Can’t wait for Mafia The Old Country? Here are 5 games to help you kill time

The announcement of Mafia: The Old Country was the best surprise of this gaming summer, unfortunately the wait will be long, because the game will see the light of day in 2025. Can’t stand it? Then try to cheat it by playing one of these 5 titles.

It is almost impossible to find a game that is identical to Mafia: The Old Country. We can not think of a single production that takes place in the criminal world of Sicily at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, there are more than one titles that reflect the style and atmosphere of the mafia saga, and that perhaps interpret the story in a different way.

THE BLACK

It may sound paradoxical, but the first game that comes to mind when you think of Mafia is LA Noire. Sure, in the detective game from Rockstar Games and Team Bondi you play a detective who hunts down criminals (in practice it’s the other way around!), but the atmosphere, the themes, the open world setting and the third-person camera are very reminiscent of Mafia.Set in Los Angeles, around the same time as Mafia 2 (between the 40s and 50s), LA Noire allows you to deal with cases such as murder and drug trafficking, but from a different perspective, that of a police officer. It is worth noting that while you can shoot and move around in the open world like in Mafia, the main mechanics of LA Noire are solving cases, which requires a lot of ingenuity and a lot of conversations with witnesses and suspects.

Yakuza-0

Cosa Nostra has inspired many stories, but Japanese crime is not bad either! If you want to experience the passion of an outlaw life and are willing to distance yourself from the world of the mafia, the Yakuza series could be a great solution.Where to start? A great entry point is Yakuza 0, which is a prequel to the entire saga, but you can also start with Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first episode, and then eventually continue with the other chapters. Unlike Mafia, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s games are mainly based on hand-to-hand combat, but at the same time they offer the opportunity to experience epic stories in the world of Japanese crime and fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the place in the shoes of the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima – without missing out on a series of crazy mini-games.

Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition

Staying in the East, we move to Hong Kong to recommend the never-so-praised Sleeping Dogs, which despite never really exploding commercially, has managed to establish itself as a small cult. Like Mafia, Sleeping Dogs is played in the third person, takes place in a large open world (a contemporary Hong Kong masterfully rendered on screen) and lets you immerse yourself in the world of organized crime. The story, however, places the player between the two worlds, as the protagonist, Wei Shen, is a detective called upon to infiltrate the ranks of the Triad to destroy it from within. In Sleeping Dogs, you shoot and drive as in Mafia, but melee combat (with a style reminiscent of Batman Arkham) also play a fundamental role.

Grand Theft Auto 5

Well, it may seem obvious, but in a list like this you can’t leave out Grand Theft Auto, since it’s the game that is closest to Mafia. Remember that the first Mafia was received with great enthusiasm at the time of its release, precisely because it was positioned as a valid and more authentic alternative to GTA 3.Well, there’s not much you can do, if you want to act like a criminal in a big open world, there’s nothing better than Grand Theft Auto, especially the latest chapter in the GTA 5 series. Sure, there’s no mafia involved and the setting is contemporary, but you can do all the typical outlaw activities (and more!).

By the way, you’ll kill two birds with one stone while you wait for GTA 6, also due out in 2025. If you don’t like Grand Theft Auto 5, you can go to 80s Miami in Vice City, 90s California in San Andreas, or 2000s New York in GTA 4. In short, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Mafia II Definitive Edition

How trite! Recommending a mafia to kill time for a new mafia! Granted, there’s a reason we included Mafia II, and you should know that if you read our special about the Easter eggs in the trailer for Mafia: The Old Country . The presentation film for The Old Country ends with a panoramic view of San Celeste, a town that can also be visited in Mafia II during some flashbacks of Vito Scaletta’s life. In The Old Country, San Celeste from the beginning of the twentieth century is brought to the screen, while in Mafia 2 it is possible to visit it during the Second World War, in the middle of the Allied advance in Sicily. Nevertheless, it seems like a great way to get familiar with those places, which in Mafia The Old Country are also supported by Sicilian dubbing. And then there is no better way to prepare for a new chapter than to play the previous one: if you don’t feel like playing Mafia 2, you can also dust off Mafia 1 and Mafia 3, all available for purchase in the Definitive Edition.

Bonus: The Godfather and The Godfather 2

The Godfather and The Godfather 2 aren’t exactly easy to find and play (that’s why we’ve included them in the queue and as a bonus), but they make for excellent alternatives to Mafia as they deal with the same themes and are also based on the famous work of Mario Puzo.The Godfather was released between 2006 and 2007 on PS2, PSP, PS3, PC, Xbox 360 and Wii, with The Godfather 2 following 2 years later on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. They aren’t available digitally, so you’ll have to head to the second-hand market to pick them up, but they have everything you could want from a mafia game, from the story of a young scion looking to climb the hierarchy, to brutal intimidation, feuds, blackmail and more. The Godfather 2 also offered a real-time tactical view (revolutionary at the time) to keep tabs on the criminal activities of an entire city. If you can’t get your hands on them, at least rediscover The Godfather 1 and The Godfather 2 with us.