We Need More Games Like This!
My weekend was a whirlwind of gaming as I raced to wrap up as many titles from 2025 as possible before finalizing my year-end list. That’s why, months after its release and our review, I dove into and completed Mafia: The Old Country on Sunday. And let me tell you, I really miss the days when AAA games weren’t all about live-service mechanics and sprawling open-world action-RPG grinds.
In August, the latest entry in the Mafia series, The Old Country, hit consoles and PC. This prequel, set in the early 1900s, tells a mostly self-contained story with nods to the broader Mafia universe. You step into the shoes of Enzo, a young man who escapes a grim life as a slave in a sulfur mine in Italy. He finds himself entangled with a local mafia family, and over roughly 10 hours—depending on your pace—he transforms from a nobody into a made man and trusted soldier in Don Torrisi’s organization, all while keeping a secret romance with the Don’s daughter. I had an absolute blast with The Old Country.
I’m not here to review it since there’s already a review available. Instead, I want to urge developers and publishers to create more games like this. Remember when studios invested heavily in crafting thrilling 8 to 12-hour campaigns filled with memorable moments and epic set pieces?
This was the norm during the PS2 and Xbox 360 eras, where we enjoyed a plethora of single-player, linear experiences that weren’t bogged down by expansive open worlds filled with seasonal content, battle passes, or live events, and didn’t require 200 hours to complete. For a long time, we had games like The Old Country—titles with big budgets and stunning visuals that offered an exciting weekend of gameplay, along with some collectibles and secrets to discover on a replay. Did these games revolutionize the industry or introduce groundbreaking gameplay mechanics? Not really. And neither does The Old Country. It’s a cover-based shooter with solid third-person stealth mechanics, some vehicle segments, and a fair share of engaging one-on-one knife fights.
And yes, I’m aware of the indie scene. I cover them regularly and play many in my free time. Many indie games offer shorter, focused experiences that deliver a linear narrative. That’s fantastic. But it’s not just that The Old Country is “short” compared to something like Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It also maintains the look and feel of a big AAA title; it simply doesn’t require you to invest 12 hours crafting swords and ticking off checklists. You get all the cinematic moments and high-quality cutscenes that modern AAA games are known for, but it’s all neatly packaged so you can finish it without dedicating weeks of your life. It’s refreshing and something I genuinely miss in 2025.
The Old Country seems to have performed well for 2K Games, which gives me hope that Hangar 13 will create another game like this, whether it’s a new title or a sequel in the Mafia series. I love big games that showcase the power of modern consoles and look stunning on a 4K TV. I’m just tired of needing to invest 70+ hours to complete each one.
Mafia: The Old Country serves as a fantastic reminder that games don’t have to take six years to develop; smaller, more focused titles can still be considered “AAA” and achieve success. This is an important lesson for publishers as we head into 2026.
