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[Cereal KiIIer]

I robbed a gun store when 4 black guys started shooting at me. When I saw the police arrive, I putted my gun away and they arrested one of the black guys. He tried to run away and they shot him in the back 4 times.

Yep... pretty realistic.

 

[Zoso]

I usually don't enjoy the side activities that "bring life" to open world cities. Stuff like delivering certain cars, races, turf wars, etc. always feel repetitive and ultimately pointless. But I suppose they pad out the game so people feel like they didn't waste their money on a short game.

To me the greatest thing an open world offers is exploration and a sense of place.


But I do think Mafia 2 could have used side quests and random interactions like shown in this 3 part gameplay demonstration. Why was this stuff cut? Looks awesome.

 

[Stallion Free]

One time I was driving home from some mission and it was night and there was some super fitting music playing and as I drove down a hill I saw a taxi parked on the side of the road and the driver was trying to fix it. I was fucking immersed.

 

[Dilly]

I usually don't enjoy the side activities that "bring life" to open world cities. Stuff like delivering certain cars, races, turf wars, etc. always feel repetitive and ultimately pointless. But I suppose they pad out the game so people feel like they didn't waste their money on a short game.

To me the greatest thing an open world offers is exploration and a sense of place.


But I do think Mafia 2 could have used side quests and random interactions like shown in this 3 part gameplay demonstration. Why was this stuff cut? Looks awesome.

Not only does that mission look great to play, they cut out every interaction with Derek and Mike.

Spoiler

I mean, Derek killed your dad. The impact of knowing that would have been far greater if you worked together with Steve and Derek throughout the game. But no, they fucked up that part of the story by cutting all the side missions for Derek

Stuff like that is what I don't get.

 

[Stallion Free]

Not only does that mission look great to play, they cut out every interaction with Derek and Mike.

Spoiler

I mean, Derek killed your dad. The impact of knowing that would have been far greater if you worked together with Steve and Derek throughout the game. But no, they fucked up that part of the story by cutting all the side missions for Derek

Stuff like that is what I don't get.

Yeah that moment was definitely nowhere near what it could have been if you had worked with him the whole game.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Is it possible they had to cut stuff to fit the game onto one DVD?

 

[Stallion Free]

Is it possible they had to cut stuff to fit the game onto one DVD?

I would be really sad if that was the case.

 

[Zoso]

Earlier this year they talked about why they cut some of side missions, added some of them to the main story, and cut out the other 3 endings. They said they axed the side missions because they wanted to focus on the main story. They kept in the story-related side missions such as dealing with Francesca's husband and hassling the dockworkers for Derek. Except instead of being side missions they were integrated into the main story.

The whole game seems to have a lot of cut content though. Just from watching old gameplay videos - where are the gun permits, melee weapons, working elevated trains, side missions, random city encounters, etc? Don't get me wrong I still really like Mafia 2, but it makes me wonder what happened during development that now all these things are non existent.

 

[Dilly]

The problem is that the story suffers under the side-quests that were cut.

They even said in that GC presentation that the side-quests were integrated in the main story.

 

[BobsRevenge]

The problem is that the story suffers under the side-quests that were cut.

They even said in that GC presentation that the side-quests were integrated in the main story.

Oh, word. I wonder if they game would've gotten reviewed better with them in, just for fitting expectations better.

 

[speculawyer]

The soundtrack continues to amaze me with the good choices. It certainly makes the dull driving parts more palatable. Everly Brothers "Dream" was really nice.

 

[Stallion Free]

Am I the only one who preferred the snowy city to the summer city? God I had a raging atmosphere boner driving during the night missions through snow streets seeing the lights of on coming cars and the lights around the city and that hazy look and the snow flakes and that perfect music. It was so beautiful.

 

[Takuan]

I beat the game last night and enjoyed it thoroughly, but I can definitely understand why the game's been getting lackluster reviews. I didn't have a problem with the story, but it definitely could've been used some more fleshing out. I liked the ending, thought it was realistic.

