Mafia II
Encyclopedia
Mafia II is a third-person action-adventure
video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks
, and is published by 2K Games
. Originally announced in August 2007 at the Leipzig Games Convention, it was released on Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
in August 2010.
, Chicago
, Los Angeles
, San Francisco, Boston
and Detroit. There are 30-40 vehicles in the game (45 with DLC
) as well as licensed music from the era.
Many firearms from the previous return, such as the Thompson submachine gun
and Colt 1911, as well as a pump-action
shotgun
(though it was changed from a Winchester Model 12
to a Remington 870
). New WWII-era weapons like the MP 40, the M3 submachine gun
, the MG 42 and the Beretta Model 38 also appear in the game.
Interacting with objects in the environment involves two action buttons- a standard action and a "violent" action (for example, when stealing a car, the player may choose to either pick its lock or break the window glass), used in context-sensitive situations. A map is included as in the original Mafia game. The checkpoint system has been completely overhauled. New controls include a cover system that allows the player to hide behind objects (such as generators, walls and large crates) to shoot enemies, rather than just using a crouch while behind an object.
It has been stated by 2K Czech that the game's cutscene
s are created by the game engine, in real-time, rather than pre-rendered cutscenes. For example if the player is riding in a car and a cut scene starts, the player will be driving the same car and if the car is damaged, that will appear in the cut scene.
The game has three different in game radio stations, Empire Central Radio, Empire Classic Radio and Delta Radio, with licensed music, news, and commercials. The radio stations includes music from different genres including rock and roll
, big band
, rhythm and blues
, doo-wop
, among others with licensed songs by Chuck Berry
, The Everly Brothers
, Dean Martin
, Little Richard
, Muddy Waters
, Buddy Holly & The Crickets
, Bing Crosby
, Bill Haley & His Comets
, The Chordettes
, Bo Diddley
, Rick Nelson, Eddie Cochran
, The Champs
, The Drifters
, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
, The Andrews Sisters
, among others.
Once home, he is discharged courtesy of Joe's Mafia connections, and learns that his dead father left his family in massive debt. Hoping to make money, Vito turns to Joe, who introduces him to Henry Tommasino, an employee of crime boss Alberto Clemente. Working under Henry, Vito does several illegal jobs. Though he makes the money to pay the debt, he is soon arrested and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Once inside, Vito falls in with the crowd of Leo Galante, consigliere for Frank Vinci, another crime boss. After doing some jobs for him, Galante manages to shorten Vito's sentence. He is released in 1951. Once out, he meets up with Joe, who now works for the last of Empire's three crime bosses, Carlo Falcone. He starts doing odd jobs for Falcone, eventually becoming a made man of the Falcone family, and buying a waterfront home. His biggest job comes when he is sent to kill Clemente, who has participated in the drug trade, against the commission's wishes. Though the job is botched, he and Joe eventually succeed.
Soon after, Vito is approached by Henry, who wants to defect to Falcone's crew. In order to do this, he is ordered to kill Galante, though Vito saves his old friend by convincing Henry to let Galante simply disappear. Soon after, a gang of Irish criminals, formerly led by a man whom Vito killed in prison on Galante's orders, burn his house to the ground. Broke, he turns to Joe who helps him get revenge. To help him get out of debt, Henry gets Vito and Joe involved in the drug trade, revealing that Falcone is also involved. Although Vito is successful, the Chinese who supplied the drugs, discover that Henry is a federal informant and acting on this new found information, they brutally kill him in the middle of the park with meat cleavers in broad daylight. Angered, Vito and Joe seek revenge and shoot up a Chinatown restaurant killing the Boss who won't give them any further information, they are now indebted to the loan shark they got money for the drugs from. Now very poor and in large debt, Vito is tasked to earn most of the money through his own means, which involves petty theft through out Empire Bay.
They eventually manage to get the money back; in the process, they kill Thomas "Tommy" Angelo, the protagonist
of the first Mafia game, and Vito learns the truth behind his father's death. Sadly, the incident with the Chinese has caused too much tension between Falcone and Vinci, as both believe the other did it, and Vito is forced by Vinci's men, led by Galante, to assassinate his boss. With Joe's help, Vito succeeds and they go with Galante to celebrate. The car Joe is in suddenly turns away at an intersection, and Galante apologizes to Vito claimed that Joe wasn't a part of the offer he made for him, indicating that Joe is on his way to being killed. The game shows an angry Vito finally realizing that he's lost everything in exchange for the path he chose (being in the Mafia). The game ends with a panoramic view of Empire Bay.
