Mafia II

Ive read mixed reviews about mafia II, therefore waited until a drop in price before rushing out to buy it.

So, is it as bad as some make out? I would have to say a big NO! However, right from the onset you do have to realise this is not a remake of the first game. There are several references throughout but its a different city, with different characters and set around 20 years later.

So, the bad points.

Its not long enough; missions and subsequently the game is over far too quickly. This leaves you with the feeling the game was rushed towards the end.

To begin with, you find yourself thrust straight into playing an early part of his life, which is a little pointless. Its not long enough to work as training and therefore could have been taken care of quite easily with a cut scene. God knows one more at the beginning would not have made that much difference, Though I felt like it had been added at the last minute to bulk-out the game play.

Next the controls; There are simply too many keys to remember; it feels like Ive stepped back 10 years and is just bad design. And on the subject of controls; one of my favourite things in the original game was to drive using a game pad, configured to my own taste. However, in Mafia II there is simply no scope for game controllers configuration. Come-on guys, I was playing PC games back in the late 90s that allowed you to configure your joypad.

Too many cut scenes early in the game. At the very beginning the cut scenes take up more time than game play. Though all other faults pale when it comes to the one complaint that Ive read time and time again. No free ride option. This sucks!

Good points; and yes there are many.
I have to begin with the city. The city is one of the most atmospheric Ive ever seen, especially early in the game during the winter missions. The amount of time and effort that has gone into this boggles the mind. Unlike the old Mafia, there is very little repetition, you actually feel like you are driving around an east Coats US city of the 40s and 50s. I just want to load the game and simply explore. Oh wait, I cant as there is no free ride.

The cars. I am a huge fan of old American cars and Mafia has never let me down. Weve moved from the 20s and 30s into the 40s and 50s and with it comes some of Detroits finest.

I also have to mention the diversity. This is something the designers have obviously paid a great deal of attention too. As you move from the more affluent side of the city into the poorer and more industrial areas there appears to be a shift in the type of traffic you see. Now this is a really nice touch as the lack of variation was a complaint I often read levelled against the original game. Another aspect of driving which impressed me is the various speeds at which different vehicles are travelling. This is further enhanced by speed variations within the city and freeway systems. Something else which appeals is that there are radios to be found in the cars.

You can choose your own station to listen to as you drive; music is period but varied and does change as you progress through the games timeline. There are some throwbacks to the original game but the move is towards music of the 40s and 50s. Though Im not a fan of Rock and Roll, it does make for an authentic backdrop. In addition to which are the DJs banter and radio commercials all add to the atmosphere of the game.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable game. Its not bug or irritation free, but there are some genuinely nice features and surprises along the way.

I pre-ordered this game, so i had to wait a long time as it was very over due. As youv'e probabley gathered i completed it months ago. And thats its Big problem, only 5 hours game-play!!!... unlike the first mafia, once you have finished the story-line, there is no freeplay. I spent hours on the original game after i'd completed it, driving taxi's or robbing shops etc... It also has a strange ending which leaves you a bit confused... Its like they have missed the final cut-scene. Anyway, since they have halved the price i would recommend any mafia fan to buy. And hopefully the 3rd Mafia game will be released soon!!!

The biggest disappointment of the year. The original Mafia was tightly plotted with hard but fair gameplay complementing a well wrtten story and on completion offered the chance to do silly missions for hot rods. The sequel cobbles together an incomprehensible plot from 101 gangster cliches and none of it makes any sense. 2K have been shameless in their greed with multiple DLC, none of it much good. A website has investigated the game and found a great deal of locked off code which shows what the game was originally intended to be - gun licences, shooting from cars, a race track, property purchases, cars for sale, car tuning, reputation, a strip club, other characters' houses, and many more missions (which might have made the story make sense). The gameplay isn't bad but the PC version not only has superior graphics to the console versions, it also has much higher traffic density

Where should i begin, i don't know. I was a big fan of mafia 1. I've been waiting mafia 2 for a long time. You know, another games like GF 1&2 were "i think" bad releases, they could not stand against mafia. Then we have waited the second game of the real mafia series.
I was fascinated when i started to play. Environment is gorgeous, cars expecially, god! i love it.
When i reached the chapter 14th, i had some kind of emotional time :), cause of the ending of the first game.
When i was playing 15th chapter, i checked out the statistics, the game progress was 65%. End of this chapter, the game finished. I was shocked, angry but the most disappointed. The game was so short. And learned some DLC will be coming up. After that jimmy's vendetta pop up, UNRELATED the game. blah!
Long story short, i love it, but too short, dlcs and steam rocks the bottom.

