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Mafia II |OT| Hey Vito, drive me to the other side of town

Yama

Member
Beat the game, well into my second play through. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story is pretty stereotypical and doesn't go anywhere beyond what most of us have seen in Mafia movies by now, but it's good fun regardless. The world is detailed, the mood is there, the music selection is fitting and the gameplay is fun, albeit not revolutionary. The lack of any side missions is a pretty low blow, though the achievements were fun enough that I took them as some sort of side play, not to mention DLC is hitting soon. I do like that the game pushes the story rather than derailing itself however. It doesn't introduce anything groundbreaking or new, but does all of the important things well. Definitely a solid eight and above.
 

rareside

Member
Yama said:
Beat the game, well into my second play through. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story is pretty stereotypical and doesn't go anywhere beyond what most of us have seen in Mafia movies by now, but it's good fun regardless. The world is detailed, the mood is there, the music selection is fitting and the gameplay is fun, albeit not revolutionary. The lack of any side missions is a pretty low blow, though the achievements were fun enough that I took them as some sort of side play, not to mention DLC is hitting soon. I do like that the game pushes the story rather than derailing itself however. It doesn't introduce anything groundbreaking or new, but does all of the important things well. Definitely a solid eight and above.

Yeah I thought it was a solid 8 at least. I actually liked how focused the game was on narrative and didn't mind the lack of side missions. Presentation was superb and the music was fantastic (I'm a huge fan of the 50's). The DLC should provide fans of free-roam a little more, but I'm satisfied with the product as is.
 

Jim

Member
sweetvar26 said:
Yeah I guess a lot of people did the same thing while playing on Hard.

Most annoying mission by far, on Hard at least. I tried that and failed, so I eventually:

Backed the car into the garage slowly, and when the door tried to close, it couldn't, so you can just take cover outside the garage and pick them off. It worked.
 

Stallion Free

Cock Encumbered
Jim said:
Most annoying mission by far, on Hard at least. I tried that and failed, so I eventually:

Backed the car into the garage slowly, and when the door tried to close, it couldn't, so you can just take cover outside the garage and pick them off. It worked.
That's an awesome idea that never would have crossed my mind. I bounced around from cover to cover avoiding the mollies and then when there was an opening, I bolted up the stairs and took cover in the small room at the top. He switches over to guns when you are on the same floor and it was easy landing two magnum headshots.
 

Wessiej

Member
So my game freezes in chapter 14

Just when you went to Bruno to pay him off, the game keeps loading forever. Anybody else ;(?
 

Carm

Member
Wessiej said:
So my game freezes in chapter 14

Just when you went to Bruno to pay him off, the game keeps loading forever. Anybody else ;(?

Yep, that happens to lot of people. Let me guess, you robbed some stores during the chapter? You're gonna have to redo the entire chapter if your reload doesn't work. Don't rob any stores this time, do the other job for money.

I've read where even doing that, sometimes it doesn't work though, worked for me thankfully. Chalk it up to yet another horrible buggy 2k release (6 months later still waiting on major Bioshock 2 PC patches).
 

MMaRsu

Member
Christ what an ending :\. On one hand it's a good ending.. but on the other hand it's obvious that they cut shit out. I doubt that's how the game was supposed to end.
 
Jim said:
Most annoying mission by far, on Hard at least. I tried that and failed, so I eventually:

Backed the car into the garage slowly, and when the door tried to close, it couldn't, so you can just take cover outside the garage and pick them off. It worked.

Thats an awesome idea, lol!
 
Finished on hard today, really enjoyed it, was a good game that could have been great, had some trouble on that chap. 14 mission on hard but was finally able to pull it off somehow, dont laugh but for some reason the game reminded me of Harlem Nights, lol.
 
I'm loving the sound track. If I had known it was so good, I would have bought the deluxe edition to get it. Buddy Holly, Mannish Boy, Who do you Love, Praise the Lord & pass the ammunition . . . lots of great picks.

I'm up to chapter 10 . . . I think I'm going to take a lot longer than most but I'm playing on hard and my skillz are not great.

Love the story, dialog, and cut scenes. And the shoot-outs are fun . . . but there is too much driving and too little shoot-outs.
 
eshwaaz said:
Joe may be my favorite male sidekick/buddy ever. He plays so heavily into the story and gameplay that it was essential that he be likable and endearing, and they pulled it off beautifully. So many games saddle you with an A.I. companion that's utterly grating (inFamous, Alan Wake), it's refreshing to see it done right.
Yeah, Joe is great. The voice acting is excellent. The model is great. His accent/delivery is perfect. The writing is good.


