When it comes to the review of a remastered game, there are two important questions to answer: Is the original game a good title? and How is the quality of the remastered version? It is not easy to find an answer to the first question. The games age pretty fast, and if a title is considered a high-quality game now, it doesn't mean it can still be an excellent video game five years later. The gameplay elements are constantly improving, and some of them have been even revolutionized in recent years. For example, the shooting mechanisms have changed drastically in both first-person and third-person shooters to make them more enjoyable for gamers. The main problem with the remastered titles is that in most of them the old gameplay is untouched, and we have no other option but to deal with the aged gameplay mechanisms.

Mafia II: Definitive Edition is the second game in the Mafia: Trilogy package. It is the remastered version of the original Mafia II released in 2010. The American video game developer "Hangar 13" had the task of improving the original game's textures. I start my review with the following question: Is the original Mafia II a good video game in 2020? and then I answer the second important question: How is the quality of the remastered edition?

I believe Mafia II had many flaws when it was released in 2010. Now ten years later, we are dealing with more or less all these problems again. The game unnecessarily puts a lot of focus on driving. Although the driving mechanisms are almost acceptable and well-implemented, the amount of time that is spent in cars is huge. Driving a car from a corner of Empire Bay to another corner to start a mission, and then again using the car during the mission is annoying. Furthermore, the diversity of the missions is low and after a while, they become repetitive and dull. The shooting missions are basically killing and going forward, and the punching loses its excitement as it is repeated several times during the game.

I believe the Mafia II story is a step back compared to its predecessor. However, there are still some remarkable parts that could attract one's interest. One of the strongest points in the story is undoubtedly the Vito and Joe friendship and the way it develops. Joe accompanies Vito in most of the missions so we see how they behave and help each other in different situations. Thus, we can get close to these two protagonists during the game, and identify with them. One the other hand, the story suffers from several weaknesses. There isn't even one strong antagonist in Mafia II. We rarely see the godfathers in the game, and their characterization is not deep enough. Furthermore, the important events happen quite suddenly and sometimes there are no acceptable logic behind them. The decision to kill Clemente and slaughtering Derek's men by Vito after hearing about his father's death are two examples of these sudden events.

As it is expected for every remastered title, the gameplay mechanisms in Mafia II: Definitive Edition look very old. The AI doesn't work quite well as the enemies sometimes just stand in the middle of the battleground to be easily killed. Moreover, pedestrians don't always react correctly to a car approaching them. The shooting and the stealth systems are simple and shallow, and they lose their charm after a while. Covering and shooting enemies might look exciting for the first few times but later they become dull as the game doesn't add something new to them.

The design of Empire Bay in Mafia II: Definitive Edition is beautiful and full of details. In the first hours of playing the game, it was enjoyable for me to wander around and see different parts of the city such as Uptown, Port, Grand Upper Bridge, and Chinatown. Nevertheless, the developers haven't used the city's potential, and in practice the city is dead. Besides doing the main missions, you can only buy clothes and guns and upgrade cars. There are no side missions or other interesting activities that you can engage in. It is a weird decision to design such a beautiful city for only driving in its streets.

Unfortunately, the improvements of Mafia II: Definitive Edition in comparison with the original Mafia II game is subtle. Although the quality of the textures has been improved in most parts of the game, some technical issues have also been added to the game which didn't exist in the original title. For example, the frame rate drops frequently when you are driving or walking around in a closed area. The cloth physics has been entirely removed from the game, thus, the character's clothes are now stuck to their body. The quality of the smoke and fire is bad and far from the standards of a game in 2020. I also encountered some problems with the checkpoints, as after exiting the game I have to start a mission from the beginning.

Verdict:

Mafia II: Definitive Edition fails to be a good return for a mediocre but nostalgic title. The improvements of the remastered edition are subtle, and even some more technical flaws are now present compared to the original title.