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‘Mafia: Definitive Edition’ is delayed until September due to COVID-19
'Mafia: Definitive Edition' will arrive one month later than planned, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Mafia II’ and ‘Mafia III’ Definitive Editions are available today
Definitive Editions of Mafia II and Mafia III are available today, and a remake of Mafia will be available in August.
'Mafia III' expands its story starting at the end of March
It's more than a little weird that it's taken until now for the folks behind last year's Mafia 3 to announce add-on packs for the game. But that's just how the world works lately. The additional story missions start with "Faster, Baby!" at the end of March. The expansion focuses on stunt driving and car chases, according to the game's blog. More than that, it offers up a new section of the New Orleans-esque setting.
'Mafia III' drops you in a '60s gang war this October
A new Mafia III trailer dropped today, teasing more of the game's mobster action from the late 1960s. It all takes place in the fictional city of New Bordeaux, a locale loosely inspired by New Orleans, as Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay returns from war. When his surrogate family, the black mob, are attacked by the Italian mafia, Clay seeks all-out revenge. There are some brutal scenes, however the new trailer is also incredibly stylish in its depiction of the time and place. Much of that can be attributed to Son of a Preacher Man, which plays in the background throughout.
Mafia designer announces Kingdom Come: Deliverance RPG for PC and next-gen
Warhorse Studios delivered a teaser trailer and name for its upcoming RPG today, now known as Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The indie Czech developer, founded in 2011 by Mafia and Mafia 2 designer Daniel Vávra, noted that the game is expected to arrive in 2015 for PC and unspecified next-gen consoles. Kingdom Come: Deliverance will take place in the "Holy Roman Empire during the late Middle Ages," in which players can engage in first-person hand-to-hand combat, sieges and large-scale battles. Unlike other games that draw inspiration from the era, Warhorse Studios promised "no magic, high fantasy or mythical overtones" in its description of the game, but will instead focus on "historically authentic characters, themes and warfare." Among those themes is the struggle for the right to sit on the throne and hold power over the kingdom, which will be central to the game's plot. The developer also recently issued a blog that described its lengthy trials in finding a suitable publisher for the open-world RPG and where it stands currently in its endeavors.
Chinese Hero Online coming to European market
If you live in Europe but haven't heard of a Taiwanese MMORPG called Chinese Hero Online, chances are you will in the near future thanks to a new agreement between Mail.Ru Games and Chinese Gamer. The deal will bring the free-to-play MMO to the European market (and Mail.Ru will also be changing the name to an as-yet undetermined title). According to a Mail.Ru press release, Chinese Hero Online is based on the 1980s cult comic series Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword by Ma Rongcheng and will place players in 1930s China. Conflict arises thanks to various criminal clans and mafia organizations -- of which the player is a member -- leading to a showdown and eventual migration to the United States. Gameplay details are scarce, but we'll bring you more info on Chinese Hero Online as it becomes available.
New Prague-based dev studio, Warhorse, is ready to rock your RPG world
Four eminent 2K Czech and Bohemia Interactive employees have split to form Warhorse, a new development studio in Prague, and are now working on a previously unannounced RPG. Mafia and Mafia II creator Dan Vávra is heading the team at Warhorse, co-founded with Martin Klíma, author of Dragon's Lair. Viktor Bocan, designer of Operation Flashpoint, and Mafia animator Zbynek Trávnivký complete the fearsome foursome.Combined, the Warhorse crew's games have sold more than 11 million copies. They are hiring now for work on this mysterious RPG, requesting people who are willing to move to Prague to work with talented, successful, laid-back developers, which we're sure will be nearly impossible to find.
Italian Tourism official not too happy with iPhone travel app
iPhone travel app What Country describes Italy as "Pizza, Mafia, Pasta and Scooters." That isn't sitting too well with Italian Tourism Minister Michela Vittoria Brambilla, who says that the app's description of her country is offensive. She is threatening legal action against the developers, Apalon of Belarus. The US$0.99 app is rated pretty highly by users on the App Store, and it's described as having "a light-hearted and funny view of the world." The Minister, for her part, says that "Italy is a beacon in the world for its history, culture and style, and as a citizen and minister, I cannot allow that our country is discredited by the use of a criminal organization as its testimonial." But Italy isn't the only country with a less-than-complimentary description. The app describes Germany as "Beer, discipline and autobahns." I can't see a lawsuit in a case like this getting too far, but the publicity probably won't hurt the app any, either.
