By John Walker on September 9th, 2010 at 12:40 am.
We’re awaiting our copy of the Mafia II DLC, Jimmy’s Vendetta, which we’ve heard makes the city a little bit more lively. It’s a series of assassination missions, taking place in the streets of Empire Bay. Something that might have gone a long way to satisfying all those who got very cross that the world wasn’t open enough, had they included it in the original game. We’ll let you know how it is as soon as we receive our code. In the meantime, know that it’s out, and there’s a trailer below to show it off. You can read my review of Mafia II here.
It’s such a beautiful engine, and as I lamented, if someone would only write some decent missions for it there could be a great game. I didn’t argue, however, that the city should be more interactive. It’s a backdrop for telling a story, just like the first game. The only problem being, they forgot to tell a worthwhile story.
So the first DLC turning the game into an arcade open city is… interesting. It does go some way to suggesting they’d kind of intended it all along. But clearly this is utterly separate from the main game’s core plot and characters, and that makes perfect sense. Had Mafia II only had the great story, characters and missions it needed, then we wouldn’t need arcade distractions. It didn’t have that stuff, so maybe it’s good we’ve got this? We’ll let you know as soon as we can.
09/09/2010 at 00:53 ZIGS says:
I just hope it has lots of driving
09/09/2010 at 07:39 Baka says:
From the upper left to bottom right on the map, if possible.
09/09/2010 at 00:58 Twerty says:
Urk, they’re already pumping out DLC literally just a couple weeks after the game was just released? They could at least try to hide the fact that they released an unfinished games in pieces.
I feel like buying mainstream games these days is like buying a jigsaw puzzle for 50 dollars, but getting 60% of the pieces, and having to pay for the rest in 20-dollars-per-10% increments…
09/09/2010 at 01:09 Kali says:
I came here to comment along the same lines. Mafia II has been out, like, what? Two weeks? And there’s DLC for it already.
And people are actually BUYING this shit. Two weeks after purchasing a full price game.
Why are you people lapping this up? Jesus fucking Christ.
09/09/2010 at 01:48 JKjoker says:
just want to point out that there are SEVERAL DLC available, some which were released hours after the game, im just super happy the toilet cleaning and the crate lifting made the cut
09/09/2010 at 03:10 jaheira says:
“and having to pay for the rest in 20-dollars-per-10% increments…”
But you don’t have to. If you don’t want it well then …. don’t buy it. Personally I think it’s a good idea to pay in installments because when you don’t want to play the game any more then you stop buying more of it.
I like DLC.
09/09/2010 at 04:47 sfox says:
I agree, but really there’s nothing we can do because they’re going to do it whether we like it or not. The best you can do is just not buy games at release and wait until a goty edition comes along packaged with all the dlc.
09/09/2010 at 08:35 D says:
Never trust 24Kb Games.
09/09/2010 at 08:57 Heliocentric says:
@D i was going to break my ms point virginity to get the minerva bioshock 2 dlc, then i remembered 24k games.
09/09/2010 at 11:51 Clovis says:
@jaheira: That only makes sense if you didn’t pay full price for the original game. I’m not a big fan of selling a game in pieces to begin with, but you have to at least price the game like you are selling it in pieces.
There’s also the EP3 problem.
09/09/2010 at 12:50 StingingVelvet says:
DLC being available right after release is a bit crass, but it doesn’t mean anything was cut from the main game… things can be developed in parallel you know, and developers can move on during the polishing phase when they’re needed less.
The important thing is that the main game feel complete, then you make a value judgment on the DLC like you do anything else.
For me Mafia 2 felt complete and more missions sounded well worth $10, though now that I have it I am disappointed the missions are so bland and lack the production values of the original game (ironically a sign it was not developed as main game content).
09/09/2010 at 01:01 John says:
This should have been in the game at release. It’s basically the ‘free ride’ mode of Mafia 1, but with some (slightly) more developed missions to complete. It’s a lot of fun. Tone-wise very different from the main game but entertaining. It encourages you to explore the city some more and cause some mayhem.
