The game includes Free Ride and Free Ride Extreme, arcade style game modes where you play as Tommy Angelo and can do side missions and explore the city by car or on foot while making money, killing gangsters, running from the police, and much more. However, the console version contains a Grand Prix mode which was not available on PC.
Many of the features of the PC game do not exist in the console version and many players reported that it had sluggish controls and other technical issues. It was reported that because of the grand scale of the original PC game, sacrifices were made in order to accommodate the lesser processing power of consoles. While similar games of the day were almost identical to their PC counterpart, many changes appeared in Mafia's console versions. Mafia was released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2004. Mafia was also noted for having damage physics rivaling other games of the day with the ability of vehicles to break down and sustain realistic damage from crashes.
In addition, the players must be taught how to steal vehicles before they can drive them. Cars are introduced progressively throughout the storyline, with 1920s models available early on and newer models appearing later. Another 19 bonus vehicles, including five classic racing models, are available for unlocking upon completion of the game.
Mafia offers players the opportunity to drive a total of 51 classic cars based on real-life counterparts. Changing weather and time of day add to the realism of the game. In addition to the entire city of Lost Heaven and countryside, Mafia has several detailed interior levels, including the city's airport, museum, a church, a hotel, an abandoned prison, a restaurant, and Don Salieri's bar. Mafia's gameplay consists of 21 missions that include gun and melee combat, driving, car chases, and on-foot third-person exploration. Eventually he becomes disillusioned by his life of crime and arranges to meet police detective Norman in order to tell his story in exchange for witness protection and to aid in the destruction of the Salieri crime family. Through the events of the game's story, Tommy begins to rise through the ranks of the Salieri family, becoming a Made Man while they battle the rival Morello family.
The player takes the role of taxi driver Tommy Angelo who, while trying to make a living on the streets of Lost Heaven, unwittingly becomes involved in organized crime as a driver for the Salieri Crime Family, led by Don Salieri. Mafia is designed to envelop players in the look and feel of the classic gangster movies that were its inspiration.Mafia takes place between the fall of 1930 through to the end of 1938, during the later part of Prohibition, and is set in the fictional American city of Lost Heaven. A wide variety of missions will have the protagonist racing cars, investigating seedy hangouts, and even executing hits (if his conscience will allow it). Each building is unique, providing a sense of location and allowing the players to learn landmarks as they travel through Lost Heaven.
The player will have almost complete freedom to move about the city, exploring and interacting as he sees fit. The third-person adventure in Mafia has the player moving about a 12-square-mile city, designed from authentic photographs and architectural plans from the 1930s. When he finds himself out of work a short while later, the hero is graciously welcomed to "the Family." Quick thinking and good driving skills save the day for the thankful mobsters, who make it a point to remember the main character. Fearing a quick shot to the head if he refuses, he accepts the passengers and, thanks to his excellent driving abilities, is able to help them escape the rival gang members that had been chasing them. While between fares one night, the hero is suddenly approached by two shady characters in urgent need of a ride. The player takes the role of a relatively innocent cabdriver who becomes involved in the underworld of organized crime through a random accident.