Joomla Blog Template

From 2K Czech, the makers of the Hidden & Dangerous series and the original Mafia comes it's sequel, Mafia II. You assume the role of Italian-American Vito Scaletta, born the son of a poor immigrant with a sharp wit and the determination to leave his childhood of poverty behind.  Vito gets drawn into a world of organised crime by his wise guy childhood friend Joe, as they strive to prove themselves worthy, starting with low-level jobs such as robberies and stealing cars.  Success propels them quickly up the Mafia ladder but Vito soon learns one ripple can rock the boat, violently.

At its core Mafia is a third person shooter, paired up with a mature gangster theme.  You are immersed into a fictional 1940-50's atmosphere in a big US city; a small fish in a very big pond. The story is quite involved as you follow the lead character Vito everywhere through the various twists and turns of his adult life.  Unexpected deviations create a deep, rich and involving experience.  It is a rollercoaster that will often have you think to yourself: "didn't see that coming".  Such an epic story does lend itself to some rigid gameplay, and some strict goals for the story-line missions to conform to the story.

Gameplay and controls are both very solid. Gunfights don't feel as though they're clunky turn-based affairs and instead are smooth, excitement ensuing as everyone finds their nearest cover and bullets begin to fly.  The RAGE physics engine used in Mafia 2 was developed in-house and cannot be faulted, not once did any event surprise with any odd behaviour.

Quite often during your time in Empire City you will be using your fists to emphasise your views, in fact within your first day in Empire City you'll be involved in a fist fight. Guns and associated ammo are plentiful, dropped by enemies or purchased from the many shops dotted around the city.  Each come with their own behaviour. Shotguns are merciless at short range yet useless at long range and the Tommy Gun is simply enjoyable to use in any situation.  The cover system in Mafia II is perfect, if there's something to hide behind then you will duck in effortlessly as the bullets fly.

The majority of missions are story-driven and vary from assassinations and deliveries to robberies that take advantage of unique stealth mechanics.  One particular mission will have you stalking around a huge multi-story building hiding from the security guards within, with the goal of stealing a special item contained within a safe inside.  Choose to go in guns blazing, you will be suddenly surrounded by security guards and the police. Alternatively, choose to be a pacifist and you can be in and maybe out without fuss.

You will end up clocking up a hefty body count during the rather enjoyable and lengthy gunfights .  You will be doing a lot of driving, which is good as one of the 47 achievements within the game is to drive the same car to total of 30 miles around the game world.  If you use the same car in-game, available through your 10-car garage, this will be clocked up in no time.  Achievements flow very well, there are the usual story-based achievements at the end of chapters and a good spread of gameplay based achievements varying from gun-play to car-based to the usual scavanger hunt for collectable items.

Mafia II's visuals are a real stand-out feature. 2K Czech have specifically built the Illusion Engine for Mafia II and isn't it pretty? There are times where I was just in awe of how this game looked, I was particularly taken by the way an icy road in the dead of night looked under the dim glow of rows of street lights, it was spectacular.  The Illusion Engine allows players to explore 10 square miles (16 kilometres) of Empire City both inside and out as well as the odd diversion outside of the city. The engine allows you to travel from vastly rendered outdoor environments to intricately detailed interiors without the need for lengthy load times.

Little nuisances make Mafia II unique, for instance, if you speed while passing a police car he will try to stop you and give you a fine. The same can be also be said if you crash into another car and drive off.  Sure, you can choose to run and you can also choose to not pay the fine once the cop has pulled you over.  Choices make a game feel rich with content and Mafia II delivers on that. If you happen to be running along the street and knock into someone that takes offence, then opinions are exchanged with fists.

The collectables within Mafia II are made up of Playboy magazines and wanted posters, with 50 and 159 to be found respectively throughout the vastness of the city.  Through 10 hours of gameplay I had found 3 Playboy magazines and no wanted posters, so countless hours could be spent by completionists in tracking down these items.

Everything sounds superb and in place within Mafia II. In the similar way Fallout 3 created a beautiful and surreal atmosphere through the dreary wasteland, Mafia II through music creates it's own surreal atmosphere.  You will often find yourself, having just whacked someone, driving back to your apartment bopping along to the latest hits on the choice of three radio stations.  This is both disturbing and glorious at the same time. Song choice is spot on and suits the gameplay and style for the 40's and 50's atmosphere.  It immerses you into the major events of the 40's with war propaganda flowing from all radio stations, then reaching the rocking 50's with The Monotones, Frank Loesser and Rusty Draper to name a few.

The release of the new DLC "Jimmy's Vendetta" will add to the already varied missions through Empire City. The introduction of leaderboards for certain missions\quests is rather enticing and will provide the opportunity for some competitiveness with your XBL friends.

Mafia II is a fun title which may seem to follow a well trodden path, but there are a couple of nice little elements that make it tread its own new one.  The game engine makes for a beautiful game with cutscenes that quite often resemble a feature film.  The vastness of Empire City makes you wonder if the gameplay is limited to where the storyline takes you, especially in comparison to titles in the same genre (Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto 4), fortunately this minor detraction does not effect the overall experience. Mafia II immerses you in a 40's-50's era American city through visuals and sounds that mixes fun gameplay elements, it is a solid title that will satisfy any fan of gangsters and third-person shooters.

Platform reviewed: Xbox 360

Presentation
Gameplay
Value
Overall