The first gameplay footage debuted on GameSpot
on 17 April 2009 as part of an interview with Mafia IIs producer, Denby Grace. The video shows driving and gunplay aspects to gameplay as well as portraying the physics engine. The interview was later removed.
A third trailer was uploaded to the website on 28 May 2009. From 1 June 2009, four short videos are to be added to the Mafia II website. The first of these is called "The Art Of Persuasion" and features the song "Mercy, Mr Percy" by the female singer Varetta Dillard
.
Another video was released featuring footage from the mission "The Buzzsaw". The video reveals the fate of "The Fat Man" who appeared in the earlier trailers. On 27 March 2010, a new trailer was released showcasing the PhysX
-based cloth and physics system used in the game.
On 3 August 2010, Sheridyn Fisher, the face of Playboy Swim 2010, became the official ambassador for Mafia II. Sheridyn’s involvement with Mafia II highlights the agreement between 2K Games and Playboy
magazine to use 50 of their vintage covers and Centerfolds in Mafia II as part of the in-game collectibles integration. A demo for the game was released on 10 August 2010 on Steam, Xbox Live Marketplace
and PlayStation Network.
release, the in-game images of the Playboy centerfolds were heavily censored. All of the centerfolds which featured either their breasts or buttocks exposed were covered with black bars even though the game was rated "Z" meaning suitable for 18 years and up. The American version of the game does not censor and shows the centerfolds breasts and buttocks.
and EBGames. The Renegade Pack containing two sports cars and two jackets was available from Amazon and the Greaser Pack featuring two hot-rods and two suits were available to Best Buy
customers.
These pre-order packs are now available for purchase as game add-ons on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Steam.
On 26 May 2010 a collector's edition was announced for Mafia II.
.
Upon release, the PS3 version received the same or higher review scores than the Xbox 360 version from Destructoid
and Nowgamer (sites that review the game on multiple platforms rather than the normal practice of reviewing a single platform) due to additional content. Metacritic gave both versions the same score of 74/100, while GameRankings has the Xbox 360 version 4 points ahead of the PS3 version based on more reviews.
exclusive episode that was a free download upon release to users who purchase the game new. This was announced by Sony on June 15, 2010 at E3 2010
.
The second installment of downloadable content, "Jimmy's Vendetta", was released on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Steam on September 7, 2010. "Joe's Adventures", the third and final DLC was released on November 23, 2010. "Joe's Adventures" focuses on the events that occur in Empire Bay during the years that Vito is imprisoned in the main Mafia II storyline while playing as Vito's best friend Joe Barbaro and seeing his prespective. The DLC combines standard missions with score-based, open world missions. It is estimated to provide eight hours of gameplay.
The Russian company 1C officially announced Mafia II: Extended Edition for the Russian market. It will include the game, 4 DLC (Vegas Pack, Renegade Pack, Greaser Pack, and War Hero Pack), and "The Betrayal of Jimmy", which was previously available as a PlayStation 3 exclusive addon, as well as the 2 other addons (Jimmy's Vendetta and Joe's Adventures). It was released on December 3, 2010 for PS3 and Windows. It will be released for Xbox 360 later. The same package is released for Western markets as Mafia II: Director's Cut on PC and their respective budget labels on consoles.
gave the game 7/10, saying "Mafia II is a solid little game that’ll give you a fun ride – just don’t expect the world." IGN AU gave it a 8.0/10 and said that Mafia II is "A deeply flawed game, where the story is the highlight - and far more engaging than most. I certainly enjoyed my 11-12 hours with Mafia II, and those looking for an authentic-feeling mob tale should definitely check it out. This one is more than the sum of its parts." Gamespot
gave it 8.5 and stated "Mafia IIs exciting action and uncompromising mob story make for an impressive and violent adventure." Game Informer
gave it a 9.0/10 and said "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."
