Mafia 2 [NEW]

The game opens in 1945. Vito Scaletta, a Sicilian-American soldier, is wounded in World War II. Upon returning home to the fictional city of (a pastiche of New York, Chicago, and Boston), he discovers his family is drowning in debt. Unable to find legitimate work, Vito falls back into petty crime with his childhood best friend, Joe Barbaro.

In the pantheon of open-world video games, titles like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row are celebrated for their chaos, their absurdity, and their "anything goes" attitude. They are playgrounds of destruction. Then there is Mafia II . Released by 2K Czech in 2010, Mafia II stands apart as a stark, atmospheric, and deeply linear tragedy. It is a game that does not ask the player to build an empire, but rather to witness the slow, agonizing corrosion of a man’s soul within the belly of the beast. Mafia 2

The game’s opening finds Vito returning from World War II, scarred by his experiences in Italy. He returns to the slums of Empire Bay to find his sister in debt and his mother sick. His childhood friend, the fiery and impulsive Joe Barbaro, offers him a way out: the Mafia. The game opens in 1945

Crucially, the game includes a fictional radio host, operator, who delivers news reports that change based on your recent missions. Blow up a dock? The news reports the "tragic industrial accident." Unable to find legitimate work, Vito falls back

To understand Mafia II , one must accept that it is not an RPG. It is a linear third-person shooter disguised as an open-world game. This design choice was the source of much debate. Players expecting to go bowling or buy car modification shops were disappointed.

If Vito is the somber eyes through which we see the world, Joe Barbaro is the beating, bleeding heart of the narrative. Joe is the id to Vito’s superego. He is loud, violent, loyal to a fault, and seemingly born for the mob life. It is Joe who pulls Vito back into the life whenever Vito tries to go straight.

If you are booting up Mafia 2 for the first time, keep these tips in mind: