Xbox 360's Mafia 2

I was probably one of the few people who played every single bit of Mafia 1.

Does that make me special? No. Does that make me an individual? No.

So what difference does that make and why should anyone care? Mafia 1... wasn't exactly a normal game. It was a limited/open world game that was mainly storyline driven, but a completists paradise. You had the ability to go anywhere, basically do anything, but there were no sidequests.

Now obviously I'm not actually the only person who played every bit of the game, but it took determination and a severe case of a compulsive disorder to actually want to finish everything in the game.

And those bastards.... made Mafia 2 in the same exact way. I walk into my old friend's apartment in Empire City, and there is a magazine on the floor. The option to pick it up appears, so I do, and lo and behold.... there are about 50 more like it to collect.

You bastards.

Wanted posters, Playboy magazines, game posters, cars and clothes. All collectible. Well now I have to get them all.

See here's the problem. I'm an achievementist, meaning I have a desire to get all of the achievements. Completist, trophy-whore, whatever you want to call it. Mafia 2 fulfills my needs in this sense. So what makes it different from any other game that has achievements/collectibles? It makes it possible and worthwhile. Some games require you to find 500 flags, or kill certain people in a certain amount of time. Mafia 2 gives you lower numbers to obtain, but various things to get, to remove some of the tedium.

So what about the game? It's good. Solid. Enjoyable. I played for about 6 hours straight as soon as I started. That's the danger about games like this. They are open-ended, but they don't overwhelm you with sidequests. Rather they have jobs you could do, but no one is forcing you. Usually they just give you more money, that you can spend on clothes or cars or guns. No necessary sidequests.

That does make the game somewhat short. 15ish chapters and I'm on ch 6 now. I started to play yesterday. So does this detract from the overall experience? Not in the least.

Being able to actually complete a game, and see an end in the distance is somewhat refreshing. Remember in GTA4 when you go to the sniper mission on top of the building? It felt like the end, the mission took a good hour to finish, and was pretty tough. Oh no. You weren't done in the least. You had another like 10 missions to do. Even when you finished those, the game informed you that you were only like 60% done. The rest were sidequests.

Now here me out, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just nice to have a game that I know I'll finish in the 20 hour mark, achievements included. I have a stack of games "still to finish", and that stack keeps growing. It'd be nice to not have to put another game on that pile. (Editor note: Doug's concept of finishing a game means 100%, achievements included usually).

The games great. Good strong storyline with a huge twist right before the middle of the game that you won't see coming, and wonder how they could possibly continue the game. If you've played Mafia 1, GTA3-4, Godfather 1 or 2, Sabetour, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed 1-2, or any other somewhat open gameplay title you're familiar with the concept. There are cars, they handle like cars from the 1940's would. There are guns, you shoot them. The fighting system isn't terrible once you get the hang of it. It's a snap if you were just playing Red Dead. The music and environment are period and spot on for the time period.

The story. The story, just keeps you involved and makes you want to watch the cut scenes. For some reason I connected with our player Vito quickly, he acts and speaks like how I imagine I would if I were in that situation. His character work, and all of the characters you'll run into, obviously have had work put into them. That's something I admire nowadays in games. Some people will show fear in certain situations, everyone has their own idea of morals and justice. One scene in particular I remember looking at Vito and thinking "there's no way he can be ok with this". Sure enough the next scene he starts to have his doubts.

Mafia 1 was recognized for it's strong story and character development. They had a decent fighting system, and a decent structure, but the story was the strong point. Mafia 2 doesn't let down. The reviews are mixed overall, and to me that's a sign of a good game that doesn't appeal to everyone (see: COD crowd). Usually when the critics can't agree it means they refuse to allow a smaller title and a smaller gaming company to get any sort of huge success. 2k Czech were the parents of this game, and the company basically made the first Mafia as well. If it was Activision or Treyarch they'd be proclaiming this game a GTA4 killer, but that's modern gaming politics for you.

Should you buy this game? Yes. It has a strong story, great environments, and an experience you have no problem enjoying, visiting, and even revisiting. (There are reasons to play through again). It might not stay on your shelf forever, but for the time it does spend there, you'll enjoy a well-made game as long as you know what to expect and where to look.