Original Xbox Remake Now on Xbox Series X and Free for Some

An original Xbox game, remade, is now on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and it is free for some. This is now back-to-back months of original Xbox nostalgia for modern Xbox fans following the release of the Halo: Combat Evolved remake at the end of July. Where that remake unfortunately disappointed many, this one should not. And where that remake costs $50, this one can be had for free, for those looking to still satisfy their OG Xbox nostalgia or who simply need something new to play.

Back in 2002, developer Illusion Softworks and publisher Gathering of Developers — the latter of which was acquired by Take-Two Interactive and the former of which was absorbed into Hangar Games — released Mafia, one of the best mobster games of all time. In 2020, a remake of this game, dubbed Mafia: Definitive Edition, was released by the aforementioned Hangar 13, which is fitting given the history of the series. This was two months before the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were released, so the remake was limited to Xbox One. Now, six years later, it has a new Xbox Series X version, and this version is free for anyone who owns the game on Xbox One. Those who don’t can remedy this for just $6 because right now it has a special launch sale. And Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S users seem to be enjoying this new version of the game, as it has a perfect 5/5 stars on the Xbox Store right now.

Substantial Upgrades

A free upgrade for a simple port wouldn’t be that noteworthy, but publisher 2K could have easily charged for this. There isn’t any new content, but it takes the games from 30 FPS to 60 FPS, which is a huge upgrade for an open-world game, or at least a semi-open-world game. And it does this at a 4K resolution.

As for the game itself, the 2020 remake has a 79 on Metacritic, a very solid score, but still an underrating, as it is a very impressive remake. And this is reflected in its very positive user review scores across the Internet.

In it, you play as Tommy Angelo, a hardworking cab driver turned into a Mafia wheelman, who climbs the ranks to a lieutenant in the ranks of Don Salieri’s crew, one of the biggest crews in the Italian Mafia, and a crew in a brutal war with the vicious Morello crime family. What Tommy will find out, though, is that not everyone in the treacherous underworld of Lost Heaven has his back.

Whether via a free upgrade or for $6, everyone who likes mobster entertainment should play the Mafia remake. The original game doesn’t hold up very well, which is why it needed this remake, and this remake is one of the best examples of a video game remake in the 2020s.

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