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Mafia II
PlayStation 3
World Record for Profanity - Not Much Else
2.5/5 stars
Mafia II from 2K games is a followup to the well-regarded first in the series. I bought the Greatest HIts version on PS3 just before the new generation came out and it had been sitting there, just waiting. I finally got around to this, hoping for an open-world experience similar to Grand Theft Auto but 2K dropped the ball in my opinion as the game, while open world, is far too linear, filled with tired cliches and a lazy story. Aside from the excellent period setting (and music to go along with it), it's hard to find anything else truly endearing. Even with all the DLC included, it's hard to say whether I came out on top of this deal.
Presentation: The game doesn't look too bad (for last generation) but it still suffers from clipping issues. There were a few times I thought I was stuck, but I managed to ease out of each situation without having to restart. It never crashed or froze on me, either. Still, it feels just so generic. The setting is an amalgam of New York, L.A., Chicago, Boston and Detroit, but despite the vast amount of locations, the game isn't variee enough to have much impact and the area (especially compared to the GTA games) is incredibly small. Plus, there's just not a lot to do outside of the assigned missions in each level. The only collectibles are wanted posters and Playboy magazines (yet, featuring actual Playboy models - ooh la la) - otherwise, you follow a set path. That is the game's greatest weakness - a distinct lack of "open world" rather it's go here, shoot these guys, drive here, talk to this guy, and on and on. You can buy a few suits, steal some cars, eat a hotdog - but it all feels lame.
Where the game does standout, however, is its setting. We're talking WWII and post-WWII America. The early part of the game takes place when you come back from the war in the mid-1940s, the war isn't over. It's fun to hear the news as they update you with what is going on in the world and the music is also spot-on (even if there's not that much to choose from). But where things really get fun is that you are sent to prison and come out years later - 1951 to be exact. Everything changes, from the cars and the way people dress to the music (early advent of rock n roll makes the music even better). It's a nice change of pace and was done quite well. I just wish the rest of the game had followed suit.
Story: Although praise has apparently been given to the story, I didn't find is all that compelling. The main character (you) is Vito Scaletta, who is born in Sicily to a poor family who emigrates to America, only to find things not much better. While his father slaves away at the docks, Vito becomes friends with a local hood named Joe Barbaro. When their antics finally get them caught, Vito is given a choice of prison or the army. He decides to fight and gets shipped off to Italy, where he actually fights in Sicily before being wounded and sent home. Once there, he learns Joe has made some connections with the local mob. They help him get forged discharge papers and he begins working for local made man Henry Tomasino, who works for one of the local mob bosses, Alberto Clemente. When a ration stamp job gets him sent to prison, he meets Leo Galante, a consigliere for a different mob boss, Leo Galante. He is given some history as well as starting a feud with the Irish gangs. When released, he learns Joe has decided to work for the final mob boss, Carlo Falcone. The rest of the game is the power struggle between the three families - as well as the relationship between Vito and Joe. The Chinese Triads get involved, as does a Jewish loan shark, an FBI informant and plenty of death. The game is also known for having the most profanity, specifically the most f-bombs (at 397). It doesn't help in my opinion as the story (to me) wasn't that engaging, nor were any of the characters. Others may have liked it, but, must like the rest of the game, I found it lacking.
Gameplay: Typical third-person shooter. The game gives you a variety of weapons (from pistols to shotguns to rifles) but there aren't that many huge shootouts. You also can get molotov cocktails and grenades on occasion. While the game is a sandbox open world (you can drive anywhere before missions), the game itself is too linear. You have a mission, drive there, do your thing, drive home, save - next chapter rinse and repeat. As stated, there are no side missions and the collectibles are worthless. Other than scrapping cars (or exporting the more exotic models) there is nothing to do outside missions. You can buy a few outfits or rob stores, eat a hotdog on the street, listen to the radio - but there's not much else to do. There is a little variety to missions - very limited stealth (I actually wish they had more of this), some car chases, some big shootouts, even a break-in, but nothing that really gave me a "wow" moment. I tried the DLC - which is more akin to GTA, but never got into that, either. Overall, while the gameplay isn't bad - there's nothing here to get too excited about.
Replayability: Once you pass the game, you can choose chapter to select to start over any previous chapter, but it's there mostly to get the collectibles you may have missed or other trophies that are level-specific. Otherwise, I don't see the point of playing this one again.
Overall: Sadly underwhelming in almost every aspect. I never got to play the first one and I'm hoping the third entry is much better - though I'm in no rush to buy it now.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Replayability: 2/5
Overall (not an average): 2.5/5
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