Like its predecessor with better graphics, but what's new?
The problem with Mafia II is that if you played the first Mafia when it came out, you might be expecting too much from this game. Once you've got used to the new graphics, you might experience some disappointment. Not because Mafia II is bad, but because the first Mafia was so good in its day. When the first Mafia came out, it made a huge impact. It raised the bar of computer graphics, gameplay and immersion. I remember sitting at my PC and just driving around, listening to the music and looking at the people and buildings. My friends did the same thing. It was a real experience. Since then we've had Grand Theft Auto 4, and other sandbox games, and placed in this context Mafia II doesn't offer anything that is new or innovative.
Like its predecessor, the game design is still very linear which means that you must do everything in a fixed order through a series of levels or "chapters". Also again we have the witty dialogue and a good, solid story provided by the cut-scenes that are seamlessly woven into the game play. As in the first Mafia, the resulting feeling is that you're part of an interactive movie, rather than in a first person shooter.
But Mafia II has had several features removed, when it should have had new ones added. There is no longer a "freeplay" mode where you can just drive around and have some fun, although you can explore the city as you like within a mission - only some buildings are locked. There's still no multiplayer, which was sorely missing from the first Mafia. Manual gear changes and flashing indicators have gone, and while I guess most of us can live with that, I was dismayed to see that public transport has also gone. No longer can we hail in taxis, hop on buses and escape from the police on trams. Although of little practical use, these features in the first Mafia provided some extra fun and a deeper sense of immersion. There seems to be no good reason for them not to be included Mafia II, and their absence just gives you the feeling that there is less to do here. In fact, other than follow the plot, there is surprisingly little to do in Mafia II.
Unlike most shooters, you spend a lot of time in this game watching cut scenes and driving around. It reminds me of film Godfather where the long periods of relative inactivity make the violence, when it does happen, seem all the more intense. The fighting is pretty solid with good physics and a few new moves, such as the ability to enter cover mode and carry out stealth kills. Eating restores your health, although the health also regenerates automatically - and somewhat too quickly for my taste. This didn't happen in the first Mafia.
Mafia II has great graphics, and it's a good, solid game and you'll no doubt enjoy the 20 hours or so it takes you to complete it. Whatever this game may lack in terms of functionality and innovation, it remains a splendid recreation of an American city and cars of the 1940s and 1950s eras.