[E3 2009] Mafia II Eyes-On
Potential, thy name is Mafia II. We finally get our first peek at 2K Czech's mob masterpiece.
Published: June 4, 2009
People didn't really flock to the original Mafia like they did a Grand Theft Auto or a Gran Turismo and that's a shame because, flawed through the game may have been, it delivered a sense of immersion and atmosphere that few open world games could come close to matching -- at least on its native PC. There was a PS2 version, but it was shadow of the original, and console gamers would do well to just avoid it.
Luckily, they won't have to avoid the upcoming sequel, as it's being developed concurrently for the PS3, 360 and PC, and all by 2K Czech (nee Illusion Softworks), the developers of the original game. From what we've seen of the game up and running on next-gen hardware (360, unfortunately, but don't nooobody seem to be demoing things on the PS3 at E3... or ever, so we'll make do), 2K was very, very wise to gobble up the developer when they did. Open world games aren't exactly scarce these days, but proper handling of that world most definitely is. Though we were only shown the briefest of glimpses -- a single mission taking place in the new locale of Empire City (a mash-up of San Francisco and New York) -- it was more than enough to whet our appetite.
Vito Scaletta has served time. Not in jail, mind you, he avoided that by joining the military and fighting in World War II, but now that he's back in the States, he'll move from down-and-out new arrival to made man over the course of the game's ten years starting in 1945. Period-specific clothes, cars and music will play out as he moves up in organized crime, but this isn't the story of someone who becomes don; Vito is more than content to just make a living as a mob goon -- though he'll become a respected one by the time it's all over.
When the mission begins, it's February, and snow has blanketed Empire. The trip to Sand Island, the city's slums, means he'll have to contend with how all that slush on the ground affects handling. Weather in Mafia II has a direct impact on how all the vehicles slide, accelerate and stop, and given that the original game was incredibly strict about following the rules of the road (you weren't supposed to speed, lest you catch the attention of the fuzz, though you could get cash for it), it would be smart to take all of this into account. Vito, along with friends Joe and Henry, are on their way to whack a guy, y'see, and getting there in one piece is rather important.
Along the way, they'll chatter about random things and discuss the missions ahead -- just some of the game's nearly 700 pages of script that help build that atmosphere we're so keen on. When they finally arrive and the game transitions into a cutscene while the boys wait for their quarry to arrive, the detail in the models is apparent, as is the impressive lip synching to go along with all the voice actors, none of whom are famous for anything other than their pipes. No fancy Hollywood names here, as 2K Czech feels that would distract from the characters themselves, who already seem well fleshed out.
Even during the mission, which starts as soon as the target arrives downstairs and Vito opens fire on him, starting a shootout between The Fat Man's guards and their attackers, Joe is almost constantly talking. It's actually part of the ongoing maturation of the character, which will see him adopting louder, flashier clothes as he starts to bank more money, and gives things a definite movie quality. The shootout feeds into a basement, then a warehouse, where eventually the hit is cornered. While begging for his life, he shoots Henry in the gut, which in turn leads to everyone opening fire in a convincing hail of bullets, hits, and the eventual death of the attacker. With no recourse but to get their friend to a mob doctor, the trio heads for their car, leading to an intense firefight in the belly of the building.
As we watched the action play out (complete with a simple cover system), we were struck by the lack of a HUD. Though it'll be an option for players that want it, 2K Czech simply hadn't implemented something that was aesthetically pleasing as the rest of the game yet, and they're still working on a handful of different heath systems, from a segmented life bar that refills partially (a la Resistance) to a Halo-like full refill. Given that the game isn't due out until next year, they've got plenty of time to hammer out a suitable solution.
