Mafia II

Time to learn some harsh lessons in reality.

Vito Scaletti comes back from World War II and needs a quick way to make some real cash.  He learns that by doing some very dirty and not particularly legal work he can make a lot of money in a short period of time.  Unfortunately, he learns that the high life doesn't last forever.

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Recommended Age Minimum Age Available On... 18 16 PS3, Xbox 360, PC Overall Fun Length Frustration   Violence Sexuality Substances Gambling 6 5 7   7 10 8 0 Mods Religion Anti-Law Community Sports Magic Miscellaneous 1 2 10 0 1 0 5

1.     Gameplay

• Overall Fun - 6

Mafia II sets the player as Vito Scalletti, a young man in the middle of Empire City (aka New York) trying to make a living after he’s discharged from the military during World War II.  There’s very little work that a young veteran is qualified to do, so he ends up getting involved with an old friend who has close connections to the Mafia.

It sure beats learning to be a dockworker.

Mafia II is a surprisingly dark look at the temptations that the life of a “goodfella” offers.  While the initial payout seems worth the effort, the eventual consequences are almost universally fatal.  In the end the player loses everything he owns and everyone he’s close to, but he almost single-handedly takes out two of the three Dons of the Empire City mafia families.

Mafia II does an excellent job of recreating a New York-esque setting.  The cars, music, advertising, and architecture reflects the three different decades that the game spans.  There are even different seasons depending on what month a particular chapter takes place with music reflecting that month.  For example, the second chapter takes place around Christmas of 1944, so popular Christmas music of that era plays over the radio stations.

The American Dream...

The driving and combat mechanics felt smooth, which is important considering an overwhelming portion of the game is spent either driving or in combat.  The variety of cars was also extremely important since the vast majority of my time was spent traveling from one location to another.

The characters also fit their roles perfectly.  Vito was a good tragic hero, Joe was an excellent “best friend”, and the rest of the mafia made excellent antagonists.  Eventually, the player will end up hating pretty much everyone except Vito and Joe, and that was no accident.  The developers did a great job coming up with well-developed characters and an excellent script.

Time to wake up.

One negative thing that is significant to mention is that I wish the missions had seemed a bit more important.  In the first Mafia game, one of the first missions involved me driving two upper-level members to a hotel in order to collect “protection” money.  This seemingly mundane task eventually erupted into a situation where I had to storm the house and eliminate gun-wielding members of a rival organization in order to save the two members I was escorting.  And that was only the first mission.

Mafia II lacked this sense of urgency and excitement.  The early missions were overly simple and boring such as “steal this car” or “extort money from these workers”.  The twists in the mission weren’t unexpected and while I wasn’t necessarily bored, I was definitely looking forward to combat once it finally came around.

Overall I thought the game was an excellent sequel to the first Mafia game, but there were a couple of elements that should have been different that would have made this game much more interesting.  Most of these are mentioned in the “Frustration Factor” section below.

• Length - 5

This game is moderate in length.  I spent about 12 hours on the main campaign and missed many of the collectibles available throughout the game.  The player can also unlock special artwork for completing the game on higher difficulty levels.

There are also a few DLC missions available that increase the length of this game.  They focus on storylines of other characters.

Unfortunately, the length and replayability of this game are significantly negatively affected by some of the factors brought up below in the “Frustration Factor” section.

• Frustration Factor - 7

There were a few elements in this game that added significantly to my frustrating.  First, there are a number of times in the game where the player gains a large sum of money.  At one point I had over $10,000 in my possession.  However, there seemed to be few uses for this money.  There is no place to buy cars (in order to obtain a car, a player must steal it) and property cannot be bought.  The player can buy clothing, weapons, and modifications for owned cars, but these cost in the hundreds of dollars at most.

However, there are a number of points throughout the story where the player loses all of his funds.  And I don’t mean “I lost $8,000 of the $10,000 I have”, I mean the player is literally pennyless.  Couple this with the number of times the player will lose any weapons he is carrying and I frequently found myself very frustrated.  There was no way to hold onto my money or guns and pick them up between missions.  It also meant that buying weapons was completely useless because it’s cheaper and easier to simply pick them up off of dead opponents during the middle of a mission.

The Irish light my house on fire with molotovs. They all ended up dead eventually.

Upon completing this game I wanted the opportunity to test drive and modify some of the cars I had yet to “acquire”.  The previous Mafia game had featured a free drive type mode where the player could wander about the city with no real mission or specific task.  However, this game lacked that basic mode, which meant that if I wanted to test drive the cars of a particular time period I would have to reload one of the chapters in the game and get to a point in the storyline where I was allowed to drive around the city.

