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[Snuggles]

Yeah, sounds like the Joe DLC is the better bet since it actually has something to do with the story. When I'm done with the main story I'll give it a shot. Normally I'd be against that type of thing, but I paid $7.50 for Mafia 2 LOL so no harm done.

 

[Zoso]

I'd skip Jimmy. It's fun, but it's basically just a free-ride mode with lots of simple missions. No new environments besides the Vinci mansion. No real story and Jimmy is laughable as a character.

Joe's is better. It's a combination of main story missions and miscellaneous tasks. It never manages to reach the heights of the main game, but it has its moments.

If you decide to buy one definitely go with Joe's.

 

[Amir0x]

The only real big problem I had with the main game is that money is as close to absolutely worthless as is humanly possible, specifically because

Spoiler

in like two or three moments the game DESTROYS every dime you have. I was so fucking pissed I had sold so many cars in that damn crusher...

 

[Square Triangle]

The only real big problem I had with the main game is that money is as close to absolutely worthless as is humanly possible, specifically because

Spoiler

in like two or three moments the game DESTROYS every dime you have. I was so fucking pissed I had sold so many cars in that damn crusher...

Yeah I will never get back all that time I spent driving to the yard, I feel a headache coming on just from thinking of the minor weaving you do through the yard to get to the crusher. -_-

 

[Snuggles]

The only real big problem I had with the main game is that money is as close to absolutely worthless as is humanly possible, specifically because

Spoiler

in like two or three moments the game DESTROYS every dime you have. I was so fucking pissed I had sold so many cars in that damn crusher...

plus, if you want anything you can just go to that store and shoot everyone, rob the register and take what you want

oh well, you can still use that cash to max out your ammo

 

[Amir0x]

i mean I sorta like that it gave the games story climaxes some real consequences, but they did it MULTIPLE TIMES damn it lol

 

[sam27368]

£5 on steam in the midweek madness sale, oh yes.

 

[bluedeviltron]

$7.50 is what I'm willing to spend to give it another shot.

I was bored almost literally to tears with the 360 version after about 2 hours.

 

[Stackboy]

The comments on this page do not encourage me to spend money on this game.

 

[1-D_FTW]

The comments on this page do not encourage me to spend money on this game.

You're obviously ignoring mine, because I think the game is brilliant. Would recommend in a heart beat. It's just a game with a long arc and needs to be played in its entirety to fully appreciate.

 

[Ilúvatar]

The comments on this page do not encourage me to spend money on this game.

The game is by no means a masterpiece, but it is decent for what it is (clunky GTA knock off that brings nothing new to the table)

 

[1-D_FTW]

The game is by no means a masterpiece, but it is decent for what it is (clunky GTA knock off that brings nothing new to the table)

Except it really isn't a sandbox game like GTA. It's a game that's about the story. And as a story arc, from beginning to end, is as good as video game stories ever get.

 

[Square Triangle]

The comments on this page do not encourage me to spend money on this game.

It's incredibly underrated. Seriously, just give it a try.

 

[Branson]

So its worth $7.50? lol

 

[TheExodu5]

So its worth $7.50? lol

Absolutely.

The game is by no means a masterpiece, but it is decent for what it is (clunky GTA knock off that brings nothing new to the table)

Honestly, after playing Mafia 2 on the PC, GTA IV feels incredibly clunky. Mafia 2 controls exactly how you'd expect a third person shooter to control. GTA IV? Not so much.

 

[bluedeviltron]

Wow, feeling it a lot more on PC.

It looks comically better than the console versions, and generally feels tighter and more responsive.

Excited to play more, though I'm dreading the 'drive around town to various gas stations in a limited amount of time' mission I originally quit on.

 

[jcm]

Buy.com has the PS3 and 360 versions of this game for $15 with free shipping. I'm getting pulled back in.

 

[Always-honest]

gonna order now. What version is better? 360 or ps3. I asked earlier but the answer i got was: ps3 version runs fine. I want to know what version is better. thanx

 

[lupinko]

Picked up the Deluxe version off Steam for $10 two days ago.

Now I just need a gamepad. lol

 

[Snuggles]

Picked up the Deluxe version off Steam for $10 two days ago.

Now I just need a gamepad. lol

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually prefer it with the keyboard & mouse. I'll pick up my dualshock when it's time to drive, but even then don't mind WASD for driving. It's worth it for accurate aiming, at least for me.