If 2K had included this at release instead of trying to make more money from DLC that was ready to be released, I suspect review scores would have been higher and they would have sold more copies. Kind of ironic.
On the main game, I actually thought it really picked up in the second half. The first part of the game moves extremely slowly (I see what they were trying to do, but the slow bits went for too long), but the second part really picked up and contained some good old Mafia-style missions. I really enjoyed the game, though it certainly didn’t match Mafia 1. They should have included some more ‘fun’ missions, like the ones in this DLC. Perhaps less violent and unethical than Jimmy’s, but we needed some good fun missions where bonds are built between characters, instead of just some montage cutscenes. It would have gone a long way towards strengthening the story and making the game more fun.
09/09/2010 at 01:15 MWoody says:
Can anyone else confirm that the vehicle unlocks go bronze, silver… nothing? Because I’ve found a patch (from a disreputable source I won’t link) claiming – complete with screenshots – that it flips a bit and unlocks “gold” level car customization, including things like flames painted on cars. Is this true? Was it intended as a DLC release later?
I’ve heard the arguments (“our art team is just doing nothing those last few months”) for launch-window DLC, and I don’t buy it for a second (literally and figuratively). It’s gotten so I won’t purchase any game that promises DLC as a “feature” before release, and I’m not the only one. I hope publishers see that in their numbers, lest the industry continue these myopic and self-defeating nickel-and-dime practices.
09/09/2010 at 01:18 Freud says:
It’s obvious they changed the main character of this DLC in an effort to avoid accusations of it being a money grab (“hey, it’s not about Vito). But it still is one of course. Hell, they even had Steam achievements for it when the game launched. Will not buy of course. I have no reason to encourage publishers doing stuff like this.
If Mafia II didn’t end with me thinking “They spent six years on creating a game and this is all they came up with” perhaps I’d be more understanding. I have in general no problem with DLCs for Borderlands, Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2. There you got a solid enough product to start with.
09/09/2010 at 04:15 DrGonzo says:
I’m quite peeved about Mass Effect 2′s dlc. I don’t think dlc should involve the story personally. Now it feels like they took some of the story out and are charging me to see it.
09/09/2010 at 05:01 Manley Pointer says:
@DrGonzo: I think devs are screwed no matter what they do with DLC. If it’s some weird experiment, people like me will complain that it “doesn’t feel like the rest of the game,” that it doesn’t feature enough fully-voiced new material with the main cast, etc. If they release something that just adds more generic gameplay (5 more levels and a new dungeon in an RPG, for example), everyone will complain it’s just an empty time-wasting thing when you have to pay for it separately. And if devs release DLC that actually DOES continue the plot of the game and involve major characters, people like you will complain that it feels like stuff that should have been part of the game in the first place.
I’m not saying anyone’s being too critical; I think there’s no satisfying way to do DLC.
09/09/2010 at 12:47 StingingVelvet says:
@ DrGonzo
Like they make you pay for… everything? They’re a business, of course they want you to pay for more story. WTF?
The ME2 DLC, especially Overlord and Shadow Broker, is excellent.
09/09/2010 at 01:30 Nick says:
Games are starting to get like Johnny Long Torso.
09/09/2010 at 02:26 Zenicetus says:
A quick take on it, after doing the first few missions:
For some reason, I like the Jimmy character better than Vito, even though there’s basically zero character development. He seems to fit the role better.
The missions I’ve run into so far, involve timers… which I hate. Why does every mission need a clock running down? Those were my least-favorite missions in the original game.
The new car customization is nice, although I have to wonder why a hit man would want to drive around in something that noticeable. Cars are auto-repaired in your garage, which streamlines things a bit.
I dunno…. if I can get past hating the stupid timed mission design, it could be fun.
09/09/2010 at 12:00 Andy says:
I suspect the reason you liked the character more was that Jimmy is there simply to be a carnage machine. In the vanilla game you’re expected to sympathise with and/or care about Vito. That was my biggest problem with Mafia 2. Vito was a total prick!