 

[speculawyer]

Am I the only one who preferred the snowy city to the summer city? God I had a raging atmosphere boner driving during the night missions through snow streets seeing the lights of on coming cars and the lights around the city and that hazy look and the snow flakes and that perfect music. It was so beautiful.

But I'm digging the 50's music much more.

They picked a lot of songs that later bands did covers of. (The Who did Summertime blues, George Thoroughgood did Who Do You Love, The Beatles did Money, etc.) Good move.

I robbed a gun store when 4 black guys started shooting at me. When I saw the police arrive, I putted my gun away and they arrested one of the black guys. He tried to run away and they shot him in the back 4 times.

Yep... pretty realistic.

:lol

 

[markao]

Oh, word. I wonder if they game would've gotten reviewed better with them in, just for fitting expectations better.

Not for fitting expectations, for possible being a better game without the cuts. Without the side missions and some of the story parts that are cut, (at least it felt that way to me) a few times you feel the games story falling flat and there's not enough interesting gameplay, outside of it, to keep it going along.


I loved the atmosphere, graphics+24H cycle, seasons and details are unmatched. The driving, even though I got bored by it after 2/3 rds of the game (sometimes a see you tomorrow black screen, instead of 10 minutes driving home would have been nice), felt nice and as mentioned by others, one of the most memorable moments involved a car/booze and some music . The voice acting, is superb, some great characters, I loved the music/radio, shooting felt good, just the hand to hand combat was to repetitive for me (press space, wait until he swings, hit l/r mouse button and repeat), it could have done with some variation.


The last thing I want for Mafia to turn into GTA like (bowling, pool billiard, darts, taxi driving, like mini games) sandbox game, but some additional "side missions" would have been more then welcome. It also would have fit perfectly in to the story, of a guy wanting to earn cash the easy way and would not have derailed the story telling in the game. They did set it up, in the first few missions, but unfortunately, they don't follow up on it. Simple things like call X, phone boots all over the map, to see if someone needs a car stolen, "hot" car used in robbery dumped (instead of random car), store robbed (in a slightly more interesting way ), collect payments, beat someone up, etc. The most uninteresting part of this game, for me, was in the end, to get some extra money, because it was just even more driving and a few side missions would have fit in perfectly here. (Saboteur did agreat job with that)


I really really loved the first, this one will go in my memory as “it could have easily been so good, but in the end was just ok”.

 

[JRW]

Wasn't sure how many people knew this but you can get Mafia 2 (Steam) for free if you bought a EVGA GTX 400 series card between 3/26/10 to 8/23/10 (minus the 460, Don't know why), I applied for a code last night and received it via email this morning

Ill see how it runs on this GTX 480 + GTX 260(PhysX) in a bit almost done downloading.

http://www.evga.com/articles/00574/

 

[CAW]

Sneak Peak of Mafia II DLC: Jimmy's Vendetta:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9289372

DLC will be released Sept 7th.

 

[markot]

Just finished it.

Pretty awesome >.< first game in ages that I have finished.

The ending was abit abrupt... but it was ok I guess. Kinda sad >.>

 

[Big-ass Ramp]

nevermind

 

[Cindres]

Bought Tuesday, finished today. Thoroughly enjoyed it even though i did feel there was a little too much cutscenes/bits where your character was moving but all you could do was look.
I mean the whole

Spoiler

prison chapter

was nothing but cutscenes and your character being controlled. Decent enough length for what it was.

And the ending NOOOO.

 

[eshwaaz]

Am I the only one who preferred the snowy city to the summer city? God I had a raging atmosphere boner driving during the night missions through snow streets seeing the lights of on coming cars and the lights around the city and that hazy look and the snow flakes and that perfect music. It was so beautiful.

Agreed. The first time I drove home from a mission at night in the snow, I shook my head in amazement. Some of the most powerful atmosphere in a game, ever.