 

[maeh2k]

gonna order now. What version is better? 360 or ps3. I asked earlier but the answer i got was: ps3 version runs fine. I want to know what version is better. thanx

If I remember correctly, the 360 version runs better, but the PS3 version has some free DLC included.

However, from what I've read, that DLC isn't really worth it and I'd go with the 360 version.

 

[Snuggles]

I haven't tried the 360 version, but based on my time with the demo, the PS3 port was really rough with blurry graphics, an unstable framerate and some tearing. It definitely seemed like something to avoid if you have the choice.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

All I can say is on a decent rig running the game at max settings and Physx with a decent frame rate is an amazing experience... The game is fairly linear, but I'm ok with that, because the game is story driven and the open enviorment adds to the experience.

fixed

 

[Always-honest]

If I remember correctly, the 360 version runs better, but the PS3 version has some free DLC included.

However, from what I've read, that DLC isn't really worth it and I'd go with the 360 version.

okay thanx. Did some searching, and i think this is the general consensus.

 

[Snuggles]

fixed

What exactly does Physx do? I've had it disabled so far since that's what the game determined would be optimal for me.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

What exactly does Physx do? I've had it disabled so far since that's what the game determined would be optimal for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcpEc6kC0HM

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

This game is seriously amazing. No idea why it got such middling reviews.

Weapon sounds are so good. <3

Yeah, i love the way the .38 sounds.
I pretty much use it all the time because of this. haha.

 

[Snuggles]

Yeah, i love the way the .38 sounds.
I pretty much use it all the time because of this. haha.

busting into a busy clothing store and mowing down a crowd of people with a Tommy Gun was never so satisfying

 

[Stitch]

The physx for objects don't take up too much performance but the one for clothing does and it's barely noticeable. So I'd say enable physx but remove the cloth phyx
http://physxinfo.com/news/3628/mafia-ii-demo-tweaking-physx-performance/

 

[1-D_FTW]

Wow, feeling it a lot more on PC.

It looks comically better than the console versions, and generally feels tighter and more responsive.

Excited to play more, though I'm dreading the 'drive around town to various gas stations in a limited amount of time' mission I originally quit on.

I think I'm the only person who played the entire game with the driving on Sim settings.

And are you sure you actually failed? You didn't rage quit did you?

Spoiler

Because I remember thinking I made a huge mistake and was ticked off I'd have to redo it since I couldn't get to everyone, but I passed anyway when time ran out. Not sure how many are the minimum.

The physx for objects don't take up too much performance but the one for clothing does and it's barely noticeable. So I'd say enable physx but remove the cloth phyx
http://physxinfo.com/news/3628/mafia-ii-demo-tweaking-physx-performance/

That's how I played. Physics on objects and off for clothes.

 

[poppabk]

The only real big problem I had with the main game is that money is as close to absolutely worthless as is humanly possible, specifically because

Spoiler

in like two or three moments the game DESTROYS every dime you have. I was so fucking pissed I had sold so many cars in that damn crusher...

What is the purpose of money in the game anyway? The only time I ever needed money and didn't have it was after

Spoiler

after your house gets burned down

and I wanted some better guns. I just shot the owner and took all the guns I could carry.

 

[Marleyman]

Definitely worth a rent or a cheap buy.

 

[Snuggles]

What is the purpose of money in the game anyway? The only time I ever needed money and didn't have it was after

Spoiler

after your house gets burned down

and I wanted some better guns. I just shot the owner and took all the guns I could carry.

I spent it pretty quick by pimping my cars with chrome rims and improved performance.


...cars that I drive out of the shop only to get t-boned by some asshole within seconds

 

[1-D_FTW]

What is the purpose of money in the game anyway? The only time I ever needed money and didn't have it was after

Spoiler

after your house gets burned down

and I wanted some better guns. I just shot the owner and took all the guns I could carry.

Spoiler

There's a section where you need a big wad to progress. I was a little short after one mission and had to drive to the opposite end of the map, crush 3 cars, and then drive back with the necessary money to progress in the story. I'm still not sure why it happened. I got a huge wad for completing the big job, but was still short 3 crushed cars.

