GC '07: Mafia II Impressions

We just saw the trailer for the newly announced Mafia II, and even though it was about 30 seconds long and in German, we can extrapolate a ton about this upcoming game from Take-Two Interactive. First, it will revolve around the Mafia. Also, there will be guns. And finally, they will be fired by the Mafia. Now that we've inundated you with facts, we'll get to the actual details of the trailer and what they may mean for the final game.

The trailer begins in a restaurant where four dangerous-looking fellows are having a meal. One of the men, who is older and more sinister-looking than the rest, smokes a cigarette and tells a joke before segueing to the business at hand, which you can tell is dirty work from the way he glares meaningfully across the table, firing silent portent at the two men sitting across from him.

One of these is a fat guy in a Hawaiian shirt, obviously the comic relief. Next to him is a young, good-looking fellow who soaks with pride and determination in the unspoken meaning of his first assignment. From there, the trailer cuts to all manner of fast-paced Mafia madness, including a warehouse shootout, an execution in the back of a truck, and the fat guy firing away with an AK. It's all extremely cinematic and bursting with promise. And then, just like a hit man, the trailer quickly shifts from terrifying violence to levity, as you, your fat, funny partner, and a third man ride along in a car, when one of you realizes you forgot something in the trunk.

From there, the scene switches to a view from within the trunk as the door opens, and the three men cough and gag at what, or who, had been "forgotten." Despite our jokes at the beginning of this piece, there is one more certain detail that can be clearly gleaned from this professionally scripted trailer: that Mafia II will be an extremely cinematic experience. Bada-bing.