15 Years Ago, ‘Mafia 2’ Bucked The Industry Standard

The Mafia series has always been in a conundrum. While the first Mafia game was developed at the same time as Grand Theft Auto 3, the bigger cultural impact of Rockstar’s influential open world game overshadowed Illusion Softworks’ more grounded take on the genre. After all, a game where you can commit heinous crimes like shooting bazookas into traffic and spend money frivolously on prostitutes was always going to make more of a splash than one that reprimands you for running a red light.

Despite its less flashy approach to open-world shenanigans, Mafia did find its audience. It’s highly detailed urban sprawl, the wonderfully acted (for the time) performances, and mature narrative were a far cry from Rockstar’s bullish, at times obnoxious tone. What it lacked in wacky ambulance missions and over-the-top violence, it more than made up for with its approximation of a Mario Puzo-style gangster tale.

When a sequel was announced nearly a decade later, many wondered if Mafia would course-correct from its original vision. By 2010, open-world games were one of the predominant genres, and delivering huge maps rich with content was the bullet point every publisher wanted checked off. It seemed like a no-brainer for Mafia 2 to follow suit. And yet, despite all expectations, Illusion Softworks wisely stuck to doubling down on its original vision, making one of the best games in the series in the process.

Mafia 2 begins about seven years after the first game’s conclusion. Our protagonist is Vito Scaletta, a Sicilian-born U.S. immigrant drafted into the Second World War. When he returns to his home city of Empire Bay, Vito finds settling back into society is tougher than he hoped. In his absence, childhood friend Joe Barbaro has made ins with the local crime family and is making a decent amount of cash doing odd jobs. Starved for action and strapped for cash, Vito decides to ditch the monotony of honest work in favor of the high-risk, high-reward lifestyle of a mafioso.

Mafia 2 weaves a gripping tale of likable rogues doing terrible things for morally gray reasons. While the story can be predictable at times, a sin every game in the series commits, it’s executed well enough to keep players invested. Vito’s journey is one full of twists and turns, and a memorable ending that feels true to the crime genre.

The city of Empire Bay is a gorgeous backdrop for this story. This amalgamation of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago looks incredible, especially during the fall and winter months. Driving through snowy streets with snowcapped buildings and hazy skylines in the distance sets a mood like few other games. Mafia 2 looks better than the majority of open-world games that were released at the time, and it still holds up 15 years later.

As nice as the city is to look at, however, Mafia 2 is remarkably spartan. You can freely explore Empire Bay, but don’t expect your curiosity to be rewarded. There’s little to do when you’re not advancing the story. It’s simply there as set dressing. Instead, its finest moment comes when players are in missions. This is a character-driven, narrative-focused game whose open world serves as an immersive space for players to alter the main experience. Having trouble with a mission? Head over to the gang’s weapons specialist for an upgrade. Police aware of your license plate and won’t leave you alone? Head to the auto shop for a paint job and a change of plates.

This could be seen as a missed opportunity, but it helps Mafia 2 stand apart all these years later. It would have been easy for Illusion Softworks to jam-pack this sequel with dozens of optional side missions and immersion-breaking odd jobs that create dissonance with the game’s main conceit. But it sticks to its guns and follows the first game’s formula to a tee with some smart refinements along the way.

Shooting is much more fun than the first game, as is driving. The need to obey traffic laws is still there, but it gives players the option to make policing less vigilant than before. And nine years of advancement allows for a considerable step up in presentation. As years go by in the main game, the world reflects it. New songs will hit the radio, new car models will appear, and the city will change. It all helps Mafia 2 feel like it’s realizing the original’s vision instead of bringing the series into the modern age.

In the long run, Mafia 2’s direction proved to be the right move. When Mafia 3 released six years later, it directly addressed the criticisms that its predecessor had ignored to disastrous results. Dull and repetitive side missions were made mandatory, replacing the succinct focus of the previous games. Doing this fractured its story and characters. It’s a crying shame, as Mafia 3 presents the series’ most interesting premise. On paper, the story of a Black Vietnam veteran in 1960s Louisiana assembling his own gang (he even recruits Vito!) to enact revenge against organized enemies blows every other Mafia game out of the water. But muddying its story with busy work wastes this all-timer premise.

The ripple effects of Hanger 13’s decision are still being felt today. The most recent game in the series, 2025’s Mafia: The Old Country, course corrects all the way in the other direction by ditching the open-world altogether. I have my reservations about that decision, as the Sicilian countryside of the 1900s seems ripe for exploration. But a strictly linear Mafia game is preferred and much more aligned with what the series does well.

In many ways, Mafia 2 is the defining game in the series. It was the moment the franchise broke out when everyone expected it to fall in line with expectations. The Mafia series could have fallen to the wayside, destined to be forgotten like so many Grand Theft Auto copycats from the 2000s and early 2010s. Instead, Mafia 2 solidified what makes the series distinct from its biggest competitor, creating a lane towards success all to itself.

Mafia 2: Definitive Edition is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.