classicswim | [Mafia II: 15th Anniversary]

Storytelling that’s integral and downright irreplaceable.

This and Saints Row 1 & 2 were the games that really defied being “Grand Theft Auto clones.” But this one, even more so.

I’ve been on a GTA IV binge, playing through every last mission simply because I had the loving itch. Ran through IV’s campaign for the dozenth time in a few days, replayed all of Lost And Damned in one day, and about to pop in Ballad of Gay Tony.

GTA IV created its own saga in 2008 New York (Liberty City). An interactive adventure where the deadliest contract killer from Eastern Europe is doomed to let vengeance define who he is.

Mafia II went the opposite direction simply by not being a “saga.” By not making what they do into “chronicles.”

What you see from Vito Scaletta is what you get.

Mafia II’s timeline being 1945-1951, Vito spends most of those years in prison. His mother dies while he’s incarcerated. You’re there when his sister calls and says she doesn’t want to be around him anymore. Behind the flashy suits and the fast cars and the women was just a sad and fucked up life, and the game did a great job showing that depression.

Vito & Joe were a sad couple of mooks when the fun was over.

I remember downloading and official video off the Xbox 360 marketplace way back when, that went into how they got the best people from New York and Little Italy to voice the characters. They made it a big point that they didn’t want any of them sounding like Fat Tony from The Simpsons. Joe Barbaro’s line deliveries were so perfect that the olden days of YouTube had a machinima top ten list of just him.

Henry Tomasino’s stabbing was one of those things you just remember from the first time. With these games it never got that intense before.

A lot of stuff Vavra had planned was cut out, and part of that was presumably clearing Henry’s name.

It’s unfortunate. Felt like they wanted to do Cary Grant’s Suspicion with the character and just couldn’t get it off the ground.

There’s a love for old time Hollywood that just seeps its way into the design. Vito’s modeled after a young Marlon Brando.

Every thing about Empire Bay’s environment just screamed admiration.

You could collect pinups as well as naked Playboy ladies throughout the whole game lol. Mafia 3 continued the Playboy tradition. I believe this happened after Playboy gave the first Mafia game a really good review.

There was also collectibles around the city where 2K Czech staff got to be fake mobsters for wanted posters.

I was happy to be right about Joe Barbaro being alive. I waited 6 years for Mafia 3 and the one thing that satisfied me was at least seeing Joe. That ending was a bitch for so many years, all you could say was cliffhanger.