Interview with Dan Vavra in english in Gamesradar

[oritxupolite]

http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/f/mafia-ii-the-interview/a-200804144231605004/p-3

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/M/Mafia%202/Everything%20Else/Art/RAW/Vavra--article_image.jpg

A bit Ridunkulous Dan in this picture :D .

[Maddieboy]

WooW nice information!!!


"GR: You've mentioned that we'll see references to the first game in Mafia II - does that mean we can expect appearances from any familiar characters?

DV: Mafia II has a totally new storyline with all new characters. As you will recall most of the characters from the first Mafia game came to a sticky end. However rumor has it that a character from Mafia I may be spotted by the keen observer, but you’l just have to wait and see.
"

Cool! ;)

[oritxupolite]

Yes ;) . I always thought that the history of Mafia 2 will be connected with the end of Mafia 1

[Mikey]

Nice, thanks for posting it, some informations are quite new.

[Mikey]

WooW nice information!!!


"GR: You've mentioned that we'll see references to the first game in Mafia II - does that mean we can expect appearances from any familiar characters?

DV: Mafia II has a totally new storyline with all new characters. As you will recall most of the characters from the first Mafia game came to a sticky end. However rumor has it that a character from Mafia I may be spotted by the keen observer, but you’l just have to wait and see.
"

Cool! ;)

Yeah, maybe we'll see Tommy Angelo's tomb or something like that...

[oritxupolite]

Yes, are the same answers of the others interviews and previews, but some thing are new ;)

[ArchangelX]

Nice to read that there will be some countryside surrounding the city, I wonder if it will encapsulate the entire city so we can in a way drive around it from the outside in the countryside or if we get a more bigger rural areas in some corners of the total map.

Anyway a great read !

[Dark-Wolf]

Yeah that's a great news!

It's April 2008 and we need to wait 1 year! But we explode because we are losing patient.

The funny thing is "Also, Empire City is roughly double the size of Lost Heaven, covering approximately 10 square miles". Why is that funny? Because some missions in Mafia 1 spend about 10 to 15 minutes driving. Now 20 minutes to 30 minutes? hahaha, it's nice to get more freedom. I like big maps. The map is big when i can't remember the ways. In Mafia 1 i know every road even country side. So, let's see if they beat me this time :).

I thank Oritxupolite for this report!

Regards, Dark-Wolf.

[DoHo]

Pretty good. It really sounds like the guy knows what he wants with a game, knows how to achieve it, and *is* achieving it! the authenticity of the era sounds really cool too. :D I can't wait!

[oritxupolite]

A funny interview with Dan on his workplace and inspiration, a year ago.

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=PzAxPkxsg6k

[Vitrix]

Wow great interview i really can't wait for this game.
I think it will be a great game and probably even beter then mafia 1

[Fraz]

Good read ... thanks for sharing ... :)

[Treadstone 71]

Nice info.
Thanks.

[DoHo]

Wow great interview i really can't wait for this game.
I think it will be a great game and probably even better then mafia 1It'll be great to see a sequel better than the original.

[Pantsless]

I doubt it can be better... but I'm extremely happy if it's gonna be just as good :)

[sedlbob]

I can not say it will be better than the first game but I'm sure, it will be different. And good as well.
And i think you can't compare it with a 6 or 7 years older story and processing. The only think you can see there is a great progress that has been done. I'm wondering how a grafic coat will look like 7 more years later.

I think it will be one of the best stories that has ever been written for some game, maybe not just for a game.

The first thing I thought when I saw first screenshots of Mafia II was why the hell they want to tell story from 40th-50th, why they haven't stayed in 30th. But every day I'm looking at those screenshots I'm finding out it will be better to play in different period.

And now I'm addicted to them.:eek:

[ThaCrip]

"GR: In your opinion, what is Mafia II's biggest selling point over something like GTA IV? What will Vito Scaletta do to pull car-crime fans' attention away from Niko Bellic?

DV: In our opinion, the biggest selling point of Mafia II over an experience like GTA IV is that we are focusing on delivering an almost movie-like experience, inspired by all the great gangster movies that have graced the big screen. Both fans and press alike touted the first Mafia game as one of the only games that truly delivered on the experience of being a part of a classic gangster film. Mafia II is going to be no different, only… we are turning that experience up tenfold."

my reply... that's what i wanted to hear! ;) ... this guy knows exactly what we want... cause i totally agree thats part of what makes MAFIA so great is it has that 'gangster movie feel' (i.e. Godfather etc etc) to it ;)

"GR: The first Mafia was fairly linear as sandbox games go, in that it followed a simple, mission-to-mission progression that didn't offer many incentives to explore Lost Heaven freely. Will the sequel be similarly linear, or are you planning a lot of diversions from the central plot?

DV: From a game-design standpoint, there is a balance that needs to be struck between linear story progression and open freedom. From the very beginning of this project, we decided as a team that our strength lies in our ability to tell an intense, gripping story with deep believable characters. Hence Mafia II leans more toward the linear side of the freedom-vs-linear spectrum."

im glad to hear that to... leave the 'screwing around and beating people up' to games like GTA4.

"GR: Have you played EA's Godfather adaptation? Seeing as it's the only other high-profile, free-roaming crime game set in the '40s, are you concerned that people will compare it with Mafia II?

