It has flaws, but Mafia II is still an enjoyable and story-driven game filled with funny & well-designed characters.
One thing that you should expect from this game is a good story. Why? Because after the fantastic plot the first Mafia game offered us, I expect nothing less from its sequel. But does Mafia II give us a good story? Yes. This is achieved through a strong narrative, good writing, engaging cutscenes and characters with great voice acting, that the player can relate to and be entertained by their dialogue. The most successful feature of this game, out of the ones listed, are definitely the characters. Speaking of which, the characters in this video game are simply amazing. And it isn't just the protagonist; it's also his family, best friends/worst enemies and anyone else he comes across.
But what is the game actually about, you ask? It's about two best friends who've known each other since they were little kids, treat each other like brothers, what they have to go through and how they get caught up in a lot of business with a Sicilian Mafia and other dangerous gangs. The protagonist of this tale is called Vito Scaletta. Son of a poor immigrant, he and his friend Joe Barbaro end up working for an infamous Mafia, and from there on, things get complicated… very complicated!
When you look at Mafia II, you see a realistic and good looking game. There is plenty of detail around the environment, not a lot of low resolution textures visible at all & character models and cars are beautifully designed. Facial animation is fantastic, it suits the voices of the actors and how their characters wish to express themselves. Overall, all of it looks quite believable and I only have two complaints about Mafia's graphics. Firstly, some advanced antialiasing to smooth out all of the rough edges would've helped loads. And secondly, there tends to be a lot of screen tearing when the camera moves rapidly in interiors of buildings, but thankfully it is much less severe when outside, driving around the city or shooting enemies.
Since this is a game that revolves around violence, there is obviously a lot of shooting you will be forced to go through in Mafia II. In that case, the most important thing is if the shooting mechanics work well and if gameplay is fun or not. That being said, yes; Mafia II is very fun to play. Because this game uses regenerative health (like almost all other games released at the time do) you will have to depend on cover a lot. The cover system in Mafia II works very well, allowing you to take cover behind pretty much everything, as well as to quickly pop out of it and shoot.
The other thing you will do a lot of in this video game, is driving. Whether it's testing out a new ride, escaping from the cops, or driving to the next objective during a mission - you will do A LOT of it. Fortunately, just like with the cover system and shooting, driving works well too. Two other games that are similar in gameplay to Mafia II are: "Grand Theft Auto IV" and "Saints Row 2". GTA IV's driving was very realistic, but sometimes it was too realistic to be fun. While SR2's driving was much more fun, it did not feel like driving a real car, therefore it just wasn't as satisfying. Mafia II's driving strikes an almost perfect balance between both of these games; it is simply fun, but feels believable at the same time.
One important fact to consider before buying this game is that it takes place during a time period of eight years, from 1943 till 1951. This means that there are no modern sports cars, no modern weapons, and no modern songs on the radio to listen to while driving in your car. I, personally, am fascinated with what the United States of America were like during the early '50s time period and hearing some of my favourite songs, while driving a beautiful corvette - I enjoyed. On the other hand, if you prefer more modern settings, or if there is something about this particular setting that you may dislike, then you may not like this game.
Speaking of Mafia's setting, it is important that when a developer chooses one specific setting for their game, they actually make the player feel like they're there. I'd say Mafia II succeeds at that fairly well, especially when playing in the winter of '43, watching bombers fly over the city and hearing war propaganda on the radio sets the mood very well and creates a powerful atmosphere.
Mafia II is classed as an open world game, sandbox. But is it really? Sure, you can wander/drive around the fictional city of Empire Bay for as long as you like, but there isn't that much to do here. You can steal cars, tune them, repaint them, change the plate numbers, customize the rims etc. You can also visit shops, buy new clothing and expensive suits or rob stores, sell stolen cars for scrap or export, if you find an expensive one. Okay, but all of those things, they really aren't that interesting and can't be done over and over again because they become boring.
For example, you customize a car - you end up with a very good looking ride, you love it. Yeah, that's awesome. So what do you do from there? You drive to a store, you rob it. If you don't succeed, you can run from the cops for additional entertainment. Sure, so what from there? Maybe you drive to a clothing shop, just to spend the stolen money on a suit you probably already own, just in different colours. Okay, so then? You steal some cars, you export/scrap them. Yeah that gets boring fast. So then all you are left with is the next chapter in the story. See what I mean? And all chapters in the story are very interesting, but there just isn't much to do other than those. Thankfully, the story takes around 15 hours to complete. It could have been a bit longer, but that's just one playthrough and there are also trophies and in-game collectibles (such as playboy magazines or wanted posters) that you will spend more time on.
Pros:
+ Atmosphere of the '40s & late '50s time period is well recreated
+ Shooting is fun and the cover system works well in combat
+ Deeply developed characters with great voice acting
+ A good amount of detail on the environment, characters and cars
+ You can replay any chapter at any time, as long as it has been completed
+ Stealth gameplay sequences are very well designed
+ Empire Bay looks beautiful, especially during winter
+ Cars and clothing can be customized to some extent
+ Cops will fine you if they catch you speeding and can be bribed if you commit other crimes
+ You may become wanted if the cops get your description
+ 2 hours worth of fantastic cutscenes with humorous dialogue
+ Playboy magazines… he, he
Cons:
- Not enough stealth sequences (only around 2 of them in the whole game)
- Ending isn't as satisfying as the first Mafia's was
- Screen tearing, especially with interiors
- A few very minor bugs, but none that serious or game-breaking
- May not appeal to people who dislike violence, swearing or the '50s setting
- Not much to do other than the main story chapters
- Some people may not like having a speed limit, or refuelling cars in games
- Playboy pinups work as cheap entertainment for mainly only male gamers
- You no longer lose remaining ammo in a clip when reloading, unlike in the first Mafia game
- You no longer get fined for running red lights, unlike in the first Mafia game
In the end, Mafia II is fun, entertaining, funny, action-packed, fairly atmospheric and good looking. The two major things that I'd like to complain about are: one, there are no interesting or story-driven side missions, so the player is left only with story chapters; and two, the lack of advanced antialiasing & the presence of screen tearing is evidence of a bad port. But these two complaints aren't enough to stop you having a total of (probably around) 20 hours of fun with this game. Mafia II is a great game, but it does not match the original Mafia released back in 2002 and it may not have reached all of your expectations after eight years of waiting. However, fan of the series or not – Mafia II is still worth a try.