At release, Mafia II received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise particularly directed at the story, though the linear open world design was criticized. Development began in 2003, soon after the release of the first Mafia game. The player character's criminal activities may incite a response from law enforcement agencies, measured by a 'wanted' system that governs the aggression of their response. Players control Vito Scaletta, a war veteran who becomes caught up with the Mafia when trying to pay back his father's debts. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on-foot or by vehicle. Set within the fictional Empire Bay (based on New York City), the story follows a gangster and his efforts to climb through the ranks of the Mafia crime families. The game is the sequel to 2002's Mafia and the second game in the Mafia series. It was released in August 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows Mafia II: Director's Cut was released by Feral Interactive in December 2011. Mafia II is an open world action-adventure video game developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Games.
