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Preview: Mafia 2
For a story that has so much in common with a Godfather film, Mafia 2 still manages to stand out from its influences. The world crafted in 2K Czech's Illusion Engine is truly impressive, with a snow-covered Empire Bay of the 1940s giving way to a sunny version ten years later. The progression of time gives the already realistic locale even more life, and the change in weather represents a turning point in the game's story. The two story missions that I played at a 2K press event last month were structured similarly to any old Grand Theft Auto mission, though I found myself enchanted by Empire Bay -- a mashup of various cities, I was told -- and its fiction, complete with music appropriate for the era. I was not to be sidetracked into a sandbox murder spree on my way to the job. %Gallery-97815%
Mafia 2 PS3 exclusive DLC revealed - 'Jimmy's Vendetta'
Finally, the first details on Sony's exclusive Mafia 2 content (announced at E3) have surfaced. An early look at the game's Trophy list reveals that the PS3 version the game (see update below) will have free add-on DLC titled "Jimmy's Vendetta." From the Trophy descriptions, it appears the add-on includes several missions and an arcade-style points system, multiplier included. With one Trophy requiring 1,000 kills, it would appear that the add-on is lengthy (or repetitive!) enough to allow players to rack up such an impressive body count. Update: An official statement from 2K Games on July 16th tells us that "Jimmy's Vendetta" is actually the second planned DLC pack for Mafia 2. "The Betrayal of Jimmy" is the first, PS3 exclusive pack, available for free at launch with an in-box code, or from the PSN for $9.99. "Jimmy's Vendetta" will come later, and pricing and availability have yet to be announced as of this update. The trophies after the break are presumably from the second pack.
Mafia 2 takes a tour of Empire Bay
In a new Mafia 2 developer diary, 2K Czech explores the fictional city of Empire Bay. Seen during two distinct time periods over the course of the game, the city is the product of thousands of photographs and intense bouts of wireframe modeling. There's so much to see there -- certainly more than you could process in a single drive-by.
Preview: Mafia 2 (and Mafia 2 3D)
Mafia 2 feels, from the demo we played, like it could just as easily be called Grand Theft Auto: Godfather. If that's what you're looking for from the mob-o-rama sequel, then celebrate by throwing someone off a pier with cement shoes. It's actually pretty hard to note anything unexpected or different in the Mafia 2 demo. Almost everything you'd expect from a game that borrows heavily from the GTA IV template is there, both the good and the bad. %Gallery-6189%
Overheard@E3: What to do with a Playboy magazine
Mafia 2 has vintage Playboy centerfolds in it. This we knew. Sitting down for our hands-on with the mob simulator the 2K Games representative mentioned on the sly, "If you want to know how one of the Playboys work it's on the kitchen counter." Our eyes widened and heart raced as we began the demo. The dim lighting and comfortable couch in the room urged us to make the game's protagonist approach the magazine. With a press of the X button we were presented with the first of five centerfolds in the demo (out of 50 in the game). So that's how it works if you care about that sort of thing. %Gallery-6189%
Mafia 2 'Made Man' trailer teaches about family ties
In more ways than one, being the "new guy" in your local mafia chapter is similar to your first day at high school. Check out the following trailer for Mafia 2, and witness the plight of Vito Scaletta, relative newcomer to the Empire Bay crime syndicate. Watch the bizarre hazing rituals his new family subjects him to, and catch a glimpse of the sweet life that awaits players who ascend the ranks of the mafioso. But those who betray their brothers in crime could end up getting pantsed during gym class. Or rather, shot to death in a discreet warehouse. Okay, so it's not exactly like high school.
Mafia 2 demo pumps Xbox 360, PS3 and PC full of lead in August
During today's quarterly earnings call, Take-Two's Ben Feder confirmed that 2K Czech's wise guy sim, Mafia 2, will be chopped up into little pieces -- you know, for a demo release. "In August, 2K will launch a comprehensive demo program on Xbox Live Marketplace, PSN and the internet that will allow gamers to experience the game up until its launch," he said. Feder offered no exact date for when the demo was expected to fall off the back of the (virtual) truck. Mafia 2 shakes down retail on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on August 24.