 

[sweetvar26]

Bought Tuesday, finished today. Thoroughly enjoyed it even though i did feel there was a little too much cutscenes/bits where your character was moving but all you could do was look.
I mean the whole

Spoiler

prison chapter

was nothing but cutscenes and your character being controlled. Decent enough length for what it was.

And the ending NOOOO.

Yeah the game is cinematic in a good way

 

[Noisepurge]

Been playing for about 4 hours now, great stuff and a proper sequel

Im only sad that they didn't fix the 1st person shooting mechanic since the demo Enables you to shoot through walls etc.

 

[NIN90]

Endgame spoiler:

Spoiler

Henry

 

[Kabuki Waq]

good thing i did not listen to the reviews about this game. Just finished it. I prefer these type of missions to GTA style any day of the week.

The ending was Brutal though. I felt horrible for you know who. Like a punch in the gut.

 

[Cyberia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy0nVslhfkk

:lol :lol :lol

Such a winner.

 

[Noisepurge]

ok also the lack of baseball bats is annoying

 

[snesfreak]

Ain't that a kick in the head, steam updated the game and now it crashes when I try to load a save game.
edit: it's fixed now, yay...

 

[Zoso]

good thing i did not listen to the reviews about this game. Just finished it. I prefer these type of missions to GTA style any day of the week.

I'm glad I don't read reviews either. I'm almost done with my second playthrough and to me this is one of the best games I've played this gen. I love games with great atmosphere and this game is overflowing with it.

I'm finding some interesting new things too. If you visit your mom's apartment at the beginning of Ch. 7 you'll get a little introduction scene with Francesca's husband. You can also visit Giuseppe, Harry, & Derek during this time and they'll all welcome you back. When you get your clothes all dirty in Ch. 9 at every store you go to the shop owners will comment on how terrible you smell. I also went through all the possibilities at the mansion in Ch. 11 and there are some rather funny outcomes to that scene. I appreciate these details a lot.

 

[GillianSeed79]

Sneak Peak of Mafia II DLC: Jimmy's Vendetta:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9289372

DLC will be released Sept 7th.

Sept. 7 is like ultimate DLC day.
ME2, DA:O and Mafia 2 DLC.

 

[Setvan2734]

So in the original Mafia game, it had a countryside like area to the north of the city, where you do missions/freeroam, does Mafia II have anything similar?

 

[leng jai]

Up to Chapter 7 and while I am enjoying it, its not as good as I was expecting. Whoever said that the game was 70% driving wasn't that far off, especially at this point in the game. The production value and attention to detail is extraordinary, but a lot of the things they force you to do in this game is just downright tedious. One particular chapter (its been mentioned before) was completely unnecessary and killed the pacing for me. On the plus side the shooting aspect of the game is quite satisfying, as is the audio design and voice acting.

Will finish to the end as I've heard the last few chapters are excellent, but I don't see myself playing this again any time soon.

 

[EatChildren]

Finally got around to the game. Was busy with Metroid, so I'm happy to sink my teeth into this. The production values and attention to detail on the city and feel of the world is, much like the first game, jaw dropping. It feels so alive and genuine.

However, the missions so far have been really mixed. It starts off much slower and unimpressive than the first game, and the missions are really thought and full of way too many cutscenes. I know its a heavy cutscene driven game like the first one, but I dont remember the first game's cutscenes being so intrusive in missions. Rather than cutscenes being used to introduce and end missions, as well as signify important scenes, it feels like I'm playing the game for 30 seconds, shooting a couple of dudes, and then forced to watch another scene.

Also, the mission where you have to deliver the fuel stamps by midnight is basically everything I hate about bad open world mission design. The fact it didnt get scrapped is mind boggling. If it isn't fun, dont put it in the game.

 

[MrPing1000]

This may be my greatest disappointment of this gen.

It's half the game the original is.

The story is short, no where near as good as the original. The city is boring and has so little for you to do other than a collectathon.

The gameplay is repetitive and the whole thing feels incredibly rushed. The last 1/4 of the game is a killathon down a corridor rush job.