In the first game you felt Tommy getting pulled into a world he was perhaps unprepared for and in the end things getting beyond his control. In this one, after the WWII training section, Vito’s first words are basically: ‘So how about we go and steal stuff and kill some folks and see if we can get some wise-guys to notice us’.
I instantly disliked his complete lack of reluctance to be a criminal (nay, a murderer) and couldn’t empathise with him in the way I (usually) did for Tommy
09/09/2010 at 02:52 [POo [POo says:
when i entered the first car, ‘Ink Spots – The Best Things In Life Are Free’ was the first tune, how i didn’t laugh.
09/09/2010 at 02:59 Crittias says:
The Jimmy’s Vendetta DLC unlocks the third upgrade for vehicles, which is a supercharger (the big vent sticking up out of the hood of most hot rods). And yes, it does allow some more customized paint jobs as well.
09/09/2010 at 04:12 DrGonzo says:
I really enjoyed Mafia 2
09/09/2010 at 06:23 bleeters says:
Well, shit. I was going to mock the fact that he looks at explosions like some kind of tedious loser, but then he went and redeemed himself in the last few seconds. You win this round, trailer.
09/09/2010 at 06:35 DigitalSignalX says:
I’ve put about 2 hours into it, and am pretty happy with it. I like the “you can wander around or you can go to your next mission” feel rather then having your next move be compelled. Clicking on a floaty icons in the world to save and start missions with a popup window rather then the cuts cenes and voice acting I’m used to from the main game on the other hand seems pretty cheap, reminiscent of early GTA titles.
How do you get the flame paint job? I can only get 3 so far, basically sticker-decal types that make em look like pro stock race cars.
09/09/2010 at 06:44 Bungle says:
You fools will be paying $300 per game before too long. I can’t believe how many people pay extra money right after buying a full-priced video game.
Gaming has gone downhill since the publishers got big. I’m losing interest in this hobby. Which means the hardware makers will be losing money from me as well as software makers.
09/09/2010 at 07:53 bleeters says:
Repent, the end is nigh, etc etc.
09/09/2010 at 09:06 Bungle says:
You can keep paying more and more for less and less if you want. I have one foot out the door. I never said the industry was dying – I just said It’s trying very hard to lose me as a customer.
09/09/2010 at 12:00 Clovis says:
There is a surprising trend for PC games to sell at $60 instead of $50, and for quick DLC’s to sell well. I get annoyed by people buying this stuff to. They’re just ruining it for us cheapskates.
OTOH, I’ve never had such a big collection of cheap games before. I’ve gotten more for my money in the last couple of years than the previous 20 or so years I’ve been buying games. Granted, I don’t play AAA games within a few months after release, but other than that I have a huge list of unplayed games.
Anyway, don’t give up on the hobby yet. Are you really having any trouble finding reasonably priced games?? I think the market makes sense right now. Cash in on the players who just can’t wait for the newest game, but then cater to the penny pinchers a few months later.
09/09/2010 at 12:45 StingingVelvet says:
How dare I spend money on things I enjoy and find to be worth the price. What an asshole I am.
09/09/2010 at 15:26 MWoody says:
And in doing so, damage the entire industry, providing monetary encouragement for bad practices.
Yes. Yes, you are an asshole for buying month-one DLC.
10/09/2010 at 00:24 StingingVelvet says:
I don’t consider worthwhile content for a good price to be “bad practices.” Mafia 2 is a complete game and longer than many games I paid full price for… the DLC is also long and very fun and different.
Cry more.
09/09/2010 at 07:12 Alez says:
so this is the free ride, which would have been nice…had it been in the game and not cost so much money, or no money at all.
Anyway, the person that thought all these shitty and boring missions needed a timer needs to be fired….out of a cannon into the sun.
