Fans and critics agree that Mafia II: Definitive Edition was a huge flop. 10 years after the release of the original Mafia II, the re-released Definitive Edition felt rushed, and didn’t really make any noticeable improvements other than a graphic update.
Released in 2010 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, the original Mafia II was the epitome of the Mafia series: A well written story with deep characters woven in, despite game play quality that couldn’t match. The storyline of Vito Scaletta gave the fans a reason to buy the game, and the missions were good enough for a 2010 game, even if they they kept using mafia cliches. Bugs, low frame rates and poor physics brought the level of enjoyment down for some, but the game was given 7/10 reviews by most critics.
After a low key release, Mafia II: Definitive Edition was given free to PC players who had purchased the original title, or was otherwise available for $30. While the main selling point, a graphic update to many main characters, came across well, the game was plagued by a low frame rate that slowed down to just 25 frames per second or slower. In just the first few hours of gameplay, console players cited chugging frames that would slow down or even stop, to the point of having to restart the game in the middle of a car chase. The PS4 Pro in particular struggled to hold even a steady 30 fps, despite the game being released on older systems 10 years ago.
Everything Else Wrong With Mafia 2’s “Definitive Edition”
There were also bugs in both Mafia 2‘s physics and AI characters. Enemies fall at awkward angles and texture pop-ins happen all too often. In one particular mission, a friendly AI soldier would get stuck running into a wall and the game wouldn’t progress until the player was able to nudge his comrade off the wall and back along the correct path. Its exactly mistakes like these that remasters are supposed to fix, but there was little to no improvement in the second Mafia II release.
On top of the unfixed errors and poor performance, there was no added content or changed mechanics. Sure, the ‘gunplay from behind cover’ mechanics were cutting-edge a decade ago, but there has been a decade of improvement since the release of the original game, none of which was coded into this remastered version.
At its best, Mafia II: Definitive Edition is a re-release of a 10 year-old game that trades better graphics for performance issues despite coming to more powerful hardware. At its worst, it’s a cash-grab re-mastery of a once-loved game that, at times, is frankly unplayable, and didn’t sell as well as as its predecessor. This release doesn’t bode well for the re-master of Mafia, which has already been delayed due to quality issues.
