E 'questo per reale?

Is this for real?

MAFIA 2 - a comprehensive review by Gilma a.k.a Pramod


2 days.. That's how long Empire Bay has been my current state of domicile. A bit of dig back first. Well, to start things, I've to say I come from a modest background. Through years I've been living in petty and upscale neighborhoods alike, but never have quite lived in the past. Hmmm..... Vice City, Los Santos, San Fierro, Tierra Robada, Las Venturas, and not to mention the dumps of Alderney and nightlife of Algonquin in Liberty City have been but pieces of a pie. A pie that is ever so growing in terms of textures, flavours, and of course size. But for those of the Bourgeousie, who have led their perfectly stale and pretentious lives, may never have bumped into such cities, not even during their average business trips.

But for those like us, like me rather, people who'd like to live in a dream and believe its real don't usually like our parents' idea of "inception" in our mind that all of this is not real. After all "The Matrix" says but we are using contraptions stuck to our heads to play the game of life. So what's wrong in going one level deeper and assuming another game in life?

To those who have been wondering what I've been trying to bring about here, yes its all a bit of a faff.

But for those who even remotely understand the very fabric, the inlying connection, the organic feel of history the sandbox style games have brought to this very point in time; they would know.... They would know that life's about to take them to a new place. A place more popularly known as - EMPIRE BAY !

Now for a person who hasn't played Mafia the original game but seen it being played, I could point out a world of difference in terms of visuals. Instead of jumping head-first into all details, I've summarized them into sub-parts for easy reviewing.
Visuals:-
3 words.. "Drop Dead Gorgeous". I must say the rendering of trees, diners, quintessential Newark suburbs and its amalgamation with the retrospect of the 50's is just stupendous to say the least. The air around is bright and warm, and the sun bathes itself across the porch to welcome you to a world of vivacious spirit. The people, the policemen, the hot-dog vendors, to name a few, all present a rather dynamic yet unique personality to their existence. The cars bring about nostalgia, the houses allude the safety of home, and the seas just plainly bring back childhood memories...

That brings us to the seas... Wow!! The most amazingly rendered water graphics I've seen in my entire life. And this would satisfy any junkie who looks too much into nuances of graphic elements too.

But all in all, considering the very small strip of island that was provided in the demo, A VISUAL TREAT it was... Soothing yet eye catching. To the discerning few though, the visuals would ring a few bells and resemble elements of THE SABOTEUR; but don't take away anything from it.DX11? Hmmm... You need to find that out yourself (get a DX11 compliant card). But sigh! I can only imagine.

Gameplay and storyline:-
Just as usual I'd like to point out the best elements first. The shooting experience. Being touted as one of the most intense shooters, it does live up to its expectations. The demo level starts off with you as Vito, a young Italian slick who's trying to make good money and reputation by joining in the rings of the Costa Nostra or the Italian Mob family. With its infamous grip on the "Family", MAFIA the game goes on to show how relentlessly the MAFIA chases you down no matter where you go.
A similar setup gets Vito aspiring to achieve riches from rags. As thin and clichéd might be this storyline, much has to be lauded for bringing out life in it through some awe-inspiring voice acting that the game is so famous for.

So here again, the one demo level puts you in the middle of the game where the cut-scenes do give evidence of a sincere storyline and acutely accented, glib-talking Italian voice acting that does get you believing that you're looking into the eyes of real Italian men.
As the level progresses, the game displays some quintessential features,.... the physics by PhysX (I don't recommend it, really) or without, the gun shooting, the explosions, the headshots, the breaking walls... All these do add fine aspects of what generally is expected of a 3rd person shooter...SHOOTING!

Simply put, "a very intense shooter"...

Downside:-
As much as the "seas" and its beauties deserve lauding, it deserves twice as much censure. I mean immediately after seeing the gentle, froth layered waves hitting the shoreline, any sane person would wanna take a swim or atleast drown himself. But wait... 2k Czech (the producers of the game) have decided that you can't even drown in the sea, let alone swim in it... Damn... You just hit an invisible wall a millimetre away from the shoreline, and all you can do is press your nose against it and jog about in the same spot. What a ripper!! Its like being in a museum, where a glass sheet separates you from rare artefacts.... Except here these artefacts happen to be half nude strippers egging you on for a free lap dance... You get the point.

But although skeptics do assume the exclusion of the seas in the demo prevents nosey parkers from going out of bounds (coz the demo has a very small area to roam about), lets all hope for the best and keep our fingers crossed.

Besides this, the driving's a bit sticky.... but that's just my perspective after coming off from playing GTA IV a lot. Hmmm... Yet the water... Hmmm....

Lookout for:-
Playboy has partnered with this game to bring about their "personal element" in it. So folks, magazine reading could get fun along the way!

Verdict:-
A compelling shooter and a visual treat sets us ablaze this beautiful city, and wanting for more. The sights, smells, and drinks all culminate to present an environment so warm and refreshing, its sure to make you say "E 'questo per reale?" which is Italian for "Is this for real?"

GILMA