I thought this was extremely unfortunate because there were a number of elements in the game that were designed to take advantage of long-distance driving.  For example, if the player drove a particular car for a significant enough period of time, he would have to refill the gas tank of that car at any of the numerous gas stations throughout the city.  However, there was only one instance in the game where I found that I needed to refill my car because the majority of my “travel” time was spent driving from one mission-based location to another and usually switching out my cars in between.  A free roam mode would have required gas stops much more often.

There were also two missions that I found particularly annoying not because of what the game said that you had to do but because of what the game failed to mention you should do.  For example, in one mission the player is required to steal fuel ration stamps from a federal building.  The stamps are stored in a safe that evidently has a silent alarm.  If the player opens the safe, even though the player has the safe key, the alarm is tripped and the cops come running.

The game fails to mention that there is a power switch to the alarm in the basement of the building.  The player has no reason to travel to the basement (the safe is on the second floor) and at no point do any characters mention the silent alarm.  What is more annoying is that the player does not fail the mission if he trips the alarm, he simply only receives one-third of the money that he is supposed to get.

2.     Parental Notices

• Violence - 7

I was surprised that the violence in this game was not more graphic.  For a game that centers on a well-known violent criminal organization, the number of gruesome murders is low.  The player will be tasked with killing a good number of people throughout the game, but the majority of these are just average pawns instead of high-ranking targets.

This guy was more of a high-ranking pawn.

When the player shoots an enemy, a small spurt of blood comes from the hit.  There is no gore no matter what weapon is used.

Pop.

Some cutscenes have more blood than others.

This was by far the worst of it.

Enemies that are near an explosion are simply thrown to the ground and do not get up.

Grenades and mortar rounds are explosive when mixed.

Enemies can light on fire if a Molotov is used or if the environment catches fire, but this is a rare event.

The guy in the background on the right was one of only two instances where I saw this happen.

One of the few exceptions is when a member of the Mafia (and accomplice to the player) is butchered by members of the Triad.  The man is literally hacked to death with cleavers.

Does he learn his lesson if he's dead?

However, one must take into account the fact that combat is a small portion of this game.  Conversations and travelling between locations is much more common than any sort of violence.

• Sexuality - 10

In stark contrast to the level of violence, the level of sexuality in Mafia II goes way above what I would expect from this kind of situation.  Early in the game the player meets two prostitutes.  Both have their top covered, but one is not wearing any underwear.  The player sees the girl’s hind-quarter as she leaves the apartment and the dialogue of the cutscene makes it clear that Joe, the player’s best friend, had sex with both of them.

Brings a whole new meaning to "two-for-one".

This starts what seems like a frequent occurrence throughout the game.  The prostitutes come over to Joe’s apartment numerous times throughout the game and all of the conversations that involve them can be considered “saucy” at best.

Don't you own clothes?

In one scene the player is taken to a local “cathouse”, which is basically a strip club.  Some women dance in lingerie for the patrons while the rest get close.  When the player is in the club discussing business with Joe and one other member of the Mafia, the third member is receiving oral sex from one of the women.  The player does not directly see the act, but the man’s hand bobs up and down implying that it is on her head (which is in his lap).

Not sure how you talk serious business while your getting that. I'd be completely distracted.

Eventually the man finishes into the girl’s mouth, who then sits back up as if nothing had happened.

It is worth mentioning that the cathouse is inaccessible to the player except during one particular mission.

And that's probably a good thing.

One of the collectible items found throughout the games are Playboy magazines.  The magazines feature real Playboy centerfolds from the 1950s and 60s.  There are 50 magazines hidden throughout the game.

This one was one with the least amount of nudity.

While I can understand that these do fit in with the time periods that the game is trying to focus on, their inclusion seemed out of place to me.  The game has a somewhat surreal cartoonish feel.  I would have been much more understanding if the collectibles had been pin-ups instead of these centerfolds.

The game does include 15 unlockable pin-up posters for completing each chapter on the hardest difficulty setting, but these are much more subtle than the Playboy centerfolds.

• Substances - 8

Use of alcohol and tobacco in this game is rampant.  Characters will frequently be seen smoking or drinking and a good number of the conversations between characters goes on in bars.

Bombs away!

These elements, however, fit in well with the overall feel of the game.  Smoking and drinking were common during the 40’s through 60’s, so it’s unsurprising that much of the game includes use of alcohol and tobacco.

So I guess that makes it okay.

In one of the missions, the player and Joe sell cigarettes illegally on the back of a truck.  Joe even sells a carton to a cop (who is evidently a regular customer).

I can think of worse forms of tax evasion.