 

[Snuggles]

Wow, PhysX is actually pretty awesome. I disliked the canned animations before changing it, so it's an improvement (people still react the same to being shot, though). The pedastrians roll over the hood of my car now instead of just falling over.

the clothes wow~~~

 

[nib95]

So I just started Mafia II. Can't believe how smoothly it's running. Max settings, SSAO, 4xMSAA, 16xAF, everything else on the highest, V-sync on, PhysX on highest etc and I think I've probably only (so far) seen the frame rate drop below 60fps once? And even then that was by like 2fps lol. GTX 570 SC at 1920x1200 here.

Kind of wish the visuals were even better. Don't get me wrong, they look brilliant. But I wouldn't say no to some more tessellation, better lighting and deferred rendering!

Also, love being able to tab in and out of gameplay without even a pause thanks to the SSD drive. This would have been murder on my old mechanical drive lol.

Suffice to say, brilliant job on optimisation. Makes Rockstar's efforts seem lacklustre.

 

[nib95]

Ok, so I'm quite disappointed with the game thus far. Amazing world to explore, but so funnelled and controlled in things you're actually able to do. Great characters and VA, but with questionable animations/models and drawn out missions. Then there's the fact that I feel like I've been driving for nearly 80% of the game, but not fun like GTA, just aimless and pedestrian. It's like a beautiful rich world set in an amazing time period, but somehow a bit soulless.

I get that they are trying to go for a realistic feel, real jobs, driving, day to day laborious elements. But that only works if there's a real sense of freedom, which there actually isn't.

 

[Snuggles]

Yeah, I agree that there is too much driving. I actually enjoy it, I like taking in all the sights, but it feels like filler at times. There are some missions that have you driving back and forth from the same locations, and it can be a chore. I really like the game though, just did chapter 10 which was a blast.

also, it probably has the best collectibles ever~

 

[Always-honest]

i finally bought the game. Will be playing it on 360 this week. I liked the demo.

 

[nib95]

The physx for objects don't take up too much performance but the one for clothing does and it's barely noticeable. So I'd say enable physx but remove the cloth phyx
http://physxinfo.com/news/3628/mafia-ii-demo-tweaking-physx-performance/

Wow thanks for this! Game was running at 60fps non stop (vertical sync on) early on till everything turned modern and then, the frame rate took a HUGE dump. Was averaging around 40-50fps instead (doesn't sound bad but I had to turn v-sync off and even then lowest fps was 24fps or so which it dropped to whenever there were crowds on the street, unacceptable for me). Then I read the guide you posted and turned off cloth physics for everyone but Vito and all his buddies (main characters) and sure enough, back to non-stop 60fps with v-sync now. Took off v-sync just to see and was getting 70+fps with everything max at 1920x1200 (GTX 570 SC). Suffice to say, that little tip is a MUST.

If you have PhysX on max, turn off cloth physics manually on all but Vito and the gang for HUGE fps increases for real world un-noticeable IQ differences. I didn't even realise the regular street NPC's had cloth physics till I read the article lol.

 

[Hulud]

I grabbed this game instantly when I saw it for $7.50 and WOW. I'm enjoying it way more than I thought I would. The storyline is, like someone before me said, as good as a game ever really gets, although it would benefit from some performance capture for the faces. The lack of things to do in the sandbox doesn't really bother me because I'm really just here to cruise through the storyline anyway. Also, real men play with simulation driving on. The impressive physics model makes the tons of driving you do in this game a lot more dynamic and fun. You can really drift these heavy ass cars around turns by letting off the gas then gunning it mid-turn. The only real bummer gameplay-wise for me is the sparsity of checkpoints during missions. Sometimes deaths can come cheap and having to replay sections over and over can get annoying. Also, there is no way of changing the difficulty after you've started the game which sucks for me because I really just want to cruise through the content.

Maxed out it looks fantastic other than the absolute worst version of antialiasing I have ever seen in a game. Seriously, can someone explain to me why it's so bad? It barely reduces jaggies and they don't even let me boost AA through my nVidia control panel. :/ The game's graphics are saved by some seriously good lighting, modeling, and dynamic shadows.

TLDR: The game is a must play at this price.

