Mafia II review

2K's highly anticipated 'Mafia II' has ended its first week on the market  as a number one seller in the UK. The demo, which launched a month ago, disappointed almost everyone and since its retail release, both critics and consumers have had very mixed opinions about the game. It's such a pity because, truth be told, with six years of development, it's unlikely 2K Czech's game will end up being profitable and the worst thing that can happen to a major title is being incapable of fulfilling high expectations. So let's talk why 'Mafia II' could've, should've been better.

The first Mafia was released in 2002 and it wasn't a bad game at all, matter-of-fact the mob game received very decent reviews and it introduced us to this kind of appealing lifestyle where having power and influence is the main goal. A nice introduction to the mob gangs and crime families that showed us the huge potential of a sequel. Now eight years later, 'Mafia II' finally hits the stores. Set in the mid-40s and early 50s, 'Mafia II' tells the story of World War II veteran Vito Scaletta and how he gets into one of the most relevant crime families in Empire Bay and becomes a made man. The linear storyline progresses through 15 chapters, all connected with two hours of amazing in-game cutscenes with very good animation. You'll probably find yourself more than once watching these small movies with your hands on the controller, waiting for the action to commence. In 'Mafia II' there's no alternative, you need to follow a selected path, otherwise there's no progression at all, so you'll soon find you get stuck watching Vito walking down the streets with no purpose. 'Mafia II' has a movie feeling to it. The cutscenes carry the weight of the game and it probably wouldn't be worth playing without these richly worked and leading scenes. The unforgettable mistake comes when there's too many movie clips and too little gameplay. The lack of missions is very noticeable and a bit frustrating when you've played for a while. The game does not work with a variety of mission in the same way GTA does, Mafia II's only intention is to guide you through a well-told story and get you to the end. There's always something you have to do, there's always a point in your map where you have to go, someone you have to meet. And that's it. This is why the open world offered up in this self-called sandbox is useless most of the time. There's no point in going out and exploring because there's nothing else to do outside of the mission, all of which take place one at a time, by the way. So when you're done with the chapters, you're basically done with the game, and it's longevity doesn't help matters in this respect. Empire Bay is detailed and full of life. This fictional city is said to be based on San Francisco and NYC, with influences of Chicago and Detroit. It's a real shame this open city with so much potential is not taken advantage of. You will only get into bars and clothing stores, to choose between a few types of drinks and suits. The city and the atmosphere of 40s and 50s are, with no doubt, one of the best sides of the game, but the lack of interactivity is very telling. The creation of this unique environment is helped by an outstanding original soundtrack and a very good selection of songs playing in three different radio channels and in two different eras. This is the beautiful part of Mafia II, it's so elegant it will remind you of a classic old fashioned movie turned into a videogame with a Mad Men effect. But in the end, the only thing you will do is a lot of is velocity-limited driving (if you don't want to be pulled over by the police), a lot of watching and a bit of shooting and fighting. 'Mafia II' wants to be honest with the player. When we look back to the 40s and the 50s, we see that the main purpose of a gangster was to make easy money, and not simply go around shooting and killing people for no reason. That's why the game is very realistic. Playing Vito, you will have to steal cars and sell them, steal jewellery or sell illegal tobacco. Also, if you're not careful, in the middle of a shoot-out you could be dead in a minute. It only takes a well-placed shotgun from one opponent, trust me. Outside of the missions and combat, one of the games outstanding features is its cars, these are a very good reason to play. You can tell from the beginning it's one of the most worked aspects of 'Mafia II' gameplay. There's several different types of cars, different models, different ways to drive them and even different ways to customize them. Depending on the car you're driving, you'll get different responses from it because each car has it's own mechanic and behaviour. In the end though, you will eventually tire of driving around in circles to get to the mission that awaits you. 'Mafia II' is an outstanding cinematic production with excellent environments that commits unexpected mistakes,such as being way too short or too easy to play in the normal mode of difficulty. The lack of vision from 2K Czech has cost the game the brilliant masterpiece everyone was expecting. Empire Bay ends up being a sophisticated waste of space rather than a sandbox map to explore and interact with. The open world of Mafia II should have been an incentive for the players to have more freedom and not to result in the kind of useless storyline the game offers. Who knows maybe the upcoming DLC will make the amazing Empire Bay profitable, but if that's the case then maybe if should have been on the disc in the first place. 'Mafia II' is all about the story, but that could very well be its downfall.

Rating: 7.5/10

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