🎮️ Mafia’s Back, Baby - And It’s Surprisingly Good

Good morning!

I booted up Mafia: The Old Country this week expecting jank and disappointment… and instead got a stylish, surprisingly heartfelt trip to old-school Sicily that had me yelling “mamma mia” in the best way. It’s moody, it’s beautiful, and yes, it’s very Mafia.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gaming world is absolutely unhinged: Epic’s winning lawsuits, Itch is fighting for its NSFW soul, and Ubisoft’s leaking remakes faster than my old Fiat leaks oil.

In this edition, we’ve got:

• A new Mafia game that actually slaps

• Adult game censorship wars (because of course)

• Epic vs. Google, Round 27

Here’s everything you need to know this week in the world of gaming.

TOP STORY

I Tried Mafia: The Old Country... and Fuggedaboutit, It’s Actually Great

Look, Mafia: The Old Country isn’t here to reinvent the wheel – it’s here to drive a gorgeous, rusty, early-1900s Sicilian car through it.

Set long before the events of the original trilogy, this prequel plants you in the leather loafers of Enzo, a nobody with big mob dreams and a surprisingly decent reason for joining the life. It’s all set against a beautifully recreated Sicilian backdrop full of moody alleys, dramatic sunrises, and enough Italian tension to cook pasta in.

This game isn’t for the grind bros who need 200 hours of side quests and XP bars. It’s a tight, 12-hour narrative ride through a world that feels lived-in and cinematic. Voice acting? Chef’s kiss. Story? Solid. Gameplay? Look... it’s fine. You shoot, you sneak, you occasionally stab. But that’s not why you’re here.

You’re here for the vibes.

Technically, it runs well – which in 2025, for an Unreal Engine game, is about as rare as a stable Bethesda launch. It’s $50, it respects your time, and it feels like a true Mafia experience, not some bloated sandbox mess with tower climbing.

If you’re into story-first games with strong atmosphere and mob drama? You’ll eat it up like Nonna’s Sunday lasagna.

LATEST NEWS

GENERAL

• GOG is giving away a selection of adult games to protest censorship - These 13 games will be free to download for the next 48 hours.

• Epic just KO’d Google (again) – Another court win for Epic, and Android’s walled garden just sprang a few leaks. Sweeney's grinning somewhere.

• Itch.io is reorganizing its naughty side – Adult indie games are getting shuffled around thanks to payment drama. Gamers, avert your innocent eyes.

• Stop Killing Games actually made a difference – Campaigners say they’ve changed the timeline. Probably didn’t mean that literally, but it is the internet.

• Ubisoft accidentally confirmed Black Flag Remake – Well, the actor did. Then they tried to sue him. Smooth.

• AMD takes over Steam CPUs – Over 40% of Steam users now run AMD chips. Intel bros, it’s time to sweat.

• The Sims 5? Not so fast – EA admits maybe stripping players of 400 DLC packs isn’t cool. Growth!

• Mastercard clarifies its gaming stance – Apparently they don’t hate video games. Good to know, plastic overlords.