Mafia 2 dev diary takes care of some business
For gangsters, it's not all slick suits and waiting around to scoop up whatever has fallen off the back of the truck. Sometimes, you have to roll up the sleeves of that expensive suit you can't explain how you have come to possess and put in some work -- some dirty work. And that's the focal point of this Mafia 2 developer diary. Protagonist Vito Scaletta shows he's just as good at slinging lead as he is throwing his fists around. But, he's also not afraid to do more damage by setting cars on fire and leading the coppers on a chase around the city. Our personal favorite, however, has to be his proficiency at rolling grenades beneath cars. We like to call that move "The Lebowski." Anyway, hit the play button on the player above and enjoy. Consider it an offer you can't refuse.
Mafia 2 dev diary introduces us to Vito's mother
She may only play a cursory role in the first Mafia 2 developer diary from 2K Czech but main character Vito Scaletta's mother really stood out to us when we watched the video you see embedded above. She's certainly not lacking in the character department, with "character" being one of the two themes the clip focuses on, and "story" making up the other half -- even though she's only allowed a few short lines in welcoming "her boy" back home. We're hoping, however, for some good old-fashioned early 20th century maternal scolding as Vito dives deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld of 1940s slash '50s America. He's just doing what he's gotta do to get by, Ma! %Gallery-6189%
Mafia II ready to hit retail August 24, 2010
Take-Two announced today that Mafia II is ready to offer North American retail an August 27, 2010, release date -- we doubt they'll refuse. We guess that leaves LA Noire or Max Payne 3 (we'll be shocked if it's Civilization V) as the game that could potentially be delayed by the publisher. (Umm, assuming this final date doesn't get gunned down at the last minute.) The game will also be playable by the public for the first time at PAX East, which starts tomorrow in Boston. Update: August 27 in the UK.
Q4 release for Mafia 2 (re)confirmed; Payne, Noire, Civ V still on hit list
Earlier this month, Take-Two announced the potential movement of one of the titles planned for release in its fiscal fourth quarter, extending from August to October. The choices were: LA Noire, Mafia 2, Max Payne 3, or Civilization V. During our demo of Mafia 2 on Wednesday, we were told the game would make its Q4 release, removing it from the list of potentially delayed titles. If we were the betting type, we'd be looking at one of those two Rockstar titles; after all, we've seen Civilization V at this point while LA Noire and Max Payne 3 remain shrouded in mystery.
Hands-on: Mafia II
It seems like almost a year ago that I first saw Mafia II. That's probably because it was almost a year ago that 2K Czech (formerly Illusion Softworks) demoed live gameplay from the title (which had been announced nearly a year and a half before that.) Today, it was time to finally get my hands dirty as a virtual wiseguy, but first I had to put some clothes on. In all seriousness, protagonist (I guess he's that, right?) Vito Scaletta had just woken up after a pretty wild night (judging by the various undergarments strewn around his bachelor pad) when my demo kicked off, so I of course jogged around turning on faucets and flicking light switches before actually doing what the game was instructing me to do: Get dressed. Leaving Vito's apartment, I stepped out into a world as pitch-perfect in its depiction of the 1950s -- the cars, the clothing, the architecture, the music -- as I can imagine. So what if the car that I hopped into and the place I was driving around -- Empire City -- never existed in any real era? I spent the first few minutes of the demo causing all sorts of mayhem. Heck, the very first thing I did was get into a fender bender (putting it mildly) from which I fled, only to learn that the punishment for a hit-and-run in the '50s was, evidently, only a few dollar fine. But my trouble with the fuzz didn't end there. %Gallery-87797%
Mafia II trailer needs guys like you
It doesn't take much to excel in this thing of ours. You have to have brass whatnots, be willing to do some unsavory acts and put the family above all else -- basically, don't be Fredo. It's not that hard, when you think about it, but the latest trailer for 2K Games' Mafia II disagrees. Apparently, in post-WWII, there weren't a lot of guys who had the stomach to use cover-based shooting mechanics and traverse a sandbox-style environment. Frankly, we're shocked that The Greatest Generation had any shortcomings at all!