The most negative review came from Eurogamer
who gave the game a 4/10 and said that "Mafia II gets the last word by destroying the myth that the mafia is interesting at all. It contends that the mob world is a hell of boredom populated by aggressively stupid automatons. These drones wake up each morning, carry out a series of repetitious tasks, and return home." The A.V. Club gave the game a D+, praising the game's attention to detail but criticising that "aging gameplay mechanics and weak plot turns make the game’s magic peel away faster than a bank-job getaway car." Zero Punctuation
's Ben Croshaw called the game "generic", and noted the main characters similarities with the main characters of Grand Theft Auto IV
, but criticised the lack of features prevalent in other sandbox games. He also criticised the mundane parts of the game, such as driving, making the game feel "unnecessarily padded."
It has the most profanity in a video game, particularly the word "fuck," which is spoken over 200 times, beating previous record holder, The House of the Dead: Overkill
.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Mafia is a third-person shooter video game initially made for Microsoft Windows in . It was developed by Czech company Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers...
. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks
Illusion Softworks
2K Czech is a game development company located in Brno and Prague, Czech Republic. The company focuses mostly on first-person and third-person shooter games. Since the foundation in 1997, till the sale to Kush Games ten years later, its owners and key managers were founders Petr Vochozka and Jan...
, and is published by 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
. Originally announced in August 2007 at the Leipzig Games Convention, it was released on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in August 2010.
Gameplay
The game is set in the 1940s-1950s era of Empire Bay, a fictional city based on New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Francisco, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Detroit. There are 30-40 vehicles in the game (45 with DLC
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
) as well as licensed music from the era.
Many firearms from the previous return, such as the Thompson submachine gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
and Colt 1911, as well as a pump-action
Pump-action
A pump-action rifle or shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject a spent round of ammunition and to chamber a fresh one. It is much faster than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger hand to be removed from...
shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
(though it was changed from a Winchester Model 12
Winchester Model 1912
The Winchester Model 1912 is a hammerless slide-action, i.e., pump-action, shotgun with an external tube magazine. Popularly-named the Perfect Repeater at its introduction, it largely set the standard for pump action shotguns over its 51 year high-rate production life...
to a Remington 870
Remington 870
The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...
). New WWII-era weapons like the MP 40, the M3 submachine gun
M3 submachine gun
The M3 was an American .45-caliber submachine gun adopted for U.S. Army service on 12 December 1942, as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3. The M3 was designed as a more cost-effective alternative to the Thompson, optimized for mass production...
, the MG 42 and the Beretta Model 38 also appear in the game.
Interacting with objects in the environment involves two action buttons- a standard action and a "violent" action (for example, when stealing a car, the player may choose to either pick its lock or break the window glass), used in context-sensitive situations. A map is included as in the original Mafia game. The checkpoint system has been completely overhauled. New controls include a cover system that allows the player to hide behind objects (such as generators, walls and large crates) to shoot enemies, rather than just using a crouch while behind an object.
It has been stated by 2K Czech that the game's cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s are created by the game engine, in real-time, rather than pre-rendered cutscenes. For example if the player is riding in a car and a cut scene starts, the player will be driving the same car and if the car is damaged, that will appear in the cut scene.
The game has three different in game radio stations, Empire Central Radio, Empire Classic Radio and Delta Radio, with licensed music, news, and commercials. The radio stations includes music from different genres including rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
, among others with licensed songs by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
, The Chordettes
The Chordettes
The Chordettes were a female popular singing quartet, usually singing a cappella, and specializing in traditional popular music. The Chordettes were one of the longest lived vocal groups with beginnings in the mainstream pop and vocal harmonies of the 1940s and early 1950s...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Rick Nelson, Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
, The Champs
The Champs
The Champs were an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila". Formed by studio executives at Gene Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-Side for the Dave Burgess single, the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to...
, The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
, The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
, among others.
Synopsis
The game begins with Vito Scaletta looking over a photo album, as he begins to tell his story in voice over. He is born in Sicily in 1925 to an extremely poor family. A few years later, his family immigrates to the fictional Empire Bay in America. They are no better off there than they were in Sicily. As he gets older, Vito gets involved with a local criminal named Joe Barbaro, who Vito becomes best friends with. Vito is arrested during a botched robbery and given a choice: Go to jail or join the army. He chooses the latter and ends up in Sicily in World War II, which he helps liberate before getting shot and sent home on leave.Once home, he is discharged courtesy of Joe's Mafia connections, and learns that his dead father left his family in massive debt. Hoping to make money, Vito turns to Joe, who introduces him to Henry Tommasino, an employee of crime boss Alberto Clemente. Working under Henry, Vito does several illegal jobs. Though he makes the money to pay the debt, he is soon arrested and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Once inside, Vito falls in with the crowd of Leo Galante, consigliere for Frank Vinci, another crime boss. After doing some jobs for him, Galante manages to shorten Vito's sentence. He is released in 1951. Once out, he meets up with Joe, who now works for the last of Empire's three crime bosses, Carlo Falcone. He starts doing odd jobs for Falcone, eventually becoming a made man of the Falcone family, and buying a waterfront home. His biggest job comes when he is sent to kill Clemente, who has participated in the drug trade, against the commission's wishes. Though the job is botched, he and Joe eventually succeed.
