Overview: Play as Vito Scaletta as he does a series of jobs for the Mafia.
PSA: This game is not a traditional open-world game.
20170819: (AM Hours)
After midnight, I proceeded down the list of games I owned ordered by price - having yesterday (20170818) played Tales of Zestiria using the same method. Among the different games that cost $29.99, I skipped several strategy/RTS games on the list until I arrived at Mafia II. While I can't say I was looking forward to playing it, the game's positive reviews encouraged me to give it a try.
Setup: Keyboard. Default display settings. Medium difficulty.
Game Log:
The initial sequence in Italy surprised me (for a game titled Mafia).
The game has an open world feel to it, but with a linear storyline. [Supposedly there's an open world mod]
Is the goal of the game to make money? Or perhaps it's simply to experience the story.
I stopped playing after I completed the fourth chapter.
Steam Game Time: 3.7 hours (session game time)
*According to SteamDB, I had a handful of games I had yet to play that cost $29.99. Alphabetically: The Darkness II, DMC: Devil May Cry, Dungeons 2, Horizon, Mafia II, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: [UNS] 3, Project CARS, Remember Me, Resident Evil Revelations, Sonic Lost World, Spec Ops: The Line, Spintires, StarDrive, Stronghold [CE] HD, Styx: [MoS], Tiny Barbarian DX, Total War: SHOGUN 2, Warhammer 40,000: [DoWII-R], Warhammer: [ET-V], WRC 4: FIA [WRC].
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Great graphics
+ Excellent story
+ Good dialogue
+ Realism; in particular, the cop AI is interesting
+ Pays attention to detail. For example, I passed a character on the way towards home and he recognized me; in hindsight, the game's linearity helps in this respect
Neutral:
~ Realistic driving; cops don't enforce staying on the road or running a red, but sometimes it's easier to obey traffic laws in order to avoid crashing into other cars or killing pedestrians - the first will damage your car, the second will get you in trouble with the law; sometimes cops will chase you for speeding
Minor Con:
- It initially seemed like every other open world game I've played (with missions), but it isn't. It's a linear story set in an open world with free roam, but I could only ever complete one objective. I repeat: I had yet to encounter any side missions. Remark: I believe it's the story's linearity which makes the game amazing.
Con:
- No quick save option.
Summary:
Overall, I loved the pace of the game. I especially felt this way after having recently played Tales of Zestiria whose action and story was spread out, interspersed with a lot of boring walking. In contrast, even driving around from point A to point B in Mafia II was a fun experience.
In fact, Mafia II was such a fun game that part of me wants to play more. However, having only completed four out of fifteen chapters over the course of 3.7 hours, I have decided to postpone my completion of the game.
If you love action games with a good story, then I would highly recommend Mafia II. If you love open world games and wouldn't mind sacrificing the freedom to find missions for an excellent story, then I would also highly recommend Mafia II. For all others, I would recommend trying the demo.
Mafia II (PC) (2010)
Relevant Links:
Mafia II Website
Mafia II (Wikipedia.org)
Mafia II (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Mafia II (Steam Store Page)
PSA: This game is not a traditional open-world game.
 |
| Vito Scaletta |
20170819: (AM Hours)
After midnight, I proceeded down the list of games I owned ordered by price - having yesterday (20170818) played Tales of Zestiria using the same method. Among the different games that cost $29.99, I skipped several strategy/RTS games on the list until I arrived at Mafia II. While I can't say I was looking forward to playing it, the game's positive reviews encouraged me to give it a try.
Setup: Keyboard. Default display settings. Medium difficulty.
 |
| Vito's best friend Joe Barbaro |
Game Log:
The initial sequence in Italy surprised me (for a game titled Mafia).
The game has an open world feel to it, but with a linear storyline. [Supposedly there's an open world mod]
Is the goal of the game to make money? Or perhaps it's simply to experience the story.
I stopped playing after I completed the fourth chapter.
Steam Game Time: 3.7 hours (session game time)
*According to SteamDB, I had a handful of games I had yet to play that cost $29.99. Alphabetically: The Darkness II, DMC: Devil May Cry, Dungeons 2, Horizon, Mafia II, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: [UNS] 3, Project CARS, Remember Me, Resident Evil Revelations, Sonic Lost World, Spec Ops: The Line, Spintires, StarDrive, Stronghold [CE] HD, Styx: [MoS], Tiny Barbarian DX, Total War: SHOGUN 2, Warhammer 40,000: [DoWII-R], Warhammer: [ET-V], WRC 4: FIA [WRC].
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Great graphics
+ Excellent story
+ Good dialogue
+ Realism; in particular, the cop AI is interesting
 |
| My first car. Plated TNYTIM |
+ Pays attention to detail. For example, I passed a character on the way towards home and he recognized me; in hindsight, the game's linearity helps in this respect
Neutral:
~ Realistic driving; cops don't enforce staying on the road or running a red, but sometimes it's easier to obey traffic laws in order to avoid crashing into other cars or killing pedestrians - the first will damage your car, the second will get you in trouble with the law; sometimes cops will chase you for speeding
Minor Con:
- It initially seemed like every other open world game I've played (with missions), but it isn't. It's a linear story set in an open world with free roam, but I could only ever complete one objective. I repeat: I had yet to encounter any side missions. Remark: I believe it's the story's linearity which makes the game amazing.
 |
| Fist fights happen on occasion. |
Con:
- No quick save option.
Summary:
Overall, I loved the pace of the game. I especially felt this way after having recently played Tales of Zestiria whose action and story was spread out, interspersed with a lot of boring walking. In contrast, even driving around from point A to point B in Mafia II was a fun experience.
In fact, Mafia II was such a fun game that part of me wants to play more. However, having only completed four out of fifteen chapters over the course of 3.7 hours, I have decided to postpone my completion of the game.
 |
| I accidentally pulled out my gun in public. A man pulled out his gun and told me to put mine away. Then a cop told the man to put his gun away. Meanwhile, I had holstered mine, thinking it was just a simple mistake. Then the cop shot the man. (screenshot here) I didn't do anything wrong right? Then the cop came up to me and I was given the option to evade arrest or bribe the cop with $50. I bribed him and quietly walked away from the ordeal. |
If you love action games with a good story, then I would highly recommend Mafia II. If you love open world games and wouldn't mind sacrificing the freedom to find missions for an excellent story, then I would also highly recommend Mafia II. For all others, I would recommend trying the demo.
Mafia II (PC) (2010)
Relevant Links:
Mafia II Website
Mafia II (Wikipedia.org)
Mafia II (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Mafia II (Steam Store Page)
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