Drugs are almost completely absent from the first 60% of the game but become a major factor in the later chapters.  Eventually the player is involved with two other characters in a heroin-dealing operation.  Henry, one of the player’s accomplices, buys what seems to be twenty kilos of heroin from a Chinese triad.  The player and the two accomplices sell the Heroin all across the city.

Drug dealing always ends poorly.

Eventually the drug dealing operation blows up in the player’s face (metaphorically), so the entire operation isn’t shown as a completely “sunshine and puppies” kind of thing.

• Gambling - 0

Gambling is not a factor in this game.

3.     Other Factors

• Mods - 3
  

There are mods present for this game, but their content is almost universally new cars or clothing for the player.  Some of them are extremely elaborate.

Unsurprisingly, I managed to find a nudity mod.  It makes the prostitutes that show up in Joe's apartment completely naked.  This was the only mod of its kind that I could find.

• Religion - 2

Religion plays a very small part in this game.  Aside from some subtle icons and references to Catholicism, most of the game is completely devoid of religious references.

I spy with my little eye...

The “cathouse” that the player is taken to (described in the “sexuality” section above), is called the “Garden of Eden”.  However, its name is not mentioned in any dialog.  When it is referenced, it is called “the cathouse”.

There is one exception.  When the player goes to get some money from a loan shark, the shark quotes a Bible verse in order to communicate that the shark wants his money back.  He quotes “My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless”, which one of the player’s accomplices recognizes as Exodus 22:24.

Doesn't seem like one who would read the Bible often.

The encounter eventually results in a brief discussion about religion, but is never discussed again.

• Anti-Law - 10

As this is a Mafia game, anti-law is present throughout the entirety of the game.  The player frequently commits acts that work against the legal structure of Empire City.  These acts range from assault and murder to drug dealing and hiring prostitutes.

More specific, notable acts of anti-law do occur.  While the player is out selling drugs, some police do come up to find out what is going on.  Joe sends the police away with a large wad of cash.

Briefcases are only good for two things, hiding drugs and passing cash.

The player can commit anti-law based acts on the street to random civilians, but eventually this will gain the attention of the police.  The player can become “wanted” by the police, which will result in all of the cops in the nearby area looking for him.  This will continue indefinitely until the player changes his clothing, after which the cops will not recognize him at all.

Busted.

The player’s car can also become wanted, but the player can lose the cops if he changes cars while no officers are nearby.  Losing the “wanted” on a car is as simple as stealing another car.

If the player wants to keep the car, he can take the car to a body shop and either change the paint or change the license plate.

• Online Community - 0

There is no multiplayer mode for this game.

• Extreme Sports - 1

The only real example of “extreme sports” comes during any driving sequence.  The player can drive dangerously by speeding or driving in oncoming traffic.  However, the game usually encourages the player to drive at least somewhat safely and the consequences for crashing while driving, while weaker than the real world, can be severe.

Vroom vroom!

Other than that, extreme sports are not a factor in this game.

• Magic - 0

Magic is not a factor in this game.

• Miscellaneous -5

Language

The language in this game gets a bit crazy at times.  Mafiosos aren’t exactly known for their grammar, but sometimes every few words of a sentence is some form of expletive.  It fits with the rest of the feel, but it’s not the kind of dialog I would use with the Queen.

There are also a good number of racial slurs thrown around when discussing gangs of other ethnicities.  Words like “nigger” and “mick” are commonly thrown about during certain missions.  This is especially true when the player is dealing with the Irish (which happens during a few chapters in the game).

Attempted Rape

When the player is in prison, he will be told to clean a few of the prison urinals.  After this is done he will be ordered to shower, during which time the guards “conveniently” leave the shower area.  The player is alone with three other inmates, one of whom decides to try and rape the player.  Unfortunately for him, the player knows how to fight.

I'd be hiding a chastity belt under those shorts.

Kidnapping

Kidnapping happens a number of times throughout the game.  The most notable kidnapping is when one of the Mafia families kidnaps three members of a rival family and takes them to a slaughterhouse for interrogation.

This guy couldn't escape if he tried. The restraints are rather redundant.

The player is also kidnapped at least once in the game.

This will probably stretch out my suit.

Torture

The most notable instance of torture occurs in the slaughterhouse.  One of the people who was kidnapped is tortured to death (the reason behind the torture is not clear).  While the player never sees the torture, he can hear the tortured man screaming from down the hall.

Execution

Executions occur a number of times throughout the game.  The most obvious of these is when Henry is executed by the Triad (as mentioned in the "Violence" section).

Murder for Hire

The player is almost always paid cash for the “hits” he performs.  These hits are all part of a mission (the player can’t go out and find extra hits for cash), but the end result of the mission is a decent chunk of cash.