“Mafia could be classed as two games in one, racing and action, but linked by the background story.” In the film The Usual Suspects, the main suspect told police in flashback sequences what had happened in return for immunity: that same scenario is played out in Mafia. Meeting the police in a local bar, your, at present, nameless character divulges what he has been up to over the last ten years, who was responsible for particular crimes, his involvement, etc. Why? Because the Mafia are trying to get him and his family ‘concrete overcoats’ and he wants protection. Reminiscing, you will act out the scenes described. “It isn’t a story of a criminal climbing up the ladder of dubious success in an attempt to become ‘Crime King’, it’s a tale of the life of someone who joined and worked for the Mafia.” Having read many books, America of the 30’s being a particular passion, most of what Vávra learnt has become the foundation of the game. To create the perfect illusion of the 1930’s, the team constructed a model of an imaginary town and has brought it to life by including anything and everything they could think of to bring it to life. Using hundreds of period photographs, they have created a town of over 100 square kilometres with hundreds of unique buildings matching those seen in America during the time of prohibition. “We wanted to create a game that will allow the player to experience the lifestyle of a mobster during the time of the prohibition and all that was a part of it. The player will be able to live through everything connected to the 30’s, including wild car chases, shootouts, bootlegging, and racketeering. What we believe makes Mafia different from other similar titles is that ours not only tries to recreate the atmosphere of the times, but it mustn’t be classed as an action game. We have concentrated on the graphics, physics and mechanics of the game to make it the best in the genre. A professional scriptwriter has written the story whilst a film director has been drafted in to ensure the animation is like a film.” And who are we to argue?