7/10
Unlike Mafia: Definitive Edition, this isn't a remake that completely transforms the experience, so it doesn't have that same extra layer of magic. That said, this game never needed it to begin with.
Mafia II is already an outstanding game in its own right, and an incredibly satisfying sequel. It takes one of the classic mafia story tropes and executes it with confidence, capturing that strange blend of romance and misery that defines the genre. You can feel that bittersweet tragedy hanging over the entire story.
It's the kind of game that reminds you why mafia stories are so enduring in the first place.