2K Games and GamerTag Radio hosted a Mafia II release party on Saturday, August 28, at the 92nd Street Y's Tribeca Center, which this writer was fortunate enough to attend. While slow to start (I got there early, but all the cool cats made their entrance around 9 PM), the turnout was incredible, and really drove home the popularity of both Mafia II and GamerTag Radio.
Earlier that evening, a small group of protesters picketed outside the entrance to the 92nd Street Y, attacking the game's portrayal of the mafioso Italian American stereotype. None were dissuaded by their presence, and the protesters left soon after the event had begun. While the protest became the subject of ridicule for many waiting to get in to the event, the picket was not unlike the attacks activist groups launched against "The Sopranos" during its prime, albeit those were a more active backlash than the handful of people holding signs and posing for photos at the entrance of the 92nd Street Y. Still, it's nice to know that 2K Games, Mafia II and Gamertag Radio are getting extra media attention.
The event itself was fantastic: on top of being free and open to the public, the event featured the sexy Jo Garcia, A.K.A. Playboy's Gamer Next Door, who signed autographs and posed for photos, as well as a live performance by ¡Mayday!. Gamertag Radio's own Godfree and Peterocc hosted the event with Hot97's Miss Info as co-host; they handed out plenty of free goodies as they worked the crowd, ranging from tee-shirts to copies of Mafia II to a PS3 console, all throughout the night. Of course, since it was a Mafia II event, 2K Games had arranged for well over half a dozen gaming stations in the back room with demos of the game, as well as several demos running on the new 3D technology from nVidia (which made the already fantastic-looking Mafia II jaw-dropping).
Check out the video below and watch the crowd and revelry firsthand.
The Mafia II release party was sponsored by 2K Games, Gamertag Radio, Crazy Hood Productions, Scion, nVidia, Playboy, Sony, and Gamer Juice. Video uploaded to Youtube by Raw Game Play.
NY Console Games Examiner articles ©2010 by Gabriel Zamora; reposts permitted with link back to original article. All other rights reserved.
Comments
Cool, man! It sound's like you had a great time!! I wish I lived where there was cool industry going-ons!
LOL. I wish they had more events in the area! I actually would rather live in L.A. for E3, but alas...
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!