Mafia II Makes Me Proud To Be a PC Gamer

The Mafia II demo was released today, and I’ve finally been able to play it outside the confines of a 2k demo booth. I had previously played this exact demo at E3 and Comic Con, but now I finally had the chance to load it up on my personal gaming rig. It was time to see just how much effort 2k had put into making Mafia II, “that much better” for PC gamers.

[KingNintendoFanboy]

I don't think my laptop can handle that on max. Oh well.

[CrzyFooL]

This game tests even the most hardcore gaming rigs. So no, your laptop cannot handle it. At least not the way it was meant to be handled.

[ProjectVulcan]

Depends what graphics it has- its really not that demanding as long as you dont turn on APEX/physx. If you maximise everything else, it'll run fine on a decent core 2 duo and a 9600GT/GT240 (these are £55/$70 cards) @ 1280 x 1024 40FPS+. Not at all a hardcore gaming machine. More power only gets you more resolution and 60 frames, possibly the ability to turn on physx with better nvidia cards. After seeing both the console versions @ 1280 x 720 screen tearing and suffering rather noticeable slowdown then a machine outlined above easily outperforms them on this title!

Physx is a nice feature and such but its not something you are going to miss terribly if you have an Ati card or a lesser machine.

[aselah]

my computer sucks compares to yours. :(

[nycredude]

crzyfool

This game will NOT test the most hc rigs. I play on 1080p max settings with aa on with no problem on my laptop.

You want to test your rig Metro 2033 with directx 11 or Crysis will test it.

Umm why the disagree?

[OpenGL]

My $800 laptop manages to max this game at 1366x768 with a better frame rate than is seen on the console versions, and with vert sync enabled.

[WetN00dle69]

Been playing this on Optimal and loving it!
I have also been playing the PS3 and 360 version.
Still deciding which version to buy!

[meetajhu]

Lol. And they have released an update for PC demo. That shows how awesome PC gaming and Steam.

[WetN00dle69]

Yeah the update might be a counter measure for the recently released unlimited time patch that has been seen in "CERTAIN" sites. Its always good to research before making half-assed comments.

[Charmers]

No the update was not a counter measure for the unlimited time patch (the unlimited time patch still works). It appears the update was a newer version of the physx's software.

Perhaps you should take your own "it's always good to research before making half-assed comments." advice.

[Drjft]

Glad that PC gaming really has the edge here. Makes our thousand dollar rigs worth having. Can't wait to play this on the 26th! :)

[Substance101]

Dont need a thousand dollar rig to play this game maxed out. 550usd rig will do just that. Saw the console version in comparison(saw PS3) PC version looks like a different game.

My laptop which has a GTX260 (slightly slower then a 8800gtx desktop gpu) plays the game at 40fps 1080p no AA everything else maxed out asides physics.

[CrzyFooL]

I'm a PC and I approve of this article.

[KingNintendoFanboy]

At least you aren't a Mac. I think I'd throw up.

[bfenty]

have you got a problem with Macs?

[Mmmkay]

i have a problem with Macs! Wanna talk about it?

[zealot9]

Much agreed, I am proud to be a PC gamer first before anything else. I played the first Mafia until the wheels fell off... and my discs were so scratched I had to re-burn them. I can't wait to play 2.

[CrzyFooL]

There is enough video in this article to convince even the most hardcore console fanboy that this game is superior on the PC in every way.

[aselah]

never played the game before but after seeing all the video, now I want to.

[peeps]

gave the 360 demo a go earlier and was dissapointed to see a lot of screen tearing. My rig could easily play this though + pc versions cheaper. As a 3rd person shooter with driving though a controller is a must imo so will look into whether a 360 pad will work

[bobcostus]

360 Pad for windows works. I used it for the PC demo :)

[TABSF]

I'm playing with my Xbox 360 pad on PC

The driving is better with a Pad, Mafia allowed steering wheels :)

[peeps]

cheers to the 2 of you. Pretty bored atm so might pick this up later this month

[lokiroo420]

Proud of doing something anyone in the world can so choose to do, rofl. Way to set the bar high.

[raztad]

LOL. Yeah it makes it sound like to have a PC is a cult of a selected few or something.

I do agree Mafia 2 should be played on PC. PERIOD.

[Zinc]

I played the original Mafia back when it released on my PC (like 5 CD's -yes, CD's- to install). It was truly a worthwhile purchase. I'm hoping that Mafia 2 will be the same worthwhile experience, and it looks like it will be.

[nycredude]

If you preorder mafia 2 on steam they give you Mafia for free.

