Mafia II puts you in the Italian American shoes of Vito Scaletta, a man born the son of a poor immigrant who's intent on escaping poverty at any costs. This leads him to drift into a life of crime, working his way up the Mafia ladder throughout the course of the game. The tale will be familiar to fans of iconic Mafia novels and movies – crime pays, usually at a high price - but the game features a compelling story nonetheless, and it's delivered with bucket loads of style.
What Mafia II is not is an open world action romp in the Grand Theft Auto style. It's a linear, story-driven driving and shooting experience set in Empire Bay, which is less the star of the show and more a beautifully realised backdrop to Vito's journey through the 1940s and '50s, in which the shadows of