Mafia-II Video Game Performance Review

Mafia II is a single-player third-person action shooter developed by 2K Czech for 2K Games, and is the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven released in 2002. Players assume the life of World War II veteran Vito Scaletta, the son of small Sicilian family who immigrates to Empire Bay. Growing up in the slums of Empire Bay teaches Vito about crime, and he's forced to join the Army in lieu of jail time. After sustaining wounds in the war, Vito returns home and quickly finds trouble as he again partners with his childhood friend and accomplice Joe Barbaro. Vito and Joe combine their passion for fame and riches to take on the city, and work their way to the top in Mafia II.

Mafia II is a DirectX-9 compatible PC video game built on 2K Czech's proprietary Illusion game engine, which succeeds the LS3D game engine used in Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Mafia II Illusion game engine using ATI Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce video cards. PhysX and GeForce 3D-Vision technologies are revealed in Mafia II, which shape and build this game into an immersive experience. Characters and gameplay are explored, while game strategy is explained with Mafia II tips and hints added to help players get the most out of their time behind the trigger.

Product Name: Mafia II
Model Number:
Manufacturer: 2K Games
Price As Tested: $49.99

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by 2K Games.

Minimum System Requirements:

• OS: Microsoft Windows XP (SP2 or later) / Windows Vista / Windows 7
• Processor: Pentium D 3Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ (Dual core) or higher
• Memory: 1.5 GB RAM
• Storage Space: 8GB
• Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8600 / ATI HD2600 Pro or better
• Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
• Peripherals: Keyboard and mouse or Windows compatible gamepad

Recommended System:

• OS: Microsoft Windows XP (SP2 or later) / Windows Vista / Windows 7
• Processor: 2.4 GHz Quad Core processor
• Memory: 2GB or more
• Storage Space: 10GB or more
• Video Card: nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX / ATI Radeon HD 3870 or better
• Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
• Peripherals: Keyboard and mouse or Windows compatible gamepad

Mafia II Initial Impressions

Mafia II takes place in Empire Bay, a fictitious city modeled around New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. 2K Czech's proprietary Illusion Engine allows gamers to explore Empire Bay's 10-square-mile outdoor environment, which uses fine textures to detail everything from blades of grass to working showers and refrigerators. Weather patterns of all sorts and time-of-day are part of the experience, and have benefits in the game. Gravity is very similar to real-world, and although jumping is unavailable players can still climb atop obstacles.

The story begins in war-torn Italy during WWII, placing you behind a M1 Garand rifle for the first chapter. Playing as Vito Scaletta, you're returned home for a month of recuperation after receiving injuries, and your old pal Joe Barbaro welcomes you back to Empire Bay. You left this city after being arrested for a burglary with Joe (Joey), and learn that he's grown out of petty crimes and now rubs elbows with the mob.

In Mafia II, players experience a decade of time between 1945 and 1955. Era-appropriate music and commercials fill the airwaves, and heavy lead-sleds rule the road. Vito gets around this large city either on foot, or by vehicle, and cops are always looking for a reason to put you in silver bracelets. While food and sleep aren't a necessity for gameplay, they'll keep your health meter full and save the game.

Mafia II plays like a lot like Grand Theft Auto, which means that real-world rules apply to this fantasy life. The speed limit is posted for a reason, and drawing a gun in public will get you noticed. Since driving is a primary activity, players should be preparred to experience vehicle physics most likely unfamiliar to their lifetime. Bias-ply tires pre-date radial technology and offer poor traction in foul weather conditions, while brakes responded quite the opposite of anti-lock.

Money is what makes Empire Bay go round, and there are several ways to earn or obtain it. The wrecking yard is always looking for scrap metal to help fuel the war effort, while cash registers are good for a quick payday and the attention of nearby law enforcement. The various characters of Mafia II offers Vito various money-making opportunities, depending on the chapter, and can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Mafia II Interesting Characters

Mafia II is full of personalità (that's personality, in Italian). Characters keep the story interesting, and instigate the player into making decisions. 2K Games has also been keen to integrate an adult theme into Mafia II, which adds spice to the storyline. While this game lacks a 'Hot Coffee' mod (as far as I know), there's no shortage of sexual innuendo or graphic depiction. In the image below, Vito is offered a "piece of pie" from one of Joey's girlfriends.

