Mafia: The Old Country |OT| Chuck Berries grown in Sicily

Finished today afternoon, just as expected yesterday before wrapping up, this is one damn good game! Even that easily top5 of the year is more like top3.
Really enjoyed it and hoping we'll be seeing more of these kind of games in the future! And even though all the issues and optimization with UE5.. damn this one delivered with visuals too, some very nice lightning presented here.
 
I'm about halfway and it's so good I don't want it to end, even though I know this game is the perfect length for me. I really hope it will be financially succesful in the end because they deserve it, one of the best games of this gen.
 
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MrAlwaysRight said:
This is great, playing on Quality mode on PS5 Pro with Vsync off and VRR on, it's pretty much at 60 all the time anyway.
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Not sure how you get that performance, I'm playing Quality on Pro, VRR on through console and VSYNC ON. If I turn VSYNC OFF, the motion is really choppy, not sure why I'm having a different experience. It's buttery smooth with VSYNC ON so something must not be working right with my VRR.
 
Justin9mm said:
Not sure how you get that performance, I'm playing Quality on Pro, VRR on through console and VSYNC ON. If I turn VSYNC OFF, the motion is really choppy, not sure why I'm having a different experience. It's buttery smooth with VSYNC ON so something must not be working right with my VRR.
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try turning VRR off, some people are saying it's poor with it on, for me personally I don't have an issue.
 
Played 3 hours. Decent impressions so far, I like the characters and the vistas/locations, but it's a bit janky and you can see its a very budgety title. However considering I spent less than 40 for it, its def good.
 
I really, really like it and it just came out at a perfect time when I just feel like playing a simple, old school cinematic game. The story is told well despite being one big mafia movie cliche. I'm at chapter 6 and I will be very surprised if it doesn't end the way I think it will, but directing and VA is very solid and it just pleasure just to sit back and eat up cutscenes with all their talk about loyalty, suppressed emotions and so on . I feel like the knife duels have been influenced by fights in Hellblade 2, but not as effective - there is no adrenaline rush you get like in that game. The rest works really well. Weirdly enough, I think 76 MC is a bit too low: It never reinvents the wheel, but it does its thing better than most. Top5 of the year atm, I think.
 
I'm glad to hear people are enjoying it - or most, anyhow. Some are not enjoying it, and that's fine and to be expected. Everyone's different.

I think it's key to go into this game knowing what to expect. It's fairly linear, old-fashioned gameplay (shooting and stealth) wrapped in a very story-heavy game with plenty of atmosphere and attention to historic detail. It starts off fairly slow (not for me, but for the average gamer), but it builds to a decent pace by Ch. 4. Someone earlier compared it to Uncharted, and it does resemble that in some ways (e.g., story heavy, stealth + gunplay) but is of course lower budget AA vs. AAA and has fewer big, set-piece moments. Enzo is a serious lead, but other characters like Cesare provide humor. Dialog and voice acting is very good.

For me, the package works. I like this older-style, simple, linear gameplay. I miss it.

I just finished Ch. 6. Enjoying it very much. I don't really care to rate it or rank it at this point. I'll save that for later.

Forsete said:
Does it have forced stealth sections?
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Yes.
 
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From the 2 that i did, you really can't fail the force stealth unless you're a complete idiot. Taking this game slowly and enjoying my time trying to roam and collect stuff.
 
Forsete said:
Thanks. 👍
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If any its consolation, they're very short and very easy.

I absolutely hate forced stealth, and these didnt bother me.

And in some of them if you fail it doesnt even matter it just converts to a gunfight.

But yeah, I still get it. Forced stealth blows.
 
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I love all the impressions. If I weren't already juggling 5 games at the same time, I would have bought it just based on this thread.
 
If today's spoiled baby gamers were around when Splinter Cell came out, that franchise would have died with the first game because it had "forced stealth".

Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to be allowed to go guns blazing ffs.
 
So after finishing the game it's a solid 8/10. I'd only rate Mafia 1 higher and for me it's better than Mafia 2 (and 3 obviously). I really enjoyed the main story and the finale was satisfying, maybe a little over the top, but they didn't go too far. There are some bugs (like I couldn't carry the guy to the car and had to reload a checkpoint) and performance drops on base PS5 (especially in the cities), but overall I'm very impressed that Hangar 13 made such a good game. I guess that remaking Mafia 1 helped them a lot.
 
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Genuinely can't remember the last time I was so hooked on a story heavy game that all i've wanted to do is go home and play it.

The same for the story too, i'm on the last few chapters and can't wait to find out where this goes and how it ends. Very rarely have I felt like that over a game.
 
Any of you can tell me whether the graphical difference makes it worth playing on PC instead of the base PS5?
I'm torn between playing this on PS5 from the comfort of my sofa and a big ass TV vs playing with keyboard and mouse on PC but with a way smaller screen.
And no, plugging the PC to the TV isn't really feasible. They're in separate rooms and I use the PC for work as well so I'd have to be moving shit around every time I want to play or work.
 
I'm excited.
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Dibils2k said:
yes, but for what its worth, each of them so far have been very easy, and i am very bad at stealth, any game that has it optional i always try to stealth but end up messing it up
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Same here. 😂

That forced stealth section in Kingdom Come 2 was horribly designed. That's why I asked. I really don't like when they force that stuff if it's badly made.

I bought the game and the stealth sections have been easy like you said. 👍
 
Just finished the game. Holy shit.

