Mafia II

America’s fascination with the Mafia is long documented. For decades, films like The Godfather and television series like The Sopranos have basked in the world of the Italian organized crime syndicate. Its current and former members tout it as a closed community that operates on trust, respect, and glory. Never mind that in reality they backstab, double-cross, and rat each other out at a higher frequency than any of the Real Housewives reality shows. No video game franchise adheres more closely to this fractured dream of a romanticized criminal subculture than Mafia.

 

Set in the ‘40s and ‘50s, Mafia II is jam packed with familiar plot devices pulled from classic movies like Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale. In the fictional city of Empire Bay, three Italian crime families hold control over most of the criminal underground. While the old fashioned Dons stick to the time-tested rackets of gambling, running numbers, and boosting goods, more adventurous young upstarts start dabbling in get-rich-quick schemes involving narcotics. This creates a friction that could break the alliance and pit the families against one another. This is the backdrop for Vito Scaletta’s rise from street thug to wise guy.

 

Like a made guy dressed to the nines in a tailored suit, fedora, and a pair of Stacy Adams, Mafia II dresses the part. The new setting, Empire Bay, is a stunning recreation of a ‘40s and ‘50s American metropolis. From the war-time propaganda posters to the era-specific automobiles and radio tunes, Mafia II transports you to a time where American pride was at an all-time high, dames were called broads, and overt racism ran rampant through the segregated communities. The impressive attention to detail is most noticeable in the expertly crafted building interiors, which look like destructible sets pulled straight out of Mad Men.

 

Unlike Grand Theft Auto’s Liberty City, Empire Bay isn’t an open world playground overflowing with side quests and distractions. The world still feels like a living city, but Mafia II is a much more focused experience. You can buy new clothes, get your plates changed at the auto shop, and boost cars for cash, but that’s about the extent of your interaction with the city. The game is divided into story chapters, which allows the developers at 2K Czech to alter the weather, time, and city conditions in service of the missions. While explorative gamers may miss the freewheeling structure of games like GTA and Red Dead Redemption, those who never finish lengthy games will appreciate Mafia II’s direct storytelling.

 

The original Mafia stood out for its engaging missions, and the sequel follows suit. You still drive through the city for long stretches (this time without a clutch or constant harassment from traffic cops), but once you reach your destination the action unfolds in smartly scripted missions that feel different every time. These quests feature your standard blend of third-person shooting and driving sequences, with the occasional fistfight thrown in for good measure. The controls don’t depart drastically from genre conventions, though the finicky cover mechanic gave me troubles in tight quarters.

 

For Vito to become a made man, he must earn his stripes selling stolen cigarettes on the streets, robbing jewelry stores, burying dead bodies, and taking on dangerous infiltration and assassination missions. His best friend Joe is along for the ride most of the time, and their dialogue serves as a narrative lynchpin. Though Mafia II relies heavily on mobster clichés, the ending takes an interesting turn that gives the game its own identity.

 

If you’re a veteran of open world games, you should note that Mafia II is extremely easy on the normal difficulty. Turn it up a notch if you want more challenging gunfights. No matter what difficulty you choose, don’t expect at lot of interference from the clueless cops. When you break the law, the men in blue aren’t overly concerned with apprehending you – some give lazy chase, but shaking them is as easy as stepping on the gas in a fast car, making a u-turn in a busy intersection, or stopping until the cops get out of their cars and then flooring it. They’re even more ineffective when the guns come out. I “hid” behind a dumpster of a closed-off alley in front of a pile of several dead officers and lost my wanted rating despite several cops patrolling the area.

 

Mafia II suffers from some other minor annoyances as well. The game relies heavily on cutscenes, and sometimes doesn’t know when to draw the line between interacting with the world and triggering a cutscene. I shouldn’t take control of Vito as he wakes up only to jump immediately into another cutscene when I pick up the ringing phone. The NPC intelligence during missions is also troublesome. In one mission I had to tail a car to find out where it was headed, but the driver got into an accident and the mission failed.

 

In an era when video games are moving away from relying on cinematics for storytelling, Mafia II draws on the rich mobster film history to weave a gripping drama about family, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, and pragmatism. If you’re fond of quoting Don Corleone and Tony Soprano, don’t miss this game.

