Mafia 2 Preview '" Made Men of Empire Bay

Mafia II is the long-time-coming sequel to Mafia : City of Lost Heaven released by Illusion Softworks (now known as 2k Czech) in 2002. The original Mafia received high marks from major review companies and was most often compared to Grand Theft Auto 3 in scope and quality. This always seemed erronious to me as the depth and quality of the narrative in City of Lost Heaven far surpassed that of the Grand Theft Auto series until the fourth installment of that franchise came out. According to 2k Czech, Mafia 1 has sold over 2 million copies to date and fews games are as deserving of that many sales.

Mafia 2 was first announced in 2007 and seemed to be on track for a late 2009 release until it fell victim to the inevitable video game delay cycle. Along the way there have been a bunch of Mafia 2 trailers and teasers, as well as game-play demos. The first Mafia 2 trailer showcased in-game cinematics with vehicles and shooting. The secondtrailer gave us a view of some beautiful weather in the game via a snowing Christmas-time confession scene and provided a sample of wiseguy humor. The Mafia 2E3 2009 and 2010 trailers gave us more looks into Empire Bay and the main character of Vito Scaletta a newly returned WWII vet.

The Mafia is Made of Characters

Characters were the heart of the Mafia 1, and Vito Scaletta is the heart of Mafia 2. After returning from the war in 1945, Vito meets up with an old friend and through a series of events becomes involved in organized crime. He then begins to climb the ranks of this organization. The characters he interacts with during his journey will be the driving forces for the entire game. With strong characters and story in place, the 2k Czech team will do what they did with the first game; surround those characters with a living, breathing, period-authentic setting right down to the smallest of details. Graphics are only a part of these details, though from the previews they look to be excellent. The thing that probably added the most to the original was the authentic period music and matching orchestrated score. The licensed music in the sequel will include songs from Louis Prima and Little Richard, though a full list has not be released yet it is sure to capture the time, just as Django Reinhardt tunes filled the first game. Also, look for the game music score performed by the Prague FILMHarmonic Orchestra.

Mafia 2 Gameplay - Fast Cars and Lots of Bullets

When it comes to the actual game-play of Mafia 2, there are two driving factors, no pun intended. These are vehicles and gun battles. The Tommy-Gun and Colt will be making their return from the original, providing that authentic gangster feel. The gunfights in Mafia 2 will be enhanced by a newly implemented cover system a welcome addition that was missing from the first game. You will be able to get around in the 10 square miles of gaming space with no less than 40 authentic period vehicles, and if Mafia 1 was any barometer to go off of, there will be plenty of car chases with guns blazing.

Look for Mafia 2 to be released August 24^th in North America, coming in regular and collector's editions. Check with your retailer for pre-order bonuses. DLC will be available shortly after release. Minimum PC specs are listed on the Mafia II homepage.

Mafai II - 2k Czech

Mafia City of Lost Heaven - Wikipedia

Mafia II - Wikipedia