Mafia 2: Jimmy's Vendetta DLC

Anyone who has spent time with 2K Czech's mobster epic Mafia II will tell you that while the driving, shooting and fighting aspects were nothing to write home about, it was the gripping narrative, tied together with reams of cinematic cut-scenes, which really made the game shine. This reliance on dramatic plot line becomes even more clear when compared to Jimmy's Vendetta, a single-player add-on which eschewes any semblance of storytelling in favour of stripped down run 'n' gun arcade action.

The eponymous Jimmy is the go-to guy for the mob, a hitman who is called upon to sort out unfinished family business by whatever means necessary. In the previous PS3-exclusive episode, The Betrayal of Jimmy, things turned ugly for the bald mobster and now it's time to get back at those who left him rotting in the slammer. Don't panic, it's not essential to have played the 'Betrayal' part of the story to wring some fun out of the 'Vendetta', although this sudden introduction of a new character with very little back story can make it difficult to care about him much.

Starting out with a brief cut-scene explaining the basic premise for why Jimmy is in the pen and who put him there, it's right down to the action. Once Jimmy has made his escape from prison and is back out on the street, it instantly becomes clear that this DLC is quite a different beast from the main game from which it was spawned. Mafia II was a brilliantly told tale of friendship, betrayal and revenge, an artfully woven tapestry of intriguing characters and excellent storytelling, something which is shamelessly sidestepped for this add-on. Instead, the player is given a map scattered with icons, a gun and a cool suit with black shades, and then it's a matter of blasting through each mission as fast as possible while racking up points for doing it with style.

Being accustomed to watching cut-scene after cut-scene to set the scene for each mission in Mafia II, it comes as something of a surprise to see that for Jimmy's Vendetta all you get to kick things off is a single screen telling you what you need to know to get the job done, and then you're Oscar Mike. Missions are short and simple affairs, mostly with just one objective, which alternates between vehicle thefts, property destruction, protection and the like, and it's all done against the clock to compound the games arcade sensibilities. The simple nature of Jimmy's missions comes as something of a relief for those who may have grown weary of the sometimes bloated mission structures of the full game, which sometimes had the player repeating the same lengthy driving section over and over to the point of frustration.

Here it's all been trimmed down to the most basic elements. Steal a car, drive to two gas stations, blow them up, drive away as quickly as possible, don't die. Oh, and die you will. Jimmy may have the demeanor of a cold hard killer, but under fire he tends to fold like a bad poker hand. This problem is compounded by the fact that many of the missions lack the structure of those found in the main game, where much trouble was taken to plan the cover available to match the flow of bad guys just begging to have their heads popped off. Here Jimmy is often left out in the open with hardly anywhere to hide, being ruthlessly gunned down by the rather aggressive AI. On the other hand, during some of the missions Jimmy hardly faces any resistance at all, and the balance between too easy and a bit too overwhelming feels slightly off. Luckily since the game is set up to be an arcade-like experience, failure just results in a quick reload at the start of the mission to try again.

In an attempt to magnify the arcade mentality, there is a lot of focus put on scoring points for each mission, earning bonuses for driving at high speeds, drifting, getting air, and killing bad guys. The faster you finish the mission the better your score, and in fact if the timer runs out it's an automatic fail. Scores are then uploaded to the games Xbox LIVE leaderboard, giving those who are interested in that sort of thing the chance to impress (or annoy) their friends with their exploits.

Another aspect of having less of a major plot to worry about is that suddenly you might find yourself more inclined to take risks within the game world that you may not have bothered with in the main game. While working my way through the original story as Vito, I rarely got involved in unnecessary violence or vehicular craziness, because I just didn't feel like more run-ins with the law. In Jimmy's pointy leather shoes, however, it wasn't long before I'd walked into a clothing store, slipped on a bright red suit, and then proceeded to blast big holes through the shop staff and all the cowering clientele, followed by a bloody battle with the pigs in the street, and ultimately a bullet-ridden death on the pavement. It's as if not having the storyline to think about gives Jimmy's Vendetta that 'I wonder what if...' angle that the GTA franchise has always been known for.

Still, even with that added bit of brainless fun to distract you, the bulk of your time will be spent with the missions, each of which form part of the big picture involving Jimmy's efforts to put an end to those who double crossed him. The problem, though, is that one can't help but feel that all of this would have been a welcome addition to the original game, a game which really could have done with a little more to do outside of the primary story, instead of a premium downloadable add-on.

As a lead character, Jimmy does bring something different and fresh to the Mafia II world. A tough talking killing machine, he's got a certain swagger which wouldn't have worked with Vito's character but which makes Jimmy come across as a mix between a Goodfellas-era Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel's Mr. Wolf character from Pulp Fiction. It works well within the Mafia world, his 'break bones first, ask questions later' way of getting things done, and it would have been nice to have a bit more of a proper story built around this entertaining personality.

Being an add-on to an existing game, any technical or gameplay related issues from the original have obviously carried through here. The city of Empire Bay still has a facade of a fully alive gameworld covering what is actually more like a very craftily disguised cardboard cutout of a city. You still don't have much reason to dig deeper into the city when not busy with a mission, but on the other hand this time around the missions will lead you to explore areas you would have probably skimmed over in the main game.

Jimmy's Vendetta is a very different experience from that of the full game, taking away one of the most impressive elements of Mafia II, it's stellar storytelling, and replacing it with an arcade temperament which feels a little uncomfortable in its own skin. The gunfighting is still pretty solid, and the driving action is possibly improved thanks to the addition of score bonuses for reckless driving. It would have been great to have a more fleshed out story to attach to the new lead protagonist though, since Jimmy has a lot of potential as a main character. Perhaps if the developers had worried less about making Jimmy's Vendetta an arcade experience and maybe worked the story to weave more closely with the main story, we could have had a far more engrossing game on our hands. If Mafia II didn't catch your attention, then obviously this DLC will be of no interest to you. Conversely, if you really got a kick out of the gangster lifestyle as portrayed by the main game and are happy to get back to it without much of the depth of narrative which kept Mafia II moving at such a structured and intriguing pace, your few solid hours spent with this add-on won't be a waste of time.

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