Game Review: Mafia II (Xbox 360)

The first game in the Mafia series was released in 2002. I picked up a used copy for the PC a couple of years later. I initially dismissed it as a sort of wannabe-Grand Theft Auto in an old-timey setting. But after the first couple of missions I got over the clunky controls and was hooked. It wasn't a perfect game by any means. The vehicle and on-foot controls could have been more responsive, and the game had some maddening glitches that made finishing certain missions depend more on luck than skill. But what really blew me away was how fun and cinematic the game was. The missions had you completing a huge variety of tasks, from high-profile assassinations to winning auto races to chasing and mowing down rivals with Tommy guns. The voice acting was top-notch, complemented by an excellent orchestral score and a soundtrack comprised of authentic classic jazz from the 1930s. The overall look of the clothing, cars, and city itself were so authentic that the game served as a period piece of sorts. The game's characters were likable and believable. And the story, with its many twists and turns, was easily the equal of any respectable gangster film.

Mafia II largely manages to continue the high production values of its predecessor for an experience that is similar to the original game, but also unique. Some of the problems from the original have been addressed. Some have not. Some new features have been added, while some old ones have been taken away. I noticed numerous opportunities for improvement that the developers seem to have overlooked. Overall I felt that the gameplay in Mafia II was much tighter than the original, while the story and characters were perhaps a bit weaker.

The events from the first game come up as a "cameo" in one mission, but the story in Mafia II stands on its own. This time around the game is set in the fictitious city of Empire Bay, first in 1945, then later in 1951. The protagonist is Vito Scaletta, the delinquent son of poor Sicilian immigrants who gets arrested and essentially forced into the military. He serves a hitch as a WWII paratrooper and comes home for leave as a decorated hero. He immediately meets up with his old buddy Joe, who dabbles in small-time work for local gangsters. Joe uses his connections to secure Vito's discharge from the military. The two buddies room up together and Vito dismisses the hard-bitten working life that led his father to debt (and an early grave) to do dirty deeds for the neighborhood Mafiosi. Throughout the story Vito changes loyalties like socks, serves a lengthy prison sentence, becomes a "made man," gains and loses considerable material wealth, and leaves an impressive body count in his wake.

Mafia II's story was good, gritty, and full of all the twists, crosses and double-crosses you'd expect from a mob story. It kept me playing to see what would happen next. But the story in this sequel was not as enjoyable to me as that of the first game, probably because I didn't like the characters as much. Vito is not a very sympathetic character. While he initially becomes a "wise guy" to pay off his family's debts, it becomes clear that he continues for no other reason than to get rich. He seems less human than Tommy Angelo from the first game because he doesn't form the same kinds of relationships with other characters and doesn't seem to struggle with the ethical dilemmas of his profession in the same way. The game introduces us to a large number of intriguing characters who are never fleshed out, and who end up only being shown in a couple of cut scenes throughout the game. It's kind of hard to keep track of them all; after having finished the game, I still can't name one of the men shown on the box. I only got a fleeting sense of who the guys were that Vito was working for, and never really felt "in" on anything. This made me yearn for the smaller and more intimate Salieri "family" from the first game, which doled out missions that were more clear-cut as to why you were committing certain crimes, and what was at stake.

It must also be said that certain scenes and characters felt very derivative of certain mafia movies - Vito himself bears more than a passing resemblance to Michael Corleone, both visually and thematically. Add to this a very sudden ending, and the fact that months or even years fly by in little montage scenes, and you can't help wondering if the script might have benefited from one more draft.

I was pleased to see that the controls and gameplay have been given a major overhaul in Mafia II. Driving is much less jerky than in the original. A mini-map system that shows paths to waypoints and objectives is a welcome addition. The inclusion of a gas gauge in each car, however, is simply annoying. Certain segments of the game feature fist fights, which are brutally satisfying with a simple dodge/light punch/hard punch control scheme.

