There have been a slew of open world games this generation, from the action packed and over the top Just Cause 2 to the deep and engaging Red Dead Redemption. Although different in aspects such as setting and combat, a common structure can be traced back to each title: you must complete a fairly direct set of story missions or veer off into the world and search for side quests while experimenting with the weapons or vehicles you are offered. With all this freedom, sandbox games are expected to be filled with endless hours of entertainment and continue to please long after the credits roll. This is why I was surprised when I found myself at the final cut scene of Mafia II around the nine hour mark. I never came across a side quest, and found little reason to stray away from my instructed route. And to be honest, I enjoyed those nine hours more than the time I have spent with any other open world game’s story. Mafia II dares to be different, and succeeds in almost every way.
The story follows World War II veteran Vito Scaletta, the son of Sicilian immigrants who is desperately trying to escape the poverty that consumed his childhood. Hearing on the streets that becoming involved with the Mafia is the only route to wealth and respect for someone of his social standing, he and his childhood friend Joe descend into the world of organized crime. They must go from job to job, starting small but gaining respect from those in a higher position and risking their lives to become made men. Although Vito is doing anything he can to find his fortune, he is not emotionless or cold. He loves and protects his family, yet will kill absolute strangers if he is directed to by those who have the money he wants. He is a man of conflicting personality traits, making him a complex and compelling character to follow. Joe, on the other hand, is a simple man who only needs babes and booze to stay happy. He is a fantastic contrast to Vito, and one of the most entertaining and comical character ever seen in a game.
Around every corner of Empire Bay is another mafia movie cliché, yet each moment has just enough of its own personality to feel original. The stakes continue to rise as you climb the ladder, but the game never takes your attention away from Vito. Your actions never determine the fate of the world or anything monumental. You always feel like you are working for your own needs or getting yourself out of a harry situation that stemmed from a bad choice made by Vito. This small scale approach makes Mafia II feel more relatable without forcing you to super impose yourself on a faceless protagonist with no voice of his own. You quickly learn to care for the characters, making each twist and turn that much more exciting or, in some cases, heart breaking.
Along with Vito and Joe, the city of Empire Bay takes a leading role in Mafia II. Each citizen seems unique, and the era appropriate music adds to the overall atmosphere. Just walking down the stairs from Joe’s apartment, you will see men knocking on doors aggressively or maids cleaning floors while giving you an odd stare. A young man may be leaning against a wall while flirting with a nervous girl. Everyone feels like they are living their own lives and not solely walking on a directed path.
The city and characters are beautifully crafted, both technically and artistically, but aside from the main story quests, there is little to be done there. Here is where many gamers will be split. If you love to search every corner of an open world in order to find collectables, complete side missions, and make dozens of hours fly by; this is not the game for you. There are a multitude of Playboys scattered across the city, and I suppose you can spend those dozens of hours with this (less on the collecting, more on the appreciation of your collection), but other than this odd addition there is little to be done. For many other gamers, they see an open world game and appreciate the scope of the world but are intimidated by the seemingly unlimited tasks to be completed. If you fall into this category and love an engaging, direct story, go pick up Mafia II.
The story may be linear, but you still need to drive long distances to get to your destination. The vehicles feel just right for the time period, and it is a joy to turn on the radio and hear “Baby it’s cold outside” during a striking winter scene. There is no fast travel and many times you will groan as you once again drive back to Joe’s, most likely at the speed limit. Although a nuisance at times, it feels right. There is a massive amount of detail put into every aspect of the game, and just “teleporting” from place to place would weaken the authenticity. Because of the importance of travel, I have never cared for a vehicle in a game more. I found myself stopping at lights, thinking about who had the right of way, and yes, driving the speed limit. Mafia II pulls you into its world and it sure is difficult to find your way out.
What is a good Mafia story without explosive gun fights? Mafia II plays like many other third person cover based shooters, with added terrain destructibility. As you unload your Tommy gun, you will see bottles shatter, doors collapse, and bodies fly. Each gun feels brutal and can quickly deal death to your enemies. The realism is very present in the gunplay as well, as Vito is not an inhuman bullet sponge like many other game heroes. After just a few shots, you will find yourself sprawled on the ground. Going guns a blazing is almost never an option and you will often find yourself popping up from cover quickly to take advantage of the slight auto aim system and then quickly hugging the closest crate or wall after popping a dude in the head. Luckily, there is a forgiving checkpoint system. Yes, there are a few times where you will load your game back up and sigh as you must drive all the way back to your destination, but for the most part it is fair.
