MAFIA II The Story The main character of the game is Vito Scalleta. He was born in Sicily in 1925 to a very poor family. Their family immigrated to America a few years later hoping for a better life. As Vito grew up, he got involved with a criminal named Joe. They became best friends and they robbed shops together. However, Vito got caught in one of their robbery session. He was given a choice - rot in jail or serve the country by enlisting in the army. He ended up in Sicily in World War II. He got injured in the war and was sent home for a leave. Joe welcomed him home and, by the help of Mafia connection, he was discharged from the army. Vito discovers that their family is in a big debt because of his dead father. With no other means, Vito went with Joe for a job. Joe introduced him to Henry Tomasino, a hitman of the Clement Mafia family.
DEVELOPER: 2K Czech
Except for the first chapter, the entire game takes place on a fictional city called Empire Bay. It’s a very large city but don’t be fooled - Mafia II is not an openworld sandbox type of game. It is very linear and not like Grand Theft Auto where you can choose the next mission you will take. After each chapter, you jump right into the next mission or you are required to go to a specific location for the next mission. There are no side missions or mini games. Yes, you can rob banks and steal cars but money is insignificant especially in the latter parts of the game. But in stealing cars, you are now required to pick the locks which make things a bit realistic. Cruising in the city is also realistic - cops will chase you if you go above the speed limit. Your infraction aggravates if you resist arrest or try to run away. Hit-and-run infractions will make the police use lethal force - they will shoot you on sight. The wanted system in this game is improved compared to other games. The plate number of your car is recognized by the police and they recognize your appearance, too. There are two ways to make the wanted status go away. You can change the car or the plate number and change your clothes. The easier way is to find a phone booth, call the police and bribe them if you have enough cash.
Graphics and Visual Effects Mafia II is not really a sequel to the first game but it is somehow related. In the second to the last chapter, it will be revealed who killed Tommy Angelo, the main character of the first game.
The Gameplay
The gunfight, like in most 3rd person shooters, is based on cover-and-shoot gameplay. You won’t last for 10 seconds in a gunfight if you don’t use cover. Almost everything in the game can be used for cover - drums, crates, pile of boxes, cars, walls, and etc. But unlike other 3rd person shooters, you cannot blind fire from a cover. Also, there is no maneuver for switching from cover to another cover. This is a big let down coz games like Army of Two, Uncharted 2, Vanquish, and Gears of War allows you to switch to an adjacent cover. In my opinion, the cover-andshoot gameplay lacks depth. You cannot even blind throw a grenade when in cover. The enemy AI is average but enemies do not flank you even if you stay too long in the same cover. On some parts of the game, you will be forced to fight using melee combat. The melee combat is improved compared to the first game but there are no other melee weapon except for your fists. You have two basic attacks light hit and heavy hit. Combo using the light hit is fast and will leave your opponent staggered for a bit. The heavy hit combo is slower but can knock your enemy to the ground, leaving him open for a finishing attack. The game does not have a health bar. The game gets darker gray as you get shot. Take cover and stop taking damage to replenish your health.
REVIEWED AND SUBMITTED BY: NYLMAR GARCIA a.k.a. nrg500
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TIPIDPC MAGAZINE
Weapons featured in this game are realistic and, of course, from the 1950’s. These include the Magnum, pump-action shotgun, Tommy Gun, .38 revolver, Colt 1911, and many others. For thrown weapons, you only have MkII grenade and molotov cocktail. There are gun shops scattered around the city but I didn’t even buy one weapon. All the weapons I used to finish the game are only pick ups from dead enemies.
2K Czech has done an excellent job in the graphics department of this game. The game is very detailed realistic shadows, mirror reflections, dynamic ligthing, and other eye candy. Shooting glass, wood, and concrete gives realistic debris. In gunfights, you will see debris flying everywhere - chunks and tidbits of concrete fly away when you shoot columns, post, and walls. The game also use PhysX which makes the visual effects look better. But even without PhysX, the game still looks great. The game does not have very high system requirements if PhysX is diabled. I only used a GeForce 9800GT and I can run the game at 1920 x 1080 resoltion with high graphic detail but no Anti-aliasing. Average framerate was 40fps. Enabling PhysX on 1920 x 1080 resolution will at least require a very powerful nVIDIA graphics card like the GeForce GTX 480. But you can use an entry-level nvIDIA graphics like the GTS 250 or GTS 450 as a dedicated card for running PhysX.
Verdict
If you are a big fan of the first game, then you will be pleased with Mafia II. For those who want a sandbox, open world style of game, then you might want to look for another game.
The Good • Excellent graphic detail • Uses PhysX • Features realistic guns from the 1950’s • Gunfights are brutal and satisfying • Melee combat is simple but fun and engaging • Great story narration • Cutscenes makes you feel like watching movies The Bad • Cover-and-shoot gameplay lacks depth • Has little or no replay value • Money is insignificant especially in the latter parts of the game • Very linear