Mafia 2 Remake? My (unwelcome) thoughts…
Several months ago, the Mafia social media team kept posting Mafia 2 content and Vito – and the community kinda lost it and assumed a remake was coming (me included). But now that we know we have the Man of Honor expansion coming for TOC, I guess we didn’t have to worry so much about one lol. Still, I don’t have many people in my life or even in my online communities to yap about Mafia without being side-eyed, so I’d like to say my piece.
Do I want a Mafia 2 remake?
God, the woman I am right now? She would be a liar if I say I don’t want to see even more HD videos/pictures of my most handsome, hot husband Vittorio Antonio Scaletta onscreen. The gaming world deserves to see him…because he truly is a beauty overlooked. And I need him to have shooters like how half of the gaming communities I’m in rides for the hot and handsome Leon S. Kennedy, because I’m needy
Point being, if a Mafia 2 remake can introduce a whole new generation to the beauty and excitement I’ve felt since booting up this game series in August 2025, I’m absolutely down.
But I also have doubts :(
Part of the charm, and the goodness that makes Mafia 2 a classic was because of how groundbreaking it was in the 2010s. It felt so ahead of its time, that even when I played it last year, I genuinely couldn’t believe this was a product of the mid 2010s where we had a lot of generic slop (sawry) – when storytelling wasn’t even a prized aspect in games. Sure, Mafia 2 is now, unfortunately behind in graphics and gameplay now, but God, the story. The atmosphere. Driving around in Empire Bay felt so immersive. That sequence of Vito coming home from the war to a winter-covered Empire Bay? Chef’s kiss. I’d replay that everytime I had the chance to.
So there’s my dilemma – what happens when nostalgia becomes a piece of wool under your eyes?
I saw it happened with Mafia 1 and its remake. Saw the way people would whine about how the remake stripped away the feeling of playing the original. I’ve never played TCOLH so I can’t make a comparison, but what if this happens to Mafia 2?
I’m not gonna lie guys, I love the idea of seeing a more beautiful version of Empire Bay – something akin to how majestic Lost Heaven looked like in MDE. But I am scared of how they’ll remake Vito :( he was so, so well designed (both in classic and DE), but what happens if the devs decided to switch it up and give him a new face? (Also, I didn’t really like the design he got in Mafia DE when he did his cameo lol) Unfortunately, I’m gonna be one of those annoying fanboys who will scream things like “The OG was better!” and I hate that for myself. Same goes to the voice acting too, you can’t tell me Joe fuckin Barbaro doesn’t have the most recognisable, iconic voices ever?! So what happens when the passage of time forces the devs to find a new ensemble cast for the remake? I shudder to think of it.
At the same time, there’s still a lot of aspects a Mafia 2 remake could improve on. A more atmospheric, interactive Empire Bay (something like RDR2’s open world would be insane, but wishful thinking I guess haha), a better, clearer, longer storyline with all its cut content and so much more. The possibilities are endless, but the fear of something new replacing something already so familiar, comforting, and beloved to me, scares me still.
There’s still a long way to go until a Mafia 2 remake would really be needed (and to be honest, it still holds up pretty well even 16 years later), but I’m just putting it out there cause I keep seeing discussions of this, and simply wanted to share my opinions on it.
Regardless, I will love whatever Hangar 13 puts out, but I hope they don’t disappoint (and I’m waiting for Mafia 4 to blow me out of the water PLEASEEE)
Thanks for reading my rants lol, I’ve been thinking about Vito a lot lately (while in employment, mind you) so yeah.
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
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