Mafia II Review

Gaming Platform: Sony Playstation 3

Genre: Action-Adventure

Manufacturer: 2K Czech

ESRB Rating: Mature 18+

Designed by Illusion Softworks, the sequel to its original game Mafia, Mafia II triggers the gamer into an era of the fictitious mob underworld of 1940s–1950s. This new presentation imbibes all the ingredients of its prequel, integrating it with the features and experiences, which were being eagerly awaited by the fans of this game.  This game is a mobster narrative; it has hand-to-hand as well as car-to-car gun battles. The game’s cinematic feel, with defined characters and storyline, makes this game highly engaging for the players. High-adrenalin shooting coupled with high-octane car chases makes this game undeniably the best Mafia title till date. It is a third-person shooting game which gives the gamers an insight into the merciless world of the Mob. Mafia II is an expansion of the original Mafia, which was a hit among the gamers, as much as 2 million gamers around the world were captivated by it. The new incarnation of this game makes this journey into the crime world darker and much thrilling. The brilliant soundtrack of this game makes it even more immersive and thus, providing a complete gangster experience to the gamer.

Story

Mafia II is loosely inspired from Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather”, the story of this game revolves around Vito, who is the son of an underprivileged immigrant. Vito is an Italian American, who is trying to make a living in the land of opportunity, the United States of America. In the quest to become rich, Vito gets consumed into the world of organized crime. Vito’s childhood had been maligned in poverty, and therefore, he is greatly influenced by the wealthy and powerful life of a gangster. The story shows the descent of Vito, who is a petty criminal along with his friend Joe, in the organized crime world. Together, Joe and Vito work to prove themselves to the Mob and try to make a reputation on the streets of an unforgiving city.

Key Game Features

• Next-Gen 2K Czech Engine: Mafia 2 is powered by the next-generation 2K Czech engine, this provides the players a complete gangster experience. This game is a complete evolution of the original Mafia game, there are gun-battles, hand-to-hand combats and vehicular explorations. All these features integrated with the new engine provide a new depth and dimension to the gamer and therefore, provides a never before experience of thrill and excitement.
• Gangster-Movie Experience: Through a compelling narration and a strong, authentic characterization, the dark storyline makes a user understand the complexities of the life of a gangster.
• Action-Packed Gameplay: Hand-to-hand combat and gun battles, provide an adrenalin rush beyond imagination.
• Authentic Script: The script-writing team of Mafia has returned with another action-packed script. The story brilliantly portrays the tale of gangster; this truly is a tale of survival, amity and the pitfalls of pursuing the great American Dream.
• Music as Environment: A brilliant background score sets up the mood of this game brilliantly. The game features music from Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Dean Martin,Little Richard, Muddy Waters, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Bing Crosby, Bill Haley & His Comets, The Chordettes, Bo Diddley, Rick Nelson, Eddie Cochran, The Champs, The Drifters, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, The Andrews Sisters.

Gameplay

Set in the 1940s–1950’s in a fictional city Empire Bay, Mafia II provides an amazing visual experience. The Empire Bay city is based on Chicago, Los Angles, Detroit, San Francisco and New York. The map of this game is about 4 miles, and the game features 30–40 vehicles and licensed music to recreate the old era. The firearms feature Thompson submachine gun, the pump-action shot, MP 40, MG 42, Beretta 38, Colt 1911 and the M3 submachine gun.

Interaction among the objects in the game are in two modes, these two modes are standard and violent, if a gamer is stealing a car, he can choose to either break the window or pick the lock, the demand of the situation defines the action of the gamer. There is complete overhaul of the checkpoint system and a map is included in the game. Also, there are some new controls included in Mafia II; these controls allow a user to hide behind objects while shooting enemies, in the older version, the player could only crouch behind generators, walls or crates. Also, there are “cut scenes”, 2K Czech has stated that the games cut scenes are created in real time by the game engines, there are no predefined cut scenes, therefore, the game is much more closer to reality.

ESRB Rating

Mafia II has a rating of M, this means that the game is meant for a matured audience; therefore, the users of this game should be at least 18 years of age. The rating is given to this owing to this game’s extreme violence and language.

Price

Among the modern Playstation 3 games, Mafia II is probably one of the most effectively priced. Paying US dollars 27.99 for this game is actually a reasonable bargain. Although, this game may not provide extreme trill to a gamer, it does have some very scintillating and engaging moments, therefore, the low-pricing of this game provides excellent value for money.

Issues

Mafia II is far from perfection, this game has amazing graphics and in terms of the looks, the game is brilliant from the word go; but the linear story line and lack of side missions or multi-player gaming leaves a gamer feeling cheated. Once the duration of the game play is over, which is actually very short, this game has nothing new to offer. Although, the PS3 version of it has downloadable content, the game falls flat on the variety department. The game will not provide hardcore action, if a user is looking for Red Dead Redemption kind of high-adrenalin action, this should not be his/ her pick. The mechanics of the game are also not up to the mark, surely the look of this game has been enhanced greatly, but owing to this, gameplay has suffered greatly. The prequel of this game was a treat and therefore, it was being one of the most eagerly awaited games, but it fails to impress greatly.

Verdict

Mafia II has some great moments, but the gameplay is really of a very short duration. It has some very tedious missions, brilliant music, an authentic storyline, brilliant characterization, adrenalin-pumping action and amazing graphic. What more a gamer demands from a game, also, the game is priced reasonably. Surely, the game has loads of technical snags and lack of side missions or multi-player gaming lessens some seasoning, but all-in-all, the game is good.

Rating: 3.5/5