate New York - very pretty indeed.

The storyline of the main game mode is a known strong-point. The character we play (Tommy) gets drawn deeper and deeper into a world of cruel violence and betrayal; his success in most of the missions actually requires a moral failure; greed is expected, killing innocents inevitable, deception a virtue. Many computer role-playing games insist on these elements - but, rather frighteningly, they assume that this is human nature, and so that's how you win the game. In Mafia, there at last comes a moment when Tommy has to realize that, in winning, he's lost.

In short then, this is a game for intelligent, reasonably mature players with considerable patience. I also strongly suggest finding the online mods and downloading some of them - there are parts of the game that do require more "health-point" than are given (at least for some average players like me), but there is more than one mod that fixes this problem; there are also "save-games" that allow you to play missions that you haven't won access to; that was important for me, because not only did I have difficulty with the infamous racing mission, but I also found it boring and unnecessary (I mean, come on, what Mafia boss is gonna ask a henchman to drive a car in a professional race!).

All this sounds like the game is very complicated; but I've played games that are much more complicated that didn't allow any of the freedom of motion - and freedom of thought - that Mafia does. (I got the feeling in "Max Payne 2" that my playing moments were mere footnote to the 'graphic novel' that unfolds the game - and I don't like being anybody's footnote.) So there's the trade off: patience, some practice, some tinkering, and you get a ticket to an entire city from another era, where you can act and respond as the mood strikes you. Obviously, I think it's worth it; the readers may want to play the game to judge for themselves.

Rated M for Violence,Language and A Sex Scene.

I got Mafia for Christmas two years ago.I suggest not playing it for consoles because I hear on Consoles it sucks.If you have a good PC then rush to a video game store and buy this game.You wont regret it! FOr those who think this game is just another cheap Grand Theft Auto rip off you are wrong! Mafia is much more than that.The graphics in the game are simply amazing.The story is excellent! and the city in Mafia is bigger than the city in GTA Vice City.I still like GTA better but Mafia is excellent.The game spans from 1930-1938.You are Tommy Angelo.An average cab driver during the depression.You basically confess your mafia work to a detective and rat out your boss and fellow mobsters for protection(you will see why in the end of the game).This happens in 1938.The game flashes back to 1930.One day you have to save some mobsters from rivals who are trying to kill them.After you do you are welcomed into the mafia business and you do mafia related missions throughout the game such as murder.As the years go on you find your character in deep trouble with certain people such as corrupt politicians and rival mobsters.My only problem with the game is that some missions are very hard and frustrating.Mafia is an excellent game with great graphics,story and a very good ending.There is also a free ride mode in which you can kill pedestrians,steal cars,cause as much mayhem as possible.Then you get Free Ride Extreme after you beat the game and there are no cops to worry about so you can do whatever you want without the chance of getting shot by dozens of cops.Buy this game now for PC!

10/10

When I first started this game I was immediately sucked into it. The storyline was fantastic, it was hard for me to even leave the game to get a drink, I just wanted to know what would happen next. I loved all the characters in the game as each had there own Personality, though Paulie was my favorite. I always looked forward to watching the cut scenes, it felt as though you were watching a movie! Cars are an important part in the game and have been well researched in names and looks. Cars are the fastest way to get around the city of Lost Heaven, but if you don't feel like driving you can either walk, Take the monorail or trams. Police are a problem, they pull you over for anything, running a red light, knocking something/someone down, speeding, being seen with a weapon or stealing cars. The more serious the cases, the bigger the punishment. The music in Mafia is great, sometimes I would replay a certain level just to listen. You get a fair set of weapons in the game such as knives, knuckle dusters, bats, pistols, rifles, shotguns and Tommyguns(my favorite). The graphics in the game are great! each room has strong detail. "Mafia: The city of Lost Heaven" has everything you would expect a mafia game to have. I think this games was awesome, and that it would make a fantastic movie!

5 stars!

I would love to see this game remade with updated graphics, better character models, sustainable control mechanics (which are sometimes horrendous), and downloadable content with more levels to play.

