Mafia 2

Mafia 2 showcases the fact that mob life can be brutal. Not only do your best friends betray you for some extra cash, but also a steep prison sentence is always around the corner. Playing Mafia 2 on the PC gives you the chance to enjoy the world of organized crime from the safety of your own living room. Mafia 2 has great shooting, great stealth and great fist fights. On the one hand, you do not have much to do outside of the story line, and the huge open sandbox world can sometimes feel like somewhat of a tease because of that.

When the game delivers, it delivers big time. The areas where Mafia 2 excels make it go on a big level. For example, you have a story-heavy game from the 1940's and 1950's. Most gamers will find that the story is the biggest draw of the game. You play as Vito, a Mafia member who wants to climb the ranks of his crime family to become the capo di tutti capi or the godfather. While Vito understands the consequences of his actions, at this point in the story, he is in too deep, and he is enjoying the many pleasures of mob life. The story itself has masterpiece voice acting from big names like Robert Costanzo and Ray Iannicelli.

The story takes place in a place called Empire City, where most of your mob missions will take place. You can tell you are living in the 1940's and 1950's because you hear a lot of wartime propaganda that fills the radio waves. The game goes deep into detail, and the game developers did a great job at creating a multidimensional game. You can rob stores and sell cars for some extra cash. Nevertheless, this can feel somewhat redundant because a lot of the guns and ammo that you can buy at the store can be picked up off the enemies that you kill. Also, most of the time you will be more focused on moving from one story mission into the next. The action is so good that you almost forget about the negatives of the game.

Mafia 2 really delivers a powerful punch with vibrant sound effects. The way it sounds and causes your remote to vibrate adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the game. You do have some mundane missions where you have to drive your friend to the doctor, but his life is on the line. You also have some incredibly exciting missions in Mafia 2, and you will feel wrapped up in the plot line that showcases mid-century mob drama.

Pros

• Characters with a rich and interesting backstory
• Packed with action from start to finish
• Crisp and solid graphics
• Wonderful story line

Cons

• Game can sometimes freeze on the older PCs
• The gigantic sandbox world can feel like a tease
• Pressing a button to leave cover and shoot can be somewhat of an annoyance