09/09/2010 at 08:07 Zenicetus says:
I’ll help light the fuse on that cannon. I don’t understand why they needed to add a timer for the “missions.” It adds nothing except aggravation, if you have to drive somewhere with the clock ticking, and you don’t get lucky sliding a left turn through a red light intersection and hit something. If your mission design isn’t exciting enough, then you don’t get to add excitement by slapping on a count-down timer. It’s a cheap substitute for good game design.
Oh well… the problem is that I’m a sucker for this time period and setting (sigh). I’ll probably finish the damned thing anyway.
09/09/2010 at 08:08 Gremmi says:
As far as I can tell the timer is solely for scoring purposes, you don’t fail the mission if it runs out, you just don’t get a very good score. Though as I’ve yet to run out of time on any of them I couldn’t say that for definite, but that’s the impression I got from the tutorial.
09/09/2010 at 12:44 StingingVelvet says:
No, you lose the mission if the timer runs out… it ran out on me due to simulation steering in a hard driving mission.
09/09/2010 at 08:49 Rinox says:
First, I liked Mafia 2.
Second, I hate the fact that they’re releasing a free ride mode in a piece of DLC like this. What a total pile of BS.
Third, a bald Mafia hitman with sunglasses named Jimmy who is very good at blowing things up? Really 2K? Don’t hold back on the clichés or anything.
09/09/2010 at 09:00 dingo says:
I read yesterday that they want to fill “story holes” they put DELIBERATELY in with a future DLC (sorry the link is German):
http://www.gamersglobal.de/news/27056
If that is true I hope RPS will cover this!
Anyways I finished all achievements on Steam besides the 159 Wanted posters + Jimmy DLC so I’m done with the game.
09/09/2010 at 09:33 Frankie The Patrician[PF] says:
So…the next one comes within two weeks right? And it will let you play either as Vito or Joe in the “missing” parts if I understand correctly.
Obvious milking is obvious >.>
*really waiting for the 2 EURs a piece sale*
09/09/2010 at 09:02 Alexander Norris says:
I’ve yet to play an open-world game where that isn’t the case. The most annoying part of GTA games is the useless driving bits which exist only to annoy the player and get your car’s paint scratched while padding the game. The game is functionally a long string of story missions anyway; there’s nothing wrong with it being a linear third-person-shooter with driving bits in the missions (well, other than the fact that it’s not too good a 3PS or a driving game), and it’s not like the world reacts to your presence in any meaningful way (or any way whatsoever), which means there’s absolutely no reason for that city to exist outside the missions.
09/09/2010 at 09:28 Frankie The Patrician[PF] says:
I’ll wait for a price drop…like 2 euros per DLC like it was with Borderlands…in the mean time I bought Minecraft instead and having a hell of a time! ^^
09/09/2010 at 12:07 Clovis says:
Yeah, but haven’t you seen all the DLC that Notch is planning?? He’s not even close to alpha and he has like 3 or 4 expansions planned. He’s gonna’ milk us all like cross-eyed TOO LOUD cows.
::checks minecraft website:: Oh, I guess he’s skipping the part where you charge for the DLC.
09/09/2010 at 12:34 Frankie The Patrician[PF] says:
You almost got me on that one…JUST ALMOST, tho :)
I’d pay Notch 2 euro’s for a DLC called “Worlds does not disappear when BSoD happen”. Learnt my lesson, I backup my world after each game….
09/09/2010 at 10:14 mcwizardry says:
No, you definitely fail the mission if the timer runs out. It only happened to me once though.
09/09/2010 at 10:55 Xercies says:
I really liked Mafia 2 and it really is great i think, the world is absolutly stunning, and the missions are pretty great. i don’t get your problem with doing Menial Tasks to be honest. there basically very small missions and they don’t take to much time actually. The shooting is pretty damn good and i have no problems with the story so far. Though i don’t know about selling DLC to complete the story, a bit dubious on that.
09/09/2010 at 12:42 StingingVelvet says:
There is no DLC that “completes the story.” The main campaign story ends with the last mission, there is no more and it is an ending. This DLC doesn’t even really have a story.