'Mafia: The City Of Lost Heaven (2002)' is a third-person action game focused on a disillusioned ex-gangster who recounts his crimes in exchange for an entry into the witness protection program. The piece is clearly inspired by the likes of 'The Godfather (1972)' and 'Goodfellas (1990)', which isn't a bad thing. It tries to be as cinematic as possible, unafraid to tell its story with long and often back-to-back cut-scenes. This doesn't mean it is devoid of gameplay, though. Your two main tasks are driving and shooting, each as entertaining as the last. Though the game likes to take its time, it has distinct peaks of excitement. These are arguably enhanced by the thing's valleys of atmospheric busy-work, which often see you traversing the entire map multiple times a mission. For the most part, the game holds up to scrutiny remarkably well. It's fun and engaging throughout. It does have some issues, though. Firstly, some of the writing and voice-work is rather stiff. This doesn't damage the overall experience but it does make some moments feel less genuine than they ought to. Secondly, the gameplay is quite unrefined in some ways. The shooting mechanics, in particular, haven't aged too well; they're clunky, lack what are now considered basic features and often don't register certain pieces of geometry. The shootouts can still be enjoyable and tense, don't get me wrong. It's just that they're far more frustrating than they ought to be and have a generally slower pace than expected. Speaking of frustrating, the game can be hair-tearing hard at times. There are a number of missions I almost gave up on, to be honest. Little things like having to interact with a specific, unmarked portion of an object or blindly navigate your way around a bad-guy-infested maze add up to real annoyance over time. This is especially true if something the game does, or doesn't do, causes you to fail a mission (though, thankfully, the checkpoints are relatively generous). The final issue is the long and frequent load times. This is a minor problem in the scheme of things, but it still has an effect on your playing time. In the end, the game isn't destroyed by its issues. It's an entertaining and well-told gangster story. The narrative undeniably enhances the gameplay, too. Ultimately, it's worth a go if you haven't already played it. Also, if you don't own an old enough console and don't want to get it on PC, a remastered version is releasing later in 2020. 7/10

Well, maybe the PC version of this game was impressive. Maybe. I just finished playing the PS2 version and it's pretty much a complete mess.

There are a couple elements that are okay or promising. I'll mention those first because it will be over quickly. First, the idea of a historical GTA-like game is a great one. The game Gun was a historical GTA-like game and unlike Mafia, Gun was excellent. I'd love to see a game set during Mafia's era done right. Next, the storyline is well written. The story makes sense, it has dramatic arcs, it uses an unusual device (with much of the game being a backstory) and it's interesting. Finally, some of the graphics--especially those used during cutscenes--are impressive. Mafia's designers seemed to focus on getting the graphics right in the places where GTA skimped on that effort, especially the characters. Unfortunately in many other areas, the graphics kinda stink, and I'd much rather have excellent gameplay than impressive-looking characters.

The gameplay is what sinks this title so low. First off, the controls and camera absolutely suck. That has to be the first focus of any game developers. You can't release a game where the controls and/or camera suck. Number one, there's no reason that the player's character, Tom, can't have his full range of motion controlled by the left analog stick. Unless it's absolutely necessary, and it hardly ever is, I hate the set-up where the left stick moves the character in a "strafing" way and the character can only turn using the right analog stick. Here, it's not only unnecessary, it makes most of the simplest actions a challenge. For example, Tom has to climb on a couple missions. But the game is designed so poorly that you have to frustratingly keep manipulating both the right analog stick and the camera, and then press L1 every time you need to climb, or Tom will descend instead.

Next, I've never seen a worse fighting system. The first problem is that you can't auto-aim or lock on to any targets. At one early point, the game seems to tell you that you can use L2 or R2 to lock on to targets, but that never worked. So to focus on any enemy, you have to struggle with the stupid right analog stick and try to keep adjusting both the character's orientation and the camera, which tends to drift to the wrong angle or make Tom disappear all the time. By that time, you're probably getting pummeled or shot to death.

Next, if you're touching or almost touching an enemy--and that's certainly going to be the case for hand to hand combat or when using melee weapons, the fighting system--which primarily consists of tapping or holding R1, is completely useless. Enemies can pummel you almost in a bear hug, but you just can't move unless you back off. So close fighting tends to consist of you yanking on the left analog stick, yelling at the character to move away, which it won't do 50% of the time, then tapping R1 as much as you can before the enemy gets too close again and makes R1 useless. And if the enemy changes their angle to you in the meantime, you're also going to struggle with the right analog stick to get your character oriented in the right way and to get the camera in position so you can see anything. By that time, you're probably getting pummeled or shot again, and your only option will be to try to move the character away again. My fights often consisted of making Tom run circles around an area like a comedy film, hoping that I could gain enough time to struggle with the analog stick and get a couple shots in before being at the AI's mercy again. So much for realistic fighting.