[Apollyn]

Could this actually be a game too push my pc ? No i doubt it !
But ! i am rather looking forward too playing this till i get my hands on Crysis 2 anyway :P

[Baltis]

Played the on the Ps3, and wow! What a garbage looking game aesthetically. Some of the indoor stuff/the warehouse gun fight was alright but it looked like a ps2 or xbox game all around. Very dated and washed out texture maps in the city. Very stiff. Hitting L-1 to climb over things and not be able to jump? Come on. I was pretty let down. The jaggies on the Ps3 version are second to none too. I don't know how the 360 or pc version looks, but the Ps3 version isn't looking well. I'm pulling pre-order as we speak.

Also, what is up with no cover shoot? You can't blind fire. What is that?

Edit for Tabsf

I hope so. I want the game. Love the music when you're cruising around and the cinematic graphics are really something to see. The game itself, the actual game, just didn't hold up well at all. I'll probably go ahead and get it and see if anything changes but right now the screen tearing, jaggies and texture work needs work. Not after Red Dead Redepemption.

[TABSF]

This demo is very old
They used it in last year E3 I believe as a Tech Demo so I would expect the full game to be so much better

BTW the PC version is amazing and I had no issues with it at all, I also had a time hack so I was playing for a long time :)

Again this demo is the same as the 2009 Tech Demo from E3 (I believe)
The full game should be a lot better

[TABSF]

Playing it at maximum setting with high APEX PhysX on High

My RIG

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T @ 2.8GHz 1.2Vcore
GPU: ATi Radeon HD 5850 775MHz/ 1125MHz
PPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 240 underclocked
RAM: 8192MB PC2-8500 1066MHz DDR2

All you need guys is this latest PhysX driver release yesterday to improve Mafia 2 (and demo) performances

http://www.nvidia.com/objec...

Also for you ATi users

http://physxinfo.com/news/c...

This allows ATi users to have PhsyX run off their GPUs with out lag.
You may need both 1.03 and 1.04ff, Comodo and Ad-Aware said that these was both malicious software after unzipping them but I hope they are not

WHY THE DISAGREE

[ElementX]

Time to measure your e-penis?

[TABSF]

Its not like I'm running

Intel Core i7 980X
Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 Quad SLi

I'm being helpful

Man have you seen Trubritar or Maxishine

http://www.youtube.com/watc...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

These guys have

Dual Intel Xeon 6 Cores 12 Threads = 12 Cores 24 Threads
They both have 12GB DDR3
One Has Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 Tri SLi
the Other has ATi Radeon HD 5970 CrossfireX, ATi Radeon HD 5870 Quad FireX, Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 Tri SLi and Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 Quad SLi

[Saryk]

I'm hung like a newborn puppy, oh wait, never-mind!

[Pandamobile]

So that ATI PhysX thing actually works?

My PC (i7 920, 6 GB RAM, GTX 295) can run it maxed out at 1920 x 1080 with all the settings on high at ~60 FPS in the benchmark, but turning on PhysX rapes my framerates something fierce.

With PhysX on high, my 60 FPS dropped to 11, and on medium, my FPS dropped to about 28.

[iamgoatman]

Only 775/1125 on that 5850? Why stop there?

You should be able to hit at least 800Mhz on stock volts, but the memory clock tends to be dependent on the card.

I'm running my ASUS one at 980/1250 on 1.25V, and the temps are still lower under load than my old Nvidia card was at stock! Can up the core to 1000Mhz if I increase the voltage a little, but a bit too high for every day usage.

Got to love these cards for the overclocking capabilities alone!

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Absolutely incredible demo!

I downloaded the PC and PS3 demos yesterday.

Obviously, the PC version looks much better.

I'm still getting it for PS3 though. I'd rather not go through the hassle. Plus, I'm a trophy whore.

Steam Achievements are great too...I just have less friends on Steam.

PC, 360, and PS3 gamers have a great title on their hands though. Can't wait!

[HelghastKid]

Hope the ps3 version isnt as bad as everyone is saying. Ive already preordered it on amazon before playing the demo (i know, i have no patience) im looking forward to the free dlc, i just hope the game isnt a serious mess.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Haha.

I seriously doubt it's a mess.

They created it on the PC, then ported it separately to the 360 and PS3.

Since the 360's architecture closely resembles a PC, it was much easier to port. The PS3 version is probably still close to the 360 version though.

The only ports this generation that have been "bad" were The Orange Box (Not terrible after the patch) and Bayonetta (Once again, not terrible after the patch).

Everything else is blown out of proportion.

As someone who plays on both systems, I think it's unnecessary that people bring up comparisons unless one version is, in fact, much worse than the other.

This is a great game! I highly recommend it on any system!

[HelghastKid]

Thanks for replying, + bubs
I was just in another article telling people how majority of the titles on PS3 that arent as strong as their xbox counterpart doesnt mean they are terrible, but people will always find something to complain about.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

+bubs for Leon

Well said. People tend to count pixels and overanalyse still images too much now a days... They argue like the best version of any game would be the best game ever, while the worst version would be unplayable.

