It may be the fact that I didn't get far enough into it, but as far as I got within 30 minutes (and aside from OnLives compressed visuals), I thought it was great. The music was fantastic, graphics were great, story though not entirely original was exceptionally told making the characters believable, the world is immersive in a cinematic way, and the overall game play was just fun. From what I gather, the problems are that there isn't much to do in the world so it kind of feels stripped? I don't know if I would mind that. Should I get this game? Not to hate on anyone's review, but I'm going to have to agree with GameSpot's review on this one so far.

The aesthetic of the game is great, and you can really get into it. Nolan North runs rampant in the streets too. But yeah the open world is just there to be. Unfortunately there isn't really any reason to go exploring off the beaten path, even though the city itself is filled with a good amount of detail. If it's super cheap, sure pick it up. It's worth checking out.

@wolf_blitzer85: By the way, I'm asking if I should buy it on 360 or PS3. I'm not actually going to buy any game off OnLive just yet, I'm only testing it out. I think that's all I have to say... I thought I wanted to say or ask something else. Oh well, if I remember, I will. Anyways, it's good to know the quality is great. Yeah, I noticed Nolan North in it already ha ha.

Nolan North talking to Nolan North

@Dany: Yeah, I remember that.

@NTM said:

@Dany: Yeah, I remember that.

I made it :D

The problem I had with Mafia II is that the game is less than the sum of its parts. Settings? Awesome. Characters? Really well written. Story? Classic, a bit clichéd, but very good nevertheless. But the gameplay is barely there, your standard-ass cover-based TPS. And the city, while brimming with detail, is mostly left untouched. Don't come to the game expecting a 1950's Liberty City, there's nothing to do besides collecting some issues of Playboy and some wanted posters. If you approach Mafia II as a heavily story-driven game, it's great. If you come expecting something barely resembling a sandbox game, you'll be disappointed.

Oh, and then there's the DLCs... Stay away from them. They lack the strong points of the main story (that is, mainly, a coherent plot): they are just a succession of score-focused arcade missions with a very barebones connective tissue.

@NTM: it's... ok....

The shooting portions are fabulous... Some of the cutscenes are fun. But the world is bare.

And I LOVED the first Mafia, it just doesn't feel like they advanced the game enough since the first one... I consider it a rental.

Excellent $20 game. Anything over $20 is pushing it. It's the same way I feel about Alpha Protocol.

@CL60: It is retarded. Not the video, just that they make him talk to himself.

@JoeyRavn: Yeah, that's good. I mean, I like sandbox games, but if it has a good story, and a greatly detailed city (even if it has little to do in it other than the main story), I'm all for it. As of now, I'm not expecting an open world game to play like GTA.