Mafia 2 is the sequel to the award winning game Mafia which sold over 2 million copies and brought players into the dark world of the criminal underworld. Mafia 2 is again being developed by 2K Czeck and will take players even deeper into the underworld than ever before. It will use the purpose built “Illusion” engine designed specifically for Mafia 2 to explore the ten square mile city taking in the beautifully rendered outdoor environments to intricately designed interiors without any load times. This open world sand box game will feature gunfights, hand to hand combat and vehicle exploration and spans two decades in a fictional Empire city.
Mafia 2 is set to be the massive summer hit we have been waiting for, the summer drought is nearly over and Mafia 2 is a beautifully polished piece of art, you have played open world games before but nothing like this. The city is a mix of a number of real life cities with influences from New York, Chicago and San Francisco you get to experience the hustle and bustle of city life in the 40’s and 50’s with authentic clothing and vehicles as well as a soundtrack that reflects the mood of the era. The game will draw you in with its compelling narrative and strong mature storyline. You play Vito the son of a poor Italian immigrant family wanting to escape his life of hardship he turns to the mafia and the dream of becoming a “made man”. Starting out along side your childhood friend Joe you set about on the road to climb the family ladder pulling off some small time crimes but soon figure out the road to becoming a made man isn’t as glamorous as it may seem.
The demo is available on XboxLive, Steam and PSN+ on the 10th of August, it will be available on regular PSN the following day. The demo gives you 10 minutes to explore the city or to take on a mission. Mafia 2 is set for release on the 24th of August. Preorder now its going to be brilliant.
Hands on our impression. (We are restricted in what we can say until the full review is published but do check back with us it will be published closer release date.)
So that’s the preview according to the publishers but what is the actual product like when you get your hands on it?. Does it live up to the expectations?. Well yes it does and not only that, it blew them all out of the water. I should have known it would be good it’s from 2K games after all and they have yet to disappoint me. The city is massive and is a beautiful working living city. You do move seamlessly into and out of buildings you can sit inside and watch the world pass by your window. It is a vibrant colourful city full of gorgeous architecture.
The sound track is brilliant. From the well known hits of the day to the orchestral scores during cut scenes it all fits together perfectly. The controls are smooth and easy to use, the cover system is flawless. It is simple to pop in and out of cover you don’t end up jerking around trying to get out of cover and face the right direction. The gun play is simple, yet it works perfectly. It is a basic aim and shoot system. Your target doesn't lock onto targets which gives you greater control over your bullets. Open world games like GTA have suffered with the combat but not here Mafia 2 is a joy to play its not just all about scale.
The game itself is more realistic too in my first joyride I was in a head on collision that killed me instantly rather than having my car fly into the air and allowing me to walk away without a scratch. The cars do handle like a skip on ice but once you get to grips with it you can really fling them around the corners. Go straight for the tidy little convertible parked across from your house rather than the one in your garage as it handles the best. You can store your cars at home similar to GTA in fact the whole feel of the game is quite similar. Only 2k have put in that little bit extra effort into the actual gameplay making this game not only really enjoyable but one of my favourite games this year.
Another bonus is mission check points if you get killed during a mission you don’t end up in the hospital or having to do more boring long drives across the city or even have to restart the mission. This keeps the flow of the game moving at a nice steady pace.
Overall : The writing is excellent, the production levels are top quality, the story compelling and the whole package is put together with such an attention to detail it really shines through. Roll on August the 24th when Mafia 2 is released. Pre order this right now its flipping awesome!. Take a look GTA this is how you do it properly. Oh yea the Playboy centre folds are there too!!.
View the trailer video below and check back for our full review near release date.