1. "Gatemouth"- Did You Ever Love A Woman

2. Al Hibler - After the Lights Go Down Low

3. Al Hibbler - Count Every Star

4. The Ames Brothers - My Bonnie Lassie

5. The Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

6. The Andrews Sisters - Rum and Coca Cola

7. The Andrews Sisters - Straighten Up and Fly Right

8. The Andrews Sisters - Strip Polka

9. The Andrews Sisters - There'll Be a Hot Time in the Town of Berlin

10. The Andrews Sisters - Victory Polka

11. Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want)

12. Benny Goodman - Sing, Sing, Sing 3:00 minutes

13. Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around the Clock -

14. Billy Merman - 900 Miles

15. Billy Merman - Springtime in Monaco

16. Bing Crosby - By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

17. Bing Crosby - I Haven't Time To Be A Millionaire

18. Bing Crosby - I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams

19. Bing Crosby - Pennies From Heaven

20. Bing Crosby - The Pessimistic Character

21. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

22. Bo Diddley - Who Do You Love

23. Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away

24. Buddy Holly - Rave On

25. That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly

26. Cab Calloway - Everybody Eats When They Come to My House

27. Happy Feet - Cab Calloway

28. The Cadillacs - Speedoo

29. The Chordettes - Mr Sandman

30. Chuck Berry - Nadine

31. Chuck Berry - No Particular Place To Go

32. The Coasters - Framed

33. The Coasters - One Kiss Led to Another / Brazil

34. The Crew Cuts - Sh-Boom

35. Danny & The Juniors - At The Hop

36. Dave Appell - Ooh Baby Ooh

37. Dean Martin - Ain't that a kick in the head

38. Dean Martin - Let It Snow

39. Dean Martin - Return to Me

40. Dean Martin - That's Amore

41. Dinah Shore - Baby It's Cold Outside

42. Dinah Shore - Buttons and Bows

43. Dixon Flloyd - That'll Get IT

44. Django Reinhardt - Belleville

45. Django Reinhardt - You're Driving Me Crazy

46. Doris Day - Makin' Whoopee

47. Duane Eddy - Cannonball

48. Duane Eddy - Forty Miles Of Bad Road

49. Duane Eddy - Movin' N' Groovin'

50. Duane Eddy - Rebel Rouser

51. Duke Ellington - It Don't mean a thing

52. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues

53. Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart - C'mon Everybody

54. Cliff Edwards and his hot combination - Good Little Bad Little You

55. The Everly Brother - All I Have to Do is Dream

56. Fats Domino - Ain't that a Shame

57. Fats Domino - The Fat Man

58. The Fleetwoods - Come Softly to Me

59. Frankie Laine - Jezebel

60. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love

61. Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra - Clarinet Marmalade

62. Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra - Riverboat Shuffle

63. Hal Singer - Rock Around the Clock Singer

64. Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin'

65. Ike Carpenter Orchestra - Pachuko Hop

66. Jack McVea - Inflation Blues

67. Jackie Wilson - Rags to Riches

68. Jimmy Breedlove - My Guardian Angel

69. Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang - Beatin' The Dog

70. Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang - Goin' Places

71. Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang - Stringing The Blues (V.2)

72. John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

73. Johnny Dodds' Black Bottom Stompers - Come On And Stomp Stomp Stomp

74. Kay Kyser - Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

75. Les Baxter - Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart

76. Lester Williams - I Cant Lose With the Stuff I Use

77. Little Richard - Keep a Knockin'

78. Little Richard - Long Tall Sally

79. Little Richard - Lucille

80. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Choo Choo Ch'Boogie

81. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Ain't That Just Like a Woman

82. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Caldonia Boogie

83. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Friendship

84. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - G.I. Jive

85. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Open the Door Richard

86. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Ration Blues

87. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - That Chick's Too Young to Fry

88. Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)

89. Louis Prima - Che La Luna

90. Louis Prima - Oh Marie

91. Louis Prima - Pennies From Heaven

92. Louis Prima - The Closer to the Bone

93. Louis Prima - When You're Smiling

94. Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working

95. Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy

96. Peetie Wheatstraw - Gangster's Blues

97. Peggy Lee - Happiness is a Thing Called Joe

98. Peggy Lee - Why Don't You Do Right

99. Perez Prado - The Peanut Vendor

100. Reg Owen Orchestra - Manhattan Spiritual

101. Richie Valens - Come On Let's Go

102. Ricky Nelson - Stood Up

103. Ritchie Valens - Donna

104. Rosemary Clooney - Mambo Italiano

105. Roy Hamilton - Don't Let Go

106. Roy Hamilton - You Can Have Her

107. Rusty Draper - Held for Questioning

108. Sam Butera & The Witnesses - Let The Good Times Roll

109. Sandy Nelson - Teen Beat

110. Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell on You

111. The Big Bands Moonglow - Java

112. The Champs - Tequila

113. The Chantels - Maybe

114. The Drifters feat. Clyde McPhatter - Honey Love

115. The Five Keys - Ling Ting Tong

116. The Five Satins - In The Still Of The Night

117. The Gaylords - Chow Mein

118. The Ink Spots - The Best Things in Life Are Free

119. The Monotones - Book of Love

120. Tommy Dorsey - The Dipsy Doodle

121. Varetta Dillard - Mercy Mr. Percy