Firefights have been retooled substantially; the developers seem to have ripped a page straight out of Gears of War. Aiming will now trigger an extreme over-the-shoulder perspective, and shootouts rely heavily on using cover. Like most games since Call of Duty, Mafia II eschews health kits in favor of magically "recharging" health while covering, which is probably for the best, since you'll get hit often. The cover system makes it easy to sneak around corners in a few awkward "stealth" missions, and certainly beats fumbling with reloads while trying to sidestep through doorways or behind objects as I often did in the first game. But at the same time, having everyone constantly taking potshots while popping up from behind cover makes the shooting segments almost reminiscent of a carnival game, like whack-a-mole. I was also disappointed that this sequel decided to nix both melee weapons and the ability to shoot while driving.

Mafia II, like its predecessor, offers the illusion of an open-world "sandbox" game (like Grand Theft Auto) but isn't one. The game is completely linear. You can't select what order to complete missions in, or how to go about completing them. There are no "side jobs" between missions. The plot is basically on auto-pilot with the player along for the ride. Even the "Free Ride" mode from the first Mafia, which allowed the player to roam around without objectives, is absent. There is no multiplayer. All of this hurts replay value, and emphasizes how short the game is. Ultimately, the player is faced with a huge, awesome city that's mostly window dressing because there's really not much to do. A handful of GTA-like features have been added, like the ability to change clothes, change radio stations, and live in various bachelor pads. Such limiting gameplay was easy to overlook in 2002; in 2010 it just feels like a missed opportunity to make the game more dynamic and enjoyable.

The graphics in Mafia II are good, but I've seen better. Everything looks pretty good overall, and there are a lot of nice details like windshield wipers automatically coming on when it rains, and bullet holes and corpses that stay put. However textures in the distance look hazy. Objects in the game suffer from what PC gamers refer to as "jaggies," which are straight edges that look jagged or broken from lack of "antialiasing" (which smoothes out graphics at the expense of processing power). Also, I sometimes noticed a strange black haze on car windshields and on characters' faces, which was probably a graphic shading glitch. While the game had a smooth framerate overall, there were occasional cases of performance hiccups (when driving) or screen tear (usually in indoor areas). It was probably quite a challenge developing a game with such large, detailed, busy environments for a console system; I'm guessing the game probably looks a lot better on a high-end PC.

Mafia II really shines in the sound department. The typical stuff - gunshots, car effects, explosions, etc. - are all solid. Voice acting is professional, with great scripted and incidental lines, and authentic accents. The game once again features an orchestral score as well as in-game music that is true to the setting. There are three radio stations, which feature a nice variety of music, starting with jazzy wartime and crooner hits in the 1940s, transitioning to "doo-wop" and other early rock n' roll in the 50s. A tune from the first game occasionally airs on the "classics" station, which is a nice inclusion.

Mafia II deserves its "M" rating. While it's really no gorier than most action games, the developers certainly didn't pull any punches with the violence. Pound-for-pound, Mafia II probably features more racial slurs and profanity than any game in recent memory. And interestingly, the game contains fully-zoomable Playboy centerfolds from yesteryear as hidden collectibles. That makes Mafia II one of a handful of 360 games bold enough to feature even partial nudity. All of this is consistent with nearly all hardcore gangster films. Politicians and "concerned parents" may cry foul, but the game rating system was implemented specifically to show consumers that certain games - like this one - are meant for mature audiences.

Overall I enjoyed Mafia II. The game looks good and sounds great. I once again appreciated the authenticity of the world's music, clothing, and cars. The story and characters were interesting, but both felt a bit underdeveloped at times. The missions, while (usually) fun, tend to fall into a pattern of a.) Long Drive b.) cut scene c.) cover-intensive firefight d.) long drive e.) cut scene, and so on.

The fact that the game is so linear when set within the façade of an open-world "sandbox" environment is disappointing. I just wish there was more to do in the city, and more reason to play again than getting all the collectibles and playing tag with brainless A.I. cops. If I sound like I'm dissing the game, I'm not; I'm just something of a fanboy of the original Mafia, so my expectations were very high from the start. Mafia II is definitely a worthy successor to the original, but some of the original's weaknesses are still apparent. Mafia II's brevity and rigid mission structure make the game feel dated, and hold it slightly short of the realm of gaming excellence.