The Digest:  Mafia II was released into a field that is dominated by Rockstar Games with Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Knowing this, 2K Czech aimed to provide a more story-based game, one they succeeded in despite the lack of multiplayer and other glitches.

THE FACT SHEET:

RELEASE DATE: August 24, 2010
PUBLISHER: 2K Games
DEVELOPER: 2K Czech
ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature
GENRE: Action-Adventure

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
From the developers of the award-winning Mafia comes Mafia II, a beautifully crafted look into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mafia. Expanding upon the original hit that captivated more than 2 million gamers around the world, 2K Czech takes players deeper into the Mafia with a mature and exciting experience that will immerse players like never before.

Powered by 2K Czech’s next-generation engine built specifically for Mafia II, players will experience the true evolution of the Mafia game that defined a genre. Gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and vehicular exploration feature new depth and dimension that allow players to experience the world of Mafia II in a way that will keep them coming back for more.

PRODUCT FEATURES:

• Immersive Gangster Experience
• Action-Packed Gameplay
• 2K Czech’s proprietary Illusion Engine
• Authentic Portrayal of Mid-20^th Century America
• Soundtrack Reflects the Mood of the Era

Perhaps the best part of Mafia II is its downfall: the realism. You can shoot and break cover to hurt the ill-fated enemies quivering behind it but you can also speed down the street and be arrested by simply speeding. The game brings a whole new level or realism to open-world games that can simply take away the fun. Most of the fun in Red Dead Redemption is kidnapping the unfortunate woman and then slaughtering the armies that follow you – it is not the story. Mafia II doesn’t allow that kind of freedom because the police WILL attempt to kill you and not easily give up.

Yet escaping the police is still possible. Among the plethora of options that you can mutate on your car (including paint color, license plate, and others) the ten square mile world provides a massive home for Vito. But the extremely linear storyline limits your ability to explore. There is no free roam – the only way to explore is during the missions. This seems to neglect the idea of an open-world game. Exploring is what makes these types of games fun and Mafia II feels extremely limiting because it does not allow you to go back after you complete the game either.

Driving is also a great part of the game made terrible by another. The driving simulation is extremely realistic and features many cars that are completely customizable but you are often driving someone else’s car that you cannot customize. When driving is such an integral part of the game, it  directs attention away from the actual gameplay of the glorified Mafia full of guns and the high life. Nearly every mission starts with an extremely long background story that you could care less about. And you have to turn on a speed limiter because the cops will pull you over for going too fast. If you get pulled over, the extreme lack of checkpoints pretty much means that you will have to complete the whole mission again, making you wonder why they even include checkpoints in the first place.

The fabled Illusion Engine that took 7 years to complete has its pros and cons. The engine looks great and should be used again in future games. It provides a large amount of destructible cover, but I wish that melee weapons would have been included in the final project and that it would feature less glitches. Its hard to complete a mission without noticing a texture error or realize something that is clearly wrong. A major example is silent takedowns which are completely full of glitches.

The Illusion Engine provides a great 1950′s style game. No other game compares to blasting the 1950′s style music though the speakers while you walk down the street and shoot random people with the guns you know and love. You really feel like an integral part of the Mafia as you work your way from the lowest part to the highest but you can’t experience this with your friends.

Simply put, the lack of multiplayer is angering. Sure it wouldn’t fit into the storyline – but how can you prove your dominance as part of the Mafia? The game features no replay value without multiplayer. The social aspect of games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption is completely gone. You can’t blast your friend with a rifle even though every real game in 2010 features a multiplayer.. There are 25 million people on Xbox Live – people that enjoy gaming against others. Why would 2K Czech not include a multiplayer or free roam to feature their creation of 10 square miles?

Conclusion: Despite the glitches, Mafia II truly lets you be a gangster. The faults of the game can overshadow how great the storyline actually is. Mafia II stays true to its heritage and provides a thrilling game environment that will make you hate cops by the end. But the lack of Multiplayer and Free Roam make this a game you’ll probably only play once and then throw on the shelf. Wait for the price to go down on this one and listen to Developer Call in the meantime.

Single Player: 7/10 | Multi-Player: N/A

Special thanks to Access Communications for providing us with a copy of the game for review.