BioShock 2's 'Capture the Sister' mode isn't kidding around
The citizens of BioShock 2's undersea dystopia, Rapture, love them some ADAM -- especially when it's been freshly harvested by a Little Sister. It's with this in mind that Digital Extremes tweaked the tried-and-true Capture the Flag multiplayer contest to place one team in charge of abducting one of these adolescent creepsters while the other must lay their lives on the line to protect her.As the above first look at the mode explains, the "attacking" side's goal is to return the girl to a Little Sister vent. The defenders -- well they defend, of course ... but one of them gets to be a Big Daddy. We'll have our hands-on impressions of BioShock 2's single and multiplayer modes tomorrow, so look for more details then.
ESRB: 2K Games making point-and-click 'Axel and Pixel' for Xbox 360 [update]
An OFLC listing spotted by superannuation and a similar ESRB listing (pictured above) point to a new point-and-click adventure called "Axel and Pixel" being developed by 2K Czech, the studio behind Mafia II [Update: 2K was kind enough to clarify that the game is being made by another Czech dev called Silver Wish Games.] According to the ESRB (which rates the game "E for Everyone"), players will "guide an artist and his dog through surreal and abstract environments." The game apparently presents environment puzzles that involve "redirecting a ray of light, throwing rocks at birds, and spraying water at a creature." Unlike the OFLC listing, the ESRB entry indicates only the Xbox 360 as a platform, so it would seem that the game is exclusive to Microsoft's console (and a potential candidate for XBLA), at least for the moment.
Mafia II trailer looks at the art of persuasion, not lifelike animation
Getting people to do things for you is an art as old as mankind itself. Nobody knows that better than the mafia, who've extorted their way from rags to riches in America (and The Old Country!) for years. But that's all besides the point because we can't stop focusing on the first few seconds of this Mafia II trailer. We get it, the game has a lot of atmosphere and really pins down that crime family feeling, but our fascination with this footage cannot possibly extend beyond the awkward sipping of a beverage. Why is it so hard to animate that in games? It's almost enough to drive you to drink ...
Consider these Mafia II screens a gift
Click image for extortion size You know, we were going to hold off on showing you these new Mafia II screens, but then our daughter decided to get engaged. Yes, today is our daughter's wedding and as such, it's customary that we must honor the request to see these new screens from GamesCom. Hit up the gallery below to check 'em out. %Gallery-70498%
Mafia II developer walks us through E3 demo
One and a half months after we got a chance to check out 2K's next open-world crime drama, Mafia II, the developer has released a video walkthrough of the segment we laid eyes on at E3. We were quite taken by the excellent voice acting and explosive action featured therein, but we're curious what you think! Check out the video after the break, but be forewarned -- they bleeped out all the totally sweet cursing out for this particular demo. What kind of third person, open-world crime drama doesn't have profanity? That's just f---ing silly. Whoa, what the f--k? Where did those f---ing letters -- oh s--t! What the f--k!?
Impressions: Mafia II
The original Mafia won critics and gamers over with its deep storytelling an intriguing new gameplay conventions -- but for some reason, it never seemed to become a mainstream hit as much as the industry's other huge, crime-riddled sandbox franchise, Grand Theft Auto, did. Perhaps it's because its creators weren't backed by humongous, multi-billion dollar juggernauts. Or maybe the name just wasn't as catchy.Regardless, developer Illusion Softworks, now operating under the moniker 2K Czech, is hoping to capture more of the gaming public's brainspace with their upcoming organized crime epic, Mafia II -- and from what we recently saw of the game at E3, 2K's well on its way to producing a product that could very well be the heir apparent to the sandbox genre throne.%Gallery-6189%
Mafia II trailer is all snow covered streets, bullet ridden corpses
Wiseguys finish first, and it's usually thanks to gallons of unwillingly donated blood and plenty of expended bullets, as this Mafia II trailer demonstrates. The family always comes first (unless you're Fredo, of course), and never lets anyone get in its way. If they try, well, you need only reference the above trailer to see how such problems are solved.Essential reading: Joystiq impressions: Mafia II
