While Mafia 2 has a lot of good things going for it, most are developed enough that they matter. Let’s start with the gameplay, which for 90% of the time, comprises of shooting, ducking, shooting some more. There’s also a large city to drive around in, but for the most part, there’s nothing to do. There are no mini-missions or side quests, which is a shame, because the city looks and acts realistically, as if taken directly out of the 1950s.

The game does excel is one way though: the story. You play as Vito Scaletta, an Italian who returns from WW2 looking to break into the gangster business. Throughout the game, you follow his quest and story, both though gameplay and cut scenes. And the cut scenes are especially well done, with great voice acting which adds to the value of the over all story. However, the repetitive gameplay which supports the great story ultimately drags it down, and you’ll often find yourself wanting to get the shooting over with so you can go back to watching the story unfold (usually in cut scenes).

Technically, the game looks great, the visuals manage to render a believable and atmospheric 1950s city and setting, albeit a few technical glitches such as screen tearing. The audio and voice acting are top notch, and the game carries a feel of high production values. The gameplay however, isn’t too impressive and neither are the missions, some are quite dull and repetitive. Overall, it’s a game with a lot of potential, and cannot be classified as a bad game, despite the lackluster gameplay. Because of the great story, it’s certainly recommended to those who like gangster and mobster stories.

The Good:
Believable world
Great story
Great production values

The Bad:
Repetitive gameplay
Some screen tearing issues
No multiplayer

Overall score: 7/10