What doesn't need any more work is the game's attention to detail; the lighting is fantastic, the vehicles and characters are wonderfully constructed and the game's pitch-perfect music instantly sucked us in. This isn't a run-and-gun, speedy, arcade experience, it's a slower, more methodical, almost simulated kind of game, and everything from the delivery of dialogue to the speed of the vehicles matches that perfectly. In a word, we're pumped for what's to come, and the second we can spend a little more time with Vito and his less-than-upstanding adventures, we'll make sure to update you.
Luckily, they won't have to avoid the upcoming sequel, as it's being developed concurrently for the PS3, 360 and PC, and all by 2K Czech (nee Illusion Softworks), the developers of the original game. From what we've seen of the game up and running on next-gen hardware (360, unfortunately, but don't nooobody seem to be demoing things on the PS3 at E3... or ever, so we'll make do), 2K was very, very wise to gobble up the developer when they did. Open world games aren't exactly scarce these days, but proper handling of that world most definitely is. Though we were only shown the briefest of glimpses -- a single mission taking place in the new locale of Empire City (a mash-up of San Francisco and New York) -- it was more than enough to whet our appetite.
Vito Scaletta has served time. Not in jail, mind you, he avoided that by joining the military and fighting in World War II, but now that he's back in the States, he'll move from down-and-out new arrival to made man over the course of the game's ten years starting in 1945. Period-specific clothes, cars and music will play out as he moves up in organized crime, but this isn't the story of someone who becomes don; Vito is more than content to just make a living as a mob goon -- though he'll become a respected one by the time it's all over.
When the mission begins, it's February, and snow has blanketed Empire. The trip to Sand Island, the city's slums, means he'll have to contend with how all that slush on the ground affects handling. Weather in Mafia II has a direct impact on how all the vehicles slide, accelerate and stop, and given that the original game was incredibly strict about following the rules of the road (you weren't supposed to speed, lest you catch the attention of the fuzz, though you could get cash for it), it would be smart to take all of this into account. Vito, along with friends Joe and Henry, are on their way to whack a guy, y'see, and getting there in one piece is rather important.
Along the way, they'll chatter about random things and discuss the missions ahead -- just some of the game's nearly 700 pages of script that help build that atmosphere we're so keen on. When they finally arrive and the game transitions into a cutscene while the boys wait for their quarry to arrive, the detail in the models is apparent, as is the impressive lip synching to go along with all the voice actors, none of whom are famous for anything other than their pipes. No fancy Hollywood names here, as 2K Czech feels that would distract from the characters themselves, who already seem well fleshed out.
Even during the mission, which starts as soon as the target arrives downstairs and Vito opens fire on him, starting a shootout between The Fat Man's guards and their attackers, Joe is almost constantly talking. It's actually part of the ongoing maturation of the character, which will see him adopting louder, flashier clothes as he starts to bank more money, and gives things a definite movie quality. The shootout feeds into a basement, then a warehouse, where eventually the hit is cornered. While begging for his life, he shoots Henry in the gut, which in turn leads to everyone opening fire in a convincing hail of bullets, hits, and the eventual death of the attacker. With no recourse but to get their friend to a mob doctor, the trio heads for their car, leading to an intense firefight in the belly of the building.
As we watched the action play out (complete with a simple cover system), we were struck by the lack of a HUD. Though it'll be an option for players that want it, 2K Czech simply hadn't implemented something that was aesthetically pleasing as the rest of the game yet, and they're still working on a handful of different heath systems, from a segmented life bar that refills partially (a la Resistance) to a Halo-like full refill. Given that the game isn't due out until next year, they've got plenty of time to hammer out a suitable solution.
What doesn't need any more work is the game's attention to detail; the lighting is fantastic, the vehicles and characters are wonderfully constructed and the game's pitch-perfect music instantly sucked us in. This isn't a run-and-gun, speedy, arcade experience, it's a slower, more methodical, almost simulated kind of game, and everything from the delivery of dialogue to the speed of the vehicles matches that perfectly. In a word, we're pumped for what's to come, and the second we can spend a little more time with Vito and his less-than-upstanding adventures, we'll make sure to update you.
