I've recently taken a look at an article over at the Computer And Video Games website, which gives a lot of information about the upcoming installment to Mafia. It really seems like it'll be a promising title. Take a look at these quote below:

quote:

The cars themselves have had a massive handling overhaul. Without getting any actual hands-on driving time myself, it's difficult to say whether they've nixed the authentic ricketiness of Mafia's fragile '30s motors in favour of a crowd-pleasing arcade approach, though what I've seen looks promising.

The cars appear more solid and fun to drive, with a new physics model allowing for some nifty skids. Traffic in general is denser and the range of vehicles more varied. The damage modelling has also been rethought, with the dynamically crumpling wrecks of the original being replaced by scripted, location-based damage.

2K Czech are calling this 'Hollywood damage' - paint will scrape away, while bumpers will hang off and swing, scraping along the tarmac in a shower of sparks, while panels will deform and dent in a myriad of pre-determined ways - and the end result should make car chases that bit more thrilling.

If this game captures your interest, then you might consider taking a look at the whole article that describes what the game will be like at this link: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=188221

If all goes well, this title may even be more impressive than GTA IV.

I've decided to make things a little bit easier for everyone by posting a list of gameplay features that Mafia II will offer. They are:

- Readable newspapers to learn about recent news between 1945 and the early '50s.
- A completely open-ended game map of 10 square miles. No restrictions are included from the start of the game.[5]
- Cars will play a central role, based on models of the time, and changing with the era.
- Laws, including traffic, must be obeyed, but the police interaction will be toned down compared to the original.
- Although fictional, Empire City will feature sights such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.[6]
- The player can get "very high" in the city, adding a possible vertical element.
- The player will be able to buy a home where they can store gear and use as a home base.
- Restaurants will be accessible to buy food and drinks to increase health.[7]
- Stolen cars can now be upgraded at the "Empire -- Automobile Shop"; engines can be replaced, cars can be resprayed, and interior can be refitted, to name a few.
- Things such as sink faucets, switches, bottles, and chairs will all be interactive, as well as radios that the player can turn on to hear a few licensed period tunes.[8]
- Cars can suffer panel damage, get dirty and explode. They can also run out of fuel.[7]
- NPCs will smoke, read newspapers, and wait for buses, while homeless people search through nearby garbage bins.[8][6]
- Interacting with objects in the environment involves two action buttons- a standard and a "violent" option- used in context-sensitive situations.
- A map will be included as in the original.
- The checkpoint system has been completely overhauled.
- Gyms will be accessible to unlock new combos and fighting styles.
- As seen in screenshots, Vito will be able to hail taxi cabs and they will take him wherever he wants.[9]
- Trunks can open, and weapons and bodies may be stashed there.[8]
- The player will own their own car which comes with a personalized number plate.[6]
- Vito can go into clothing stores and purchase different outfits.[citation needed]
- Several period motorcycles are featuring in game.

The gameplay seems like it'll really take open-ended gameplay to new heights. But I did read in another article about Mafia II's gameplay features that the game will be in favor of the story more than free-roaming. However, the game will offer sandbox gameplay and the missions will allow for several different endings, so they won't be very linear. And what I've heard about the realism, especially with cars and people in the city, it seems like this game may surpass GTA IV in terms of a real, living, breathing city, even if it's number of square miles for a city is nothing compared to GTA IV's. And a smaller city means that 2K Czech is that much more willing to make all of it as much detailed as possible. People will turn lights on/off in their homes, and all kinds of other things are sure to make this game feel like a real city. 2K Czech promises to make the destruction of vehicles in the game more realistic than even the damage system found in Burnout: Paradise. I even found that some of my wishes, like dirting your vehicles in the game and going to a car wash to clean them will be in the game. Also, it's supposed to be a much darker game, with influences from The Godfather and Goodfellas. Although no multiplayer feature was announced, this still might be the biggest free-roam driving game to come our way.

Here are all of the screenshots that have been released for the game:
















Edit: I've added two screenshots that I've just found recently.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FutureVenturer2,

nice graphics. Sounds like a cool game. But "take open-world gameplay to new heights" sounds a bit drastic for just being able to use a sink.

Still, could be worth a play.

My god, those graphics are incredible! I'll definitely look at this game if it's out for 360!

quote:

Originally posted by J_Frumpleberg:
nice graphics. Sounds like a cool game. But "take open-world gameplay to new heights" sounds a bit drastic for just being able to use a sink.

