Mafia II

Engine Room: We speak to 2K Games about their latest mobster-filled title.

Since the original Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven game was released in 2002, and later re-released for consoles in 2004, 2K Games has enjoyed great success. The popularity of the first game was undeniable, with the rich 1930's era world proving attractive enough to re-enter the lovable American-Italian world with development of a sequel announced in late 2007. We've had a chance to chat with 2K Czech, the developer of the game, about just that, so pick up your violin case and read on.

Atomic: Mafia II is already looking like a big game. What specific areas did you want to nail, and improve upon, compared to the original?

2K: There are many areas of the game that we wanted to overhaul and improve. The key element to Mafia II is the cinematic mobster experience with really believable characters and a compelling narrative. It was already amazing in the first game but even still we set ourselves a very high goal of improving upon that.

Another area that really sticks out for us is the gun combat in the game. This element has received a huge overhaul as far as the original Mafia is concerned, and actually any other open world game. We looked more towards third person action games for the mechanics that are used in Mafia II; we make use of a cover system, we don't have a targeting system where you can just bounce from one enemy to the next, and the environments that the fights take place in are really spectacular ­- not only in the way they look, but in the way they come apart. The amount of destructible objects in these locations really is outstanding for a game world with the scope of Mafia II.

A: Your in-house engine offers a lot of physics processing and effects, but how will that scale across the three platforms you're releasing on? And what is YOUR favourite platform to play the game on?

2K: The Mafia II development, from day 1, has been platform agnostic in controls, accessibility and in the actual content that gamers will experience. At 2K Czech we've spent a hell of a lot of time on our technology, really pushing the boundaries of what each platform can achieve. We think that no matter what platform you choose, when you compare it to other titles on that same platform you are going to be blown away by the technical and artistic achievement.

A: And, most importantly for PC users, will there be more detail and effects that owners of high-end hardware can enable?

2K: Yes, there will be for sure. The PC allows us to do extra special little things that the consoles might not be able to do, but ultimately the gaming experience is the same on each platform, although there may be a higher number of bells and whistles on the PC.

A: How open is the story going to be in Mafia II? Is it a linear progression, or are there different end points the player can reach? What kind of choices will players be presented with?

2K: The story in Mafia II is a completely linear experience. We wanted to create a really strong and compelling narrative with the game, which is very important to our core experience; a storyline that really drags the player through the game with great intensity. We played with different ideas and concepts but ultimately to achieve this goal that we set for ourselves, we felt that we had to make some tough choices and create a linear progression story. I think the final quality speaks for itself - we made the right decision.

A: The action and gunfights seem pretty spectacular in the game - do you ever worry about balancing that kind of action with telling an interesting story?

2K: Absolutely! We have this whole mantra that in each small five minute period the player should behave like a Mafia guy in the 1940/50's. We didn't want you going off on some massive kill crazy rampage with a bazooka, as that doesn't fit our fiction. What we do however is make sure that any gun fight you do get involved in is an intense and visceral experience: glass smashing around you, bullets ricocheting off walls, enemies dodging in and out of cover et cetera. It looks and feels hugely spectacular but still it's quite a realistic level of action.