One of the most drastically improved franchise's of the past decade, Mafia II improved on many things, in particular the voice talent behind its characters. Introduce Robert Costanzo, who bar a role in BTAS as Harvey Bullock and some other animated adventures, had really yet to cement himself as a big voice acting talent. His role as Joe Barbaro however is simply fantastic, and begs the question - why hasn't he done more? Mafia II's mob plot line was lauded by critics when it first released, with the game managing to compile and pay homage to a plethora of mafia films from The Godfather to Goodfellas and more. Barbaro occupies the role of the player's main introduction to the criminal world, and in that task he succeeds indubitably. Better still, Joe is easily the best character in the story, outshining Vito and the game's primary antagonists with ease. Since Costanzo's performance is so overlooked, there aren't actually any videos of him online showing off his talents, you're just going to have to check out the game yourself. It's quite the underrated performance, but one worth seeking out if you have the time.
Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.