Soon after, Vito is approached by Henry, who wants to defect to Falcone's crew. In order to do this, he is ordered to kill Galante, though Vito saves his old friend by convincing Henry to let Galante simply disappear. Soon after, a gang of Irish criminals, formerly led by a man whom Vito killed in prison on Galante's orders, burn his house to the ground. Broke, he turns to Joe who helps him get revenge. To help him get out of debt, Henry gets Vito and Joe involved in the drug trade, revealing that Falcone is also involved. Although Vito is successful, the Chinese who supplied the drugs, discover that Henry is a federal informant and acting on this new found information, they brutally kill him in the middle of the park with meat cleavers in broad daylight. Angered, Vito and Joe seek revenge and shoot up a Chinatown restaurant killing the Boss who won't give them any further information, they are now indebted to the loan shark they got money for the drugs from. Now very poor and in large debt, Vito is tasked to earn most of the money through his own means, which involves petty theft through out Empire Bay.
They eventually manage to get the money back; in the process, they kill Thomas "Tommy" Angelo, the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the first Mafia game, and Vito learns the truth behind his father's death. Sadly, the incident with the Chinese has caused too much tension between Falcone and Vinci, as both believe the other did it, and Vito is forced by Vinci's men, led by Galante, to assassinate his boss. With Joe's help, Vito succeeds and they go with Galante to celebrate. The car Joe is in suddenly turns away at an intersection, and Galante apologizes to Vito claimed that Joe wasn't a part of the offer he made for him, indicating that Joe is on his way to being killed. The game shows an angry Vito finally realizing that he's lost everything in exchange for the path he chose (being in the Mafia). The game ends with a panoramic view of Empire Bay.
Marketing and release
A promotional trailer was released for the game in August 2007. A second trailer was released on the Spike VGA show on the 14 December 2008. An extended version of the trailer was released on 15 January with an extra 30 seconds of cut scene footage.The first gameplay footage debuted on GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
on 17 April 2009 as part of an interview with Mafia IIs producer, Denby Grace. The video shows driving and gunplay aspects to gameplay as well as portraying the physics engine. The interview was later removed.
A third trailer was uploaded to the website on 28 May 2009. From 1 June 2009, four short videos are to be added to the Mafia II website. The first of these is called "The Art Of Persuasion" and features the song "Mercy, Mr Percy" by the female singer Varetta Dillard
Varetta Dillard
Varetta Dillard was an American rhythm and blues singer in the 1950s whose biggest hit was "Mercy, Mr. Percy".-Life and career:...
.
Another video was released featuring footage from the mission "The Buzzsaw". The video reveals the fate of "The Fat Man" who appeared in the earlier trailers. On 27 March 2010, a new trailer was released showcasing the PhysX
PhysX
PhysX is a proprietary realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by Ageia with the purchase of ETH Zurich spin-off NovodeX in 2004...
-based cloth and physics system used in the game.
On 3 August 2010, Sheridyn Fisher, the face of Playboy Swim 2010, became the official ambassador for Mafia II. Sheridyn’s involvement with Mafia II highlights the agreement between 2K Games and Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine to use 50 of their vintage covers and Centerfolds in Mafia II as part of the in-game collectibles integration. A demo for the game was released on 10 August 2010 on Steam, Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
and PlayStation Network.
Japan version censored
In the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
release, the in-game images of the Playboy centerfolds were heavily censored. All of the centerfolds which featured either their breasts or buttocks exposed were covered with black bars even though the game was rated "Z" meaning suitable for 18 years and up. The American version of the game does not censor and shows the centerfolds breasts and buttocks.
