Mafia II

The sandbox genre has exploded in the past few years. Giving players the option to do what they want in a game has become a great selling point in a game. Developers put as much as they can into a sandbox title, almost overwhelming the player with the shear amount of diversions available.

Mafia II is not a sandbox game in the traditional sense. Mafia II bucks this trend by having very little to do outside of the game's main story. It puts the weight of the game onto the fifteen chapters that tell the story of Sicilian immigrant Vito Scaletta, and his life of crime.

Unlike the Grand Theft Auto's and Saint's Row's of the world, Mafia II wants the player to concentrate on the story, not on what you can do on the side.

The setting is Empire Bay. Looking at the city as a whole, and you can see the different pieces of American cities that make it. Large skyscrapers, varied cultural districts, and rugged neighborhoods take their inspiration from several cities, ranging from New York City to Los Angeles. The entire city is available to explore from the beginning, you do not have to wait for the game to tell where and when you can see the sights.

Taking from several sources, ranging from Godfather to Goodfellas, the story of Vito Scaletta is spread out over the course of many years, from the arrival of his family to Empire Bay, to through the trials and tribulations of his time in the life of crime, to the conclusion of the game. The story set pieces will cause the player to recall their favorite moments of these movies, and 2K does a good job in tying together these different ideas into a coherent, and enjoyable game story.

To help drive the story are the characters that shape Vito into the man he becomes. Through his mother and sister, we feel the deep family connection that Italian immigrants had in the 1940's. Mrs. Scarletta and Frankie try to keep Vito from trouble, to pull him away from the live of crime that he has fallen into. Vito's largest influence, however, comes in the form of Joe Barbaro. Growing up together, they were friends from a very young age, and they entered the life of crime together in their teens. Even though Joe gets Vito in trouble many times during their friendship, Joe will so whatever he can to help his friend.

Each new character implants a little of themselves into Vito, and we see his growth from teen hooligan, to made man through the games chapters.

The game plays similar to most games of the genre. Gun play is handled through a combination of a cover system, and simple run and gun. To lineup your shots, hit the left trigger, and fire with the right trigger. Vito can carry a variety of weapons, which you select by hitting the directional pad.

The Up pad holds the machine guns. Ranging from the gangster's favorite, the Thompson, to World War II standards like the MP 40. Machine guns are for when you have a lot of guys to face, and need the ammo to survive.

Right pad are your pistols. Best for precision shots, they will be your most used weapons in the game.

Down pad contains the special weapons. The two notables are the shotgun, a very overpowered gun with more range that it should have, and the M1 Garand, a single shot rifle used for long distance fighting.

Lastly, the Left pad are your melee, and throwing weapons. Grenades and Molotov cocktails are contained here, as well as your fists, which you need to have out when walking the street so you do not gain the attention of the local police.

Taking cover is quite simple, and very effective. Hitting A has Vito diving for the nearest thing that will stop bullets from hitting him. You have to be careful though, if you plant yourself behind a light crate, machine gun fire can tear through the wood, killing you.

Unlike other sandbox titles, dying in Mafia II is quite easy. It will only take a few shots in succession to bring you down, and a point blank hit from a shotgun will kill you every time in the Normal difficulty. The player must also be careful when driving, as a head on collision at high speeds will kill you outright.

Driving the many vehicles of Empire Bay can take getting used to. These beasts, inspired from models from the 1940's and 50's, drive like the tanks they are. Driving in the snow is something that must be done carefully. Taking a turn at high speeds will cause your car to fishtail, hitting whatever is in your way, and most likely gaining the attention of the local police.

The law enforcement of Empire Bay is vigilant. Simple infractions like speeding, running red lights, and hit and run's will get their attention. A simple fine is all that you need to pay to have them leave you alone. Serious infractions, like homicide and robbery, can lead to “shoot on sight” orders, where the only way to get them off your back is by running away, changing you clothes and car to throw them off your trail.

Empire Bay looks and sounds like the 1940's and 50's. From several songs from the era, which change as the time period changes, to the pieces of flair like large lit signs outside of nightclubs, the era is captured well in this title. There is some minor pop in of the different light effects, but it is nothing that detracts from the experience.

The game clocks in at around 15 hours on Normal, and there are some distractions to lengthen the experience.

Scattered throughout the world are Wanted posters, Empire Bay's most wanted criminals, and Playboy magazines, nude pictures of woman done up in the fashions and hairstyles of the time. You also unlock several different art galleries as the game progresses. All of these can be viewed from the main menu.

Mafia II takes the sandbox genre into a different direction. Instead of being a “me too” title, 2K Czech put their own original spin on the genre, and put together a solid effort worth the price of admission.