09/09/2010 at 11:03 Chiron says:
Fortunately for the PC crowd modders have put a Free Ride mode into Mafia 2 already, I spent last night blowing up half of the Empire Bay PD
And it didnt cost me an extra £6 to do so
09/09/2010 at 12:27 tigershuffle says:
:) ……..muhahahaha
DLC pffft………shall wait for the uber Gold version to be sold on the cheap
Tight northerner and proud of it
09/09/2010 at 12:52 StingingVelvet says:
Why mod in a free ride mode when you can just load any chapter in the game and free ride instead of going to the mission location? I really never understood the complaint.
09/09/2010 at 13:01 Gremmi says:
With the ingame free roaming, you only save if you reach a mission checkpoint (or start or end a mission), so if you go off, rob a load of banks, buy a load of clothes, customise some cars, it only gets saved if you continue the mission. If you die, you lose the lot. As far as I’m aware, the modded free ride mode lets you save when you like in your apartment.
09/09/2010 at 13:22 Chiron says:
Why? Because expecting the sequel to a game to have the basic features of its predecesor is only sensible.
Yes I could go off on a tangent from the main storyline but I shouldnt have to, I want to ride around without any goals to accomplish, I want to go on mad rampages and I cant exactly do that if I’ve got to meet Joey at the Casino or whatever.
FWIW I really enjoyed the story missions and the game but at points it did noticeably lack the oomph of Mafia 1 in its story (I wanted to hang out of a window and tommy gun people at least once, instead I felt like the mobs cab man… “Hey Vitto, this is Marty he’ll be our getaway driver… you drive us”)
09/09/2010 at 12:41 StingingVelvet says:
For content that was supposedly cut from the main game at the last minute in an effort to screw consumers it certainly feels and plays like afterthought content made by a b-team. I’ve got it at 35% done on it and it’s about 1/10th as good as the main game due to having no story and the missions being simplistic and repetitive.
People that wanted Mafia 2 to be “GTA in the 50′s” should be thrilled though, it had the repetitious side-mission feel down pat.
09/09/2010 at 13:21 terry says:
Wake me when there’s a GOTY edition. This drip-feed of episodic DLC is frustrating.
09/09/2010 at 14:02 V. Tchitcherine. says:
“Had Mafia II only had the great story, characters and missions it needed, then we wouldn’t need arcade distractions. It didn’t have that stuff, so maybe it’s good we’ve got this?”
It did have those things you insensitive clods!
09/09/2010 at 14:22 Dhatz says:
I DLed it as soon as it was confirmed on piratebay. must say the game becomes populated by like 6 same cars and likes to stay that way, but that looks even worse than the GTA syndrome of vehicle repetition. gonna finish it on medium today and go for the good score with hard playthrough. I feel sad I can’t sell cars to derek. those car theft missions are badly scattered everywhere(however, basically any mission serves as a savepoint)
10/09/2010 at 11:15 DH says:
cool pirate story bro
09/09/2010 at 20:17 Dozer says:
It’s Bruce Willis! Why would anyone complain about paying to be Bruce Willis (except those who experienced the Nakatomi Plaza game ten years ago)?
10/09/2010 at 11:14 DH says:
I still wake up with nightterrors from time to time, screaming “BUT IT WAS SUCH AN EPIC MOVIE, NOOOOOOOOOOO!”.
12/09/2010 at 18:23 NIk says:
Indeed this is shit DLC, plus its arcade and it dont worth a buck, its only a shoot & run – fucking GTA style, same shit different package. Im very disappointed, this DLC just ashamed the whole mafia game…it doest have even 1 similarity to mafia 1..
Not worth for the money.
16/09/2010 at 19:40 Hyperion says:
that’s the reason i only bought one game in my lifetime…… AC1… just dload the game and the dlc…. i got it all for nothing…. no viruses THANKS to Skidrow… gotta love legit Crackers!!!!
21/10/2010 at 08:28 ss says:
where i can find cd-key mafia 2 jimmy’s vendetta? thanks