E3 2010: Mafia 2 (Xbox 360) Preview
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 06.19.2010
Hands-on: 411mania gets a chance to play Mafia 2 at E3. That's definitely an offer we couldn't refuse.
Every time I try to get out they pull me back in! That's right, Mafia II is coming to your PS3, Xbox 360, and PC later this summer. I got the chance to play a demo of the Xbox 360 version of the game at E3 and I was thoroughly impressed. Not really a fan of the Mafia series previously, I had not played the first game. But after a few minutes, I was instantly hooked.
The game is set in the 1940's and '50's. This time around you portray Vito, a WWII veteran that returns to the City of Empire Bay and joins the mob and becomes an enforcer. At the start of the game, you leave Vito's home and travel to a rendevouz point with a made man, Henry, and Vito's mob friend, Joe Barbaro. From there, you have to use your sub machine gun from an apartment to take out armed guards and then proceed to enter a warehouse to whack a guy. You have to shoot your way through the warehouse and take cover and proceed to the top floor to find the criminal to take out. After that, the warehouse is set ablaze and you have to clear the way to help the wounded Henry escape. And after that the police give chase to you.
This is most definitely a sandbox action game. The developers at 2K Czech have created an entire city in Empire Bay. This is basically the evolution of the classic GTA games on the PS2. This is a fully working city full of civilians, police, and even working vehicles and traffic. Since driving vehicles is a big part of the game, you have to be careful how you drive so as not to attract attention from the fuzz that are all over the place.
The controls worked really well. It took me a little bit to get a hang of the duck and cover style of combat you want to use in order to avoid gunfire and getting shot. Once I picked that up it was really awesome to put the warehouse under siege and unload on the other baddies. The driving car chase with the police where you also have to shoot back was also a lot of fun. The level of interactivity with the environment is ridiculous. Besides the numerous weapons, you can do simple little things in your own home like changing the channel on your radio, turning the lights on or off, eating and drinking things from your bridge and much more. The game is also ridiculously storyline and narrative heavy. The game will look to boast a ton of cutscenes and dialogue if you like that sort of thing like *ahem*, MGS fans.
