GDC 2010 Hands-On Preview: Mafia II - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 13 March 2010 / 3,412 Views
I got a chance to take a look at a preview build of Mafia II earlier yesterday at GDC. The game is centered around Vito, an Italian American who joins the Mafia to try to escape the perils of poverty. Joe, Vito's childhood friend, works as your partner as you try to make a name for yourself in the dark and desperate world of organized crime.
The Senior Producer of the game, Denby Grace, ran me through a brief overview of the game before handing me a control and allowing me to cause some drama in Empire Bay, which is representative of east coast America. The demo starts out with Vito arriving in Empire Bay in 1945 and meeting up with Joe, who's profession is unknown to you at this point. Vito is taking a brief vacation from the war in Europe or so he thought. Joe makes it apparent that he doesn't want Vito to go back to war and within the span of a couple minutes and a few phone calls, Vito is suddenly on a medical leave of absence from the war. This is when you start to realize what kind of guy Joe is; a badass, hotshot, playboy kind of guy.
After finding out that his father is in debt, Vito calls up Joe to see if he has any work that could net him some cash. The first mission is called Wild Ones and starts out with Vito waking up in Joe's apartment in 1951, but Joe is nowhere to be found. There is a note on the counter which tells you to meet Joe out in the world to help him sell cigarettes.
This is a true sandbox game and will remind you numerous times of the Grand Theft Auto series. You can put on a new set of clothes, but there really isn't too much to do inside the house. So once you walk outside, hop in the car and start following the route to where Joe is located.
Driving in the game is surprisingly easy to control. I didn't have a problem driving my car, but if you do managed to crash, it definitely shows through smoke, scratches, and the obvious dents and dings. On your minimap, you can see clothing stores, car mechanics, the location of cops, burger joints, and more. Also, there is a speed limiter in the game, which essentially acts as cruise control so you won't get caught speeding.
Once you arrive at the location where Joe resides, you help him sell cigarettes from the back of a truck before some thugs arrive and threaten you and set fire to all of your cigarettes. You can try to follow them in your car once they speed off, but you are too slow.
The next section of the mission has you running through what looks like an abandoned car parts field chasing down the cronies that have ignited this fight with you and Joe. if you explore enough, you can find Playboy centerfolds (Yes, real photographs of Playboy centerfolds). There isn't any reward for collecting these and they are purely for your visual amusement and appeal. Once you kill all the enemies in the auto field, you will find some classic hotrods to steal. However, the demo ends before you get a chance to race through the city with them.
The game was fun, but I'm not sure if it brings anything new to the table that is not offered by the Grand Theft Auto series. If you have the desire for being a Mafia boss, then this is the game for you. Otherwise, Mafia II is looking like a rental for me. On the other hand, the game will not be released until after the summer, so 2K Czech has some time to beef up and polish the game. I hope there are some surprises in store that have not been revealed or else we may be in for another cookie-cutter experience.
