History YMMV / MafiaII

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Aside from the licensed tracks, the actual score is excellent: sometimes pulse-pounding, and sometimes incredibly sad and haunting. Try [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59dvZS44fuI the main theme]], or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlmfDdrwgwY the pause theme]], which sounds like it was composed by [[Film/AmericanBeauty Thomas Newman]]. The pause theme, in particular, sounded like as if it came off the [[Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents Series of Unfortunate Events]] soundtrack, as it was reminiscent of ''The Baudelaire Orphans''.
** The licensed tracks are pretty good though, particularly the scripted ones (see Suspiciously Appropo Music)

* ContinuityLockout: [[spoiler: Those who started with ''Mafia II'' or otherwise haven't played ''The City of Lost Heaven'' may not know who Tommy is and [[ButForMeItWasTuesday dismiss him as just another guy Vito and Joe whack]].]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

* ThatOneLevel: The dockworker strike level. Enjoy the insanely bad checkpoints.

* ContestedSequel: Given that ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'' is a CultClassic, this was pretty much a given. While it was liked well enough, many people criticized it for its unsympathetic characters, simplified gameplay and lack of Free Ride Mode, making it extremely short and without any real replay value.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: It can be hard to root for Vito to make his life a good living for him again, especially considering the fact that he happens to be a jerk who ended up in a gangster life.

* UnfortunateImplications: Despite the game being more of a cautionary tale and deconstruction of the mobster lifestyle with Vito's life going to a low point around the end of the game, Sonia Alfano, an European Parliament member and antimafia activist, [[https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-12-17-mob-violence-victim-calls-for-mafia-ii-ban took umbrage]] at the game as it reminded her too much about her father's death in the hands of Sicilian mobsters in 1993, and called for the game to be [[BannedInChina banned]], stating "We can't allow this to happen, our wounds are still too fresh" and accusing the publishers of trivialising the Cosa Nostra, "a reality of death and destruction, into a thrilling and hands-on virtual pastime." Similar concerns were expressed by the Italian-American service organisation Unico National who accused the game of anti-Italian racism.[[note]]This is similar to how ''actual mafia groups'' protested against the release of ''Film/TheGodfather'', only for them to yield when the producers compromised with said groups.[[/note]] Take-Two responded quickly to said issues, maintaining that they were no different from other mafia fiction such as ''Goodfellas''.

* ItsShortSoItSucks

*** You can turn off the alarm in the basement and get out of a window on the second floor.You also lose the bonus if you alarm the cops and not just killing anybody.
** "In Loving Memory of Francesco Potenza". Not due to difficulty (it's the only chapter in the game to have no enemies) but becuase it's a long chapter with CheckpointStarvation. You literally have only one autosave in the whole chapter, so you better have free time when you play it.

** According to Vito in ''{{VideoGame/Mafia III}}'' [[spoiler:Joe managed to escape the hitman taking him in their car, and escaped to Chicago. Unfortunately, he was betrayed by the people he turned to for help, and was subsequently mutilated and murdered by them. Vito sends Lincoln Clay on a series of assassination jobs to take out the people responsible for it. However, despite Vito's story the game never truly confirms Joe whether Joe's alive or dead. Vito says he never found Joe's body and says he assumes Joe must be dead since he never got into contact with him. The biggest hint that Joe's still alive is at the end of the game, where Leo Gallante's driver briefly looks at the camera, and though he's in shadow, he looks near identical to Joe. So Joe may literally just be hiding.]]

* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Many fans of the original ''VideoGame/{{Mafia|TheCityOfLostHeaven}}'' dislike the game particularly because very few of the original staff were on its devteam, and most of them left during production.

** The ''Definitive Edition'' released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, Usefulnotes/XboxOne, and PC has a large number of issues, including poor performance despite the more powerful hardware and minimal upgrades to the visuals, and numerous additional glitches not found in the original. Cloth physics were removed from the campaign, but bizarrely enough are fully intact in the dlc, and fire physics were also removed.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Was Henry [[spoiler: an undercover cop, an informant, or set up by Falcone?]] Evidence to the idea he was a [[spoiler: rat? The fact that his backstory has numerous holes in it, the cops always show up in his missions, and Leo confirms it.]] One of the developers actually gave WordOfSaintPaul that [[spoiler: [[https://twitter.com/danielvavra/status/880155732783575040 he was innocent of betraying Vito, though]].]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Was Henry [[spoiler: an undercover cop, an informant, or set up by Falcone?]] Evidence to the idea he was a [[spoiler: rat? The fact that his backstory has numerous holes in it, the cops always show up in his missions, and Leo confirms it.]] One of the developers actually gave WordOfSaintPaul that [[spoiler: he was innocent of betraying Vito, though.]] [[https://twitter.com/danielvavra/status/880155732783575040 Available here.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Was Henry [[spoiler: an undercover cop, an informant, or set up by Falcone?]] Evidence to the idea he was a [[spoiler: rat? The fact that his backstory has numerous holes in it, the cops always show up in his missions, and Leo confirms it.]] One of the developers actually gave WordOfSaintPaul that [[spoiler: he was innocent of betraying Henry, though.]] [[https://twitter.com/danielvavra/status/880155732783575040 Available here.]]

