Okay, after playing a couple of hours, here are my impressions, and I'm a huge fan of the original Mafia. My main interest in Mafia II was for the atmosphere and portrayal of the decade, not any interest in the Mafia, so I have focused mainly on that.
Pros:
-Excellent music, and although limited, I suspect this is because it's a demo.
-The car design is greatand fits the era very well.
-The city feels alive with numerous pedestrians doing different activities.
-Some of the visual effects, such as fire and crumbling walls.
-Surprisingly the Playboy magazines, although the issues in the demo are from the 1960s.
Cons:
-While the music and cars are great, I feel like I'm playing a satirical view of the 1950s and not an accurate portrayal of the decade. The radio announcer makes it too obvious that things like color television and portable telephones seemed surreal at the time, like we're supposed to laugh because everyone has a cell phone and credit card now. There are also too many obvious slights against women and rock and roll, which weren't actually thrown in your face all the time. After awhile I couldn't help but think, "Yeah I get it already." I was kind of worried that Mafia II would become Grand Theft Auto in the 50s with all the obvious pop culture jokes and satire.
-The comments made by the cops are repetitive and a bit too aggressive and vulgar. I also don't feel compelled to follow the law as I did in Mafia.
-Visual effects such as the police lights and headlights.
-The heavy post-processing and vibrant colors.
-Accidents are too often and are generally caused by quirks in the AI.
