With Scarlotti's Mafia Wars 2, Digital Chocolate has taken a step away from its past portfolio--which is built mostly around puzzle and sports games--to come up with an old-fashioned, isometric action adventure. Digital Chocolate added just the right amount to Sumea's original Mafia Wars formula in the sequel, and it wisely refrained from changing the gameplay's underlying simplicity. This rip-roaring trip through the seedy underworld of organized crime is a lot of fun.
In Mafia Wars 2's story mode, you play as Joe Scarlotti, one of the toughest wiseguys to ever brandish a tommy gun. Joe's back in town, and he's seeking revenge on the scum that took out his family. In doing so, you get involved in a major beef between two mob bosses. In addition, you're sent on assassination and sabotage missions, all the while getting caught in a maelstrom of shifting loyalties. The bloodbath of a story is advanced via dialog bubbles bearing the very Sicilian likenesses of the principal characters.
Like a good mafia flick, the action is simple and to the point. You only have to worry about movement and shooting, since your gun automatically targets the closest enemy or explosive object. A flashing arrow points to your objective from the edges of the screen, and it's up to you to make your way through town, gunning down rival mobsters or avoiding them as you like. Joe's hard as nails, but he's not invincible. So you'll have to look for medical packs, too. These are indicated, along with enemies, allies, and cops, on a pop-up mini-map. The fuzz won't bother you as long as your weapon's concealed, and you can pull it out or put it away at the touch of a button. Success in the story mode generally requires some forethought. As a result, it pays to find alternate routes around gangs of enemies, for instance, and to time your attacks so you don't have to deal with the police as well as the bad guys.
Mafia Wars 2's story mode is good for a couple of hours of play, and the game adds some replay value with an action mode, where the object is simply to kill as many thugs as you can before you die. They'll come at you from all directions, and medical packs will periodically spawn nearby. You can post your high scores in this mode to D-Choc's Mobile League service.
Mafia Wars 2 is a really attractive game on Cingular's Motorola V551. The isometric environment has a surprising amount of detail. The city's covered in a blanket of snow, and all its features, from the cars to the buildings, are appropriate to the 1930s-era setting. The game's sultry swing music is absolutely first-rate, and it punctuates the bootleggers-and-trenchcoats ambience perfectly. You'll probably find yourself snapping along to the cool-cat high hat. It fills in admirably for gunfire and other sound effects, which the game lacks entirely.
Scarlotti's Mafia Wars 2 is a thoughtfully designed action game that also succeeds as a period piece. There aren't many mobile games that invest a lot of resources in getting their settings right, but Mafia Wars 2 is clearly one of them. It turns out that revenge is a dish best served on your mobile phone.
