Mafia II

Overview

"As the original Mafia was a big success, we are excited to leverage the power of next generation console technology to create an all-new experience, while embracing the elements that resonated with the previous game's fans. The 'wow' factor of Mafia 2 is definitely the benchmark-setting visual quality and action that you expect to see only in Hollywood movies." — Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K Games.

Story

Gameplay

Mafia II takes place in 10 square miles of open-ended environments, and the player will be able to explore the entire scenario without any restrictions from the start of the game. There are no loading screens- everything is streamed real-time or during cut-scenes.

The Law in Empire Bay must be obeyed, including semaphores. When these laws are broken in view of the police, they will respond. However, the police interaction will be toned down compared to its predecessor.

The game offers a dynamic newspaper system, which allows the player to follow the latest news all the time. The news and their contents are recent news between 1945 and the early 1950s.

New Features

• Cars can be washed at car washes, suffer panel damage, get dirty and even explode if you shoot in the gas tank.  
• Vito will be able to hail cabs or take a bus to get around the city.
• The AI has been improved, so the pedestrians will smoke, read newspapers, buy clothes, and wait for buses, while homeless people will search through garbage bins. 

• New and multiple strategies to deceive the police.
  

• The checkpoints have been improved.
  

• 

  Vehicles will play a major role in Mafia II.
  New and multiple strategies to deceive the police.

• Vito can steal a car through physical violence, lockpicking, or carjacking.
• The checkpoints have been improved.
• The urban landscape changes from day to night.
• Vito can buy various foods and drinks in restaurants scattered about the city.
• On the map will feature marked points with collateral missions. 

• There are two types of context-sensitive environment interactions: A "standard" action and a "violent" action.
  
• The soundtrack will be split between licensed contemporary music and original composed music.
• Taps, bottles, chairs will all be interactive, as well as the in-game radio which stations' change over the years.
• The story varies depending on how the player chooses to progress throughout the game with multiple possible conclusions.
  
• The game features over 200 hand-to-hand animations, as well as using the environment as an integral part of the combat.
  
• The police can chase other criminals instead of just you, and therefore it will contribute to their new, greater leniency.
  

• There are multiple gangs who have territories.
• Money can be used at about a 100 different stores, where you can buy weapons and lock-picks, clothes, etc.
• Or, you can raid those stores and smash them up good.
• 

   A cover system will be incorporated.
  There are side-mission 'jobs' to get you money.
  
• If you go back to a crime scene, you can hear the shop-keeper give your description.
• You can store vehicles in garages.
• There are about 50 vehicles, about 15 of them are special (trucks, buses, etc.)
• You can customize your vehicles and repair individual parts of them (i.e. tires, etc.)
• In missions with a car, Joe often rides with you and he'll sometimes be driving.
• Cover positions are used, and can be destroyed.
• Graphically, violence will take a less 'gory', more realistic approach (i.e. bullet wounds, blood stains/ splatters.)
  
• Many guns from the first game are back (i.e. Thompson M1928, Colt 1911, shotgun) but there will be more modern weapons.
• There is no auto-aim, but there will be a slight aim-correction.
• There is very little indication of your health; the HUD can be switched on and off, the contents of the HUD can also be altered.
• Health regenerates slowly, faster when taking cover, even faster when eating food.

Trivia

• Empire Bay is roughly double the size of Lost Heaven, covering approximately 10 square miles-- 4 more than GTA 4's Liberty City.

• The game was built on the 'Illusion Engine', an overhauled version of the LS3D engine which was used in the original game.
  

Useful Links