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In Mafia II, players take on the role of war veteran Vito Scaletta, who returns home from World War II and starts anything but a quiet life. Together with his friend Joe Barbaro, he gets drawn deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld of Empire Bay, a fictional American metropolis heavily inspired by New York City. There, Vito tries to make a name for himself within the Mafia.

Mafia II is 80% off on Steam until August 28, bringing the price down from around $30 to $5.99. According to SteamDB, this matches its lowest price to date, last reached during the Summer Sale. The deal includes both Mafia II (Classic) and the Definitive Edition released in 2020. Both versions tell the same story, but visually, several years separate them: The Definitive Edition received a significant graphical overhaul, making Empire Bay look considerably more modern with reworked textures, lighting and character models. It also includes all story DLCs and bonus content.

At first glance, Mafia II's gameplay is reminiscent of GTA: Vito can freely explore Empire Bay, steal cars and get into police chases. In reality, however, the gangster adventure is much more linear. The open city primarily serves as a backdrop and a way to travel between individual story missions, with few traditional side missions or extensive leisure activities. Instead, the game delivers a compact, cinematic campaign filled with shootouts, melee combat and driving sequences.

Gunfights in Mafia II rely on a traditional cover system, while close-quarters encounters occasionally come down to fists. Cars, however, are almost as important as weapons. In addition to an accessible arcade driving model, there is a simulation mode in which braking distances, grip and vehicle control become much more noticeable. Once players find a favorite car, they can also tune it, repaint it and fit it with new license plates. Period-appropriate radio stations provide the right atmosphere, with the music changing as the story moves from the 1940s into the 1950s.

German gaming magazine PC Games reviewed the original version of Mafia II when it launched in summer 2010 and awarded it 8.5 out of 10. The dense Mafia atmosphere, believable characters and cinematic presentation were particularly well received. Empire Bay itself, the period soundtrack and the two different driving models also impressed the reviewers. They were less enthusiastic about the enemy and police AI, as well as the open world, which offers little to do outside the main story. Anyone expecting a huge GTA-style sandbox may therefore be disappointed. Instead, Mafia II plays to its strengths as a straightforward gangster epic with a strong focus on story and characters.

On Steam, 93% of more than 58,000 user reviews are positive. The Definitive Edition fares considerably worse at 73%. While the remaster looks much more modern, it also comes with several technical issues that are not present in the Classic version. On Metacritic, the original has a Metascore of 74 and a User Score of 8.2. On the Steam Deck, the Definitive Edition is rated as “Playable,” while the Classic version is officially unsupported.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.

As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart - in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I'm not sitting at my computer, I'm probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life - namely sitting for long periods - at the local swimming pool.