Mafia II is a game I never thought I would like. I'm not overly into gangster films, nor am I much into stories that are set that far into the past. However Mafia II, despite not being overly special at anything, hit the right chord with me and surprisingly ended up as a game I enjoyed very very much.
You are Vito Scaletta, born in Sicily 1925 into poverty. Your mother, father and sister manage to illegally move to the United States and you start your life working towards the good old American Dream. However your father who works on the docks drowns during his shift and leaves your family in debt. With no visible option Vito starts a life of crime with his best friend Joe Barbaro.
When a robbery goes wrong Vita is apprehended by police and given the choice of Jail or fighting in the army. The game opens in Sicily 1943 with an 18 year old Vito fighting in WW2 Sicily before quickly moving back to the U.S in 1945 where Vito & Joe begin to work for a Mafia boss, however things don't quite go to plan.
Mafia II is stuck in between two genres without ever really deciding what it is between the two. You could see it as an open world crime simulator much like GTA, something it is more commonly associated with, or you could see it as a non-linear 3rd person shooter which is what I choose to see it as. The reason for this is because though you are given opportunity to do what you please in the city, there is never anything to do besides the main mission and the day/night cycle is locked to the mission, meaning time will not progress unless you get a move on with the story.
Empire Bay is a reasonably sized map, more than big enough for Mafia II making it feel empty and unnecessary at times. Driving mechanics are well designed and a wanted system is put in place effectively following similarly to GTA's 'star' system. When you commit a minor crime and are seen you gain one star where you will be issued a fine, a bigger crime will net you 2 stars and an arrest, 3 will make officers shoot you with small firearms and 4 stars brings out the machine guns and a ruthless police force. You can earn stars by killing civilians, speeding, causing crashes and stealing cars however the police are extremely easy to escape, simply evade them till the meter empties and you will walk away a free man.
The majority of the game though is a 3rd person shooter, most of the 15 missions will take place in narrow, linear environments where you will engage in firefights with enemies until the goal has been achieved. However the shooting mechanics are rather primitive, the crosshair is overly large for someone who has military experience, this is someone who served in the army remember not Gordon Freeman, and the cover system isn't fluid and often rather clunky.
Having said that, once you get used to the games mechanics you can have a reasonable amount of fun playing Mafia II.
Mafia II looks gorgeous for a 2010 sandbox game, the colours are vibrant during the early 1950's sections of the game and environments are highly detailed. Characters models are good even if the lip sync is a bit off and the lighting engine is really something quite eye pleasing. As for sound design, the soundtrack is superb with tracks ranging from 1945 to 1951 some of which you may even recognise, voice acting is top notch and sound effects are excellent too. The game is a treat for your eyes and ears.
Like I said, Mafia II is far from perfect, its a good game though and one that both fans of shooters and sandbox games could enjoy even if the game is a bit bare & primitive at times. The story is something that has had a huge amount of love and care put into it as is really one of the best crime stories I have seen in a long time, part of this is due to the superb voice acting.
Mafia II is a game you should play if you can find it for a good price (no more than £15) which shouldn't be too hard considering the games age.
Mafia II – 8/10
+The Story
+Awesome Audio/Visual Standard
-World Feels Empty
-Shooting Mechanics Are Primitive
