Review: Is Mafia II: Definitive Edition a game worth returning to?

Recently, 2K Games announced Mafia: Trilogy, a package bundling together all three Mafia games. Mafia II: Definitive Edition is one of them - an ultra HD remaster of the 2010 game with 4K-compatible graphics. The game is considered a fan favourite in the Mafia trilogy, but one has to ask: 10 years later, is Mafia II worth going back to?

The answer is complicated. If you have fond memories of the original, chances are that you’ll leap at the chance to replay it with remastered visuals anyway. Unfortunately, as far as game remasters go, Mafia II: Definitive Edition is fairly disappointing. While it’s certainly an upgrade, it’s only a meagre one at best - touching up a game that might not have aged very well after all these years. 

Life as a made man

Gangster movies tend to go in a very specific way. A protagonist, well-meaning or otherwise, decides to climb the ranks of the criminal underworld, slowly but surely securing a position of high power for themselves. Eventually however, things began to unravel - and they either make it out alive with nothing at all, or die trying. The Mafia series has always had an enticing selling point: instead of watching one of these movies, why not play through them? 

Mafia II: Definitive Edition puts players in the shoes of Vito Scaletta, a Sicilian immigrant who returns to Empire Bay after serving as a paratrooper during World War II. Vito reunites with his old friend Joe Barbaro, who helps him get out of the service and stay in the city. Upon returning home, Vito almost immediately finds out that his father has saddled the family with outstanding debt - leaving him with few prospects and a touch of desperation. 

This, of course, leads to him getting tangled up with the Mafia in an attempt to make money fast. It takes the game quite a long while to actually get going - with a rather huge time skip that eventually turns the snowy, atmospheric Empire Bay into a brighter, sunnier version of itself. That’s when the story really kicks things into high gear, thrusting Vito into the world of organised crime. 

Mafia II’s story surprisingly holds up well, even after all these years. Poor pacing and shoddy gameplay segments can throw a wrench into otherwise well-oiled machinery, but it’s a lot of fun watching Vito’s rise (or rather, descent) in the criminal underworld. I don’t even like gangster movies that much, but I was hooked the moment Vito returned to Empire Bay. The game isn’t afraid to get dark with his journey either, which can make for some pretty captivating story beats. 

Chaos in Empire Bay

Predictably, Mafia II’s gameplay hasn’t aged terribly well. Outside the story, much of this game has become outdated, if only due to the sheer amount of other open world games that came after it. Open worlds are meant to be explored, to be lived in and interacted with. Empire Bay lacks too much in that department, serving as little more than lively wallpaper wrapped around Vito’s dramatic journey. 

That’s not to say that Empire Bay isn’t immersive - because it actually surprised me in that regard. Vito’s first return to the city sees him step out of a cab into a narrow alley caked with snow, where he gets recognised by old neighbours and friends on the way home. As I walked down the street, I could hear loud, passionate arguments conducted in Italian from the house next to me. Climbing up the stairs, I approached a cat in a nearby window - but it hissed at me and jumped off, smashing into garbage cans below. 

Chaos in Empire Bay, continued

You'll find a lot to love in Empire Bay's small moments of life, but there's no real reason to explore (other than to snag some eyebrow-raising Playboy magazines), and no landmarks to define the city's identity. The story also often grinds to a halt when it forces you to drive from one end of the city to another. These are large portions of gameplay with zero fun, due to how insane the cops act when you so much as drive over the speed limit around them. 

Aside from that, Mafia II’s missions often devolve into dull shooting galleries, made worse by awful checkpoint placement. You’ll constantly have to dive into cover, taking potshots whenever enemies pop up in the distance. Stand outside cover for even two seconds, and you’re dead. These sections are incredibly repetitive, and sadly make up a big chunk of the game. 

What exactly has been remastered?

Fans have been divided on Mafia II: Definitive Edition thus far, and I can see why. While there is a clear difference between the original and this game's remastered visuals, that difference is barely noteworthy. Character animations are still janky, and textures look a whole lot less muddy - but outdated all the same. 

Character models have been noticeably touched up, but strange voicework robs them of any realism - they can sometimes sound like they're talking into a mic right next to you, for example. It shouldn’t bother new players who go in expecting Mafia II to look like a game made in 2010, but older players might pick this up and wonder why it doesn’t even look any different. 

Look at the remaster of Saints Row: the Third, and then look at this. Mafia II deserved a more in-depth remaster, but it didn’t get one. This feels like a glorified port with clearer textures. If you’re looking for much more than that, you’re going to be disappointed. 

Verdict

I can’t help but feel that Mafia II: Definitive Edition is a big swing and a miss. The story still feels timeless in a lot of ways, but its gameplay sequences and visual fidelity don’t hold up by today’s standards. Don’t get me wrong - I still enjoyed returning to Empire Bay and reliving Vito's story. I just wish this ‘definitive edition’ lived up to its name. 

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.