Off the top of my head I can recall some amazing moments from the original mafia, the gas station shoot out (along with the guy in a fancy car u have to make him crash), the night time farmyard storm shoot out, and the shootout at the funeral (after fighting across rooftops after blowing up a hotel). Mafia 2 has nothing like that, stealing the stamps was kinda fun sneaking around but other than that there was nothing that really stands out.

It's not a terrible game, I'd say it's a good game but it could have been much much more and compared to the original it is a step backwards.

 

[Kolgar]

I'm surprised by some of the negativity here, because I think this is one of the most enjoyable story-driven games I've played in recent memory.

Emphasis on story. So many games try but fail to tell an engaging story because of lousy writing and poor pacing, but this game, perhaps more than any other I've played, is like a great interactive movie. The wonderful production values and sleek mission structure propel the game onward at a pace that feels like a good book; you don't want to put it down.

No, it's not an open world with endless missions like Red Dead or GTA4. And I appreciate that. This focus is exactly what I like about the game.

Put it this way. After showing my girlfriend the demo, we drove out to Best Buy last night just before close to pick this up. And we didn't put it down (meaning I played and she watched intently) until 2 a.m. when we were both bushed. Now that's engaging.

Hell, I even enjoyed the stamp-delivery mission. How is that not fun? Were people trying to drive that car using the WASD keys on their PC? I did it on my second try, and only failed the first because I really drove poorly and wasted too much time on the first guy because I ran clumsily up behind his desk next to him instead of standing across from him or simply driving up to the window. :lol

Finally, the game looks great on consoles, or at least the Xbox 360. We played the PC and Xbox demos, and then the full Xbox game, one after another on a 61" DLP. Granted, my laptop's nVidia 330m is far from top of the line, but the Xbox port kept up admirably, with actual anti-aliasing and even less screen tearing during the opening cutscenes. Had I a beefier rig, perhaps the PC version would have been a no-brainer. But with a mid-range card, I'm definitely glad I chose the Xbox version of the game.

(Yes, I've seen the shitty mirror reflections on the consoles. But in my play so far [up to Chapter 8)], I have yet to encounter a mission that takes place with me standing and looking into a mirror.)

This game wasn't at all on my radar before, but I'm loving it now.

 

[DryvBy]

I'm surprised by some of the negativity here, because I think this is one of the most enjoyable story-driven games I've played in recent memory.

Emphasis on story.

*edit: tok out first sentance, never finished it

Gameplay should always come first, story second. The game just doesn't offer that much in terms of gameplay to me. I 100%'d the game in under 15 hours. That's with me goofing off. It seems like they almost got it, but didn't completely finish up some ideas.

I'd say it would be worth a buy for $20, but I feel ripped having spent $60 on a game that I can't do anything else with unless DLC added something. RDR spoiled me a lot though...

 

[Noisepurge]

Just finished it, a good game but also lacks the charm and originality of the first game. Like MrPing1000 mentioned.

Great music and awesome character models + facial animation. Voice acting and story were both good.

I wouldnt play it again though, and Jimmy's Vendetta missions seem quite random shootouts with a combo counter that really is a weird mix for this game I have only played a couple of them so far. It's nice that they atleast have cutscenes.

 

[Mrbob]

Well I ordered the Palit GTX 470 from newegg with the dual cooler tonight so soon I can play Mafia 2 with the rest of you! I had hoped it would be an email code but it looks like it will come in the box so I will have to wait till the end of the week for the card to show up! Looking forward to it!

 

[Attackthebase]

I'll buy Mafia II once it hits around $30. The game looks like something I'll dig a lot...especially being a lover of story-driven games! Pity, school is sucking up the the vast majority of my gaming time.

Edit:Of course, I'll be buying this on the PC!

 

[AkuMifune]

Gameplay should always come first, story second.

