Last month, the name “Jimmy’s Vendetta” leaked out, along with a list of PlayStation 3 Trophies that appeared to be from the previously-confirmed PS3-exclusive Mafia II downloadable content.
As it turns out, that DLC will be coming down the line. Before Jimmy can get going on that vendetta – he’s got to be double-crossed. That, as it turns out, is the source material for The Betrayal of Jimmy DLC, available at free at launch, exclusively for the PS3 version of Mafia II.
The Betrayal of Jimmy is almost an arcade-style take on the Mafia II experience. The team took the most fun elements from the game: shooting, driving, stealing, etc in a open world, and made it a point-based romp, complete with leaderboards. It’s all about fast cars, blowing stuff up, hitting top speeds, and really taking advantage of the open city. If Mafia II is an expansive story, then The Betrayal of Jimmy is instant gratification.
Unlike in the main Mafia II storyline, you’ll rack up points for drifting, high speed driving, headshots, kill combos and more. Points pop up right on the screen, arcade style and giant, flashy icons like arrows point at targets – something you’d never see in the more authentically 1940s and 50s setting from the primary game mode.
That’s not to say it’s all run and gun – there’s some story to give the mode substance to bring it together. 2K included new cut-scenes and voice acting to keep production quality consistent from the main game.
About that story… Jimmy’s a lot different than Vito, the protagonist in the main game’s plot. While Vito is more of a Henry Hill-esque character – a good guy that gets drawn into becoming a goodfella, Jimmy’s been getting his hands dirty for a long time. With a shaved head, all-black attire, and dark shades, Jimmy’s the kind of guy who you’d cross the street to avoid.
When Jimmy gets screwed over and doesn’t know what’s going on, he starts taking on missions from different crime families to try to uncover the truth. You’ll see some new families here, but some of the characters cross over the storylines, including the main character – the city of Empire Bay.
While you can download The Betrayal of Jimmy on August 24th, the day Mafia II hits shelves, you’ll definitely wanna play through the main storyline first. There’s not a lot of exposition in this content pack; you’re immediately dropped into a gunfight where you’re outgunned and outflanked. Unlike Vito’s slow introduction to the world of organized crime in the main game, Jimmy’s already “leveled up” and spawns initially with multiple weapons. The whole city is open to you right at the start.
Now I tried to anticipate a few questions you Blog readers would come up with when we visited 2K this week to see the game in action:
- The Betrayal of Jimmy is not included on the disc – new copies of the game will contain a voucher to download it. If you pick the game up used, you’ll be able to purchase the DLC for $9.99.
- While you can unlock Trophies during The Betrayal of Jimmy (we saw one earned during our playthrough for getting significant airtime in a car), there aren’t any mission-specific Trophies for this DLC.
- The Jimmy’s Vendetta DLC will become available post-launch. No word on price.
With over 25 different missions, The Betrayal of Jimmy promises a meaty additional gameplay experience, and a nice bonus for PlayStation 3 owners looking to pick up Mafia II later this month.
Wow 25 missions! I’m liking the “extreme” take on this, reminds me of Free Ride Extreme from the first one.
Are there 2 separate DLC packs for this? Betrayal of Jimmy and Jimmy’s Vendetta? Or are they combined into 1 DLC code?
Two seperate DLCs – You get Betrayal of Jimmy with the game Jimmy’s Vendetta is down the line.