Mafia II Demo Review

he sequel to 2002’s Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, Mafia II was announced three years ago at the Leipzig Games Convention, and will be playable on the PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox 360. A ten minute playable demo of Mafia II was released on August 10, 2010 for all platforms and features a playable mission that was scrapped from the retail version. The full version of the game was released on August 24, 2010 in the United States, and will be released on August 27, 2010 in PAL regions.

Mafia II is set in a fictitious take on a combination of New York City and San Francisco (with some architectural influences from Detroit and Chicago thrown in for good measure) called Empire Bay during the late 1940s to the late 1950s. Being an open world sandbox, Empire Bay is going to have nearly 10 square miles of area to explore, just about fifty era-specific vehicles to drive around in, and officially licensed music from the timeframe Mafia II is based upon. Also making a return from the original game are a good number of the weapons it featured – including the M1928 Thompson machine gun, the Colt 1911, and the pump action shotty. In addition to the returning list of weapons from the original Mafia game are a couple of WWII era-specific weapons – such as the M3 Grease gun, the MP28, the MG42, and the MP40.

It’s also supposed to feature a completely overhauled checkpoint system, which was one of the most complained about features of the first game. Another new addition to the sequel will be a cover system which will allow you to shoot enemies from behind cover… as opposed to the cover system featured in the first game, were it was only possible to crouch behind objects strewn about the environment. From the start of the game, every inch of Empire City will be open for exploration; overall, the map’s going to be twice the size of Mafia I. Vehicles will also have the ability to be customized, and in the demo I had quite a bit of fun making my vanity license plates read “FU PIG”. Obeying traffic laws is also essential in this game, because unlike games like Grand Theft Auto, The Godfather, or Saints Row, police officers will stop you for violating these. Thankfully, you’re given the ability to control your vehicle’s speed with a simple press of the X button once you’re inside. This saves quite a bit of frustration, because the last thing I want in a game like Mafia II would be constantly dodging police officers for a minor speeding violation as I’m making my way to an important mission or event.

Overall, I was more impressed with the Mafia II demo than I originally thought I would be. It would have been nice to have more time to openly explore (10 minutes is just too short) Empire Bay, but that’s only a very small issue that I noticed. Other game developers out there should use Mafia II as a template for a successful sandbox game, because I think it has more hits than misses. Having to be a good little boy around Empire City’s police force is a welcome addition to the open world formula that the GTA series started well over a decade ago. A small addition like this just makes the game seem more authentic and realistic, which in turn, makes it feel more immersive. Although limited by the fact this is a demo, the clothing and vehicle customizations in Mafia II brought me right back to the glory days when GTA: San Andreas ruled the gaming landscape.

The Good: The game really does have an authentic 1940s/1950s look and feel. Fully licensed music from that era will immerse you even deeper. Vehicle customization and collecting all 50 Playboy issues should make fully exploring Empire Bay enjoyable.

The Bad: Difficulty in the demo seemed a bit on the easy side, all things considered. The only times that I experienced any problems was when the control scheme was still unfamiliar to me.

The Verdict: A must download for those gamers out there who are looking for a sandbox game done right. It was more impressive than I originally thought it would be.

Wow, I'm impressed, what a great review!

I've never played the Mafia games before, but it sounds like something I should try.