MAFIA II is a game which focuses on the life of Mafia man Vito Scalleta. He returns to America as the Second World War comes to an end and reunites with his childhood friend, Joe. As the years pass Vito and Joe progress up the criminal ranks and dream of getting 'made'. During the game the player must take part in missions both on foot and in vehicles. The game was classified '18' for very strong language and strong violence.

At '15' the BBFC's Guidelines state that 'Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury'. During the gameplay of MAFIA II, the player can regularly attack innocent civilians as well as the police and gangland enemies. A range of weapons, including a shotgun and pistol, can be used to attack with sight of spurting blood as victims are shot. However there is no chance to further damage victims after death. Women can be attacked and killed in the street if the player chooses to do so. Pedestrians can also be mowed down when the player drives a vehicle through the city streets although causing any of this violence will prompt the police to try and arrest the culprit. Violence in the game's 'cut scenes' includes sight of a man being riddled with bullets as he is shot and a man being repeatedly hit in the face with the butt of a pistol.

At '15' the Guidelines also state that 'There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, 'fuck'). The strongest terms (for example, 'cunt') may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable'. In the case of MAFIA II, there is infrequent use of very strong language, which is delivered with aggression on each occasion. There are also numerous uses of strong language during normal gameplay. Finally there are uses of terms such as 'Chinks' and 'yellow bastards', said by clearly nefarious characters.

The game also contains some sexualised nudity - there is occasional sight of women's breasts and buttocks as call girls hang around the game's main characters and a 'cut scene' features implied fellatio with no detail other than a man groaning in pleasure in a bar as we see an underwear-clad woman's head bob up and down on his crotch. During the game it is also possible to discover old Playboy magazine covers, and these contain further breast nudity in various posed photographs.

Mafia II

Mafia II