Mafia II
 

Has anybody played the demo yet? I haven't got a gold account for XBL so the good folks at MS will not let me try the demo for a week....

It's one of my most anticipated games of the year. If you haven't already, please do check out the first game (For the love of God get the PC version though!). It's a real gem.

I've played the demo, even I'm not a huge fan of the prequel - and even though the only piece of information on Mafia 2 I had beforehand was a ridiculous "technology demo".

I must say I quite enjoyed the demo though; you have one mission and ten minutes to drive around in the city, which is fun. The game looks good, runs fine on a "dated" PC, and the gameplay is a solid GoW-hug-the-wall ripoff.

I'm looking forward to it too.

I tried the demo yesterday and thought it was alright. Can't really say much about it from the demo, though. I found the performance quite choppy. But because it was a demo I'm not that surprised. Hopefully the performance will be smoother in the full game.
And I have mixed feelings about the targeting system. Holding down on the trigger button near an enemy will make your character lock onto their heads automatically. Apart from that, you can only seem to shoot in 'free aim' mode. I couldn't lock onto a target, switch between targets, and aim for certain body parts with a slight move of the right analog stick, like in GTA IV.

Got the first game on PC. Had terrible loading times and always crashed at the whiskey delivery level. So I got it for PS2 instead. Missed the fine-aiming with the mouse (especially in the church level) but otherwise I preferred the smooth console performance.

I'll try out the demo, though it looks like a game I won't be able to run. That comment about "dated" pc's is hopeful, though.

"Dated" in my case is a e6600 2,4GHz Core2Duo + 3GB RAM + nVidia 9800GX2, if it's any help. It ran with 1680x1050 and maxed out details (I think).

The game seems like it was made for PC and ported over to the consoles, which doesn't happen much anymore. The 360 and PS3 versions are choppy and a bit clunky in comparison so if you have a PC that can run it smoothly that definitely seems to be the best way to play it.

As for the game itself, it seems like a lot of fun. I really liked the driving after I got used to the handling of the cars and the cover system is simple and works pretty well, although it's weird that there's no way to blind fire when you're hiding behind something. The game also has a lot of nice little touches that I haven't really seen in an open world game like this before. At one point, I robbed the clothing store in the demo and ran across the street to hide. I saw a police car pull up a little bit later and two cops got out and walked into the store. I followed them in and I could actually hear them asking the girl behind the counter what happened. She said they were robbed, noticed me and said I was the one that did it, and the two cops proceeded to chase me out of the store. Needless to say, it was a very cool moment.

Ha, that is pretty cool. :D

Tried the demo. Videos run smooth. Actual gameplay was a slo-mo lag, though. Changed to low settings; didnt improve much but became tolerable. Driving is fun; didn't notice a speed gauge (perhaps I overlooked it). Indeed amazing open world, very detailed. Drove around some, then went to the meeting place. The shooting went terrible. Back to slo-mo, but exciting; was so caught up in the moment I forgot to check the controls to find out how to hide and crouch and everything. I always need time to adjust to a combination of keyboard/mouse controls. Loved the music, the entire atmosphere actually. Definitely a game I wouldn't mind spending time to master; though my lacking current system will ruin the experience and try my patience too hard. Definitely a game to return to in five years or so.

Same old mafia,dumb cops,npcs,mechanics wheres the challange anyway?

Further reduced screen size, and the demo runs smoother. Haven't yet tried the shoot-out scenes again, though.

I have "upset" some cops, though. And perhaps it's because I haven't yet mastered the controls (I always have trouble with the keyboard-mouse combination), but my survival rate is far lower than with the first game. I'm getting killed all over the place. I remember cops were basically nothing more than a funny nuisance (well, except for that rooftop level), but here they're really kicking my ***.

I dont really play demos myself, and I am very much looking forward to playing Mafia 2, so it's going to be a complete suprise to me when i play it, in regards as to how its changed from the original.

The first game is one of my all time favourites, and Mafia 2 demo felt pretty much the same, but in HD. And that's awesome! I was afraid they would simplify it too much for consoles, but it feels like a proper PC game. Loved it.

Shootout scene played fluently. At least to my standards. Very small screen, though. It's playable, but then again this is only the demo. The full game might demand more ... I don't know, it looks like a lot of fun but I don't want to buy a game and then find out I can hardly play it.

Having read a recent review http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/08/24/mafia-2-review/ i am not put off by the fact that game is only going to be 10-12 hours long, bring on friday!

That review sums the game up perfectly. It's good, verging on great, but it just doesn't quite reach the heights it should. The world the game creates is fantastic but there's so little to do in it, you just walk or drive from cutscene to cutscene and then get into another long shootout or a series of fist fights. The story is good, although incredibly derivative, and the game does a great job of creating an epic scope by constantly putting you in new locations, changing the seasons and just giving a sense of progression. By the end of the game, you've gone through about 10 years in the life of a mobster, and it feels like it.

But something about the game still feels a bit empty. In a year where we saw a game like Red Dead Redemption deliver an epic narrative and a massive sandbox open world filled to the brim with stuff to do in it, Mafia 2's incredibly linear single player and beautiful but dull city doesn't deliver as it should. It's definitely worth playing though, and hopefully it'll sell well and they'll give us a third game that truly delivers on the promise this series has.

I played the demo (on PS3). The gameplay mechanics feel awkward and inefficient. Not for me, sorry.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...afia-ii-review

Ouch

I agree with some of the points they raise in that review but it seems overly harsh. If you're looking for an entertaining, linear and narrative-driven action game using a tried and true 50's mafioso blueprint, you should have a fun time. It seems like a solid 7 or 8 out of 10 to me.

The game is getting some very brutal and harsh reviews, its really strange. Normally critics are very forgivable about major blockbuster releases, but Mafia 2 is getting teared apart by its flaws. The Eurogamer review is clearly made by someone that has an obvious hate on the game or developers, there are a lot of negative emotions there (and a reviewer is supposed to be emotionally disconnected to the material), its really weird...

Anyway, the game is being extremely well recieved by Mafia fans, so if you are in that group you will not be disapointed (although it seems it is inferior to the first one).

I Pre-orderd Mafia 2 months and months ago, got it from GAME, and it arrived today, cant play it because STEAM wont let anyone do so until the official release date of 27.8.10 , si i am guessing that is midnight.....complete Joke & makes pre-ordering the game a nonsense :pan: