Developer: 2K Czech
Publisher: 2K
Series: Mafia
Release date: August,
2010 (Original Mafia II), May 2020 (Definitive Edition)
Platforms: PC, Xbox
360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4
Genre: Action-adventure
Mode: Single-player
Well this is a
surprise no one saw coming. IT’S ANOTHER GAME REVIEW I’M WRITING!!! Last one
was like 7 months ago, I think? And it was about FlatOut 2 and its enhanced
port, Ultimate Carnage. During the 7 month drought period, I decided to look up
on my account for new games to play, since I grew a bit bored of the ones I
already had. I saw I had “Mafia II Definitive Edition” and decided to quickly
check it out. After a brief research on the game, I decided to download it and
give it a shot, thinking I might get bored of it quickly.
Oh how WRONG I WAS!!!
PLOT
That’s me, Vito Scaletta, born in Sicily 1925, Guy on the right, is my good friend Joe, a loudmouth wiseguy who can get himself into trouble by doing absolutely nothin’.
Before diving into the spoiler-less plot summary of the game’s story, I need to preface that despite the game being a sequel to the first Mafia game (which came out in 2002), newcomers can start with any Mafia game in the series, as the plots of each game are different, but characters do tend to show up in each instalment, and each Mafia game has a different protagonist to play as. They aren’t as tightly connected as the Yakuza games, for example.
The story
follows Vito Scaletta (voiced by Rick Pasqualone), a young individual who moved
to America at the age of 7, with the Scaletta family seeking better life in the
“Land of opportunity” and to achieve the “American Dream”. Growing up, he
witnessed just how harsh reality was, seeing as his father would end up in
early grave from overworking whilst still remaining in poverty. He would also
encounter his best friend and partner in crime, Joe Barbaro (voiced by Robert
Costanzo), the neighbourhood bully. Together, they commit mischievous deeds
that grow from petty to downright criminal. At 18, Vito gets caught during a
jewellery robbery with his friend. Joe escapes, but Vito is arrested and given
an ultimatum: join the army to clean his mischievous records or go to prison.
Vito chooses the former and serves the army. After receiving an injury during a
battle, he’s given a one month leave to return home. It is then when he
reunites with Joe and his family, that the wheels of fate begin to go. Instead
of returning to the army after his brief stay, he decides with the help from
Joe, to forge an “honourable discharge” letter and enter “the business”, where
he discovers that there’s something much bigger and scarier than the omertà.
GAMEPLAY
YOU SHOOT LIKE MY SISTER!
The game is a 3rd
person open world action-adventure game that’s mostly driven by the story
itself. The game is set in the 40s and 50s, with the first quarter of the game
taking place in the 40s, while the rest of it is in the 50s. The city is New
York- I mean Empire Bay, with New York being its main inspiration, while taking
elements from Chicago and San Francisco in some parts.
 |
| The game nails its mid-20th century atmosphere to a T! |
Believe it or
not, the Mafia games are very much close to the Yakuza series rather than the
series people mostly compare it to: Grand Theft Auto. Story takes centre stage,
with gameplay being close behind; you have to initiate a chapter before being
given the “freedom” to roam around the city, you have a complicated, yet
somehow clunky melee combat (will elaborate on that in a minute), collectibles,
and some goofiness here and there, but not Yakuza levels of silliness. Despite
this, you end up shooting people, stealing cars and trying not to die when
people do the same to you. So the game is 55% Yakuza, 45% GTA (in terms of
gameplay). With this we can move over to the other aspects of the gameplay,
such as…
DRIVING
Hey, I told you this ain’t no TANK!
Driving in Mafia
is very engaging and rather entertaining, if I say so myself. You are given two
options to choose on how to control your car: Simple and Advanced. Simple is…
Simple and straightforward. You drive as if you’re in an explosive
action-adventure movie. Advanced is more grounded, realistic, and any mistake
can be costly (especially during a chase, and ESPECIALLY DURING THE EARLY
CHAPTERS), but it feels satisfying once you get the hang of it. As if you’re
really participating in a chase between mobsters. With cars that sound raw,
handle like a dream, and are 1:1 recreation of the real deal (except their
names), driving in Mafia II is a joy!
One thing that
you cannot prevent from happening, whether it’s on Simple or Advanced, is
ramming into a wall or into another car while driving way too fast results in a
Game Over screen. So try not to do that. There’s
also a speed limiter button that limits your speed to 40 MPH. Had to look this
up because I forgot I used it.
