I played through Mafia 2 recently and got loads of awesome video clips from it, so I
thought I might as well make it into a full-blown review while I was at it.
Mafia 2 is a weird mix of old and new.
Despite having a sandbox city to explore, the quests you do are very scripted.
It's almost like a game from the 90's but with newer graphics!
And that's not a bad thing.
I have fond memories of Driver 1 and 2 and this game seems to have been inspired by the
series.
Every mission you wake up and answer a phone to get a job of some kind.
You've then got to drive to a destination, watch a cutscene, do more driving, get into
a fight of some sort, then drive some more until it congratulates you and you go to bed
for the next day.
Driving about makes up most of this game's length.
At points this is painfully obvious and I found it annoying that the destination always
seemed to be at the other side of the rather large city.
Fortunately, the journey itself isn't too bad.
You get to drive about in a number of old 40's vehicles.
They don't handle too badly but there's not a lot to differentiate between most of them.
You get the occasional truck or hotrod which changes the pace a bit but these are often
forced upon you as part of a mission.
As you travel around the city you have to loosely abide by the law, as getting spotted
by police leads to a frustrating Metal Gear Solid style evasion which, although fun at
first, soon becomes a chore that makes missions take longer.
Fortunately, they're not hard to escape from but once they've identified your car, or even
worse, you, you then have to take extra measures before you can safely roam the streets again.
The gunfights themselves are satisfying, clunky affairs where you can drop enemies with a
single well-placed shot.
A heavy reliance on smaller weapons early on makes the bigger machineguns all the more
rewarding once you get your hands on them.
Between shots you rely on cover to keep you safe from the hail of bullets they bring your
way.
And hail, they will.
Although over 4 years old now the game makes excellent use of physx.
Things will shatter and explode and by the end of a fight the room's an absolute tip.
The attention to detail really is fantastic and it made the game more enjoyable, despite
being just a graphical effect.
Your character gets involved in a number of fist-fights as the game progresses.
These are simple, easy and often short-lived encounters which I think is a bit of a shame,
since they were some of the most enjoyable bits of the game for me.
You find yourself squaring off against bigger and butcher characters in the earlier parts
of the game, wondering who you'll have to punch in the face next.
And then...
they stop.
It's as if part of the game dies young and they really could have done more with it in
my opinion.
Still, they were fun while they lasted.
I guess I should mention the story.
I'm not particularly fond of mafia films or lengthy cut scenes, but this game kept me
hooked throughout.
I think it's because it doesn't drop you in the deep end.
You start as a little fish and even towards the end you're vulnerable, being manipulated
by higher forces.
It's a good thing that it takes such a long time both get going, since it was the small
one-off jobs that I found the most interesting.
The game does a great job of showing you a seemingly simple situation, before revealing
its true seediness later on when you take a tour behind the scenes.
I can understand why people were disappointed with the ending but I personally didn't mind
it.
It's the journey there that I care more about and fortunately the game gets that bit right.
The radio deserves a mention.
You get to hear a selection of incredibly catchy old songs as you drive about.
I normally only listen to Pet Shop Boys but even I began humming some of the tunes.
It's a nice touch that has been added to try and bring the world to life.
The game isn't without its flaws.
The checkpoints can be inconsistently placed.
I don't mind having to redo bits if I die, but it's not fair when I have to attempt the
ENTIRE mission again.
What's more, the game insists on letting you do everything.
You have to get up, get changed, leave your house, find a car and then drive to your destination.
Doing this for the first time in this game is okay, but the third or fourth time it really
begins to get to you.
You start to drive faster and more carelessly simply to get to the destination and it's
at times like these when the police really become an irritation.
It's widely known that the city in Mafia 2 is lifeless when compared with other sandbox
games like... say, Grand Theft Auto.
But I have to repeat it.
The developers have clearly worked hard to make it a convincing place.
I love how it changes as the storyline progresses.
It's just a genuine shame that there isn't more to actually do in the city as this would
have greatly increased the time I spent playing the game.
It becomes boring and predictable, much like the sandbox mode of Driver 1 and 2.
Occasionally you'll see a crime take place, or gangsters will open fire on people in the
streets, but it doesn't have any real consequence.
Don't play this game for the sandbox, play it for the missions.
Think of the city as a backdrop for the storyline rather than as a key element of the game.
In conclusion, this game comes as a very pleasant surprise.
It delivers a simple yet remarkably polished and enthralling tale that I avidly played
to the bitter end.
The gameplay itself is basic but the environments and ideas are inspired and it's those elements
that make the game so memorable.
In some ways, it reminds me of Half Life 2, where different chapters introduce new variations
on old themes.
The developers show real imagination and it's this that makes the game more fun than the
sum of its parts would suggest.
It's an old-fashioned sort of game, but it still has its appeal.
I would happily play through it again at some point in the future and very much look forward
to the next game in the series.