Mafia 2

The road towards {Mafia 2} has been long and winding for 2K Czech. Officially this is because they wanted to get all the details just right, but somewhere between the lines I get the feeling development has been anything but smooth. 2K Czech (previously known as Illusion Softworks), were pretty prolific during the first half of the last decade releasing the original {Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven}, {Vietcong}, {Hidden & Dangerous 2}, and {Vietcong 2} just to name a few.

Ever since 2005 their main focus has been {Mafia 2}, and when Take-Two bought the developer in 2008 (and changed their name to 2K Czech), and Enemy in Sight (spiritual successor to the {Hidden & Dangerous} series) was cancelled, getting the game finished has been on top of the agenda.

Vito returns from Europe to Empire Bay in Feburary 1945...

It's a huge game for 2K Czech, and for the struggling publisher who could really do with a franchise capable of easing financial pressure they are faced with in between GTA games. But sometimes delays can be a blessing in disguise, and a publisher willing to allow the developers the time to realise their ambitions is only to be commended. And after enjoying a 40 minute hands-on demo of {Mafia 2} that is the lasting impression I'm left with.

{Mafia 2} takes place in a fictional city on the east coast - Empire Bay. It's early 1945 and you are Vito, a young American-Italian soldier, who is home on leave. You meet up with your connected cousin Joe, who makes a phone call, and all of a sudden you no longer have to return to Europe. "Doctor said you can't fight any more", says Joe and that's that. It turns out your late father left the family with a rather large debt, and so Vito is forced into a life of crime helping Joe out whenever he needs it and advancing his status among Empire Bay's seedier elements.

Picking your wardrobe is key to making it as a made man...

Empire Bay is about twice the size of the city in the original {Mafia}, and it is beautiful to behold. One can really tell that 2K Czech have taken their time to recreate an American city from the 1940's and 1950's down to the smallest detail. Shops, signs, cars, the people and what they wear. It has an authentic feel, or at the very least it's coherent with the stereotypical image of that era that I'm accustomed to. The music that plays on the radio, the small intermissions with news bulletins and such, also add a layer of authenticity and sometimes a bit of comic relief.

The hands-on demo features an edited version of a mission called "Wild Ones" a few hours into Vito's journey. Joe needs help selling cigarettes off the back of a truck, and Vito starts out in his apartment. You get to pick an outfit and chose what car to get into to. I speed off to meet up with Joe. If you are unfamiliar with the {Mafia} experience you may assume that the city is a bit like Liberty City, but there really isn't much to be experienced outside of the main story line. In fact, what was originally planned as optional side missions, have been incorporated into the main storyline. Empire Bay serves as more of a living backdrop to the linear story of Vito's journey into a life of crime, than a sandbox where you can do what you please.

Shooting up a joint... a bit of target practise before taking on the greasers...

In the demo, the police system was turned down low, but it won't be as aggressive as in the original {Mafia}, and you won't be penalised to harshly for minor offences (such as running a red light or bumping into a fender or two). However, if you happen to draw your gun and do a bit of shooting, you better be ready to make a run for it if there is a cop in the vicinity.

I make my way to Joe's location cautiously while I try to obey the traffic rules. It turns out Joe is a bit of a lazy bastards and he wants me to do some manual labour handing out boxes of cigarettes to smokers who don't care much about where they get their smokes from. But fortunately this tedious, almost semi-legal work, is soon interrupted. A bunch of "greasers", local hooligans, interrupt our little business venture. They claim we operate on their turf and throw a couple of molotov cocktails our way. Joe is having none of it, and as the leader of the gang walks up to him, he cuts the conversation short by simply shooting him in the face.

The rest of the greasers get into a car and we give chase. But no matter how hard you try, you won't catch up to them. It's basically set up so that you're going to have to call it in to the boss and he will send you to meet up with a few other good fellows who want to teach these punks a lesson.

The squad gets ready to move out...

We make our way to the foundry, which is apparently where the greasers hang out, when they're not pestering cigarette vendors. Teaching them a lesson is pretty straight forward and the lesson of is how to eat lead. With what basically amounts to a squad you make your way from cover to cover gunning greasers down along the way. Once you get them to turn and flee, it's easy enough to shoot them in the back.

The gameplay works very well, and feels like a simplified version of Uncharted or {Gears of War}. The gun play feels precise and solid, there is a bit of weight to the guns, and the enemies behave smarter than what you would find in most titles in the genre. Every on foot mission won't have the same squad-like theme, but the use of cover is something that is core to the combat in {Mafia 2}. We're told that some mission will involve a bit of stealth as well. Hopefully, 2K Czech can pull that off as nicely as they have done with this part of the combat, but that remains to be seen.

As I make my way from cover to cover, letting my tommy gun do the talking I come across something that may interest some of you out there. 2K Czech have teamed up with Playboy Magazine to have 50 Playboy Magazines spread out as collectibles throughout the game. I picked up the magazine that had been placed in the demo, and was a bit taken back by the semi nude centrefold that came up on the screen. It's rather tasteful and perhaps a bit tame by today's standards, but I still felt a bit awkward.

You will be able to collect 50 of these fine specimens in {Mafia 2}.

When Vito and Joe make their way to the end of the level, having taken out the greasers and leaving nothing but bodies behind, they are faced with a dilemma. Killing the greasers may have made them feel warm on the inside, but they need to get some cash in order to please their boss as they lost the truckload of smokes. The greasers have conveniently parked a couple of hot rods by the exit, and we take one each and make our way to a friendly car sales man who isn't too picky about where he gets his rides...

That's where the demo ends. I cannot to wait continue my adventures with Vito. The cinematic feel, the little touches, and rock solid gameplay, paired with the wonderful atmosphere are already in there. Hopefully 2K Czech can deliver a game that offers the same high level of quality throughout. If they manage that, we're all in for a good time.