See Jimmy's betrayal in these new Mafia 2 screens
Remember that famous scene in the The Godfather where Michael tells Fredo to never take sides against the family? Well, in the world of Mafia 2 -- set in post-WWII America -- that movie wasn't filmed yet, so PS3-exclusive DLC protagonist, Jimmy, never learned that lesson. Feel free to see what we mean in our gallery of fresh screens below. The Betrayal of Jimmy DLC will be free to all who pick up Mafia 2 for the PS3 new (via an included voucher) and available for download through PSN for $9.99 when the game launches on August 24.%Gallery-99004%
Mafia 2 adds Steam support, serves up Mafia 1 for digital pre-orders
Take-Two sent over a press release announcing a partnership between 2K Games and Valve, whose Steam platform will power the PC version of Mafia 2's online multiplayer and bestow upon those who pre-order a free copy of the original Mafia game -- available to download and play immediately prior to the sequel's August 24 launch date. Don't use Steam? No matter – the deal is good through "select digital retailers" including Steam and applies to both the standard and collector's edition, so you've got some say in the matter. Talk about an offer you can't refuse! Steamworks will help our friend Mafia 2 through its unique feature set, including auto-updates, Steam Achievements, and all of the other data provided by the latest version of Steam. %Gallery-97938%
Mafia 2 collector's edition and pre-order offers announced
Believe it or not, Mafia II finally appears to be on the way, for real. In advance of the August 24 release date, 2K Games announced a Collector's Edition for the PS3/Xbox 360/PC gangster game. The Collector's Edition includes the standard bonuses for this kind of thing: an art book, soundtrack, and SteelBook case. It also comes packaged with a "high quality, tear-resistant map" of Empire Bay, and a code for a downloadable "Made Man Pack" with two luxury cars and two suits, including a tuxedo. In addition, retailers are offering the following bonuses with pre-orders of (any edition of) Mafia II: GameStop has the "Vegas Pack" featuring Vegas-inspired cars and suits, and a "War Hero Pack" with two military vehicles and uniforms. Amazon offers the "Renegade Pack" including '50s-style cars and leather and lettermen's jackets for Vito, so you can live out your Happy Days crime fantasies. You also get a $10 discount on a future game purchase. Best Buy has the "Greaser Pack" with two "hot-rod speedsters" and two racing-style outfits. Walmart.com is offering a "$10 Gift Card" which will allow you to buy $10 worth of merchandise at Walmart. We know it might be tempting to acquire the game in a thematically appropriate manner (having it "fall off a truck,") but these bonuses provide a compelling reason to actually purchase it from a retailer. Also, the whole "jail time" thing.
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%
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!
Mafia 2 coming before July 31, 2010
During the always thrilling Take-Two Interactive quarterly investors call this afternoon, the ever-elusive Mafia 2 received an almost, kinda sorta release date: Q3 2010. When applying Take-Two's Q3 dates to the Gregorian calendar that most folks on this planet use, we can infer that the game will arrive somewhere between May 1 and July 31. This isn't to say that the title is a shoe-in for release, though, with company CEO Strauss Zelnick saying the game is "scheduled to fall in our third quarter." Remember when Max Payne 3 was scheduled for release in Winter of 2009? Exactly. %Gallery-6189%
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%
Lawsuit alleges Apple conspired with Mafia, put hidden receivers in iPods for transmitting death threats
What you are about to read is from an actual court filing. Gregory McKenna has filed suit against Apple, which he alleges is conspiring with the mob in an effort to coerce him to return to a New York-based modeling agency he quit in 2000. As explained in the 124-page complaint, an iPod shuffle he bought on eBay in 2005 and an iPod mini he bought new from an Apple store in 2006 -- possibly a nano, as minis were discontinued a year prior -- both contain receivers that have allowed the Mafia to send audio death threats that play in tandem with his music. The suit seeks $14.3 million total and lists ten defendants in all, including a local mechanic, a private investigator, the St. Louis Police Department, the FBI, and the US Department of Justice. While our initial reaction is to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, it's hard not to feel sad for McKenna and his state of mind -- of course, if by some stroke of fate he manages to prove it was all one big conspiracy perpetrated by the Mafia, well, guess we'll be ending up with egg on our faces.[Via TUAW]
Wacky Apple lawsuit of the day: Apple conspiring with Italian Mafia
Just when you think you've heard everything, along comes an Apple lawsuit that simply defies reality.Beverly Hills, CA resident Gregory McKenna has filed a 124-page complaint in a U.S. District Court in Missouri against Apple and a group of other defendants, including the F.B.I., the St. Louis County Police Department, and an auto mechanic. Why? Well, McKenna alleges that Apple conspired with the Italian Mafia to affix special receivers to an iPod shuffle he purchased on eBay and an iPod mini purchased in an Apple Store. These receivers were allegedly used by the Mafia to transmit threatening messages to the iPods.Okaayyyyy. So, what were these messages? Well, first there was the time in 2008 where recordings of Mafia members saying "I'm going to kill him" were played in unison with a song on McKenna's iPod mini. The most serious message was apparently transmitted not only to his iPods, but also to an iBook G4, a PowerBook G4, and three vehicles including his mother's Honda Accord.The "message" consisted of the word "herpes" being inserted into the song "Still Tippin'" by hip-hop/rap artist Mike Jones. Mr. McKenna alleges that this was done "to humiliate, degrade, and cause emotional distress" to him. While apparently the Mafia was using the messages to coerce McKenna into doing fashion modeling for them in New York City (I am not making this up), I'd speculate that it's probably Apple's way to get him to purchase newer equipment. [via AppleInsider]