 

[nib95]

I grabbed this game instantly when I saw it for $7.50 and WOW. I'm enjoying it way more than I thought I would. The storyline is, like someone before me said, as good as a game ever really gets, although it would benefit from some performance capture for the faces. The lack of things to do in the sandbox doesn't really bother me because I'm really just here to cruise through the storyline anyway. Also, real men play with simulation driving on. The impressive physics model makes the tons of driving you do in this game a lot more dynamic and fun. You can really drift these heavy ass cars around turns by letting off the gas then gunning it mid-turn. The only real bummer gameplay-wise for me is the sparsity of checkpoints during missions. Sometimes deaths can come cheap and having to replay sections over and over can get annoying. Also, there is no way of changing the difficulty after you've started the game which sucks for me because I really just want to cruise through the content.

Maxed out it looks fantastic other than the absolute worst version of antialiasing I have ever seen in a game. Seriously, can someone explain to me why it's so bad? It barely reduces jaggies and they don't even let me boost AA through my nVidia control panel. :/ The game's graphics are saved by some seriously good lighting, modeling, and dynamic shadows.

TLDR: The game is a must play at this price.

You can force your own AA with Nvidia cards (dunno about ATI). Firstly, turn off AA in the game then exit. Then re-name the main Mafia II exe launch file (mafia2.exe) as Jericho.exe. Then in Nvidia control panel, 3D Settings, Program settings, Add (new graphics profile) choose the newly named exe file (Jericho) and it will show up as Clive Barkers Jericho instead of Mafia II. Just force whatever settings you want here (AA) and they will be forced in the game too.

 

[Stallion Free]

You can force your own AA with Nvidia cards (dunno about ATI). Firstly, turn off AA in the game then exit. Then re-name the main Mafia II exe launch file (mafia2.exe) as Jericho.exe. Then in Nvidia control panel, 3D Settings, Program settings, Add (new graphics profile) choose the newly named exe file (Jericho) and it will show up as Clive Barkers Jericho instead of Mafia II. Just force whatever settings you want here (AA) and they will be forced in the game too.

Or just get with the times and install NV Inspector and put 0x000d02c4 in the AA comp for the actual Mafia 2 profile and do whatever you please with the one million more AA options.

 

[harriet the spy]

The only real big problem I had with the main game is that money is as close to absolutely worthless as is humanly possible, specifically because

Spoiler

in like two or three moments the game DESTROYS every dime you have. I was so fucking pissed I had sold so many cars in that damn crusher...

I read that spoiler. Before starting the game.

I am happy I did. What a terrible idea.

 

[Exuro]

I didn't think you could change the .exe file name of a Steam game.

 

[nib95]

Or just get with the times and install NV Inspector and put 0x000d02c4 in the AA comp for the actual Mafia 2 profile and do whatever you please with the one million more AA options.

I'm confused. Isn't that essentially the same thing? Sounds like more effort given how it requires a third party application as well. Do you have a link with guidelines on your method? Would be interested to try it.

 

[Stallion Free]

I'm confused. Isn't that essentially the same thing? Sounds like more effort given how it requires a third party application as well. Do you have a link with guidelines on your method? Would be interested to try it.

Renaming exes is ghetto and doesn't always work on Steam. Just google Nvidia Inspector. It's simple, much more efficient and doesn't hide options and shit like the Nvidia Control Panel.

 

[theignoramus]

Yeah, this is a fine game on PC. I'm about 25% done and I still havnt encountered anything that justifies the shitty critical reception. This is good solid stuff. Are the console versions poorly optimized or what?

 

[Stoffinator]

Yeah, this is a fine game on PC. I'm about 25% done and I still havnt encountered anything that justifies the shitty critical reception. This is good solid stuff. Are the console versions poorly optimized or what?

I had no issues on the console version (PS3). In fact I was pretty surprised on how good it was.

 

[sn00zer]

Really fuckin' good game, great story, hands down THE BEST voice acting in any game Ive ever played.

Only issue I have and its kinda a biggy. You drive back and forth between around five places, all which are on a centerline from North to South on the map (played around 9hrs so far)...kinda wish they had some stuff on the far left and far rights of the map. Gets REALLY repetitive after a while going to the same places.

Either way, game is fuckin gorgeous especially the stunning interiors of shops and shoot out locations. Really hope more people/developers pay attention to this game. The atmosphere is as pitch perfect as it was in Bioshock, you really believe in the place.

Also, the shoot outs are damn intense...you take cover or you die...fast

Also would love to see a Max Payne game from these guys.