As the world of interactive entertainment becomes more cinematic, epic and story-driven, it sometimes becomes hard to differentiate between the video game you're playing, and a full length feature film (albeit rendered in 3D animation, with occasional lip-synching issues). Mafia 2 is a prime case in point here - it's a saga that sprawls across two decades, with a colourful cast of characters and more plot twists than a strand of spaghetti. In between all the cutscenes, narration and soaring orchestral scores, the question is - does strong gameplay (surely the core foundation of any video game) remain intact? Will players still have good, old fashioned fun, or has it all been lost in an ocean of backstory, montages and cutting-edge graphics?
Thankfully, Mafia 2 can provide all of the above, with a rip-roaring good time to boot. Its central story and all the characters that inhabit it not only enhance the game, but draw the player in like few other games can - on an almost emotional level, the way a good movie does.
Vito Scaletta is the main protagonist, and he's pretty likeable as far as bad boys go. The son of poor Italian immigrants, he's returned from the war raging in Sicily to begin life again in his hometown of Empire Bay. His Mama urges him to find an honest job, but after catching up with his old friend Joe, who knows the right people in the business, he's drawn to the greater spoils of a life below the law. Somehow, through all the dirty dealings, murders and mayhem, Vito remains level-headed and honourable, committed to his friends and family - and you can't help but root for our chisel-jawed hero.
The duo start small - stealing cars, robbing jewellry stores, selling stolen gas stamps, and the like - but quickly muscle their way up the ranks to bigger and more brutal jobs, where more serious dough can be made. Each mission is quite linear - it's always made very clear where to go and what to do next, via on-screen directions and the little red objective blip on your mini-map. There's little chance to wander off and explore Empire Bay at your own pace, but unlike games like GTA, Mafia 2's story is its lifeblood and thus needs to keep pacing fowards. And pace it does - each mission is relatively short, laced with informative cutscenes and witty dialogue.
Gameplay is split into three action modes - driving, shooting and hand-to-hand combat. For the most part, these are done brilliantly. Vito can break into cars either by picking the lock - a finnicky but stealthy method - or simply smashing the window. Once on the road, you must take care not to wreak to much havoc as it doesn't take much disorder to get the cops on your tail, and while you can shake them off fairly easily, the only way to ditch them for good is to switch cars or change Vito's clothes. Luckily, there's a speed limiter function that keeps you below hoon levels when the occasion calls for subtlety. Vehicle handling is realistic, with the cars weighty enough to skid and slide on slippery surfaces, and taking crippling damage accordingly.
Once you reach your destination, it's usually not long before you're engaged in a high-tension shootout. These play like a well-crafted third person shooter, usually based around taking cover, popping a few headshots, and moving forward to the next safe haven. The gunplay is satisfying, and it's hard not to grin like a maniac as you spray bullets across a room, shattering glass and sending your foes diving for cover. Vito can take quite a bit of damage before going down, but a single headshot will drop him instantly, and you never know how accurate your next adversary will be. Thankfully, taking cover is a breeze - Vito will quickly dart behind the nearest wall even when you're some distance away. The enemy AI is also good at staying hidden, springing up to open fire at regular intervals, and their occasional sneaky flanking manoeuvres prevents things from becoming a simple shooting gallery.
Sometimes Vito gets caught without a piece, and an old-fashioned fistfight is the only option. In these scenes the camera swings around to the side, morphing into a Street Fighter style beat' em up. Developers 2K Czech are clearly trying to keep things diverse, but the hand-to-hand combat could have used more work - Vito has only two moves, a light punch and a hard hit, and using these in endless one-two combos gets repetitive pretty quickly. When you've got your opponent on the ropes, hammering the buttons on screen gives us a finishing move in satisfying slo-mo, and while it's all great cinematically, the punch-ups don't do much to enhance the game.
Occasionally Vito must sneak into a building without attracting attention, and these stealth missions add tension without becoming overlong and tedious. It's here that you'll really notice the game's brilliant use of music - rising and falling to get you on the edge of your seat in all the right places.
There are times when the game's story threatens to overwhelm its gameplay. Lengthy cutscenes, and several instances where Vito must perform mundane tasks like loading crates, selling cigarettes, and cleaning urinals, work to advance the plot but will leave you groaning at times. Having to return to Vito's apartment and get into bed to finish each mission seems a little pointless as well, but when the game does thrust you into action it's usually rewarding enough to make up for these brief yawns. All in all, it's a game designed with the patient player in mind; but it's done so beautifully that only the twitchiest gamer would be able to put down the controller.
Aesthetically, Mafia 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece. Empire Bay is a beautiful recreation of an American city in the 40's and 50's, and the attention to detail is breathtaking to behold. In the game's early chapters, the city is in the grips of winter during World War 2. The roads are slippery with ice and citizens shuffle briskly along the streets, wrapped in scarves and overcoats. Jumping in one of the frosty, bulbous cars of the era and switching on the radio gives you a soundtrack of swing jazz, American propaganda and news reports from the front line. There's something delightfully irreverent about fleeing from the police while blasting Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" that really makes this a unique gaming experience.
In the game's later stages, it's the mid-50's and the middle of summer - the sun is shining and the fashions, automobiles and music have moved with the times. It's a pleasure to take in the ever-changing surroundings as you drive around Empire Bay, slowly gaining your bearings and getting to know the streets. Despite the expansiveness and richness of the game's world, it's a little disappointing then that there's not much else to do but play through the storyline. Vito can purchase food and drinks to recharge his health; buy new clothes to change his appearance; and head to the gun shop to stock up on firepower, although there's little motive to do this as most missions provide ample weapon pickups and ammo. Besides that, it's a largely unresponsive world, albeit a beautiful one. With the addition of some side storylines and secret missions, Mafia 2 would really cross the line from engaging to completely immersive.
Mafia 2 melds storytelling and gameplay like few games before it, and creates a beautiful and stimulating world that is a joy to be a part of. The diversity of gameplay styles and the need to know what happens next makes it hard to stop playing, and like any good mob flick, its infamous characters colour it with charm, humour and personality. Let's hope that the inevitable Mafia 3 takes these elements, refines them and adds some hidden surprises that are sorely missed here - if it does, this will be one truly formidable family of a franchise.
8.5/10