Vito Scaletta Welcomes New Friendship

Vito Scaletta is the games central character, which you control throughout Mafia II. You'll be allowed to dress Vito up in more than a dozen period-appropriate outfits, and occasionally exchange the trench coat for prison blue's, utility jumpsuits, or even Joe's Hawaiian shirt. Vito can carry as much weapons and ammunition as he find, but his dialog indicates a more peaceful temperament.

Joey Barbaro Never Quite Grew Up

Joe Barbaro is Vito's childhood friend, and possibly the only friendship either of them have. Mafia II paints Joey as the man-child street thug of Empire Bay, and his abuse begins with alcohol and ends with women. In most chapters Joe will provide critical introductions to mob bosses such as Henry Tomasino and Eddie Scarpa, although you're never quite sure what he's done to land in their good graces.

Steve and Derek Pappalardo - Birds of a Feather

Each of the major characters has their own particular charm, and what they lack manners they make up for with earnings potential. Vito's father worked down at the docks for capo Federico "Fat Derek" Pappalardo, who had a fun-in with the hot-headed enforcer named Stephen "Steve" Coyne while Vito was fighting the war. Upon his return home, Derek provides him with work... until the truth comes out.

Luca Gurino is another personality wrought with conflict. His well-mannered tone and polished appearance is a solid disguise for his more violent side, reminding you of what it might take to succeed as a crime family capo. Sometimes that means double-crossing your loyal team, and frame them for crimes so they can cool off in prison.

Eddie Scarpa Accepts a Bordello Mouth Hug After Dark

There are countless bosses to keep track of in Mafia II, and the names begin to confuse even the most patient story-board gamers. Eddie Scarpa helps Vito earn money after his six-year stay in the clink, which was cut short thanks to consigliere Leo Galante. Frank Vinci and Alberto Clemente each head their own crime family and compete for money in the Empire Bay underworld, a twisted arrangement that keeps everyone down the ranks employed in a bloody war.

Harry's Normandy Invasion - Not All War Stories Are Exciting

Some of the characters you'll meet aren't at all what they seem, while others live up to their stereo type. Mike Bruski is a rough-neck junkyard owner with a penchant for pushing Joe's buttons. He's great for helping you earn extra cash, and his junkyard offers an endless supply of income (more on that later). Then their are the completely harmless helpers, such gun shop owner and WWII vet Nathaniel Harold "Harry" Marsden III. Harry looks mean and has every weapon ever fired or thrown, but his war story involves a late-night trip to the whore house where pokes out his eye on a branch as he climbed the fence.

Mafia II Gameplay Details

Driving is central to Mafia II, and requires as much skill as shooting. Real-world physics, combined with WWII-era vehicles makes driving a terrific challenge in Mafia II. When you first begin playing, only certain vehicles exist on the market... and by market I mean the streets from which you pluck them. Later into the game, roadsters such as the Shubert Frigate (hitting 110MPH below) can become the ultimate getaway car. Be careful of your speed, because the posted speed limit isn't just another part of the scenery: police will arrest you for excessive speed.

With so much street to travel and so many places to go, fuel is a real-world need that finds its way into the game. You can go forever without food, providing you don't need to restore health, but you'll be stuck on the side of the road without fuel. Adding fuel to the vehicle (or burning it off) changes the vehicles weight, which is a real-world dynamic I wouldn't have expected to find in a game, and you can see the vehicle sink as it's being filled. It's not so painful though, since you can fill an entire vehicle's tank for the cost of just one of today's gallons. Gas stations are also a good place for quick pay days... if you're willing to risk being shot or arrested.

Since so much of what you'll do in Empire Bay runs opposite the law, it becomes necessary to avoid police by any means necessary. Police in Mafia II identify you two ways: by the attire you're wearing, or the license plates on the car you're driving. Ducking into a clothing shop to buy new or change into existing clothes is a great way to dodge identification and arrest. Finding an auto body shop serves several purposes: it allows you to change and customize license plates, while also being the place for engine tuning upgrades, paint jobs, and high-performance custom wheels/tires. Once you become more adept with driving at high speeds, these upgrades become a necessity.

2K Games has integrated sexual themes directly into Mafia II, and extends these adult features well beyond dolled-up characters serving as eye candy. Players are rewarded for locating up to fifty Playboy Magazine's scattered around Empire Bay, which deposits the centerfold into your collection. Additionally, players willing to endure the 'hard' difficulty setting can collect pinup girl posters.

Paintings and posters are also added into your artwork collection as you progress through the game. These items depict Vito and/or his associates during a particular chapter of the story.