Still, could be worth a play.

I think that the idea with turning on the sink will work in a similar fashion to how people go robbing other people's homes and leave on the sinks, which can then lead to a flood inside of the houses (it's just like in Home Alone). If you've read the entire list of features that the game is going to offer, I think that it sounds very promising in bringing together the most realistic driving/action game set in a free-roaming crime setting.

Mafia had the best story and dialogue for a free-roam crime-based game thus far. Since the writer will be returning, it's bound to happen again with Mafia II. I have to admit that a free-roaming game doesn't need too many things coming from other genres (emergent gameplay) to be a masterpiece, and this game will hopefully be a good example of that. It is trying to put together as much details for the city to make it look real and brimming with lots of crime. In my whole opinion, I think that the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were the biggest times for crime and always will be, such that making a game based on a crime setting would fit better in these times than in a more present-day setting. I did hear that the 1970s were filled with lots of crime too, especially in Chicago, which I read about by taking a look at a graph on the percentage of crime in Chicago (1974's being the less recent one and with the biggest percentage) in the Chicago Tribune newspaper. This means that even the 1970s would be a great time for a crime-setting in a video game, especially when taking a look at a future Driver game. Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to point out that the music and feeling of today's cities just doesn't compare as great for a crime setting than it did in the past. This must be one of the reasons why GTA IV didn't feel so special to me at all (even though it was quite overrated). I don't think that it is in Mafia's league. In fact, I'd give GTA IV an 89%, not even placing it at a 90%, just for how it chose to focus on innovation less and more on performance. Mafia would probably deserve a 94% or 95% because it truly was a spectacle to marvel at, especially on the PC (the Xbox & PS2 versions lacked the PC's quality).

The last thing which I'll say is that Mafia II is going to be released for the Xbox 360, PS3, and the PC with a "TBA" release date.

Yeah it definately sounds like a good game, I just don't think its doing that much more than anything else that came out 4 years ago, let alone today cough..GTA4..cough

Well, it is going to feature better car chases than previous games in the past. I think that after we've been able to see more of Mafia II, it'll feel like a new experience. But it's true that Mafia II, like most games today, isn't exactly the most innovative piece of work. I'd have to say that The Outsider and perhaps even a PS3 exclusive called Heavy Rain are going to largely innovate the game industry forward. The Outsider will help make the story as non-linear as possible, whereas Heavy Rain will have an emotional experience for gamers through its thriller setting and gameplay (made by the same people who brought you Indigo Prophecy/Farenheit). Aside from that, Mafia II will probably be one of the last crime games that I'll ever have myself play throughout this generation, due to the need of preparing for college, and because I want to save my money more for important needs (which will be done through watching videos on YouTube of some games, reading about them, and sometimes even renting them). I don't play to buy any more than 4 tremendously innovative games for both my Wii and Xbox 360. The Outsider will certainly be one of them. As for the other 3 games, I might or might not buy them if they're not innovative enough for pushing this industry forward greatly. After I've obtained enough information and have played a number of good games, I'll probably use their biggest factors (like non-linear storytelling, emergent gameplay, real-time emotions that are found in the gameplay, etc.) to put together the most realistic and innovative games ever possible. Of course, with many ideas being pumped out this generation and the next generation (I won't participate in buying games/consoles in its time to help me save up my money & time for other things), I'll need to think further, if not beyond those concepts to come up with something that is very innovative.

Mafia 2 looks good, but the cars are too slow to really have a chance of beating Driver, let alone a tiny 10 mile map that isn't going to offer enough longterm variety, Test Drive Unlimited has around 1200 square miles to explore.

The sink and chair interaction sounds interesting, along the lines of Max Payne. If I see a chair in a game, I usually always sit in it just to take a break from the action, and watch the scenery. Something Driver needs to bring back (Driver 2).

GAS/FUEL:
Looking over that list again for Mafia 2, I wonder how they're going to handle "cars that run out of fuel" without it being a unnecessary way to make the game less fun but more realistic? I can see the strategy involved, "Keep going or find a gas station?", but they need to make sure it doesn't interfere with a great chase that ends cause your car ran out of gas, crawling to a stop. Not an exciting note to end on. The gas stations need to be plentiful, but rare enough to allow for planning ahead, and the gas needs to last as long as it does in a real car.

MOTORCYCLES: I missed this reading through the first time. Cool. I hope they don't skimp on the handling, but make it very responsive and controllable.