While Mafia II has somewhat linear gameplay it provides a great cinematic experience.
GAMEPLAY (8.0) - It's important to note that Mafia II is not a sandbox game in the traditional GTA fashion. Players looking for a game that will provide countless hours creating mayhem and destruction will probably be disappointed in Mafia II's more deliberate pace. It does take place in an impressively realized open-world, but its tightly scripted story never encourages the player to stray far from the campaign path. This is intentional as it allows the developers to closely direct a narrative that would not be helped by numerous side missions or optional quests not directly serving the story. Mafia II revolves around a fairly simple mission structure that typically involves Vito taking a long drive out to the objective, completing the requirements then heading home before the next mission.
Gameplay consists of car chases, gunfights, fistfights and a little stealth as well. Gunplay is a straightforward third person cover based shooter. Occasionally the cover system did not seem to provide as much protection as expected but the authentic weapons as well as the destructibility of the environments and gory death animations kept the battles intense and enjoyable. Fistfights used simple controls, consisting of light and heavy attacks and blocks. Some of these fights became a bit more difficult than necessary because of questionable camera angles but never to the point of being a gamebreaker. Car chases were a bit unique in that it felt like the cars handled realistically for that era. Some players may get frustrated in that they won't be able to take corners at high speeds without losing control but it really adds to the feeling of authenticity that the game is striving for. This also includes the fact that many times during the game the player will have to drive across the city instead of instantly arriving at their destination, an annoyance for impatient players but not a problem for those who are willing to immerse themselves in the rich atmosphere.
PRESENTATION (9.0) - The game's visuals do a great job in creating the desired atmosphere. Raindrops splash across roads and sidewalks and when it's snowing the snow can be seen accumulating on the parked cars. Pedestrians walk along the sidewalk and windowshop at storefronts, cars honk if you stray into their path and the police keep a eye on proceedings. There is also an exceptional amount of detail put into the architecture of the city, adding to the realism. Though the non-story interactions are pretty much limited to selling stolen cars, buying clothes or looking for collectibles the player still feels like he is in a living city. There were a few frame-rate stutters but these tended to happen during cutscenes and were not that noticeable. The soundtrack is terrific, allowing players to switch radio stations while driving and find a large selection of 40s and 50s songs which fits the tone of the game perfectly. The voice acting is also excellant, as would be expected from a story driven game.
VALUE (8.5) - Mafia II should take most gamers anywhere from 12 to 15 hours to complete, depending on whether they are purposely trying to get the game finished as quickly as possible or are playing the game at the pace the developers intended. In my opinion those that aren't willing to play this game at the correct pace probably wouldn't have a very enjoyable experience, and this simply might not be the best game for them. Extra time can be invested in trying to find collectibles, which include wanted posters and Playboy magazines. Mafia II is fairly generous in handing out achievements, I ended up with 810 points after my first playthrough, playing at the medium difficulty. Admittedly there isn't much reason to play this game after the first completion, though another 100 points are available for playing at the hardest difficulty.
SUMMARY - This review is a bit on the short side but this is due to the fact that the game revolves around the story, and there's not too much that can be said without the risk of spoilers. Suffice to say this should be enjoyable for anyone that has an interest in gangster lore from the mid twentieth century. Mafia II earns its M rating with a liberal amount of profanity and violence as well as the Playboy magazines unlocking centerfold pictures from the 1950s era. While there isn't the large collection of side missions available in a sandbox setting Mafia II instead put all of its efforts into providing a compelling tale by providing memorable characters, fascinating dialogue and enjoyable cutscenes in a detailed city that has a great atmosphere.