Mafia 2: 2K's GTA

I just recently picked up a copy of Mafia 2 for my Xbox and started playing it, and so far I haven't wanted to put down the controller because I am so engrossed in the game. I had originally been told that the game wasn't very good and I shouldn't buy it until it is in the cheap bin at Gamestop. But I had been playing a lot of Grand Theft Auto IV and Mafia 2 looked similar so I was curious. First off, no it isn't as "sandboxy" as GTA is, there are very little games that can compare to that aspect of the game. But Mafia 2 is still a sandbox game. 2K Czech did a very good job at linking together the story and the time period in a way that you are satisfied with playing the game without driving a car off of a building into the ocean. The game takes realism to a new level, and you start to actually want to drive carefully during it because if you accidently hit a parked car going 50 MPH it's quite possible you could die, and have to restart whatever mission you were on. I've always been a fan of driving carelessly in video games, people are always cautious when I want to take the steering wheel of a warthog in Halo; but in Mafia 2 I think I've mastered how to drive. The AI even encourages safe driving by telling you to slow down, and yelling at you when you drive through red lights. After writing that last sentence I just realized that it makes the game sound kinda lame, but don't worry it all works together.

Mafia 2 takes place in the 1940's in a city called Empire Bay, a city inspired by many cities in the US. You play as an Italian immigrant who ended up getting involved in crime with his best friend, and eventually with the Mafia. The story-line brings you through all of the difficulties he runs into being in the crime business, and also takes place in a numerous amount of places; once even back in Italy. Like I said earlier while playing this game I don't want to put down my controller. I say that I am going to go to bed, but then I am driving back to the restaurant to see what the next mission is. The story is where I would say that Mafia 2 beats out GTA IV because the story in that game is extremely boring and identical to itself throughout the whole game. I am struggling to even want to finish that game, which I do because I like collecting achievements. All in all even though I love just fooling around in GTA I believe that Mafia 2 is a better game, and I'm glad I now own it.

-- CK