Pre-order bonuses
On 26 May 2010 four content packs were offered as pre-order bonus's in America and European countries, each one available through different retailers. The Vegas Pack containing two additional cars and suits for Vito and the War Hero Pack containing two military-style vehicles and suits was available from GameStopGameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
and EBGames. The Renegade Pack containing two sports cars and two jackets was available from Amazon and the Greaser Pack featuring two hot-rods and two suits were available to Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
customers.
These pre-order packs are now available for purchase as game add-ons on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Steam.
On 26 May 2010 a collector's edition was announced for Mafia II.
PlayStation 3 version
The PlayStation 3 version became subject to controversy on 2K's Mafia II forums when 2K's interactive marketing manager Elizabeth Tobey stated that the PlayStation 3 version would be missing certain graphical details that were present in the Windows and Xbox 360 versions including three dimensional grass, pools of blood forming under dead bodies and realistic cloth physics. These details were said to be present in earlier builds of the game, but had to be removed to increase the game's frame rateFrame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
.
Upon release, the PS3 version received the same or higher review scores than the Xbox 360 version from Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
and Nowgamer (sites that review the game on multiple platforms rather than the normal practice of reviewing a single platform) due to additional content. Metacritic gave both versions the same score of 74/100, while GameRankings has the Xbox 360 version 4 points ahead of the PS3 version based on more reviews.
Downloadable content
Three downloadable content packs have been announced for the game. The first, titled "The Betrayal of Jimmy" is a PlayStation 3PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
exclusive episode that was a free download upon release to users who purchase the game new. This was announced by Sony on June 15, 2010 at E3 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
.
The second installment of downloadable content, "Jimmy's Vendetta", was released on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Steam on September 7, 2010. "Joe's Adventures", the third and final DLC was released on November 23, 2010. "Joe's Adventures" focuses on the events that occur in Empire Bay during the years that Vito is imprisoned in the main Mafia II storyline while playing as Vito's best friend Joe Barbaro and seeing his prespective. The DLC combines standard missions with score-based, open world missions. It is estimated to provide eight hours of gameplay.
The Russian company 1C officially announced Mafia II: Extended Edition for the Russian market. It will include the game, 4 DLC (Vegas Pack, Renegade Pack, Greaser Pack, and War Hero Pack), and "The Betrayal of Jimmy", which was previously available as a PlayStation 3 exclusive addon, as well as the 2 other addons (Jimmy's Vendetta and Joe's Adventures). It was released on December 3, 2010 for PS3 and Windows. It will be released for Xbox 360 later. The same package is released for Western markets as Mafia II: Director's Cut on PC and their respective budget labels on consoles.
Reception
Mafia II received mixed to positive reviews from critics. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game 7/10, saying "Mafia II is a solid little game that’ll give you a fun ride – just don’t expect the world." IGN AU gave it a 8.0/10 and said that Mafia II is "A deeply flawed game, where the story is the highlight - and far more engaging than most. I certainly enjoyed my 11-12 hours with Mafia II, and those looking for an authentic-feeling mob tale should definitely check it out. This one is more than the sum of its parts." Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it 8.5 and stated "Mafia IIs exciting action and uncompromising mob story make for an impressive and violent adventure." Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave it a 9.0/10 and said "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."
The most negative review came from Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
who gave the game a 4/10 and said that "Mafia II gets the last word by destroying the myth that the mafia is interesting at all. It contends that the mob world is a hell of boredom populated by aggressively stupid automatons. These drones wake up each morning, carry out a series of repetitious tasks, and return home." The A.V. Club gave the game a D+, praising the game's attention to detail but criticising that "aging gameplay mechanics and weak plot turns make the game’s magic peel away faster than a bank-job getaway car." Zero Punctuation
Zero Punctuation
Zero Punctuation is an ongoing video game review series created by comedy writer and video game journalist Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw and published by the online magazine The Escapist.-Background:...
's Ben Croshaw called the game "generic", and noted the main characters similarities with the main characters of Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
, but criticised the lack of features prevalent in other sandbox games. He also criticised the mundane parts of the game, such as driving, making the game feel "unnecessarily padded."
It has the most profanity in a video game, particularly the word "fuck," which is spoken over 200 times, beating previous record holder, The House of the Dead: Overkill
The House of the Dead: Overkill
The House of the Dead: Overkill is a first-person rail shooter video game developed by Headstrong Games and published by Sega. It is the fifth game developed in the The House of the Dead series, a prequel to the original House of the Dead chronologically and the first in the series to be released...
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