I have already written a review of Mafia II back in 2013.
Then I rewritten it in 2015 and again in 2026!
I might update it in the future, but please take a look at it, as this review is strictly about the Definitive Edition!

Mafia II: Definitive Edition is a R E M A S T E R, not a Remake.
So stop comparing the first game's Remake to Mafia II's remaster. The whining is like a bunch of kindergarten kids crying over some recess punishments. Jesus Christ...

Anyways, here's the initial review of this remaster! 🎉
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦??
Well there lil fella, I'll tell you all about it in this review!

The textures have been beefed up, a lot.
One thing you'll notice right away is that almost all of the game's textures have been reworked and remastered!
Especially during the first 5 chapters in the 1940s winter setting, even the sidewalks have been remastered to bring a lot of immersion to Empire Bay.

They put a lot of work into each of the characters, redesigning their faces and adding facial hair! Most of you have seen graphic comparisons in cutscenes.
One example is how Mr. Pappalardo's face looks way more natural than it did last decade, which hasn't aged very well and looked like he had a mustache drawn onto a plastered face.

They updated the settings and added a custom FPS cap, which is something every game needs right from the start.
Aside from that, the settings are pretty straightforward, and on Ultra, the game looks absolutely fantastic!
Especially at night when the streetlights shine down onto the pavement.

I'm glad the radio soundtrack hasn't been changed, which is a huge relief since other companies swap out their soundtracks over some BS contracts/paperwork. [I'm talking to you, Rockstar]
But over here, we got all of the songs just like back in 2010!
But wait, there's more!
The weapon sounds and other sound effects have also been remastered!
For my favorite game of all time, I'd say they did an outstanding job with the audio!

I don't have much to say about this—I just got ALL of the DLCs for free!
I didn't care much for Jimmy's Vendetta, but hey, who cares? I won't complain about something I got for free. Well, not just me, but EVERYONE who owns Mafia II.
With the Definitive Edition, you get all of the DLCs included, which is pretty dope!

They heard us, they cared, and guess what?
They actually patched the game with bug fixes!
It shows that they care about our feedback and suggestions. Before the patch, the game was a little buggy—for example, I couldn't get all of the achievements, which was quite disappointing.

In conclusion, if you buy this, you also get the Original game + all of the DLCs, which is a total win-win for all of us.
So I'd recommend buying this Remaster since it is what it is: a fresh new coat of paint over the old dried one.

Maybe one day a full Remake will be made for this in the far future, but who knows.