Mafia 2 is a lot of fun, but it could have been a lot more with a couple tweaks and additions.
Gameplay:
Mafia 2 puts you in the shoes of Vito, who has just came home after fighting in the war back in Italy. He comes to the United States to be reunited with family and his best friend, Joe. Joe. having been involved with the mafia, helps out Vito in terms of 'making money'. The storyline goes on from there as you adventure around Empire City doing a handful of jobs, whether its wacking a man on his front lawn, or illegally selling cigarettes. You will find yourself often having to just play the main missions throughout the singleplayer, since there aren't really any side missions. There are also no break from the campaign, after you finish something you have to engage in another mission immediately after that. This is disappointing because you have this whole free world for you to roam and you can't use it because you never really have time. Otherwise, the story really is amazing and the characters are great. Its like watching a movie, you are attached to each character and by the end of the game you might even get emotional. (i cried for several hours)
The shooting in this game is fantastic. Its a third person shooter so taking cover is essential. The guns feel absolutely great, engaging in wars against other gangs is tons of fun, and missions never get repetitive. There are a huge variety of guns that are all equally as fun to shoot (buy them from gun stores) The only problem is that there aren't as many gun scenes as there should be, which leaves you wanting more. The map for Empire City is the perfect size, you do need to drive around to get from A to B, but the drive won't be that long. The cars are fun to drive in this game, and the ability to upgrade engines and play around with features of your car make it even better. Then of course the little things like getting drunk at the bar and robbing stores just add to the fun. In addition to the shooting, Mafia 2 incorporated hand to hand combat. They did a really good job with this, as you have good control over your character, and its really fun to beat the crap out of some people using your fists. Its too bad most of this was short and sweet, this isn't a 6 hour game, but it isn't very long.
Graphics & Audio:
The graphics in this game on things such as the seasonal changes in the city and cars are very well done. Still, there is much room for improvement when it comes to other things such characters. At one point in the game, a guy was eating food from a plate and he stuck his fork in the plate and and then put the fork in his mouth, but nothing was on the fork.... The sound is this game is solid, the cars each have a distinct sound, guns are good and voice acting is great. Nothing better then hearing the flesh of someone getting pounded in the face by a fist.
Lasting Value:
This game should keep you occupied for a good amount of time. The single player definetly could have been longer, it took me about 4 days to beat (not playing all day) and the lack of mulitplayer doesn't help. There are DLC's that have came out or are coming out with helps the value of the game, i would certainly take another run through the game to screw around a bit.
Decision:
Mafia 2 is a great game. The gameplay is fantastic when it happens, the storyline sucks you in like a good movie, and its just plain fun to do each mission. Graphics and audio are solid, but the lack of mulitplayer really hurts the game from being as good as it could be. Its also disappointing that the sandbox isn't put to good use. Mafia 2 is just about worth the $60 dollars, but to make it last longer you need to buy DLC. I personally rented it, but i wouldn't mind running through the singleplayer again. If your thinking of buying this you should, but a rental may satisfy those who are unsure of a purchase.
Gamplay: 9
Audio: 8.5
Graphics: 7.5
Lasting Value: 7.5