Playing Mafia never felt so good

Image: Screenshot: Mafia II
Photographs: 2K Games

When I started playing Mafia II, I was a tad apprehensive about the setting. I prefer my cars fast and the radio stations loud, but the more I played through the game, the more I found myself appreciating the car mechanics and the swing music blaring from the radio.

It was a time when respect meant everything and men stood up for what they believed in. In that respect, Mafia II nails the 1950s down perfectly.

Mafia II is no Grand Theft Auto, which means it isn't an open-world game. Yes, there is a large sprawling city that warrants a certain amount of exploration, but it's mainly just a way of travelling from one mission to another.

Once you understand that and don't expect the game to play out like a GTA clone, you can fully immerse yourself with what this game has to offer.

The writer is an avid gaming enthusiast.

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Playing Mafia never felt so good

You play as Vito Scaletta, the son of an Italian immigrant trying to live the American dream. His old man ends up hitting the bottle, leaving Vito to fend for his mother and sister.

Like any man looking to make a quick buck, Vito soon succumbs to unlawful activities with his close friend and confidant, Joe Barbaro.

A run in with the law on a job gone wrong sends Vito to the army as punishment and after serving a quick stint during World War II, he returns home a war hero still aspiring to lead the good life. This once again drives both him and Joe to a life of crime.

The only difference is that this time they find themselves in way over their heads and this 'rags to riches story gone wrong' forms the crux of the story.

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Playing Mafia never felt so good

It may be cliched, but Mafia II's plot comes to life thanks to some excellent voice acting and likeable characters.

Both Vito and Joe come across as your everyday kinda guys who, while not killing people, would probably make real good drinking company. They've been friends a long time and this camaraderie comes through really well throughout the course of the game.

There's also a fine cast of supporting characters who could have just as well stepped out from Goodfellas or The Godfather (if stereotypes bother you then this game is not meant for you).

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Playing Mafia never felt so good

Game play in Mafia II may be conventional (you know, the third person cover based shooter variety) but gunfights are a ton of fun thanks to the game's authentic arsenal of firepower.

You have pretty much all the weapons from that period, such as Tommy guns, shotguns, the M1 Garand and more, all of which pack a real punch. The PC version ships with Nvidia's PhysX technology that adds in a whole new layer of destructibility to firefights.

Concrete gets chipped off from walls, wooden objects break and splinter in a thousand fragments and every shot fired from your weapon kicks up a ton of smoke and rubble on impact. It's all very kinetic and visceral provided you have the necessary horsepower.

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Playing Mafia never felt so good

Visually, Mafia II is sublime and Empire Bay comes to life thanks to developer 2K Czech's propriety Illusion engine. This engine enables them to render the world with great detail, especially during various seasons such as winter and spring. The game has a ton of effects that you probably won't even notice, such as snow flying off gently from your moving car.

But it's small things like this that really help immerse players into the game world.

On the flip side, it's a little sad that such a well-realised and detailed world doesn't offer much to do in it. Even after you finish the game, you cannot free-roam in it, which does cut down the replay value significantly.

And since there isn't a multiplayer mode either, the only time you would head back to Empire Bay is to probably replay older missions or check out the DLC that should be available soon.

This minor shortcoming aside, we wholeheartedly recommend Mafia II. It has a riveting story, interesting characters, intense game play and gorgeous visuals all wrapped up in a sweet eight-hour package.

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Playing Mafia never felt so good

Like I said, it is not an open world game and once you fully understand that aspect of the game, you will love pretty much everything Mafia II throws at you.

(+) Good story, interesting characters

(+) Great visuals

(+) Solid combat

(-) Limited replay value

Score: 8/10

Title: Mafia II

Developer/Publisher: 2K Czech/2K Games

Genre: Action

Age rating: 18 (Suitable for gamers above 18)

Platforms: Xbox 360 (Rs 2,499), PS3 (Rs 2,499), PC (Rs 499)

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