Wanted posters are an added feature to Mafia II, and eagle-eyed players can locate up to 159 such posters throughout Empire Bay. Most posters are hidden behind buildings or blend into walls or surround scenery, so keep your eyes open as you travel on foot. One particularly interesting fact about all of the Wanted posters is that everyone depicted has a Czech name, such as Vaclav Kral or Marek Kovak. This is likely a by-product of being developed by 2K Czech Games.

I'd like to offer a few Mafia II gameplay tips, and share some cheats as well. The first tip is two-handed driving, which uses the left hand for accelerator (W), brake (S) and hand brake (Space), while the right hand uses arrow keys for left and right steering. Driving this way is far easier than using standards WADS layout, and makes quick dual braking (S + Space) more natural. Honking the horn (E) is an excellent way to make computer-driven vehicles immediately steer out of the way as you drive. Next is dodging police: ditch a wanted vehicle just by circling around a corner and exiting (F), or if you're wanted just circling the block on foot (or in a car) to easily ditch police. Finally, there's the cash cow junkyard. Driving vehicles into the compactor earns you up to $500 each deposit, but driving a vehicle there means walking back long distances into the city. Thankfully, Mafia II has positioned a vehicle (and sometimes two) not far from the compactor... and it regenerates after a few minutes of walking away and returning... allowing the patient player to build-up funds.

NVIDIA APEX PhysX Enhancements

Mafia II is the first PC gaming title to include the new NVIDIA APEX PhysX framework. While console versions will make use of PhysX, only the PC version supports NVIDIA's APEX PhysX physics modeling engine, which adds the following features: APEX Destruction, APEX Clothing, APEX Vegetation, and APEX Turbulence. PhysX helps make object movement more fluid and lifelike, such as cloth and debris. In this section, Benchmark Reviews details the differences made with- and without APEX PhysX enabled.

We begin with a scene from the benchmark test, which has Vito pinned down behind a brick column as the enemy shoots at him. Examine the image below, which was taken with a GeForce GTX 480 configured with all settings turned to their highest and APEX PhysX support disabled:

Cloth Blending and No Debris - High Quality Settings Only

Notice from the image above that when PhysX is disabled there is no broken stone debris on the ground, and the cloth of Vito's trench coat blends into his leg. His coat remains in a static position to his body, as does the clothing on other (AI) characters.

Now inspect the image below, which uses the same hardware and settings but enables APEX PhysX:

Realistic Cloth and Debris - High Quality Settings With PhysX

With APEX PhysX enabled, the cloth neatly sways with the contour of a characters body, and doesn't bleed into solid objects such as body parts. Additionally, APEX PhysX improves realism by adding gravity and wind effects onto clothing, allowing for characters to look like they would in similar real-world environments.

Burning Destruction Smoke and Vapor Realism

Flame movements aren't exactly new, but smoke plumes and heat vapor have never looked as real as they do in Mafia II. Fire and explosions added into a destructible environment is a potent combination for virtual-world mayhem. Of course, realism goes both ways, and getting too close to the heat will harm your character and decrease health.

Exploding Glass Shards and Bursting Flames

NVIDIA PhysX has changed video game explosions into something worthy of cinema-level special effects. Bursting windows explode into several unique shards of glass, and destroyed crates bust into splintered kindling. Smoke swirls and moves as if there's an actual air current, and flames move out towards open space all on their own. As our benchmark tests will show, there was very little impact on FPS performance with APEX PhysX enabled on GeForce video cards, and very little penalty for changing from medium (normal) to high settings.

NVIDIA 3D-Vision Effects

Readers familiar with Benchmark Reviews have undoubtedly heard of NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision technology; if not from our review of the product, then for the Editor's Choice Award it's earned or the many times I've personally mentioned it in out articles. Put simply: it changes the game. 2010 has been a break-out year for 3D technology, and PC video games are leading the way. Mafia II is different, because it really expands on out-of-screen effects that completely wow the player.

The first thing gamers should be aware of is the performance penalty for using 3D-Vision with a game like Mafia II. Using a GeForce GTX 480 video card for reference, currently the most powerful single-GPU graphics solution available, we experienced frame rate speeds up to 33 FPS with all settings configured to their highest and APEX PhysX set to high. I personally played through the entire game with these settings, and only once experienced slowed performance at 1920x1200. However, with 3D-Vision, my frame rate immediately dropped by slightly more than 50%. NVIDIA Forceware drivers will guide players to make custom-recommended adjustments specifically for Mafia II, and it's clear that only top-end graphics cards will be capable of displaying 30+ FPS with APEX PhysX and AA enabled.

