The first Mafia game is a classic. Set in the 1930s, it told a tale of an honest man's fall into a life of crime. Mafia 2 PC follows in its footsteps, with a story of war veteran Vito Scaletta, who gets dragged into mafia politics and conflicts while trying to pay off his father's debts. What follows is a downward spiral for Vito, his family, and friends. 2K Games' Mafia II is a journey to long gone decade and a personal story of a man's downfall.

Mafia 2 at the time of its release enjoyed a stunning audiovisual presentation, which extended to game world's design. Set in a fictional Empire Bay (reminiscent of New York City), Mafia II has a huge number of period-faithful details, from the architecture, to vehicle designs, to music playing in the radio. Such classics like Bing Crosby, Ritchie Valens or Dean Martin are among the artists whose licensed music is present in the game. There are even period-accurate commercials.

Mafia 2 is a third-person shooter and an action-adventure game, with a cover system and contextual controls letting you decided whether to approach a particular situation quietly or violently. Will you pick a lock, or break down the door? The choice is yours, but don't count on getting away scot-free every time. In addition to period-accurate music Mafia 2 features over 40 vehicles the players gets to drive during and between missions. If you ever wanted to drive an accurate 1940s- or 50s car, that's your chance, just be prepared for their thematic and believable handling.

Mafia 2 shows the players every step on Vito's road from a WW2 veteran trying to pay off his father's debt to a mafia operative who can claim credit for helping to remove opposing families. The tasks given to him are sometimes menial, other times violent, but they invariably mark his descent into crime and the losses resulting from it. See how Vito interacts with his family, as well as the story of his friendship with Joe, his lifelong friend. Excellent writing and easily believable voice acting make the characters come closer to life than you'd expect.

Key features:

Mafia 2 is a gripping story of a man's descent into a life of crime because of mounting bad luck and past mistakes. Presented as a third-person shooter, Mafia 2 takes great care to prevent generic shooting from getting in the way of storytelling.

• Faithful period piece - Empire Bay has a lot of period-accurate details to notice and admire during gameplay. Hearing Nat King Cole in the radio really sells the atmosphere


• Excellent voice-acting - Mafia II has a very talented cast of actors and capable direction, both of which do their best to bring the characters you meet to life


• Authentic vehicles - Mafia 2 has over 40 vehicles for the player to drive, each period-accurate and handling in a good blend of realism and fun


• Great graphics - at the time of release, Mafia 2 PC had very impressive graphics, which can still be seen in many aspect of the game


• Friendship of Vito and Joe - Mafia 2's highlight is the ongoing trust and cooperation between the player character and his lifelong friend who goes with him on many jobs