Game was engaging from the first moment to the last. Not a single dull moment.

Narrative game of the year. Figghi' buttana!
 
Ah, another entry in the popular gangster gaming franchise for the sort of males who sub ladbible and cite Scarface and Narcos as being GOATED.
 
This game got my lazy ass to finally spend the time to figure out how to do the wake on lan, and stream to my steam deck setup.
Now I can play it on steam deck at times during the day and native on pc when the kids are asleep.
 
DirtInUrEye said:
Ah, another entry in the popular gangster gaming franchise for the sort of males who sub ladbible and cite Scarface and Narcos as being GOATED.
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I like Mafia-centered fiction and the two above don't resonate with me. It is a shame there is not a piece of media that does the founding of the Vegas strip with mafia ties justice. The history is fascinating.
 
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So far I'm enjoying the game, but combat is pretty basic and the animations are a bit stiff.

The game has ultrawide support(32:9), but it crashed on me 2 times within an hour and a half. I switched to 16:9 and was able to play for 3 hours with no crashes so hopefuly they release a patch as it looks really good on my 32:9 screen.
 
Finished! It's the most 8/10 game ever. Really.

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Plot, characterization, driving (yeah, really), writing, art, direction, tech on display (when UE5 gods are willing) and setpieces are top-notch. Mafia: TOL is almost ideal linear action-adventure without some weird difficulty spikes or empty openworld tripe. There is a freeride mode with collectables, but the campaign is very tight 12h (exactly 12!) romp where the only wonky part is the very badly made prologue that lasts for 30-40 minutes. Ending could've been tad shorter too, but I get why the devs decided to make it the way it is. The connections with the main games are here and very clever and subtle too. I shed a nostalgic tear after the final shot.

Unconventional Sicilian setting is realized to it's full potential. It's so refreshing to play both in this location and during that underused time period. So many historical details here and there, it was a true delight to see the pre-WWI Italy in all it's glory and horror. Hats-off to localization teams too. English VO is great, but Sicilian VO is just something else. Plus the Russian dub is surprisingly good and they clearly used some AI tech for lypsincinc here. Bravo!

But yeah, it's just 8/10 because the game is far from perfect. Besides typical UE5 flaws (stutters, weird glitches, uneven performance on 4080 and constant crashes with DLSS) there are a few really silly things that hinders the goodwill:
- Knife fights are lifted directly from some early access indie game, they are not fun, wonky, poorly animated and do suffer form a random input-lag. They are also overused and some bosses could've been handled better gamplay-wise. It also blunders some narrative moments, but I wont get into the spoiler territory here.
- Mission stucture is too repetative and Mafia 1-like, including the famous minigame with carrying the boxes. There not one but two races here though, so be warned.

That being said, all Mafia games, as cult as they are, are janky and that's part of the course, I guess. It's well worth your $50 and it's a really chilling and emotional 12-hour-long tight ride that worth your time, fratellos.
 
Anyone else find themselves talking in bad Italian accents while playing the game? No? Just me? I do it in-a free roam. I sounda more likea Mario than a Sicilian, though. Fugazi.
 
Half this thread is people asking for performance and if it had stealth segments are too afraid to take the plunge.

Never played a Mafia before, the price and time are exactly just right. Bought it earlier but won't be playing until I'm done with Aliens Dark Descent.
 
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Karim said:
I guess you haven't reached yet the crowded cities or the racing sessions. Because UE5 will show you all his glory.
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UE5 is not designed for dense crowds; this part should be handled by the game's programmers, and it's not just simple game programming — it's a complex endeavor. UE5 is well-suited for FPS games and certain general purposes. Have you ever wondered why everybody uses it if it's supposedly crap?
 
Werewolf Jones said:
Half this thread is people asking for performance and if it had stealth segments are too afraid to take the plunge.

Never played a Mafia before, the price and time are exactly just right. Bought it earlier but won't be playing until I'm done with Aliens Dark Descent.
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It's a very good Mafia game no doubt. But the UE5 flaws leave me a bad taste. I remind the past releases and their engine was a lot smoother on console and that's why I'm so annoyed by the perfomance.
 
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ShaiKhulud1989 said:
The connections with the main games are here and very clever and subtle too. I shed a nostalgic tear after the final shot.
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I dont know the last time you played, but the final couple shots and the music that accompanies them is the title screen music/theme is from Mafia 2. What a way to close it out. Loved that this game has more connections to 2 than the others, specifically with the Galante family and Leo. Also, the very first mission in M2 is called "The Old Country" and it takes place in San Celeste.
 
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Chuck Berry said:
I dont know the last time you played, but the final couple shots and the music that accompanies them is the title screen music/theme is from Mafia 2. What a way to close it out. Loved that this game has more connections to 2 than the others, specifically with the Galante family and Leo. Also, the very first mission in M2 is called "The Old Country" and it takes place in San Celeste.
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I've understood all references. There are tons of subtle nods to all 3 games there and yeah, Mafia 2 theme in the very last few seconds was something else, man. Especially with that foggy skyline silhouette.
 
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ShaiKhulud1989 said:
I've understood all references. There are tons of subtle nods to all 3 games there and yeah, Mafia 2 theme in the very last few seconds was something else, man. Especially with that foggy skyline silhouette.
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Really wouldn't mind them giving
Mafia 2 some remake treatment next. Either that or finally take it to the 70s.
 
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