Of course, the out-of-screen effects are worth every dollar. In the image above, an explosion sends the car's wheel and door flying into the players face, followed by metal debris and sparks. When you're playing, this certainly helps to catch your attention... and when the objects become bullets passing by you the added depth of field helps assist in player awareness.

Combined with APEX PhysX technology, NVIDIA's 3D-Vision brings destructible walls to life. As enemies shoot at the brick column, dirt and dust fly past Vito and stones tumble out towards you. Again, the added depth of field can help players pinpoint the origin of enemy threat, and improve response time without sustaining 'confusion damage'.

NVIDIA APEX Turbulence, a new PhysX feature, already adds an impressive level of realism to Mafia II. Watching plumes of smoke and flames spill out towards your camera angle helps put you right into the thick of action.

NVIDIA 3D-Vision and 3D-Vision Surround is the perfect addition to PhysX technology, and Mafia II proves that they work best when used together to reproduce lifelike scenery and destruction. Glowing embers and fiery shards shooting past you seem very real when 3D-Vision pairs itself APEX PhysX technology, and finally there's a game that gives good reason to overpower your graphics system.

Graphics Detail: Polygons

2K Games did an excellent job detailing scenery and characters for Mafia II, but there are some minor imperfections that keep this game from appearing movie-like. Using the GeForce GTX 480 graphics card with all video options configured to their highest settings, we still managed to spot a few areas of the game that are rough around the edges. The first was a clip from the benchmark scene, where the gangsters are all in front of a car. In the image below you'll notice a beautifully rendered vehicle, but the headlights take on a dodecagon shape (twelve sided polygon) which is especially conspicuous at high resolution.

Another example of difficulty shaping a visually-correct circle is illustrated below, where the tank cannon points directly at you with a obvious dodecagon shape. Since the version we received for testing was pre-release, it will be interesting to see if the final version changes at all.

In the scene below, the character squatting down with the shotgun is wearing a trench coat. It's the outer edge of his coat that caught my eye, because it uses jagged polygon angles and flare upward past the legs (despite APEX PhysX).

Some items are much less pronounced than others, such as the hands in the scene below. Vito's hand appears smooth and realistic, but the street thug's hand and fingers are flat and poorly modeled. Upon closer inspection, the dreaded dodecagon makes another appearance inside the hat's headband... although it would be difficult to find unless you're looking for these items.

These examples were the bulk of items we found in Mafia II, and may be different in the final retail version. On the other hand, it's possible they're permanent; used to offset graphics load in particularly detailed scenes. This is especially true for the ported console version of Mafia II.

Testing & Results

VGA Testing Methodology

The Microsoft DirectX-11 graphics API is native to the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System, and will be the primary O/S for our test platform. DX11 is also available as a Microsoft Update for the Windows Vista O/S, so our test results apply to both versions of the Operating System.

According to the Steam Hardware Survey published for the month ending May 2010, the most popular gaming resolution is 1280x1024 (17-19" standard LCD monitors). However, because this 1.31MP resolution is considered 'low' by most standards, our benchmark performance tests concentrate on higher-demand resolutions: 1.76MP 1680x1050 (22-24" widescreen LCD) and 2.30MP 1920x1200 (24-28" widescreen LCD monitors). These resolutions are more likely to be used by high-end graphics solutions, such as those tested in this article.

In each benchmark test there is one 'cache run' that is conducted, followed by five recorded test runs. Results are collected at each setting with the highest and lowest results discarded. The remaining three results are averaged, and displayed in the performance charts.

Intel X58-Express Test System

• Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D-E (Intel X58/ICH10R/Marvell SE9128)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Nehalem 2.66 GHz (BX80601920)
• CPU Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems
• System Memory: Kingston HyperX 2000MHz CL8-8-8-24-1 DDR3 KHX2000C8D3T1K3 (3x2GB)
• Primary Drive: OCZ Agility-EX SLC SSD OCZSSD2-1AGTEX60G firmware 1.50
• Power Supply Unit: OCZ Z-Series Gold 850W OCZZ850
• Monitor: 26-Inch Widescreen LCD (up to 1920x1200@60Hz)

Results

Measured at 1920x1200 resolution, Mafia II placed ample demand on all four graphics cards tested. The video settings in Mafia II are comprehensive, and offer everything from antialiasing (on or off) and anisotropic filtering (1/2/4/8/16x) to ambient occlusion (on or off) and APEX PhysX (off/medium/high). Our benchmark tests use all settings configured to their highest quality, and then added medium or high APEX PhysX.