Before entering
any car, you must make sure to have your trusty pick lock (unless you’re
hijacking a converter) to unlock it. Or punch through a window to get in. Use
the second method only and ONLY if you’re…
COMBAT
Not bad, Vito! Not bad at all.
Combat in this
game is divided in two: Guns and Melee. Guns are pretty good and satisfying to
use. You get to use pistols, shotguns, grenades, tommy guns, and a machine gun.
You can purchase ammo or weapons at shops around Empire Bay. Don’t forget to
cover when in a shootout, though.
Melee is… Very
weird. It’s neither bad nor good. It’s clunky at best.
Melee combat can
occur even outside story related missions. You enter in a 1 on 1 arena ring
where you have the options to strike with light or heavy punches and dodge
oncoming attacks. The combat feels much grounded with no bullshit and over the
top shenanigans sprinkled all over.
Imagine you’re watching an actual street fight, but both fighters have a
hard time hitting each other due to being super clumsy. That’s how the melee
combat feels. Even when you get the hang of it, it still feels weird. But the
finishers are very brutal, and some of them can be classified as Heat Actions!
While we’re on
the topic of combat, cops play a role here. If you’re seen stealing a car, or
going on a Postal rampage, or even carrying a weapon in public, the cops
will try and stop you… WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE! The more you resist, the tougher
the cops become. And get this: getting away with a car is not going to work,
because cops will remember the license plate of the vehicle you’re driving, so
it’s best for Vito to go to the nearest mechanic, change the license plate (or
turn the crappy Ford Model T into a street racing machine), go to the nearest
clothing store to change his usual bomber jacket for a good looking bright blue
trench coat with a fedora, and go to one of the local bars to meet up with the
family and restore his energy.
All in all, the
combat in this game is satisfactory. It truly feels like you’re rattling them
wise-guys for trying to outplay you in the business.
COLLECTIBLES
 |
| Had to find this one on the LostHeaven.cz, because most of the Playboy photos are blurred out. And this one isn't even that vulgar with its nudity... |
 |
- Why don’t we go back to my place and play house? You’ll be the door and I’ll slam you. - Oh, that was bad. |
The game
contains collectibles. They just exist, I suppose. There are collectibles that
you unlock as you progress through the story, such as showing the characters of
each chapter as if they were part of some classic mobster film from the same
period. Others are game artwork. There are however actual collectibles you can
obtain and find by playing the game. Wanted Posters and Playboy Pin-up posters.
Wanted posters are just there for reading into someone’s history, and the
Playboy posters… Now I have to say, they don’t really belong in the game’s
period (all of the posters you find range from the 60s), but all the babes are
eye candies. I can see why Playboy was so good back then.
MUSIC
Whenever music
is mentioned in my reviews, it’s inserted during the same segment I’m usually
talking about. This is one of the few games that breaks this tradition. The
music in this game is EXQUISITE! The original soundtrack, composed by Matúš
Široký and Adam Kuruc, is a work of art. From the main menu theme, all the way
to the final cutscene, it is simply a master piece. On top of the main menu
theme, the following two are some of my personal favourites.
Original
composition aside, THE GAME HAS MUSIC FROM THE 30s, 40s AND 50s. AND YOU CAN
LISTEN TO THEM WHEN DRIVING AROUND TOWN! AND THEY EVOLVE AS THE YEARS GO BY!
THIS SOUNDTRACK IS… PERFETTO!
Right Steve?
Suuuuuure, Derek…
FINAL THOUGHTS
I picked this up
because I wanted to try something new. Now I’m hooked with the series. The
characters, the deep stories, the music, the vibes, the American mob lifestyle.
This is my new obsession right now. My only real criticism of this game in
particular is that it’s way too short. I was expecting the story to be longer,
but it wasn’t. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, however, despite its short length,
it gives players what they want: a thrilling and an emotional drama about a guy
that just wanted to live the easy life.
The game had
DLCs… Which I haven’t played. They’re sub-par from what I’ve seen, because they
feel rushed.
I played the
“Definitive Edition” of the game, as the original Mafia II had some issues
running on modern hardware, despite being more than capable to do so? Didn’t
run into any major issues, and I had a blast. I will definitely get to play the
first Mafia game (not its remake, as I don’t have that one) and will probably
do a review of that one as well. This has also made me realise how many games I
have that haven’t played at all, and they sit collecting virtual dust. Same can
be said for my review. Some of the games I have reviewed have sequels that are
waiting to be plastered in my pit of writing. Will get to those someday.
But Mafia III? Sorry
kid, that one wasn’t part of the deal…
Ѓорѓи
„GioGio“ Илиев
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