Mafia - Xbox

• Start out as a hitman, enforcer or getaway Driver -- you'll have to complete missions to earn the respect of other mobsters, plus Don Salieri himself.
• Deal with rival Morello family while controlling your rackets -- see if you can run all the gambling, extortion, smuggling and prostitution in the city.
• You'll need patience, skill and accuracy with a Tommy as you fight your way through 20 dangerous missions.
• High-speed car chases, bootlegging, assassinations, bank robberies and more -- you'll have to do it all and avoid getting caught by John Law.
• Just remember, your actions have consequences -- don't hit any innocent people unless you want heat from the cops, and don't cross Don Salieri unless you want to wear cement shoes!.

Product Description ------------------- Join the struggle for power as you rise from a lowly cab driver into the ranks of a 1930's mafia family. Explore over 12 square miles of an intelligently simulated city; engage in more than 20 action-packed missions ranging from mob hits to car chases; 60 realistically modeled cars with faithfully reproduced physics and over 12 weapons to stop anyone who dares to cross your path! Review ------ When we reviewed the PlayStation 2 version of Mafia a few months back, we cled that the game didn't age well and wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it was on the PC when it originally released. With the arrival of Mafia on Xbox, many of the issues that plagued the PS2 version are nowhere to be found. The loading times that stretched on for well over a minute have been shaved down to a reasonable 10 seconds. You'll also notice that the visuals in this version are a bit cleaner and the lighting effects showcase a higher level of realism. The one area where the title hasn't made any strides forward is gameplay. If you had problems playing GTA because you felt that the gameplay was clunky, Mafia will make you pull out every last strand of hair. Not only are the character controls a bit awkward, driving a car from the 1930s that has about as much horsepower as a Rascal scooter isn't exactly a mind-blowing experience. Thankfully, with compelling storytelling, and one ingenious mission after another, Mafia has enough firepower to keep you playing until the end. Concept: Travel to the 1930s and join the Salieri family in this gritty action game that delivers a remarkable story and unforgettable missions Graphics: Smokes the PS2 version in both lighting effects and load times Sound: There's nothing quite like the crackle of a Tommy . The soundtrack is also a nice collection of thirties jazz Playability: The on-foot sequences are a bit stiff, and the cars just aren't that entertaining to drive Entertainment: The inventive missions and mobster-heavy story make an otherwise mediocre game very enjoyable Replay: Moderately Low Rated: 8 out of 10 Editor: Andrew Reiner Issue: June 2004 2nd Opinion: It's not even fair to call Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny a video game – it's more like the solitaire programs that come preloaded on PCs. I'm sure the Xbox-owning Yu-Gi-Oh! fans (all six of them) will appreciate a chance to play the game without getting Cheetos crumbs on their precious cards, but everyone else will choose to play something that's actually fun. –JEREMY Rated: 7.5 out of 10 Editor: Matthew Kato Subscribe to Game Informer ( http://www..com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000AN45D/ ) -- Game Informer Review