Measured without APEX PhysX, the GeForce GTX 460 is the lowest performer when compared to a group of high-performance video cards. What's impressive is that once APEX PhysX is turned on (to Medium), the performance perks right up and surpasses even the Radeon HD 5870. With APEX PhysX set to High, notice that there's very little difference in frame rate performance between this test and those conducted with Medium PhysX.

Mafia II is clearly dependant on PhysX technology to deliver realistic scenery and physics, which means that ATI Radeon products will rely on the system's central processor to help compensate. Even when most of the PhysX work is offloaded to the CPU, ATI Radeon video cards earn a significant performance penalty trying to accept the features graphical demand. For best results in Mafia II, players are suggested to use NVIDIA GeForce products to properly process PhysX features and produce high-enough frame rate performance to enjoy 3D Vision.

Gameplay Final Thoughts

In full disclosure, I'm not really a fan of old tyme Italian-gangster themed games. What makes Mafia II so impressive is how this game took my opposing personal tastes and consumed me into a storyline that kept me hooked. Once you get past the macho mob-mentality continually spewed from Vito's pal Joe Barbaro, this game really grows legs and takes you for a ride. By the end, you're personally involved enough to feel a little sympathy for a few fictional characters. This is how Mafia II earned my respect, and also how the game has you glued to the plot like a good book.

The game itself plays out well, although there were certain aspects I would have liked to see more of. Driving isn't one of them, and I the task a bit tedious... even when you're driving the fastest car with the best upgrades. Fist fights are played down in Mafia II, save for your time in the slammer, and seem to completely go away after your return from prison. Taking cover during gun fights is essential, but it also stacks odds heavily in your favor. As a result of this, I recommend that gamers play Mafia II on the 'Hard' difficulty setting to experience the most realistic challenge. This setting also unlocks the pinup poster collectables.

Mafia-II Conclusion

To experience Mafia II with all it's high-quality graphical glory, gamers are going to require at least a GeForce GTX 470 video card to produce optimal frame rates. Of course, the game's settings can all be dialed down, but once you've experienced APEX PhysX there's really no turning back. Although I've generally been rather quiet in regard to PhysX quality enhancements for video games, this silence ends with Mafia II. APEX PhysX literally helped turn Mafia II from video game to video reality - it's that different. Add NVIDIA's GeForce 3D-Vision onto this, whether it be single display or 3D-Vision Surround, and you'll experience realism not found in any other title before this.

While there were a few less-detailed graphical examples found, overall Mafia II contains some of the best high-detail textures we've seen in a game. Formerly revered high-detail games such as Crysis hardly compare to the intensive design features found in Mafia II, and when APEX Clothing or APEX Vegetation are taken into consideration there's really no equal. NVIDIA's APEX Destruction doesn't bring an entire building down like Battlefield Bad Company 2, but then again that's a rather difficult task when you're firing a Tommy Gun. APEX Turbulence transforms smoke, fumes, and vapor into familiar real-world details that consume you into the environment and convincingly imitate reality.

After it's all said and done, Mafia II leaves the player with several unanswered questions. The first time I played throught the entire game I found myself wanting more once the final chapter (15) was played out. Since I was on a deadline, skipping past all cinema scenes offered a five-hour total game time. The second time I played (on hard), more time was spent watching the cut scenes and hunting down posters, but it was the random elements such as vehicle upgrades and crime spree escapades that really add to the Mafia II replay value.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Benchmark Reviews has also published the supplementary report entitled NVIDIA APEX PhysX: CPU vs GPU Efficiency. This article uses Mafia II to compare GeForce and Radeon PhysX capabilites using GPU and CPU physics model processing.

Pros:

+ Outstanding high-detail graphical textures
+ The story consumes you - even if you're no fan of the mob genre
+ APEX PhysX adds convincing realism
+ Very realistic vehicle physics and handling characteristics
+ Several hidden 'Collectables' extend gameplay past plot

Cons:

- Lacks online multiplayer gameplay
- Players are restricted to one character role
- Mafia II can be completed in about 5-6 hours

Benchmark Reviews encourages you to leave comments (below), or ask questions and join the discussion in our Forum.

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