8 * the C lackamas
F ebruary 11, 2004
priot
'Mafia' ravivés old-style gangsters
INTERNET PHOTO
You are part of the family now, so get ready for a nonstop shotgun frenzy in ‘Mafia.’
Just don’t forget to reload now and again, or you may end up sleeping with the fishes.
Jadon Triplett
T he C lackamas P rint
■“Mafia,” just released for
PlayStation 2 on Jan. 29, is the
game for anybody who has ever
yearned for a shot at being a part
of the legendary mob during its
golden years in die 1930s.
Set in the depression era,
“Mafia” is a video game about one
man, Tommy Angelo, and his rise
through the ranks of Don Salieri’s
crime family. In the beginning of
the game, players drive clunky
vehicles similar to Model T’s to get
from one place to another. The
city in which the game takes place,
Lost Heaven, is very similar to a
‘30s metropolis, with streets that
wind through both slums and sky
scrapers.
The attention to realism and
detail is so good, it almost
becomes annoying. If players run
a red light or go just a little over
the speed limit, they can get a tick
et, sometimes from a police offi
cer walking down the street armed
with nothing but a whisde that he
blows repeatedly until the player
pulls over (or pulls evasive action).
Game play is similar to “Grand
Theft Auto 3,” but the story is
much more real and less over-the-
top than the almost cartoon-like
violence portrayed by “Grand
Theft Auto.”
Yes, players can steal cars from
hapless commuters, and yes, they
drive to get from one place to the
next, but the cars in “Mafia” are
more of a means to get players
from one scenario to another
rather than being a part of the sce
nario itself.
This isn’t to say that driving
isn’t important, because it is defi
nitely a big part of the game. At
one point, the player gets to drive
authentic racecars around a track
■after the man who was supposed
to race gets beaten up by thugs
who bet against him.
Once a player actually gets to
the non-driving part of the jobs,
the real fun begins. The third-per
son style of this game is reminis
cent of Max Payne, but with better
graphics and a richer story.
There are various duties to per
form, such as smuggling Canadian
whiskey in for U.S. citizens left
thirsty by prohibition, beating up
thugs who are terrorizing neigh
borhoods under Don Salieri’s
“protection,” or walking a lovely
young lady home from Salieri’s
restaurant (which may or may not
lead to a steamy sex scene). This
is but a sampling of the fun, as
there are many more places to
inflict destruction, including but
not limited too: a border farm, a
whorehouse and a Catholic
Church.
While the voice-over acting
isn’t perfect, and at times even
cheesy, it is authentic and easy to
imagine as emulating old gang
sters.
The writers had a good sense
of humor as well. For example,
there is a scene where players go
to get weapons for one of the first
jobs and the weapons man hands
over a baseball bat with a warning
to be careful because it belongs to
his little nephew.
Over all, I was surprised at how
much fun I had playing this game.
I was skeptical that it would be just
a “Grand Theft Auto” clone, but I
was surprised at how deeply
involvingThe game play was.
This gets 372 out of 4 stars and
I recommend it to anyone who has
a PlayStation 2 and is itching to be
a real gangster.
'The Bronze Horseman' captivates readers
Jessica LeClaire
T he C lackamas P rint
Many books have been writ
ten about World War II, but one
of the few novels to go into
detail about the famine, separa
tion, heartache and death that
occurred around 1941 in Russia,
is “The Bronze Horseman” by
Paullina Simons.
It is one book that I found I
could not put down until it was
finished.
The story starts out in
Leningrad at the beginning of
the war. Simons is able to imme
diately hold a reader’s attention
by her graphic descriptions
about the conditions of the city
before
the
war
started.
Leningrad was a peaceful city
that was soon to be interrupted
by a war that seemed to be so far
away.
The story focuses around
main
character
Tatiana
Metanova. She lives in an apart
ment with her twin brother, her
parents and her sister Dasha.
Dasha and Tatiana are not only
sisters, but best friends as well.
In the tiny apartment, they share
a room and tell each other the
deepest of secrets.
Tatiana
learns that Dasha has fallen
deeply in love but fails to tell
with whom.
Tatiada is ordered to run an
errand but is sidetracked by ice
cream. While sitting on the
bench eating her ice cream cone
and waiting for the bus, she
encounters a handsome soldier.
She finds herself to be quite
enchanted by Alexander.
It is only a short time before
she discovers that he is the one
her sister has fallen in love with.
Tatiana and Alexander feel an
immense connection to one
another. While the family is in
poverty because of the war,
Alexander is able to bring them
some of his rations for being a
soldier. He knowingly visits
when he knows that Dasha will
not be there so he can see
Tatiana.
Alexander and Tatiana fall in
love, but this passion could end
up not only destroying her fami
ly, but reveal his secret, a secret
that is almost as deadly as the
war.
Tatiana finds that the secret is
hard to keep from her sister, but
she has to keep her mouth shut
because of everything that is
happening around her. The war
had created a major famine and
food is extremely hard to come
by. People become greedy and
only look out for themselves.
Even the family turns on one
another.
The only person in the house
that keeps everyone in line was
Tatiana. She sacrifices her food
for her sister and her parents, all
because she has an open and lov
ing heart. She starves herself to
save them in this drastic time of
need. Their family begins to fall
apart. Her brother goes off to
the war; her mother and father
die.
In a struggle that seems end
less, Tatiana is able to beat the
odds with her passion, her hon
esty, her risks and, most of all,
her love for Alexander.
“The Bronze Horseman”
took me through all of the emo
tions that make for a good book.
I cried, I laughed, and the best
part was that I was able to iden
tify with the main character.
This book is not only excellent,
but is also historically accurate.
It has a surprise ending that one
can only discover by reading this
enchanting novel.
fowswiiaig Atniw« oí
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