Release Date: August 24, 2010
Rated: Mature
Price: $12.99 (Used)
There are not many really good mobster games out there. The Godfather series, Scarface, Mafia 1. None of which really pulled me in though. Mafia II has something that none of those other games have, and that is a great story. Easily the best part of this game is the fantastic story. Read on to find out how Mafia II comes one ingredient short of a perfect dish.
Story = 9.5/10
As far as mobster games go I have to say that Mafia II has the best story of them all. You are a very young Vito Scaletta and your father decides he wants a better life for his family. So you and your family leave Italy and head for America where you end up in Empire Bay. (New York City) The city is rough and you make friends with a boy named Joey Barbaro. Vito gets in to some trouble and instead of doing time he goes off to fight in the war. Once he comes home he hooks up with his old buddy Joe and starts doing small jobs for some quick cash. His father died and left quite a debt for his family to pay back. Vito finds himself in trouble yet again and this time there is no way out.....
Graphics - 8.75/10
I found Mafia II to be extremely detailed. Cities are filled with life and perfectly resembles the era of 40's and 50's. Characters are all detailed very well but the facial animations seem to be lacking some effect. Sometimes is looks like the character is just moving their mouth and not showing any emotion. I guess I expect all games to have facial animaions like Uncharted. All in all you will not be disappointed with the graphics of this game.
Gameplay = 8/10
The controls of Mafia II are pretty accurate. I feel very comfortable using melee attacks or switching to my gun. It is essential that you use cover at all times. 2 or 3 shots will kill you thankfully the animations and control while taking cover seem to be very fluid. This can usually make or break a game.
Early in this review I mentioned how Mafia II comes up one ingredient short and that ingredient is the replay value. There are no side missions. This is something that really gutted me because this game has such great potential and with a little more time 2K could have created something that could have really competed with GTA and The Godfather. Instead you get very large cities which act as a backdrop to a straight forward story. Yes you can walk or drive anywhere you want but you will find that there is no benefit for doing so.
There are 50 Playboy magazines hidden throughout the game but a lot of them are just laying in plain sight.
You are collecting money doing random jobs such as selling cigarettes or driving clear across the other side of the city steal some papers for a measely $50. When you do get a large amount of money you will find yourself spending a lot of it repairing your car. There is not much to do with your money that you earn. Buy some new clothes, weapons, or upgrade your car.
Sound - 9.5/10
Fantastic voice acting and an even better soundtrack. Early on when you come home from the war you will be greeted by people saying things like, "Welcome home Vito" or "Hey Vito, how you doin?". The music is great and you get about 4 or 5 different radio stations to listen to. The music also changes depending on which year it is in the game. When you get to the 1950's you will hear more songs from Chuck Berry, Elvis Pressley, Frankie Lymon, and more.
[video=youtube;3Y4gWiEmzFY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4gWiEmzFY[/video]
Overall = 8.25/10
Know this right now, this is not a sandbox game and you will be very disappointed if you purchase this game thinking that it is. This is another straight forward game but it is a good one none the less. Great graphics, music, and story makes Mafia II a game worth playing. The Playstation 3 also gets exclusive content which is called "The Betrayal of Jimmy" and it is free when you purchase the game brand new.
Pros:
Large detailed cities
Great voice acting and music
Very good story
Extra PS3 content
Cons:
No side missions
No multiplayer
Lethal suggests: Fans of mafia or mobster games will get a kick out of this one. I personally do not feel it is worth the $60 price tag since there is no replay value. The game will roughly take you 8-11hrs to complete. I do feel that this is still a game that should not be missed. Rent this game or wait for it to drop in price.
Edit - A few years have passed and for the $12.99 price, this one should not be missed!
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