My biggest complaint is too much driving and not enough action.

And that 'celebration' after he gets out of crowbar hotel? . . . I guess it was interactive fiction but it wasn't gaming. I'm not sure how I feel about that. But it was good interactive fiction. I liked
stopping the car so the guy could puke and then the drunk guys singing to the song in the car.
 

Zoso

It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time.
speculawyer said:
I'm loving the sound track. If I had known it was so good, I would have bought the deluxe edition to get it. Buddy Holly, Mannish Boy, Who do you Love, Praise the Lord & pass the ammunition . . . lots of great picks.

The Deluxe version only came with the orchestral score. It's still pretty good, but I would have MUCH preferred the licensed tracks. So many awesome songs in this game.
 

suEcide

Member
Jim said:
Most annoying mission by far, on Hard at least. I tried that and failed, so I eventually:

Backed the car into the garage slowly, and when the door tried to close, it couldn't, so you can just take cover outside the garage and pick them off. It worked.

How did you do this exactly? I back the car in, but when the door springs back open after it hits the car, there is an invisible wall that prohibits me from entering outside.
 

Sloane

Banned
After seeing all the retards in the sales thread, I felt like dropping in here to say that I LOVE the game. To me, it is much better than GTA IV or any other open-world game I've played recently, mostly because of its interesting story and the well-designed missions. It feels a lot like the original Mafia in that regard, the world looks (artistically) stunning, and the PC version runs great except for the shitty savegame system. It obviously isn't a sandbox game but I wasn't looking for one, so...
 

Omiee

Member
Man that ending sucks, the game was awesome untill that point, i was expecting way more from the ending than what they did with that
 
Up to chapter 14 so far and put over 10hrs into it.


The game is just great, it has grown on me.One of the thing I like most is the art direction; everything's chock full of detail.The out did themselves.Simply amazing and by far the best 'open world' game in the visuals category.I could go on, and to think in my previous post in this thread I called it average!

When I complete this game I will download that mod that lets you roam free in the city.

There's very few games that I stop in awe of its visuals.The even tops GTA 4 which I thought would be impossible given its huge production costs.I'm sure this game costs just as much.

Another thing that this game does so much better than GTA 4 is the gun combat/ on foot controls.The cover system, the way you can slide around objects by pressing 'E' on the pc is a great touch, the guns all feel different too.I hated how GTA 4 played on foot.

The checkpoint system isn't that bad, there has rarely been a time where I was frustrated that I had to redo something over again.They are well placed out I feel.

Another thing I should mention is that we all know you can't save your game, it does it automatically.Again, this doesn't bother me much.

I'll bring in GTA 4 into this again.It just frustrates me playing the 'story mode' of it.I honestly cannot get any enjoyment from it.I hated how how all the missions where scripted, the lack of any decent checkpoints which made replaying them a pain, the awkward on foot controls.

It made me so angry playing it.Uh, some of those missions I had to redo over again by something I had no control of literally ( talking about the controls here ) or how Nico pleasantly jogs when I'm trying to run for cover with a gun in my hand.


Sorry for going off topic.

But anyway, I would give this game an 8.I never did play the original Mafia game btw.
 
suEcide said:
How did you do this exactly? I back the car in, but when the door springs back open after it hits the car, there is an invisible wall that prohibits me from entering outside.

lol, I tried this way also, had the same problem, what I did was sprint up the stairs into the office on the left and took cover behind the desk (near the chair) and was lucky enough to take each guy out, you can still get hit in the room so you have to be careful, also a couple of goons will try running in. I died three or or four times trying it this way but finally did it, maybe there's an easier way.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
You know, I was actually a bit disappointed with their usage of the orchestral score this time around. The music itself seems great, but it just doesn't find its way into the game as much as I'd like. The original game used its main themes extremely well and left quite an impression on me.
 

itsinmyveins

Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
I'm sure it's been mentioned before but what's the deal with like three outta four asians having the near exact same model?
 

Stallion Free

Cock Encumbered
itsinmyveins said:
I'm sure it's been mentioned before but what's the deal with like three outta four asians having the near exact same model?
Devs are racist. Clearly. I mean they just assumed that all Asians look the same.
 

itsinmyveins

Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
Stallion Free said:
Devs are racist. Clearly. I mean they just assumed that all Asians look the same.