And the same problems and more exist when trying to fight with guns. If you're touching someone, half the time the controller just won't allow you to fire off a shot, yet they can still riddle you full of holes. Additionally, there's no auto-aim, and the aiming system is ridiculously sensitive, even with the sensitivity set to zero under Options. Gunfights tend to consist of you hopelessly trying to aim or move away while the enemy puts shot after shot into you. Luckily or not, damage seems to be recorded almost randomly. It can take one to ten shots or more to incapacitate any character, and there's no rhyme or reason to it. You can put five shots into an enemy's head and near point blank range and they'll still return fire and hurt you. Yet, the game designers seemed to care enough about realism than they built a recoil into your aiming system, so after shots with powerful enough guns, your aim will float off target, and you'll have to fight with it again.

As for the celebrated graphics, except for the characters and textures that you're close to, they're actually pretty disappointing. The distance always seems mostly empty, and there are often expanses of flat colors and textures nearby when you're driving. The city wasn't very well designed. It's not varied enough, and there aren't many interesting things to see or do. The cars seem slow and they're difficult to control. They also all drive about the same. Some have mentioned the music, but that was also pretty nondescript. A much better job could have been done on that end. Also, as many others have mentioned, the load times are ridiculous and constant. They tend to be over a minute long, and they occur between and in the middle of everything--even races.

Overall, the Mafia port to PS2, at least, seems to have been very rushed. The game feels and plays like an incomplete hack job.

I originally got Mafia for my PC but it wasn't powerful enough to run it properly, now in 2004 I've got it for the PS2 and I just finished it today. I miss it already, it's been there ready to tell the next chapter of Tommy Angelo's story for the past 5 days. There are a lot of missions, but like chapters in a good book, I wish there were more. There's a lot of good games coming out of Europe lately, first Hitman (Denmark), then Max Payne (Finland), and now Mafia out of the Czech Republic. Lets hope there are more.

Mafia almost literally transports you to 30's prohibition-era Chicago (the city the town depicted in Mafia is based on) with slow cars, hats, and tommy guns. It's a little bit like Grand Theft Auto in the style of play, and like "It Came from the Desert" in its historical richness.

If you have a PS2 or high-spec PC it would be a crime to pass up this game.

It's a really great game for the year it was released. The story flow is beautiful enough to make you forget all the rest of the game. It has a story that can be progressed without getting bored.

One of the best mob games ever made in my opinion. Great story, characters, weapons, vintage vehicles. Wish they would make another prohibition era mafia game for the new consoles

This game is still remembered with warm feelings. The opening cinematic screensaver, the main musical theme, the upcoming long-term history of the whole world - all this is creepy. «Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven" has become a phenomenon for me personally. Despite all her gaming problems, the central plot struck. I was so impressed that I want to relive this story over and over again.

A well-thought-out plot can be compared to the best mafia films. Tommy Angelo, an ordinary taxi driver, by the will of fate becomes part of the criminal world, falling into the mafia family of Salieri. The story not only tells about his rise and fall, but also masterfully introduces themes of friendship, betrayal, loyalty and moral dilemmas. This is not just an adventure in the open world - it is a deep drama, riddled with unexpected twists and tense moments, which deserves to be filmed at least in the format of a high-budget series. Each mission feels like an episode of this series, and the denouement of the story leaves a strong impression.

The graphics of the game at the time of 2002 looked detailed. The city of Lost Heaven has been recreated with a love of detail: from architecture and streets to cars that match the spirit of the 1930s. Graphic technologies of that time allowed developers to convey the atmosphere of the era, ranging from bright signage to the sooty backyards of the city. Despite the fact that today the graphics seem outdated, at that time it was one of the most impressive and distinguished the game from the competition with its anti-culture: muted natural colors and an attempt to give the game world a natural geometry so that the realism of what was happening was really felt.

I really liked the gameplay of Mafia. Missions here alternate from calm to intense: from simple trips around the city as a taxi driver to large-scale robberies and chases. The gameplay constantly maintains interest due to the variety of tasks, including stalking, shooting, stealth missions and even racing. The mechanics of driving cars are made with realistic physics, and this gives each chase additional dynamics. The arsenal of weapons also matches the 30s: Thompsons, revolvers and shotguns give players the opportunity to solve problems in their own way.

It is worth highlighting the musical accompaniment, which perfectly complements the atmosphere. Jazz and swing of those years are heard in almost every mission, and depending on the area of the city, the melody even changes, emphasizing the overall feeling of the game. This helps to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the mafia city and the era of prohibition, making every trip through the streets and alleys even more cinematic.

The city of Lost Heaven itself is a character, alive and breathing. The streets and back streets where shootouts, races and dialogues come to life - all this creates the impression of a real mafia adventure. In the city you can meet many well-developed characters who bring their individuality and uniqueness to the game. The variety of cars that could be stolen and used adds depth and realism to the game. Every car, whether it's a luxury long-range machine or an ordinary workhorse, feels different thanks to the physical model.

«Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven" is not just a game, but a journey into the world of mafia showdowns, created with amazing precision and attention to detail. The plot, music, atmosphere and gameplay make it unique even by modern standards. This is not just a classic - it is one of those games that will forever remain in the memory, causing a desire to return to this world again.

10 out of 10.

This is set during the years of 1930-38, including during the later part of Prohibition, the supply of liquor runs under the surface. A lucrative business. Protection money, smuggling and public murders are all in a day's work. You star as Tommy(Sorvino, living up to his father's name), a taxi driver who, unwittingly, gets mixed up with Don Salieri(DiCenzo, sympathetic), who takes a liking to you, whilst hating his evil rival, Morello, who has a short fuse and no mercy. You'll work with Paulie(DeMeo, Joe Pesci-ing) and Sam(Servitto, trustworthy). It's all about family, biological or otherwise. With or against. From right away, the violence outrages you. You can't just leave, so you find solutions for the especially egregious murders. How long can that kind of double-life last? And who will come out on top in the war? While your employer is powerful, what goes up must eventually come down. Given that when you start this, they're already well-established, there's a lot of the you being told "bad news, everyone", "we're having bad luck", things go wrong, or the outcome is bad in some way. Yes, I appreciate what they're going for, still, it's repetitive and it flies in the face of the otherwise romantic and nostalgic tone. Something that owns its tragedy is Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, everything is dark, gritty, bleak. That also helps answer the other issue: no, you don't have to just entertain and give us something fun, some wins. As long as it's done right, a destructive story in a can work as well as one where "we did it!". And given that it starts down that road, maybe this should have gone in that direction: even minor victories are unpleasant, such as having to mow down cops by the dozens, betray others, etc. Sure, those happen in this, and while the former is unpleasant and the latter dramatic, it doesn't have anywhere near the same impact. Twists and unexpected events keep this from sticking too close to the stereotypes. In the last third, your guys finally take more of a proactive approach to the plot, and it gets much more interesting. The story is told by the protagonist to a policeman after the fact as a framing device, allowing him to narrate it in past tense. Doing this, he can point out a lot of interesting truths about the lifestyle, much like a work about the subject made by Martin Scorsese. The references to excellent organized crime pictures are too on the nose, and the humor can really be goofy. At one point, the two of them will briefly debate justice by law and justice by their two sides, with their sense of fairness – which is more effective, and harms less. He isn't blind to the flaws and illogical elements of that life, and will openly talk with him about it.

The difficulty is... well: It does know how to do it properly: conserve ammo and check bodies for it, aim before each shot, think about when to reload since it'll toss the clip you discarded, check bodies for ammo, seek out, and use at the right time, healing items, take care not to just run into rooms that may hold foes. It gets old-school gaming tough, to where you only beat it if you approach it very specifically, with some memorizing and using any exploit and the like, *and* getting lucky. Also being fortunate. However, it's worse: that kind was more dependable, since it was often very tightly and sharply set in place: in this, at times strange, random things will happen that make you lose even when you do exactly what you're technically asked. And unlike Aliens Vs Predator, you don't have the tools to deal with these surprises. Instead of purely relying on our skill, constructing compelling yet fair challenges, this cheaply has the enemies, even though they greatly outnumbering you, take a lot of damage before they die, any hit stunlocks, they have a ton of ammo, and recoil, firing speed and the like are ridiculous even if they are accurate. You have to hope you get them. This often needs them to come 1 at a time, or from far away, when they may crowd you instead. This is too realistic, and does well exactly what such pieces of fiction always do: make us appreciate the ones that don't go that far, because too much of it, much like life, is *boring*. Not all of it, of course... let's be honest, the majority of the time you're just passing the time until something fun comes along. That's too true of this. The 3 revolvers, 1911 and melee weapons can be hidden, 5 tops. Bat for knocking out from behind if charged, crowbar, knife and brass knuckles let you beat information out of people, and a lot of the time, your solution involves you interacting with something you wouldn't expect. The sawn-off or other shotgun are not fast or ranged enough to be very useful. Mission design is compelling, albeit ends up samey because of the limitations to the period, location, etc. You may have to take down someone who keeps surviving on chance – the bomb was triggered by someone else, the Tommygun, as it was notorious for doing, jams, etc. Leaving or entering a car might mean the AI, adversary and suicidal ally alike, will do the same. Cut down on a chase by turning and blasting them. Avoid a shootout by getting into a fast, smooth ride, possibly run some of them over.

