By Ian Crump
Genre: Action
Platform: PlayStation 3
Publisher: 2K Games
Classification: 18 (BBFC)
My scepticism over Grand Theft Auto clones is high. With Mafia II on the other hand – forgedaboudit!
Unlike many sandbox games, Mafia II holds the players hand and drip feeds them a strong narrative that unfolds through an aggressive peppering of gorgeous cutscenes and a chapter-by-chapter style of play. The story is told brilliantly with superbly written and delivered dialogue and a barrage of brilliantly directed cutscenes. It would be hard for fans of Mafia movies not to fall in love Mafia II.
Vito Scaletta is a street-smart Sicilian gangster who moved to Empire City as a young boy before World War II. This protagonist from the old country has a hankering for the finer things whilst also being sensible enough to not let materialistic gain affect his decisions. It’s a story of rags-to-riches with a few twists and turns throughout, and because of this, a real sense of progression is felt.
Empire Bay is an open world full of the charismatic, full of weasels, full of violence, blood and over-boiled retribution. Testosterone is thick in the air in this beautifully created 1940’s - 1950’s fictional town.
Mafia II has the fast cars and weaponry that one would expect; over 30 vehicles all based upon that of the era and a healthy set of weapons that include various handguns, machine guns, rifles, shotguns and explosives.
The driving varies greatly from vehicle-to-vehicle, but no matter which you're tearing around in, it's never ever a chore to go for a spin – the driving is great.
The action element uses the tried-and-tested cover-and-shoot approach that works well and is fitting to the scenarios. One problem though is that even on hard mode the AI is stupid enough to constantly jump from their cover in an effort to spray bullets, only to leave themselves wide open for attack. It makes things incredibly easy.
Mafia II can be completed and most trophies gained in 15 hours play – and that’s even on the hardest difficulty setting. This isn’t so much of a problem seeing that download content is available for free using an in-box code or for purchase from the PSN at the expense of £6.49. There’s also more DLC planned for next week.
But for those tightly wound 15 hours it’s hard not to be blown away by the story and amazed by the detail in the graphics. Each blemish, scar and freckle has been lovingly applied resulting in something that demands to be just as lovingly watched and played.
Mafia II is similar to how movies portray gangsters to be - it's certainly not perfect but its intriguing all the same – a loveable rogue.
SCORE: 9 / 10
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