Yes, because that's exactly what I thought. But come on, it's quite ridiculous really, especially at one point in the game (
the prison where you see Asian Guy A multiplied like five times standing next to the fence and where two twin asians are standing in line to be processed with Vito. Same goes for a lot of the black dudes there too, iirc
).
 

BobsRevenge

I do not avoid women, GAF, but I do deny them my essence.
To be honest, the game was a little blunt about the racism back in those days. Although it was probably realistic. :lol :lol

Also, that Ling Ting Tong song is hilarious.
 

Zoso

It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time.
dark10x said:
You know, I was actually a bit disappointed with their usage of the orchestral score this time around. The music itself seems great, but it just doesn't find its way into the game as much as I'd like. The original game used its main themes extremely well and left quite an impression on me.
I was kinda disappointed with the orchestral score also. It's not bad, but there was nothing like the extremely memorable main theme from the first game. Mafia 1's music was loud and really emphasized the moment. Blasting through the parking garage wouldn't have been nearly as awesome without the intense music. I felt like the music for Mafia 2 was more in the background. Most of the time I hardly noticed it. It's a different style and it works ok for the game, but it was not very memorable.
 

Rainier

Member
Finally finished the game today, PC version. 20 hrs on Medium, collected all wanted posters and playboys and died 50+ times (ya, I suck). Absolutely a great game, and now my GOTY (replacing Red Dead). I was also a HUGE fan of the first Mafia game.

Loved the city, puts GTA IV to shame. Hopefully some DLC will take further advantage of it. The save system could have been a little bit more generous, but other than that no complaints. Best use of weather I've seen in a game, and with the radio and newer models of cars appearing, you really get the sense of time passing during the game. Also, best portrayal of locations I've seen in a game. Both the
slaughter house
and
prison
were extremely well mapped out. Finally, I personally loved the ending, but I appreciate some people like closure on every aspect of a story.

I was originally going to hold off on this till the price came down a bit because of the 'OMG, it's a 6 hour game', but I found it to be the perfect length. If you're still sitting on the fence about this game, buy the damn thing already, it's awesome.
 

MMaRsu

Member
itsinmyveins said:
Yes, because that's exactly what I thought. But come on, it's quite ridiculous really, especially at one point in the game (
the prison where you see Asian Guy A multiplied like five times standing next to the fence and where two twin asians are standing in line to be processed with Vito. Same goes for a lot of the black dudes there too, iirc
).

It goes for all models, they have very little different NPC models.

I went into a store and saw 5 old men who all looked the same but had different shirts.
 

Darklord

Banned
I was really hyped for this game but after hearing about how bland the open-world is it completely turned me off. I can't stand open world games with nothing to do. What a real bummer.
 

MMaRsu

Member
Darklord said:
I was really hyped for this game but after hearing about how bland the open-world is it completely turned me off. I can't stand open world games with nothing to do. What a real bummer.

Bland? The world is anything but bland :lol

I mean the city is amazing, full of details..

And you could have known there were no sidemissions in the game, read a review or something. This is a story driven game, the world is there to bring out the story.
 

leng jai

Member
Darklord said:
I was really hyped for this game but after hearing about how bland the open-world is it completely turned me off. I can't stand open world games with nothing to do. What a real bummer.

This logic doesn't make any sense any at all considering the open world isn't the main point of the game. Its a linear story driven game based in a pseudo open world. Play it the way its meant to be played, as a linear story driven experience.
 

rvy

Banned
MMaRsu said:
Bland? The world is anything but bland :lol

I mean the city is amazing, full of details..

And you could have known there were no sidemissions in the game, read a review or something. This is a story driven game, the world is there to bring out the story.
i.e, a waste of resources. If you're going to create an open-world game, get it right. Don't make one just because everybody else is doing the same.
 

MMaRsu

Member
rvy said:
i.e, a waste of resources. If you're going to create an open-world game, get it right. Don't make one just because everybody else is doing the same.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

Mafia 1 had a open world which at that time only GTA3 had.

They WANTED you to focus on the story, not meaningless sidemission bullshit. Hardly any of those are fun in GTAIV anyway, except for the assassination phone missions.

Don't talk shit out of your ass if you don't even know what's coming out of it.
 

Mihku

Member
Finished the story yesterday, on PC. I loved the original, even though it was far from perfect. The sequel was a bit of a disappointment for me.

