GAMES: Goombah Gunplay: Mafia 2 Demo Impressions

I really liked the first Mafia game. Honestly, I pretty much like all games involving a secret society of pasta eating criminals.

The first Godfather game was not good, but the second had a nice appeal that had me right up to the point I returned it...but I didn't re-rent.

But I've been really excited about Mafia 2. The first was a pretty fun game and based on my time with the demo for 2, it looks to be even better.

The demo gives you one mission, really half a mission, at the completion of which the demo ends.

It starts as a pretty simple mission, go here, kill guy, leave. But turns on its head quickly ending with your car stuck on a bridge boxed in by police. Short and sweet, but fun. A good show of the game's new cover system and gun selection.

But you don't have to do the mission. You are allowed to free roam, in a very limited piece of the city, for around 10 minutes. So it's a not very free, free roam. But unlike the first game this one actually seems to have true free roam.

What it usually entails is me driving around robbing stores, fighting people and then being killed in a hail of police gunfire with about a minute left on the timer.
Then I start back in the characters house with more time. :D

But in my play through I'm not just robbing and beating people for the sheer joy a goon would get out of these things, I'm doing vital game research for you! So stop judging me or I break-a you face!

The AI in Mafia 2 is pretty smart and the realism of the game is quite nice. Police will pull you over for speeding, like in the first game, so you can turn on a speed limiting option to avoid the hassle if you aren't in a hurry.

Also robbing shops has a dash of realism. Don't go into the gun store and try rob that dude, because he has a shotgun and likely you ain't got one. So you hit the burger joints, gas stations and clothing stores.

But be warned, pulling out a gun in stores in certain neighborhoods will get you shot by gun-toting civilians.

But if you wander into a shop with the intent of a simple robbery and end up committing a murder, when you come back later the store will be closed, adorned with police tape. That isn't a necessary gameplay mechanic, but it's a sheer point of realism that makes the game more fun. The lesson I learned, if you want a dram of scotch, don't go shooting up the bar earlier.

The biggest thing for me in most games (even games where it isn't even close to the point) is driving. It's fun.

I like it in real life and I love it in video games. In Halo 3 multiplayer battles on Live with friends, I'm behind the wheel of the Warthog. Yeah, I might only have 3 kills the whole game, but I've likely racked up around 20-30 assists with a competent gunner.

So in a big open game like Mafia 2 cars ARE a big deal. Set in the mid 40s to 50s the cars are a bit more my style than in the first one. I saw a nice collection of cars similar to real cars, including Thunderbirds and Corvettes as well as the lumbering land-yacht style Buicks of the era.

Some gamers might complain about the handling and power of the cars, but you would in real life too. Automotive technology has come a long way. These cars didn't handle that well. So it's all part of the realism.

In the vein of realism it should be noted this game should only be played by adults. Lots of violence and swearing. It also features several Playboy centerfolds as collectible items in-game. Hidden items are a staple of the sandbox style games. It promotes exploration of the huge, beautiful world the developers created. This game just happens to use boobies to make the items more enticing. :D

It wasn't readily apparent to me the first couple play-throughs, but the demo includes gangs on the street.

Driving a car I "borrowed" from a neighbor I was cruising in a downtown area and a fellow on the sidewalk commented on my driving style as I pulled up to a tailor's shop.

I took offense to his unwanted criticism and engaged him in fisticuffs. Upon thrashing the man I started taking gunfire from across the street. Apparently the man I had beaten up was a member of a gang in the area. The matching track suits and firearms cemented the idea in my head and I fled the area with about six of them chasing me.

The hand-to-hand fighting system is very nice in it's simplicity. Two punch buttons and a block/evade. But if you wear your opponent down you can finish them off with a punch combo or stylish, slow motion boot to the face.

There are a few issues with the demo that I hope get fixed up before the game's release on August 24th. There are some graphic load issues. One thing that seemed to pop in late all the time were the gas stations. As you would roll up it looked like it had silver windows and then a few seconds later you can see the interior of the shop.

Also, getting into cars can be a bit clunky. You yank a guy out of his car, most of the time so that you can get in and drive it, but the default move is to yank the guy out and stand there looking at him. The context cue on screen says "Y: Steal car"

But it doesn't. Maybe it should say "Y: Pull dude out Y: again and again to get in car"

Sometimes pushing Y near my own car wouldn't get me inside with the speed that I would hope. People are shooting at me, I don't want my character to dilly-dally around.

Aside from the stupid time limit (something more and more studios are doing with their demos) I am very happy with the Mafia 2 demo and am really looking forward to the release later this month.

I may buy it on release day, unless somewhere in town has it for rent.

Mt. Pleasant used to be a terrible town for video games on release day. They'd get movies the day they came out, but games could sometimes take a week or more.

It made me buy a lot of games it turned out I really didn't want. Yes I know, it didn't "make" me. But it didn't leave me with many options as far as playing the game I wanted to play.

Luckily the rental places seem to be coming around to notice that video game people are rabid about playing their games as soon as they come out. We ignore our actual duties to play these things. I may call in sick. :D

Verdict: Looking forward to release date. May buy without rental.

Very likely there will be a game review after the retail release.