** Of special note is the stance against drug-dealing. Just about every character associated with drugs dies at some point, with [[spoiler:Vito]] being the sole exception perhaps because [[spoiler:he only reluctantly agrees to deal drugs due to losing everything he had shortly before then]]. It's noteworthy that the only mob boss that doesn't die is [[spoiler:Vinci, who has a strong distaste for drug-dealing unlike the other bosses.]]

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Jimmy, the DLC's protagonist, is quite popular. It helps that, unlike Vito, he actually manages to [[spoiler:get a good ending in his respective storyline.]]

** Nearly everything Jimmy says in the DLC.

** "Fix The Fixers" from the Betrayal of Jimmy DLC. Up until this point the difficulty of the Triad plotline missions have been tough, but forgiving. Here the difficulty ramps ''way'' up. You're tasked to kill three minibosses in a sprawling warehouse complex. Three guys with obscene amounts of health and plenty of backup. The regular Triad goons are armed to the teeth with automatic weapons rivaling your own arsenal, have pinpoint accuracy and can hit you from halfway across the area, and are posted around every corner and rooftop. Oh, and did I mention the obscene health on the minibosses? You'd better be good at scoring headshots, because these guys won't go down even after dumping a Tommy gun into them. For added fun, the cops will happily join in and the wanted meter will [[Main/{{GoodBadBugs}} freak out]], clearing inside the mission area one second, cops training their guns on you the next.

%%* FountainOfMemes: Joe Barbaro.
* FridgeHorror: In Chapter 9 Vito [[spoiler:gets [[ItMakesSenseInContext covered in shit while sneaking into a meat factory via a sewer to find some mob associates]].]] While sneaking around he takes cover behind dead pigs ([[spoiler:while still covered in shit may I add.]]) to be shipped to the local grocers and quite possibly [[spoiler:infecting some of Empire Bay's meat supply with E coli]].
** Human shit can't spread that, but still.

** The ''Definitive Edition'' released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, Usefulnotes/XboxOne, and PC has a large number of issues, including poor performance despite the more powerful hardware and minimal upgrades to the visuals, and numerous additional glitches not found the original. Cloth physics were removed from the campaign, but bizarrely enough are fully intact in the dlc, and fire physics were also removed.

** The ''Definitive Edition'' released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, Usefulnotes/XboxOne, and PC has a large number of issues, including poor performance despite the more powerful hardware and minimal upgrades to the visuals, and numerous additional glitches not found the original. Cloth and fire physics were also removed.

** The ''Definitive Edition'' released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, Usefulnotes/XboxOne, and PC has a large number of issues, including poor performance despite the more powerful hardware and minimal upgrades to the visuals, and numerous additional glitches not found the original.

* VindicatedByHistory: Compared to when the game was first released, the game has received more and more praise for its story, gameplay, and customization choices, even with the complaints about the game's sandbox-style map not really being used to its full potential. Not helped by the fact that many of those that played this title were disappointed by ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'', which lacked a lot of these features. Even the game's lack of sandbox side activities seems less negative given the heavy criticism ''Mafia III'' received for being excessively grindy and repetitive for making 80% of the main campaign essentially sandbox side activities.

* VindicatedByHistory: Compared to when the game was first released, the game has received more and more praise for its story, gameplay, and customization choices, even with the complaints about the game's sandbox-style map not really being used to its full potential. Not helped by the fact that many of those that played this title were disappointed by ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'', which lacked a lot of these features.

* PortingDisaster: Take 2 has [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/8945/2k-defend-differences-of-mafia-ii-versions-ps3-inferior-to-others apologized]] for making the [=PlayStation 3=] version of ''Mafia II'' the least feature rich version, compared to the PC (which is the fullest experience) and Xbox 360 versions.

* EarWorm: Some of the tracks in the game will absolutely not leave your head for a while after even so much as hearing the first three seconds of them.
** Held...for questioning! Held...for questioning!
** [[Music/DeanMartin Let it snow, let it snow...]]
** [[Music/RitchieValens WEEEEEELLLL, COME ON, LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LITTLE DARLIN'!]]

* EarWorm: A majority of the licensed songs are this, particularly the 1940s section. Try getting "Woogie Boogie Bugle Boy" and "Rum And Coca Cola" out of your head.

* FountainOfMemes: Joe Barbaro.

** However, Joe has proven himself both durable and able to win a fight, and considering [[spoiler:that there were only two guys with him in the other car (one was the driver and one sat next to Joe), one could imagine that he could incapitate both fairly easy. At least he was armed when he entered the car...]]

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Jimmy, the DLC's protagonist, is quite popular.