If you're the kind which goes for "No... Don't kill me..." "Bang", then this is the game for you.
Mafia 2 is all about shooting and driving. And talking. Sorry. Watching. If you're not really interested in these kinds of things, then you should not be interested in this game at all.
Alright... Firstly, the shooting.
Shooting mechanics are good. Hide behind a wall, see your opponent pop out, aim, shoot. Repeat that for a couple of times, clear them all out, move back to the next area. Shoot, shoot, shoot. But shooting isn't really ALL about shooting. It requires you to move strategically, although it doesn't really require someone to have an IQ of 200+ to figure out where to move to. Or even when to move. Bad point about shooting is that you can't do it like GTA IV. I know I'm making comparisons, but it's (somewhat) essential. In GTA IV, you could hide behind cover, stick just your hand (and gun of course) and fire away. Mafia II requires your entire character to stand up and shoot. Which of course leaves you vulnerable. But weapons are powerful enough, so, there's not much need to worry. But seeing as 2 entirely different developers have developed GTA IV (Rockstar Games) and Mafia II (2K Games), you really can't compare the two of them.
Secondly, the police.
The police are ferocious. Speeding "earns" you a fine. No money to pay the fine? They start shooting. Hitting and running (police cars especially) gets you the fine as well. No money? They have the authority to open fire at you. Committing grand theft auto? They chase down your car and shoot. You rob a store (committing homicide first)? Bang. You shoot back at them? They will shoot back at you. And your wanted levels stays with you until you decide to change out of your clothes (a different set) or simply just change your car (for speeding or hit and run). You could also very well repaint your car or change your license plate to avoid the police when they're chasing you down for hit and run or for speeding. Yes. They require money. Nothing is free in this world.
Thirdly, the storyline.
Really great. Excellent storyline. But if the driving around bores you, then you could very well forget about the storyline. Most of the game requires you to drive around and ferry people here and there. This pretty much sums it up from the gamespot review: "You spend more time driving from one place to the next, often only to trigger a cutscene, rather than to engage in some of these action-packed activities." If you're not really into driving all over the city and just getting another cutscene, this isn't really the game for you. The missions in Mafia II have little variety. Meaning all you ever do is shoot. Or blow stuff up for that matter. However, everything has a reason. You shoot to prevent yourself from getting killed in order to proceed forward on the storyline. That's a reward (check the next segment. :D)
Fourthly, the rewards.
Fancy some naked women? Collect the playboy magazines all over the city to get the whole set of them. Simple enough? Not quite. Finding them can be a hassle. Other rewards are posters, artwork or pinups (only unlockable when playing on hard mode). Overall the rewards are interesting. Playboy magazine covers which feature naked women are a good incentive for you to go all over the city searching for these magazines to get those kinds of materials without getting a virus infection on your computer. Great eh?
Recommended? OF COURSE.
Fantastic storyline, fantastic gameplay, fantastic magazines.
:D