Alright, here is my review on the demo. After deleting the PC demo and waiting until the next day, the PS3 demo didn't look that bad. But it will probably be like GTA4 for me, get on PS3, beat, maybe sell, get PC when there is a sale, see graphics, can't go back. Regardless...
The demo was basically made to show off the physics and open ended aspect of the world. And it does well. Going out to your garage and getting a car is nice, especially because you are allowed to customize them, including performance, and store them back. I'm not sure if there is a limit, but I noticed in an interview this is one thing they wanted to do to entice people to hopefully live the "Mafia" life instead of being a GTA bad boy and stealing every car in sight. I'm sure it will work for me, as I like the upgraded versions of the cars. The others shops, like gas stations and gun stores and clothing shops are cool. I was able to go in the clothes shop, browse, and pick an outfit very quickly. I was able to go get my car filled up with gas and get a car wash by just pressing a button. While this may not appeal to the masses, it is quite a nice touch and really represents the time period well. The gun shop guy was nice, he'd give me compliments if I bought a lot, try to sort of small talk me, and then instantly pull out if I pulled a gun out :awe:. Robbing people is fun, and it is actually easy to get away. The cops seem to know what is up, but don't come rushing. I had a cop come in the store after I was sitting in a vehicle outside, run to the body, look at it, and just walk out. Kind of disappointing, but it may be different in the full game.
Gun play was satisfying. The cover system works very well, and the weapons seem powerful enough, and really represent the time period that they are set in. Mafia did a great job of this too, so I didn't expect any less. The only thing that gets on my nerves is not having the ability to vault over cover when I'm behind it. I also don't like not being able to vault over high railings when running around. Basically I can vault over fences and such, but that is about it. I can't jump down a story or anything like that. I would suppose that adds to the "realism", as NORMALLY you wouldn't do that IRL, except in a chase, which I could see it being annoying in a foot chase. You take 4 bullets and you're dead pretty much, which I appreciate. I love going balls out and being Rambo, but I also like realism, and if you stand out in the open in a room of enemies for more than 2 seconds, you're done for. Shooting cars and blowing them up was fun, the explosions looked good and everything just seemed right. All the object physics in the world seemed to work well, like the part when you get past the small scene where everything blows up and that guy shoots at you through the bookcase.
The driving was also very good. I actually like the simulation driving more than the "arcade" style or whatever it is. The cars handle like they are from the time period, and are just fun to drive. The speed limited being there at the touch of the X button works really well for cops. You'll get pulled over for speeding in a heartbeat, but if you see a cop on the radar, tap the limiter and it will slow you down instantly, and hopefully in time for the cop not to see you. Light poles and such can be crashed into, some stop the vehicle fully, which I guess is realistic, but I'm so used to plowing through everything in GTA4. If your engine gets too damaged to the point it won't run, you are able to get out and fix it by pressing SQUARE. It still steams and the body is still damaged, but I thought it was a neat little thing, especially if it was one of your cars and you wanted to get it back to your garage.
All in all, the demo was a very good showcase for the game, and I'm real excited to play the full game. The story seems like it will be good, the acting was good, Joe seems like he'll be a good character throughout the game. Animations were good, shooting was great, driving was fine, details were excellent, and there was Playboy magazines. Awesome. Awesome.
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