Don't matter how under or over a version of a game is from the standard, a bad game will still be a bad game and the same goes fora good game. Having a little difference here and there won't make you regreat buying or not a game.

I'm not even saying Mafia II is just as good anywhere else than PC... It isn't. But the thing is, as far as you like the game, you'll probably enjoy it anywhere. If you can or care about use every graphic tweak in your favor good for you, if you can't or don't care, you probably aren't missing on much.

I'm not against this comparisons, as they are interesting to thoseof us that have multiple gaming options (which are mostly everyone here, I think most of us have at least a PC, a console and a portable), but truth is people take themselves way too seriously on this. It's supposed to be fun, not a e-penis measuring competition.

[mushroomwig]

I'm a console gamer, always have been and I'll probably always will be. I love how unified console gaming is compared to PC gaming.

The game itself isn't as good as I expected it to be, awkward controls and very poor dialogue.

A disagree. meh. Don't get me wrong, PC gaming is clearly amazing..but it's not for me. Not everyone is obsessed with resolution.

[Zinc]

Unified... I think I understand what you mean by that, being that consoles are largely closed systems. But, honestly, the most unified bunch (that wasn't involved in platform hating) that I've ever seen are the PC game mod communities that spring up around just about every major game release. It is very comforting to know that no matter what, 6 months from now 4 years from now... whatever the time frame, there will always be dedicated and passionate gamers making the games they love better and more unique.

It's truly something special and I'm glad I'm a part of it.

By-the-way, I did not give you a disagree.

[bfenty]

Also I hear there's a patch to get unlimited playtime on the PC. PCs FTW!

[itsralf]

I don't care if it looks better on PC. The game still sucks.

[joypads]

i love PC gaming but LOVE console gaming mcuh more & without it i would probably be waiting months to find a single interesting game to play.also the online community on console/Ps3 is second to none.on Ps3 the online gaming feels like you're playing with your friends/neighbours even if you dont know them while PC it feels like total strangers all the way.

[TheIneffableBob]

I feel the opposite. On the PS3, it's all matchmaking so you just play a game with a stranger then leave once the game is over. On the PC, though, there are dedicated servers so you play with the same people over and over.

[TheIneffableBob]

It's a solid PC game, but it is still sort of a port. I mean, the textures are exactly the same as the console versions! They're not even higher res. There was an interview on PC Games Hardware with a dev and he said that they wanted all versions to look the same. Obviously the PC will have the edge with PhysX and higher resolutions, but the assets will still be the same.

[Zinc]

They don't want the people who get it for the consoles to feel like they put extra effort into the game for the PC users. Which is understandable, but they are offering exclusive DLC for only one platform, the PS3, which defeats that entire line of thinking. Really, they just didn't want to spend the money on extra man-hours for development.

They know that the PC modding community will pick up their slack and over the course of a year create Hi-res texture packs. Not to mention a myriad of other modifications and tweaks that will let pretty much everyone enjoy the game on their terms. It really adds to the value of the end product and generates positive experiences and keeps franchises buzzing. In a way it's sad, but at least some of us are willing to do it for the enjoyment of all.

[Duke Spookem]

PC is the only one where it seems like this game will actually work. Still, I'll be getting the PS3 version for the exclusive DLC as gameplay is far more important than how a game looks.

[ATi_Elite]

Nice to see Mafia 2 make use of the ulimited power the PC has. The Physx actually look good and may warrant a Nvidia purchase.

The consoles are going to get gimped versions as Mafia 2 PC has way too much going on for low end casual machines.

Screw Crysis. Metro 2033 in DX11 mode with Full Tessellation is the new standard to judge the power of your rig. Only a Gtx 480 Sli set up can run it maxed out and achieve 30 FPS. BARELY!!

My rig

Phenom II X2 @ 4.1 ghz on air
2 XFX HD 4890 @ 1 ghz Crossfire
4 gb DDR2 800mhz
23" HP LCD 1920 X 1080p 16:9

[Apollyn]

Not a bad set up mate my rig :

Tri SLI :- BFG 280GTX OCX

QX9770 CPU @ 5ghz

6gb ddr3

Samsung syncmaster2233

Cant wait too see some of these bigger games come out however im a little tempted too hit up tri : 480 gpus they are rather nice looking

[wakash]

not a pc gamer by any means, but good shit tho

[callahan09]

Can't wait for my next paycheck, I might just buy this game. It looks pretty cool. Definitely want the PC version. Cheaper AND better. Best version indeed!

[ufo8mycat]

This will be the first time in a long time, that I will get a multi-platform game on the PC instead of 360. Nice to see that FINALLY a developer put extra effort into polishing the PC version, unlike most PC ports. I mgiht actually buy it instead of downloading it ;) because of this

Finally fixed the problem I was having with the 360 controller on the PC with this game. Looking forward to collecting all the playboy centerfolds haha