8/10
This is exactly the kind of remake I like to see. It feels meaningful, it modernizes the game without losing what made it special in the first place.
Looking at the game itself, I really appreciate that it offers a more focused experience instead of trying to become a fully open-world sandbox. As someone who enjoys mafia stories, I also like that it never forgets this life is ultimately a dead end. That perspective gives the story much more weight.
Tommy Angelo and the supporting cast are genuinely memorable and easy to care about, which is one of the most important things a story like this needs. Mechanically, I think everything does its job well enough, and the visual overhaul makes both exploring the city and simply taking it all in a nostalgic pleasure.
The changes to the ending were the cherry on top.