The sequel to the 2002 game, made by a little company called Illusion Softworks. Mafia was received as a Grand Theft Auto-esque game except a bit more serious, with a refreshing plate of realism.
Now: Illusion Softworks is better known as 2K Czech (under 2K Games), and Mafia 2 was released back in August – so, does it live up?
After being such a fan of Mafia-Prime, I was surprised when I convinced myself not to bother with the sequel, but after the STEAM sales (when it was knocked down to £4.99 – whoo) – I changed my mind.
Right. Now the obligatory introduction is out of the way, here’s the GOOD bits about Mafia 2, and to kick things off: the story.
I was amazed by the story in Mafia 2; it had me hooked from start to finish. The only downfall was how it was structured:
The story in Mafia 2 was amazing and I was hooked from start to finish, and the only downfall here is how the game is structured, which is only ruined because of the short length of the game.
You start out coming home from the war and you join your old mate Joe in some legit criminal activities. But it’s Christmas time in the late 40s: the roads are icy, the music’s irritating and the cars are generally poor.
After some nice jail-time, you get out during the 50s and Joe introduces you to the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll! It is here that the game takes off, but you’ve spent almost half your time in the snow running errands.
I also include the voice-acting and cut-scenes in with the storyline, which was equally brilliant. This was probably the first game where I watched every single scene, and I certainly have never felt so immersed just because of the soothing voices.
I will now lump the rest of Mafia 2 in to one section, which may not do it justice, but it makes life easier, because the game is simply split into two bits: storyline and gameplay.
I was pleasantly surprised with the gameplay in Mafia, the gun-fights were great fun and I really wasn’t expecting it. But I have literally just realised that the main thing in Mafia 2, is Realism.
Thinking back, Mafia 2 was so realistic! You shoot someone, they died, it was satisfying, and you go home to your beer and playboy.
Now when I launch Mafia 2, however briefly, I can’t help but look around at the magnificence as a whole that is the Mafia world, it’s just believable.
Overall, Mafia 2 was brilliant and I am surprised that I let it slip through my fingers at release. But for what would have been a £25 game (on PC, give or take) for 8hrs of play, it wouldn’t be worth it. But as an experience, it is definitely worth a play.
Of course, it wasn’t all shiny roses and pretty bunnies. The main and fatal drawback was how short it was, similarly how little there is to do besides the main story missions (not that they weren’t great, but you finish the game, and you’ve finished the game).
It is also worth considering the dlc available for Mafia 2. I personally haven’t tried any of it, but I am assured that it is more of the same great gameplay. While it may not give us anything new to the game, it gives you more of what there wasn’t enough of.
To see more of the game including both in-game footage and of the cutscenes check out our video below.
Mr. Akardo
Gaming and Tech Network 