Mafia II will be a polarizing game. Many will praise it for the engaging story, authentic setting, and solid gunplay. Others will see it as a missed opportunity. A large, beautiful city with nothing but a linear story within. Mafia II has been one of the most pleasant surprises for me this year. This is story telling done right, and anyone who wants memorable characters and an emotional tale that will not soon be forgotten should look no further.
With E3 starting next week, 2K Games revealed the biggest E3 line up they have for the year
Only game iam waiting for is for mafia 2 nothing else intrest me well only Metal gear solid peace walkers but ill get that soon
nice. waiting to see what mafia 2 and spec ops the line has too offer. not into rts games, so civ 5 not for me, and not too familiar with x-com series.
GF365: "There are some games with extraordinary visuals that impress us to this day. Here are old games with outstanding graphics."
Same as Killzone 2 and 3, uncharted 2 and 3, Infamous 2, Heavy Rain, Resistance 3
I wish this was entirely true, but you might want to load up Killzone 2 and Resistance 3 again.
@jason I watched some gameplay videos of KZ2 and R3 on my full screen. They are on par or succeed graphically to the first person shooters mentioned in the article that also launched on the seventh generation of consoles. Try the same and see what you think
Killzone 3 was super impressive! I could not believe the graphics back then as I was regularly pausing the game to stand in awe looking at the surroundings! Resistance however did not impress me that much. Heavy rain is also another amazing graphically speaking game. It almost felt next gen
I always thought the first 3 Gears of War games looked great and still hold up for today.
They did for their day. I recently played gears judgement with on the 360 and the draw distance was so blurry. The characters up close look great though
Far Cry 2 was awesome. In addition to having demonstrably better physics and AI than later games in the series, it had a lot of design decisions that, criticized at the time, have since been praised in games like BOTW and Dark Souls.
It might not be super amazing by today's standard but I thought Mgs3 looked really good
Today, Mafia: Definitive Edition showed up on Microsoft's Store. The listing was immediately taken down not before a lot of people saved the screenshots.
Honestly, this is the only game that has me excited. Currently all the games now I have lost interest in gaming not the same. But this.... I'm so down for this. I only played Mafia 1 a little bit because I was introduced at Mafia 2, which I loved. I'm bias though because I love that time era of the mobsters.
SPOILER OF MAFIA 2 SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
I love how the setting changes completely after you are released from jail. From snowy to colorful. Vehicles, music, clothing. It was amazing and refreshing. It felt like you really did spent time in jail. It was so immersive for me. Amazing.
There's so many good and great games coming out literally every week, it's baffling to see someone say something like this.
Not to mention the older good and great games you haven't played.
People like lovemetal is more of a casual gamer. He just so happens to frequent game sites.
Mafia 2 is awesome, it is my all-time fav game. The environment is so fresh, you really get into the game. Finding out papalardo kiling your father, seeing your mother die while in jail. The Post WW2 environment where people are happy, dancing, christmas. Its so great, I am so happy.
I was so excited for the mafia 2 remaster we've been hearing about the past few months, so I ordered mafia 1 for PS2. It literally showed up the day they showed mafia 1 remake. It figures, but I am so hyped they actually remade the first game.
The first game is the only one i want. Amazing game and one of the best games ever.
The next GTA 6 should dwell into that era. Not appealing to the masses but would be perfect for it
GTA can dance in any era if Rockstar would get back to being confident again.
Grand theft Auto is all about sales That's the biggest IP for take two so don't expect them to take a lot of chances with that IP
Maybe since they did three characters for Grand theft Auto v maybe they can do more than one location within the game universe and the player can fly there drive there is etc etc
Great game. But the city is too empty. Nothing to to outside of the main missions.
It is quite the game. However, when it was all said and done I figure it would've made a better movie
It's such a great game, i'm so surprised its average rating is only 7.6
but I played it on PC for free