I couldn't disagree more to actually. To me story is the most important part, and that's why Mafia II has been a real surprise. Compared to another game this year that took the opposite approach, Just Cause 2, and imo Mafia II is a much better game, at least a much more rewarding experience. I can put up with shotty or limited gameplay as long as its in service to a narrative that compels me to keep playing. And while I wish the game pointed out more clearly the times when you're allowed to go screw around in the city, I don't mind that there's not a ton of things to do on the side. Though probably only because GTAIV wore me out on the need to do a thousand mediocre activities between missions.

The demo and initial reviews had me feeling down on this, but I'm glad I picked it up anyway. I like Kolgar's analogy to an interactive movie, because that feels about right. And certainly more than any other game this year, Mafia II highlights just how much dissonance there is between what most reviewers think I want and what kind of experience I actually like to have.

 

[En-ou]

just beat it. overall i thought it felt like a long game cutscene. i hardly saw any real gameplay. i was getting tired of the whole "go home", "drive X home", "answer the phone", "go to bed" etc. what's the point of all this in a story driven game? and the story was pretty boring, nothing intense or so, pretty straight forward. the only good thing is the amazing gfx and HPV -- great city design, VA, etc. 7/10, worth a rental.

 

[-Winnie-]

Ugh, a friend of mine was being a douche and "pretended" to spoil the ending of the game.
Does the following actually happen?

Spoiler

The main character gets killed by his friend.

 

[markot]

Ugh, a friend of mine was being a douche and "pretended" to spoil the ending of the game.
Does the following actually happen?

Spoiler

The main character gets killed by his friend.

no

 

[-Winnie-]

no

Haha, thanks, I was pretty pissed off before but I'm glad he was lying.

 

[StarEye]

To me story is the most important part

To me, the overall experience is important. Wether that comes from gameplay or story can change completely from game to game. Planescape: Torment is certainly of of the best game experiences ever, but that it almost completely because of the story and atmosphere of hte game. Not because of gameplay. Super Mario Bros. is the complete opposite. The experience is due to the gameplay, not the story.

It really is not something I can set in stone - it's impossible for me to say "I prefer story over gameplay" or vice versa - because that can change completely from game to game, and genre to genre.

 

[Kolgar]

I couldn't disagree more to actually. To me story is the most important part, and that's why Mafia II has been a real surprise. Compared to another game this year that took the opposite approach, Just Cause 2, and imo Mafia II is a much better game, at least a much more rewarding experience. I can put up with shotty or limited gameplay as long as its in service to a narrative that compels me to keep playing. And while I wish the game pointed out more clearly the times when you're allowed to go screw around in the city, I don't mind that there's not a ton of things to do on the side. Though probably only because GTAIV wore me out on the need to do a thousand mediocre activities between missions.

The demo and initial reviews had me feeling down on this, but I'm glad I picked it up anyway. I like Kolgar's analogy to an interactive movie, because that feels about right. And certainly more than any other game this year, Mafia II highlights just how much dissonance there is between what most reviewers think I want and what kind of experience I actually like to have.

Agreed, sir. With so many games out there that try to tell good stories like books or movies, but fail miserably, I am perfectly content to accept this game for what it is and for what it does right. And for me, that's tightly focused linear gameplay that weaves a compelling and wonderfully executed narrative.

To each his own, but I for one am glad this is something different than just another GTA clone.

 

[MrPing1000]

But compared to the original game, the story is incredibly shallow.

 

[p3tran]

I like this game.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Replaying the first Mafia, I can see why they took out the side missions. I want to unlock these fucking cars but the side missions to get them suck ass.

Mafia 2 actually made a lot of improvements. The game isn't nearly as frustrating as the first one, which was pretty unforgiving. The story feels more grounded. Obviously the controls and everything are updated.

I actually think the stories are of about the same quality, they just take different approaches. Mafia 2 is a bit more personal, gritty, and grounded while Mafia is more conventional and, eventually, emotional.

 

[EatChildren]

I actually think the stories are of about the same quality, they just take different approaches. Mafia 2 is a bit more personal, gritty, and grounded while Mafia is more conventional and, eventually, emotional.

The writer said he wanted Mafia II to be a lot more grounded and realistic, whereas the first game was written more as a homage to gangster films.