Very often the remastered of important titles are only found commercial, other times they are small recaps to offer players a particular experience in view of any sequels, prequels or similar. However, time is always running out, and it is not uncommon for crafts that try to reshape and bring to new life the great classics turn out to be counterproductive. A risky coin toss that could almost indelibly stain the good name of the sagas in question. For better or for worse let's talk about Mafia, who with the appetizing announcement of the trilogy that will be concluded this summer with the highly anticipated revival of the absolute masterpiece of 2002 (or the title that gave birth to the series), made us "an offer that we could not refuse" . With Mafia III still fresh from joys and sorrows in gamers' minds, we got our hands on Mafia II Definitive Edition, the revival of one of the most popular games of its generation and which was able to be a worthy successor to the however unattainable first chapter (Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven).
Another offer you can't refuse
As we have known for a while now, Mafia II sees as the protagonist Vito Scaletta, a young Sicilian boy who moved from the Italian island with his family when he was still a child, to find fortune in thriving America. The difficulties for his family, however, were immediately great, from the exhausting working hours of his father, to his moldy and battered house ... even more than that in his homeland. With that out, Empire Bay, the urban metropolis that sets the scene for its history, is a pool of possibilities ... legal and otherwise. After being sent to war in Sicily to escape prison and after meeting his friend again "Joe" in Empire Bay (which in the meantime has made some very influential friendships), the reality that faces his family is different from what he would have hoped for. The rest, we all know it ... and we spare the surprise to those who have yet to approach this jewel for the first time.
In game, apart from the forcing of the plot, the gigantic city becomes our playground, but with the necessary limitations. At the time of its release, this new open world and plot progression structure managed to convince a large part of users, even if many nostalgic gamers found the early Mafia's mission system much more congenial (especially because it left the actual free roaming to a couple of modes apart). The links with the first title, however, are there, few and veiled, without forgetting a "crossroads" of plot that we will leave you the pleasure - perhaps - to discover. However, Vito will have a much more decisive role in Mafia III and in New Bordeaux itself, but that's another story ...
… What if I refuse?
Now let's move on to the important part… and that I would have preferred to avoid. The premises that I have proposed to you in the introduction are clearly not a coincidence because, if you have already peeked down the final grade, the case of Mafia II Definitive Edition is precisely that of a lazy remastered. Of course, the pro of being able to play such a milestone in this final generation rush is a positive thing, but also the only one of this precise production. Nothing detracting from the narrative, and to the acceptable control system even if it has aged decidedly badly, the technical sector of this remastered is leaking from all sides (waiting for gig after gig of patches that will perhaps partially remedy the current situation). The thing is ironic in itself, especially if you think that a job of this type is suitable for adapting the technical aspect, but the incredible amount of things that are not right suggest a job done in great haste, and without taking into account of all the fundamental aspects.
Playing the title on PlayStation 4 Pro, and without even too many graphic pretensions, technically Mafia II Definitive edition turned out to be an authentic sieve, with frame drops in game and video (or even, the most embarrassing, while aiming for a distant point). The graphic regeneration works have not been exaggerated, even if some evident improvements (and we would like to see well) catch the eye compared to the PlayStation 3 version. In addition to the damage, the insult: even the audio sector manages to be hated, with the voice of Vito himself that is "croaking" in the videos, and with the general volume that drops to the ground when you pass from the cinematic sequences to those in game. Regardless of whether it is just a problem with the European version of the game, or not, it remains an indelible stain on the curriculum, especially in a title where the mix of voices and 30s music has always been his trademark. factory.