First of all the missions, the basic flow was a bit too repetitive. Wake up, answer phone, get dressed and bring a piece, and then 10 minutes of driving before you got to the main part of the mission. And the worst part, you know before you start something is going to go wrong or not to plan. It all gets very predictable very early on. I think they also missed the opportunity to include some more memorable missions. Only the
hotel
mission sticks out for me, I think that was a really great one. When I think of a mafioso I think of
shakedowns, drive-by shootings, bribing/killing men of power and big heists
. But none of that in Mafia 2.

Graphics are a mixed bag. The city looks great (very nice weather effects!), but the facial animations are just horrible. It's very hard to get it right, but these days I expect it to better then this. The numerous close-up shots during conversations aren't very nice to look at because of this. The contrast with a very pretty city is just too big.

The story is pretty weak. It was Mafia's strongest asset, and in my opinion it's not up to par. Vito is a very one-dimensional character, almost looks like there is no evolution in him at all. Had a really hard time connecting with the character, so the plot twists hardly had any impact on me. Tommy was a much more interesting character. Why is there no love interest for example? Could have shown a different side of Vito and make him more interesting.

Gameplay itself was ok-ish. Shooting feels great, all the guns pack quite a punch. Cover mechanics are nice. Didn't like the camera one bit. It was pretty much always horrible when on foot and inside a building. Don't really care there are no side-missions or anything like that, but the city itself misses a bit more life. People walk around and cars drive around the block, but nothing ever happens. No accidents, no fights, it all feels very sterile.

Some mechanics feel like they were added just for the sake of it. Didn't once visit a gun or car shop outside of the tutorial. It also doesn't help that every time you get some money
you end up with just a few bucks in your pocket 30 mins later
. Robbing a store just results in instant death in 50% of the times. I pull out my gun in the clothing store and before I can shoot 3 customers shoot me to death. And if you are successful the cops are at the scene within 15 seconds. Yes, there are a ridiculous amount of cops in the game.

Last thing, I don't get the Playboy collectibles. Don't get me wrong, I like a naked lady as much as the next guy, but what does it have to do with the Mafia universe? It didn't even exist till '53, well after the events in Mafia 2.

For a story-driven game Mafia 2 just could't deliver for me. The story was too weak and the characters very one-dimensional. The different missions were also a bit of a disappointment, it could have used some more memorable ones. But there's still a great franchise in this, I will be looking forward to a Mafia 3.
 

Stallion Free

Cock Encumbered
Mihku said:
Last thing, I don't get the Playboy collectibles. Don't get me wrong, I like a naked lady as much as the next guy, but what does it have to do with the Mafia universe? It didn't even exist till '53, well after the events in Mafia 2.
Titties sell games, just like they do movies. Not really, but I thought it was a pretty amusing addition.
 

wolfmat

Confirmed Asshole
rvy said:
i.e, a waste of resources. If you're going to create an open-world game, get it right. Don't make one just because everybody else is doing the same.
The hell are you even talking about? Are you the schoolmaster of all things video games now?

"A waste of resources", haha. Say that again once there's been 3 DLC episodes for the game (or whatever else they're gonna come up with).
 
Mihku said:
the city itself misses a bit more life. People walk around and cars drive around the block, but nothing ever happens. No accidents, no fights, it all feels very sterile.
That's just wrong! There are accidents every now and then! They are just not that frequent as in GTA. The cars are slower and such :) People fight sometimes, people talk to each other. Police is stopping guys because they are too fast, crashed or robbed a car. People are stopping by to go shopping to go to the car again right after.
Didn't once visit a gun or car shop outside of the tutorial.
I never used the carwash in GTA either. The bodyshops and gunshops are a great feature and I use them every now and then to customize and tune my cars or rob the gunshop :D
Robbing a store just results in instant death in 50% of the times. I pull out my gun in the clothing store and before I can shoot 3 customers shoot me to death. And if you are successful the cops are at the scene within 15 seconds. Yes, there are a ridiculous amount of cops in the game.
WTF? Robbing shops is super easy! The guys in the store are only in the big store in the south west center of the map (Vanders or something) and you can shoot them first as well.
Police is spot on and imho really cool. You just need to get out of sight to be fine again. No stupic circle shit. Just around a corner, done :)



BTW: Did anyone listen to the talk between the museums guards? So awesome! One bought a new very expensive TV and the other one askes what he is watching with it. He answeres: "cartoons, and I got an idea! What if you could control the cartoon?" "you're so stupid! How should this work?" ...:lol :lol :lol
 
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