Gameplay, continued:
Driving in these “sandbox” games is always an issue for me. While I was able to complete most missions that dealt with driving on the first go-round, it’s hard to say whether the handling of the cars was off because of the system or because 2K was trying to accurately protray how these vehicles handled in the time period. I am lucky enough in my real world job to have access to a lot of period cars, which drive mostly like crap compared to modern cars. I once drove a 1950′s Ferrari that handled like a tractor…and a very crappy tractor at that. Handling around corners at a fast clip is not recomended for a top-heavy car made mostly of steel, so you have to play with it a little to get used to the physics. Throttle response is sometimes non-existant and it seems like what kind of rubber you have on your wheels is important. Taking off quickly, I more than once did a complete 360 and ended up facing the wrong way. You have the opportunity to upgrade your cars and I highly recommend at least a tune-up and better tires. Like real life in the car business, you get what you pay for. It would do you a lot of good to steal a couple of the better cars early in the game and put them in your garage. Since the money you earn is rarely needed for weapon upgrades, unless you are playing on hard, I recommend you pimping out your rides. If nothing else, it will make your driving experience more enjoyable.
One of the complaints that I have about Mafia 2 is the lack of uses for the money you earn. I never really had a need for any. In game (I mean, in the real world), I’ve come to realize that I’m going to have to find Robert Redford and have him make an offer to sleep with my wife to make a million. I found that spending it on clothes and guns was really unneccesary. At the begining of every mission, Joe will either hand you a gun or you already had your trusty Model 1911 with you. I more often then not fared well just killing a few wiseguys and taking their Thompsons or shotguns. Most missions, it didn’t matter what you wore and your old stand-by leather jacket and slacks was fine. One of the reasons why I enjoy a good “sand-box” game is the customization of the character and his surroundings. There were no apartment or furniture upgrades and the clothing stores were lacking variety. For living the ”mafia’ lifestyle, Vito’s choices were very conservative.
Overview:
As a game about life in the Mafia, 2K Games did a bang-up job. Throughout the game, I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and though the plot was “standard fare” as far as a Mafia story goes I genuinely wanted to see it to the end, no matter how it turned out for Vito and Joe. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that it was fairly abrupt. This obviously leaves it open for a sequel; not necessarily a bad thing, but leaving the story open as it did left me with no closure.
In light of the controversy that UNICO National started with asking 2K to delay their release of Mafia 2 so that the devs could remove any reference to Italians in a Mafia game (I know, it’s ridiculous) I feel obligated to say a few things further on the subject of perceived racism in period games. First, let me begin with the obvious. Italians were running the Mafia in this time period and were the heavy hitters at this particular moment. For UNICO National to deny that history is plain stupid. Secondly, although I doubt anyone notices or maybe even cares, there were a few references, although accurate, in the game that I found more interesting than the portrayal of Italian-Americans. The mission that takes you into the African-American section was far more interesting with the use of terms like “spook” and “mooley.” For those of you who don’t know, these were derogatory slang words for Afican-Americans at the time. Although periodically accurate, I found them more offensive than the portrayal of Italians in this game. Though not used often and you really had to listen to pick up on them, I found it interesting that they used these terms (EDITOR’S NOTE: Agreed, yet no sign of Al Sharpton on Fox News losing his mind.)
The Score:
Although shorter than I would have wanted, I finished in under 12 hours, 2K and 2K Czech did a wonderful job portraying Italian-American life in the United States in the 40′s and 50′s. Taking all things into consideration, Mafia 2 is a solid game. I give it 7 out of 10. Based on the gameplay alone, I would give it only a 6 but the story and wonderful voice acting added an extra point to the mix. I enjoyed it in spite of it being standard fare in the sandbox genre.
7 out of 10
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