Mafia II

Thinking of picking up Mafia II?  If so, you’re no doubt torn by all the reviews you may have seen thus far.  Some love it and some hate it.  Today, we’re going to bring you our humble opinion with hopes that it will be the one that pushes you over the edge to a definitive decision.

The question is, which edge are we trying to push you over?

We’ll get this rolling by saying that there’s one thing you need to immediately do before even considering giving Mafia II a shot: wipe your expectations completely clean.  You’ll be quick to find out that this game is not what it seems.

On the outside, it looks like an open-world sandbox game where you can do whatever you want at your leisure.  To an extent, that description is true – but when someone mentions a game that matches that portrayal, what do you think of?  If you’re like most of the gaming community, you probably think of Grand Theft Auto.  If there’s one thing you should take away from this review, take away this: Mafia II is not Grand Theft Auto.  Easy, right?

 The story begins with the protagonist, Vito Scaletta, getting in to a bit of trouble.  He’s young and when you’re 18, robbing a jewelry store seems like a good idea.  The police thought otherwise, however.  Lucky for him, it’s 1943 and there’s a war going on.  Uncle Sam offers Vito a chance to redeem himself by joining the army rather than going to prison.  Vito accepts and quickly finds himself in Italy.

Upon his return to Empire City (modeled after New York City) a couple of years later, he finds that things are not as he left them.  Vito’s father is in trouble with the loan sharks and the worst part is, he’s no longer alive to deal with them – which leaves only his family to bear the financial burden.

READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW AT PS3 ATTITUDE