14 DAY TRIAL // 
Due to our hidden admiration and secret love for the fantasy of gentleman gangsters, Mafia is among one of the most fondly regarded franchises by gamers worldwide. But just like the Cosa Nostra families, this series lives mainly on memories and tales of old. 2K decided to dust off the franchise with the help of Hangar 13 studio and once again propose us an offer we can’t refuse: the Definitive Editions of all the three episodes published so far.
Mafia Definitive Edition promises to be a complete remaster and will arrive this summer. Mafia III Definitive Edition is available for free for all those who bought the original game, and it just makes a troublesome game even worse. Mafia II Definitive Edition is also available for free for PC users who already own the original, and can be purchased by console users convinced by the promise of offering the same experience, but with updated graphics.
Well, the promises were kept: the game looks indeed better on modern displays, but otherwise, it is mainly untouched. We have the same story plus the DLCs that were launched for the base game, the same old gameplay mechanics, and the very same bugs. Well, that is not entirely true, we also fresh visual bugs due to the graphical overhaul done by Hangar 13.
We have to admit that even back when Mafia II was first released, it faced impossible expectations from the fans, which put a large amount of pressure on the developers. The fate of the sequel was sealed by the first Mafia attaining almost cult status and the prolonged development period. A lot of promising ideas and new gameplay mechanics were removed, just so the developers can finally release the sequel. The result proved to be a haphazard, unfinished, and unpolished game, which was redeemed somewhat by its atmosphere.
Ten years later and after an almost unanimously hated third installment, the memories of Mafia II softened up somewhat and many of the initial issues seemed to be forgotten by the fans. But the Definitive Edition is here to make us remember that Vito Scaletta‘s story is still a rollercoaster ride, with only a handful of ups and many, many downs. The single positive aspect of the game is the updated graphics which contribute heavily to making Mafia II a truly immersive experience: it is a real pleasure to walk down on the snow-covered streets, especially by night, listening to classic X-mas tunes, while observing the smoke rising from ventilation shafts and people bustling around.
The improved resolution, the sharper textures, the new lighting effects, and improved character models are definitive and only step-up compared to the original release. The Definitive Edition does not rise to the level of graphics we are used to in modern games, but you can see a huge difference compared to the original game, making it acceptable even for current standards.
Unfortunately, the efforts of making the game prettier are hindered by numerous technical issues. First and foremost the game is not optimized at all for the actual console generation, and it has major issues in maintaining 30 fps. Such an old game should have been able to obtain 60 fps on modern hardware, but a steady 30 fps would have been a must. But Mafia II DE is far from this goal. Especially when driving through tunnels or more populated areas of the town, the framerate drops will make even the leisure driving impossible. If you happen to be in the middle of a car chase in these areas, even driving straight will be a challenge.
Another part which chips away at the superior experience which the Definitive Edition should provide is the sound balance. In some cases even with the audio maxed out, you can’t really hear the dialogue, while in other cutscenes you will have your speakers scream at you. Many of the dialogues from the cutscenes are muffled even if the characters are right in front of the camera. Last but not least, the bugs of the original release have not been fixed at all, and even worse, they are joined by new ones.
And we are not talking only by graphical issues like the main characters head popping through the hats of one of the basic costumes, but also instances in which a car can land out of nowhere directly in the middle of your living room. Mafia II Definitive Edition proves to be even more unpolished than the original was at its release, being an unforgivable technical mess.
If you manage to get past all the technical issues and try to immerse yourself in the game world, shortly your nostalgia will get trampled like a rose garden under a plow. The gameplay which was not great 10 years ago did not age well at all. The quests are repetitive and monotonous, the gunplay is unnecessarily difficult using a controller and the structure of the missions is just as careless as ever. The Definitive Edition does not address any of the past issues, painfully reminding us how disappointing Mafia II is compared to the first installment. Ultimately the adventures of Vito Scaletta trip and fall flat, disappointing both fans and newcomers alike.
The Good
- The immersive atmosphere
- Sometimes the new visuals look gorgeous
The Bad
- Outdated gameplay mechanics
- Plenty of bugs, both old and new
- Unpolished and rushed console port
Conclusion
The remaster of Mafia II remains a great opportunity totally missed by the publisher to turn the bad memories, softened anyway by nostalgia, into a new worthwhile adventure. Instead, we received a console port put together haphazardly and without any care or consideration. The Definitive Edition of Mafia II dooms the game to go down in history as an experience that went from bad to worse.