There is a lot of blood and disturbing content in this. Women are treated as objects to be kept safe. Then other times, targeted just like their husbands who would usually be where the buck stops. This is for drama, but it does fly in the face of the otherwise well-researched and -realized world this creates. I recommend this to anyone more attracted than put off by what I write here. 8/10

The best game ever for me. Atmosphere in the game is like you are there. That feeling of mafia life, like in the movies. And of course excellent story. If you have never played this game before you should play it, its a best in this genre. I already played all games with mafia stories, but neither give me that feeling like mafia the city of lost heaven. Old cars,old guns, old buildings giving you feeling like you are living there in that time of 40s and 50s. Time of prohibition, all that turn overs in story was put in good concept. And Tommy Angelo the main character of the game have that amazing life story, the scenarist are done a great work. And of course, graphic in mafia was one of the best graphic when game was published back in 2002. Excellent game.

I love gangster stories. Scarface, The Godfather Part I, I loved those movies. Grand Theft Auto V, also a gangster game was also great. So when Mafia: Definitive Edition was free to play with PS Plus I took the chance. And what should I say, it is extraordinary!

Let me start with the story, which is just fantastic. It's quite linear but a better written story you get not so often. You understand every decision the main character makes, you really care for him and his friends. So when the end unfolds before my eyes it touched me hard. This is a story you'll not likely get often these days, so it is important that 2k games remade it for younger generations.

And that leds me to the graphics. For a remake of a 20 years old game this looks insane. You have raytracing, the city looks beautiful as hell and the characters are detailed. This is a very high quality and can compete without a doubt with modern triple A games.

And so can the gameplay. Shooting enenies never felt as smooth and uncomplicated than in Mafia. May it be the legendary Thommygun or the good old revolver every shot feels real. The combat system may be simple but that is a strength. Nevertheless the walking with the character sometimes felt a bit fuzzy but that's a minor criticism.

And then last but not least there is the music. There are only one or two themes in the game, but those are sensational. It felt like Ennio Morricone hinself had written them and they reminded me of The Godfather. This music has its place on my playlist, for sure!

So what shall I say else? Play this game if you like a good story. It's rather short so everybody has the time to play it. This game will forever have a olace in my heart as one of the best mafia stories of all time!

I got to try this for free on a promotion for the 20th anniversary of the game which for some reason did not include the definitive edition which has more modern graphics and so forth. This is based on the 2002 version. If you've never played Mafia before then the controls are atrocious on a keyboard. Hitman Codename 47 bad. I've played everything from saints row to sleeping dogs. My logitech controller doesn't even pick up on this so trying to set it up like a modern third person shooter game like this is near impossible to get the trigger buttons to work properly.

I had no idea what doors to go in and the driving to walking controls trying the typical WASD type setup is atrocious and this has to be the worst drive by shooting controls ever. Yes this was around the time vice city came out so none of this 360 stuff we're used to in GTA 5 but yeah there is no way they should still be selling this game. The only people who will enjoy this have rose tinted glasses on from the past. Similar to those who still think saints row 2 is a great game.

You'd enjoy this game just as much watching some youtubers play this while you spend 16.99 or whatever it's at right now on some takeout instead.

this game was excellent, my machine though not the best handled the game well,the graphics could use a little touch up but overall it was fantastic, the gameplay was excellent it really does take you through an 1930's Gangsters life of crime, booze, prohibition and death, the missions for the most part were hard if not difficult however there are some missions that are so frustrating that the player would need the consulte a guide of some sort, most missions however are pretty well planned out and executed perfectly. Missions range from collecting to the old good mafia hits. Overall it was an excellent journey Storyline was pretty good, you had a nice flowing storyline and it sometimes contains little moral lessons along the way, not many of those now a days Sound i had a little problem with it, some od the weapons just didn't sound right but for the most part the sound was excellent especially the music, it actually flows quite nicely, dramatic moments have dramatic music while calm moments will have nice vintage 30's music.

overall this game was excellent and is one of the best games i have ever played note: if your wondering my system is Win Xp, 2.7 GHZ, 256mb, Radeon 7000 64mb, it the game went smoothly for me.

Yes, this is an awesome game. I hope you decided to buy it. I want this company making more games like this one.

Great graphics, voice acting straight from actors from Goodfellas and the Sopranos (those Czechs were smart to get top-quality voice acting), atmospheric music you can listen to for the entire game and not get sick of.

The physics used in the way the cars and weapons work is really top notch - totally realistic. The AI was very good. The storyline is the best I've seen in an action game (and I've been playing them for years). This was a really polished product.

There are a few things people might not like: a linear plot, your game is saved automatically at points throughout the mission, but you can't autosave yourself. These things hardly bothered me at all, because I got sucked into the story, and the autosaves were frequent enough at logical locations.