DV: Yes, we’ve played EA’s Godfather adaption. We’ve also played a lot of the other crime oriented games like The Getaway, GTA, and a host of others. What can we say, we’re all gamers.

As for Mafia II being compared to EA’s Godfather, we’re not concerned a bit at all. Although Godfather was a great game in its own right. Mafia II is going to be even better."

exactly! , i only breifly played godfather but it looked like it was a cheap copy of MAFIA (in other words not even close to MAFIA) with crappier gameplay and tried to milk people with it's 'name' more than the actual gameplay... Godfather is FAR better as a movie than it was as a game.

and where he said above about "As for Mafia II being compared to EA’s Godfather, we’re not concerned a bit at all. Although Godfather was a great game in its own right. Mafia II is going to be even better." ill bet he wanted to say "the godfather game is crap our game will be alot better" lol

"GR: One of the things that Mafia was notable for was "unlocking" cars one at a time, as the main character was taught to break into and hotwire them. Will we see more of that this time around?

DV: The gameplay mechanic of the player being taught to break into different cars in order to unlock that specific car model has been removed and replaced with a mechanic we feel is much more streamlined [and] doesn’t interrupt gameplay flow, while still adding to the actual gameplay.[The player] can now steal any car he/she sees, and he can do it in a few ways.

He can steal a car through physical violence, lockpicking, or carjacking. Each option, though, has a consequence, and it will be up to the player to decide carefully on which technique to use, given the present set of circumstances.

We can also tell you, carjacking in Mafia II isn’t going to be as simple as kicking somebody out of their car and driving away, like in most other games."

i cant wait to see how that works! :)

bottom line is i cant wait for this game cause after reading that interview it jacked up my already high hopes for the game and usually when my hopes are this high im disappointed but in this games case i dont think that can happen ;)

[Styvesant]

Thanks for linking this, the game, the way it was made, and everything else sounds Amazing!

[ThaCrip]

Thanks for linking this, the game, the way it was made, and everything else sounds Amazing!

exactly!, it's basically like the first game the way it is (cinematic etc etc) but with MUCH better graphics (which makes me real happy on those alone) and extra details like sticking people/weapons in your car trunk and it seems like choice we make even effect the ending ;)

[Styvesant]

exactly!, it's basically like the first game the way it is (cinematic etc etc) but with MUCH better graphics (which makes me real happy on those alone) and extra details like sticking people/weapons in your car trunk and it seems like choice we make even effect the ending ;)

You can see what happens when masters are at work, cinematic sequences are such an added bonus if used correctly, and I feel that this game will be sitting on the top of the "Game of the Year" award.

[ThaCrip]

You can see what happens when masters are at work, cinematic sequences are such an added bonus if used correctly, and I feel that this game will be sitting on the top of the "Game of the Year" award.

i 'hope' so but if it comes out same year as GTA4 it's screwed as usual since that will take all the praise as thats pretty much what happened in the past... alot of people overlooked mafia and gave GTA3 etc etc all the praise.

plus i think in general (for some reason) GTA series seems to appeal to a more mainstream audience than MAFIA does even though me personally i think MAFIA is straight up better.

[Styvesant]

Too true, when you look at it Mafia is like straight up serious, and you have to like the whole Mafia side of things, to like it. GTA4 is going to have it's praise and whatnot, but Mafia 2 will not get unnoticed, that is for sure, it will be a real contender.

[ThaCrip]

Too true, when you look at it Mafia is like straight up serious, and you have to like the whole Mafia side of things, to like it. GTA4 is going to have it's praise and whatnot, but Mafia 2 will not get unnoticed, that is for sure, it will be a real contender.

yeah MAFIA is a game to play for 'missions' where as GTA series seems to appeal to those people who just like goofing off instead of playing missions. (which there's alot of people like that out there :( )

plus i think alot of people dont have the patience to deal with MAFIA cause it had 'slow cars' and at times it can take a while to drive to certain areas.... but i liked the feel of the cars in MAFIA as it makes it that much different from GTA etc.

i guess in general (mafia 2 and gta4 aside) MAFIA just feels more sophisticated than GTA series in general does.

sure MAFIA 2 will get praise in reviews and stuff ill bet but it just seems like it slipped under the radar as far as mass consumption by the public with MAFIA 1 etc etc from what i can tell.

i only found out about it from a friend online in the first place otherwise i never would have heard about it and im damn glad to cause it was one of the best video game exp i ever had ;)

you said, "when you look at it Mafia is like straight up serious, and you have to like the whole Mafia side of things, to like it."

i totally agree here as i feel thats part of WHY i like MAFIA so much is the characters feel like your sorta watching a mob movie like godfather/goodfellas etc etc ;)

cause in general i like mob movies alot as it's one of my favorite genres ;)

[Styvesant]

Yeah, GTAIV is for people that want to be able to steal cars and all that crap, and just cause chaos, whilst Mafia is a bit more sophisticated.

True that Mafia is like playing in a movie, so freaken well done.

[Fraz]

Yeah, GTAIV is for people that want to be able to steal cars and all that crap, and just cause chaos, whilst Mafia is a bit more sophisticated.

True that Mafia is like playing in a movie, so freaken well done.

U can compare Mafia and GTA sanAndreas in a way that if u compare the
hidden hot cofee mod in GTA with the love making scene in Mafia ... so
one can surely see Mafia had all the delicacies instead of just going wild
although it was interactive in GTA and it was a very -ive aspect oif the game.