If your young, have very little experience playing a decent game and are impressed by pretty much nothing this is a good buy.

If you was expecting something remotely similar to Mafia 1 i'd wait a year until it comes down to about 9.99.

BUT WHY SO HARSH?! I hear you say.. the story is absolute rubbish, you can't relate to any of the characters the missions are so mundane it's untrue, the map is tiny and the game is completed in about 5 hours.

A couple of things that did impress me though, the gun fights are pretty much the best i've seen on a game so far and you can't go wrong with the graphics. Less time on this and more on making it a game worth the title of Mafia next time please.

Can't list any Pro's for this game other than it plays well enough and looks good enough, as it has too many Con's.

So in its bad books are:

1. Content that was suppose to be in the game has been made DCL Only, most released about 2 weeks after it. Looks like 2k is trying to Out cash cow EA.
2. It _Requires_ Steam to play. Why? this is not a on-line game like the GTA series, so why do I have to install Steam to get it working.
3. Lack of QA, it feels rushed. Missions fail if Not done in a set fashion. One if you try to earn money before going back to your friends apartment you get stuck as it won't allow the friend to leave the building, forcing you to replay it.
4. AI batteries not included, any escorts or help you have get in the way at times Stopping you dealing with attackers. Other times they Attack random walking NPC's causing you to get police agro when you are trying to run
5. Zero free mode as there are No side missions, they removed them and made them all DLC.

Game has been rushed out with DLC due soon that should have been in game, which will cost an extra $US10 each. After playing the original Mafia to death this is one game I won't

this game is brilliant,I dont know what the reviewers were drinking when they reviewed this game but I found it like the other 5 reviewers here fantastic!, it was riddled with depth, exciting gameplay and brilliant realistic retro 60's feel, not only that the game is set over 10 years meening the first 5 chapters of the game are set in the late 40's with very old fashoned cars then in the 50's everything starts to modernize and you actually feel as if you are in a living developing world, even if the cars look old to us now in the game you feel as if your driving the latest tech avalible,

this game is a masterpeice for any game fan to love, i havent played mafia 1 but why would you need too? this game is far superior in graphics and as far as my friends are concerned gameplay as well.

My ratings:

-graphics: 8/10, the graphics in this are amazing, sometimes i forget im playing a game and feel as if im playing a movie, expecially in a car, the reflections and ambient lighting are brilliant.

- sound 7/10 its very good but the audio when driving and walking down he street can seem a bit shallow and lacks the depth of a real city, sometimes my character is standing in the heart of the city and i can hear myself think!

-gameplay 9/10 this is one of the best storys i have played to date, its nothing like gta 4! its far superiour, in this you feel like you are in the mafia, not just a rambo wannabe like in gta 4, not only that you cant really compare a game made for teens and kids to a game like this...

overall its a must buy for any gaming fan, and looking at the games that will soon be relesed i say this is a good contender for your money for the next few months, the only negative I really have about this game is the length, its long but not long enough, I completed it in just over 3 days, it took me a week to complete other games in this genre such as gta.

Just finished this game and i have to say that i really enjoyed it. Engrossing, well made and entertaining. A+

i played this for about 4 days. took me 9 hours to finish but the story line is more complex than gta and a lot better loads of people dying and some sick scenes along with 50 playboy magazines to collect along away. with only 15 chapters its not long but i though it was so good i am going to replay it again to find all the collectibles.the music is its only downfall i do like the songs but there is only 3 radio stations so if you dont like a song you can switch to another radio station but only empire and empire classic are good so you only have 2 radio stations with some great songs on

Truely great in every way,can't stop playing it, The attention to deatail is amazing, This game has taken gaming to a new level...Hats of to 2K....I did Buy for the xbox 360 version first then saw the difference with graphics on a pc and then swaped.Buy it you will love it Trust Me.