Experience an engaging 1940s mob saga with captivating storytelling and authentic period atmosphere
Experience an engaging 1940s mob saga with captivating storytelling and authentic period atmosphere
Pros
- The city and period atmosphere are very realistic
- Close attention to detail
- Excellent graphics
- Challenging and interesting missions
- Engaging and graphic fire fights
Cons
- The game can get repetitive
- The pace is very slow
- Jumping is not possible
Explore the Criminal Underworld
Anyone who has ever dreamed about stepping into the shoes of a mafia boss and ruling the criminal underworld will be able to live out their fantasies in Mafia II. But is the game a dream come true or a dreary nightmare? Find out by reading the review.
With Mafia II gamers have the chance to play the role of Sicilian criminal Vito Scaletta. After arriving in Empire Bay, Scaletta wastes no time in getting involved with the local gangsters. His main ambition is to climb the criminal ladder and become a boss so that he can rule this violent world.
The story of Mafia II is compelling and the characters tend to be memorable. The voice acting is very good and helps draw players into the action. The game is set in the 1940s and 50s and the attention to detail really helps to set the scene and make the game more realistic.
Some of the highlights of Mafia II include going to brothels, getting involved in a shootout in a bar complete with details such as bottles exploding around you and finding a mob attacking one of your friends. All other great film moments from this type of genre are here and waiting to be enjoyed in the gaming world.
The world of Mafia II is packed with cops, cool yet shady characters, hookers, and much more. The world feels so real at points that it almost feels like it will jump out of the computer and into your room.
However, this tends to be marred by being repetitive, while the pacing is rather slow. Certain actions such as driving across the city just to pick someone up and then driving back across the city to shoot someone occur time and time again. Although it would be less like real life, it would be much better if players had the option to skip all the tedious driving and simply cut straight to the action of the next part of the game.
At first glance, it appears that players will be able to embark on a large number of different types of side missions and jobs. However, the reality is that these seem to be sadly missing, making it feel as though the game is rather incomplete. The world around you often feels rather empty and it becomes painfully clear that the other characters are only put in place to interact with your character rather than having their own tasks to perform.
After a few hours the slick game play almost melts away and players are left with a game that glitches and freezes from time to time. Perhaps the creators did not test the game as thoroughly as they intended, or maybe the testers got bored with the game part way through and simply gave up. Either way, the great start that players are sure to enjoy just doesn’t manage to go the distance.
All of the elements in Mafia II are set up to promise players a great game. However, the great graphics and story cannot make up for the succession of boring moments that have to be gone through just to get to the good stuff. Fans of films such as The Godfather will still find plenty to keep them entertainment, but the wow factor that the star of the game brings wears off a bit too quickly.
Pros
- The city and period atmosphere are very realistic
- Close attention to detail
- Excellent graphics
- Challenging and interesting missions
- Engaging and graphic fire fights
Cons
- The game can get repetitive
- The pace is very slow
- Jumping is not possible
Pros
- Characters with a rich and interesting backstory
- Packed with action from start to finish
- Crisp and solid graphics
- Wonderful story line
Cons
- Game can sometimes freeze on the older PCs
- The gigantic sandbox world can feel like a tease
- Pressing a button to leave cover and shoot can be somewhat of an annoyance
Mafia 2 showcases the fact that mob life can be brutal. Not only do your best friends betray you for some extra cash, but also a steep prison sentence is always around the corner. Playing Mafia 2 on the PC gives you the chance to enjoy the world of organized crime from the safety of your own living room. Mafia 2 has great shooting, great stealth and great fist fights. On the one hand, you do not have much to do outside of the story line, and the huge open sandbox world can sometimes feel like somewhat of a tease because of that.
When the game delivers, it delivers big time. The areas where Mafia 2 excels make it go on a big level. For example, you have a story-heavy game from the 1940's and 1950's. Most gamers will find that the story is the biggest draw of the game. You play as Vito, a Mafia member who wants to climb the ranks of his crime family to become the capo di tutti capi or the godfather. While Vito understands the consequences of his actions, at this point in the story, he is in too deep, and he is enjoying the many pleasures of mob life. The story itself has masterpiece voice acting from big names like Robert Costanzo and Ray Iannicelli.
The story takes place in a place called Empire City, where most of your mob missions will take place. You can tell you are living in the 1940's and 1950's because you hear a lot of wartime propaganda that fills the radio waves. The game goes deep into detail, and the game developers did a great job at creating a multidimensional game. You can rob stores and sell cars for some extra cash. Nevertheless, this can feel somewhat redundant because a lot of the guns and ammo that you can buy at the store can be picked up off the enemies that you kill. Also, most of the time you will be more focused on moving from one story mission into the next. The action is so good that you almost forget about the negatives of the game.
Mafia 2 really delivers a powerful punch with vibrant sound effects. The way it sounds and causes your remote to vibrate adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the game. You do have some mundane missions where you have to drive your friend to the doctor, but his life is on the line. You also have some incredibly exciting missions in Mafia 2, and you will feel wrapped up in the plot line that showcases mid-century mob drama.
Pros
- Characters with a rich and interesting backstory
- Packed with action from start to finish
- Crisp and solid graphics
- Wonderful story line
Cons
- Game can sometimes freeze on the older PCs
- The gigantic sandbox world can feel like a tease
- Pressing a button to leave cover and shoot can be somewhat of an annoyance
