Mac Gaming

Mafia 2 is a third-person action adventure set in the 1940s and 50s. On the surface, the game looks a lot like Grand Theft Auto, but Mafia 2 takes a much more linear, cinematic approach to the genre, using its large open world more as a backdrop than as an interactive playground.

I originally intended to pick up this game for the XBOX 360, but held off because of the mediocre reviews the game received at launch. I demoed it on both the 360 and my iMac and found that it ran pretty well on the latter. When it went on sale over the holidays on Steam, I decided to give it a go. Here are my settings:

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The Verdict

The game runs at about 22-25 fps at 1280 × 800. The details in the distance are a little fuzzy at that resolution, but that doesn’t affect gameplay.

Overall, the game is a pretty good third-person shooter in the vein of the GTA series. Mafia 2 is a much shorter game than the GTA games, though — it’s story-focused and doesn’t let you get sidetracked by side-quests and miscellaneous activities. I think it took me about 12-13 hours to finish.

Driving with the keyboard and mouse isn’t great, but being able to use the mouse for aiming when on foot makes up for that. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll be doing a lot of driving, although most of it is at a pretty leisurely pace.

In the end, I enjoyed the game and the story, but I’m glad I got it on sale rather than at full price. For those who like the genre, Mafia 2 is a fun way to spend a dozen or so hours.

Metacritic.com User Score

7.1/10