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The original Mafia was developed and released in 2002 by Czech developers Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers. It was originally released for the PC and established a cult following before being ported over to the PlayStation 2 in 2003 and finally the Xbox in 2004, although both console variants lost some of the features that the PC version had due to the lack of processing power on offer and the game wasn't nearly as successful; the ports weren't handled by Illusion Softworks and the critical response left a somewhat bitter taste in players mouths prompting the developers to delay a possible sequel to the game. Nearly eight years later, Illusion Softworks have been rebranded as 2K Czech and they are at last gearing up to release a follow up to their original game, this time designed with the console market in mind.
If you're unfamiliar with the franchise then just think about the Grand Theft Auto series of games for a fair approximation, like GTA the Mafia games are set in a sandbox world with a living city and lots of areas to explore and secrets to find, like GTA this addition to the series isn't related to the original game by characters but by tone, other links and Easter eggs are said to be in the game but it's not been disclosed as to what degree these will take. Mafia II takes the game from the originals 1930's era and brings forward its timeline to 1945 and finds itself set in the fictional city of Empire Bay which models itself on the 40's/50's era of San Francisco and New York City, it offers approximately ten square miles of game space to play with from the outset with no need to unlock areas. Of course you're not expected to wander around this world yourself and the city will be organic, reacting to your presence as you make your way around and NPC characters will also reflect the period, freely smoking as they didn't know any better and women will be acting in the best interest of their men. You can also bear witness to them doing every day activities such as sitting on benches, queuing to buy a burger or hotdog from street vendors, you can even stick your face up against a window and watch them buy clothes if you so desire.
But enough of the exciting stuff, what about the game? Well, the player takes on the role of World War II Veteran Vito Scaletta, an American born to first generation Sicilian Immigrants, who is home on leave. Vito enlisted in the army as a way to avoid going to jail after a robbery went wrong but soon after he arrives back on homeland shores and meets his old friend Eddie Scarpa, together they embrace a new life, a life of crime. As Vito travels the criminal ladder he will be asked to join one of three crime families, Falconi, Vinci and Clemente. Which family you choose affects the game, and the ending, as do many other choices you'll be forced to make throughout the game which should lead to some pretty interesting replays once a first run through has been completed.
With the game being set in the past don't expect to see any sporty race cars stopped at the traffic lights, care has been taken to replicate the feel of the period and the kind of cars you could expect to see in the two cities for the time, its been reported that there will be 50 different types of vehicles on the roads so plenty of choice is available. The attention to the vehicles in the first game were often cited for their semi-realism and this game looks to be following in its wake with the ability to puncture fuel tanks, overheat engines, and even break the transmission. Damage can also be taken to the car which is reflected on the windows, tyres and almost every other part of the car you could think of; you can even take the car to the garage for a wash should it become too dirty. The player won't be expected to make their own way to places either, there will be a Cab service in the city alongside other public transport options such as trains, trams and even buses so you need not worry about walking the full length of the city.
Obviously you aren't going to be joining the mafia if you're going to be running round with a feather duster, you're going to need some kind of weaponry and this looks to be well provided for. As the game isn't a massive leap forward in technology terms you can expect to find some of the classic weapons still in the game, the Thompson M1928 (a Submachine gun more commonly known as the "Tommy Gun") and the Colt 1911 (Semi-Automatic Handgun) will be included alongside the almost obligatory pump action shotgun. WW2 weaponry will also naturally be available, the MP40 (Machine Pistol), MG42 (Machine Gun) and M3 Grease Gun (Sub Machine-Gun) have all been confirmed as well. You'll also have access to melee weapons as well, many of these have been animated in various ways so for example if you're taking part in a bar fight with a bottle you're likely to use it to bash someone over the head while it's still whole, but smash it and you'll use it in a stabbing motion to take account for the sharp edges; clever stuff indeed. The combat has also been overhauled for the sequel; instead of simply crouching behind objects as in the first game, Mafia 2 will employ a cover system similar to that seen in Gears of War and the Uncharted games with the ability to switch shoulder sides and pop out your weapon for a bit of blind fire.
There's a lot of excitement for this game, especially amongst the people who've been waiting a long time for the sequel, Mafia II was originally announced back in 2007 and the Mafia community (uhm, the game one) has been buzzing ever since looking out for new information on their game, if the game lives up to its promises then the franchise is sure to gain a whole load of new followers this time round.
