Mafia: The Old Country Releases on August 8 (linear, narrative-driven game priced at $49.99/€49.99/£44.99)

Black_Stride said:
This game is the same as Mafia 1.
There is an over world (or multiple) Mafia 1 spanned what 5 time periods?, but during the campaign you are on mission in said overworld.

They did a developer deep dive for PAX and explained that its very similar to 1.

You are directed to continue the story but as long as there is no time limit you are free to go wherever you want, and spend as much time enjoying the world they have modelled.

If they called this game open world then people go it in their hands and realized yes its an open map but in effect you are constantly on mission and there isnt an open world so to speak they would feel misled.
So saying it isnt open world but you can go wherever you want when the game lets you, keeps peoples expectations in check.

The term open world game and the term sandbox game have become interchangeable but alot of older game design where there is a large map wouldnt actually constitute open world by todays standards, because what people actually expect when you say open world game, is a sandbox game.
So better to nip it in the bud and NOT call it an open world game.
Click to expand...

The FAQ question isn't "Is this an open world game?", it's specifically "Does this game feature an open world?". And their answer is no. If it did, like the previous games, I don't know why they would answer it that way. They could have said something like "yes, but the game is linear and does not follow a typical open world structure". So I'm gonna read that as no, the game does in fact not feature an open world. Because that's literally what they're saying.

You seem incredibly confident that they don't actually mean what they're saying, and I don't know what your evidence is.
 
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RoadHazard said:
You seem incredibly confident that they don't actually mean what they're saying, and I don't know what your evidence is.
Click to expand...

What they described in the developer panel is basically Mafia 1.
I watched it live so cant timestamp sorry.

 
RoadHazard said:
I'm not watching that, but why would they intentionally undersell their game in their own FAQ about it?

But we'll see I guess.
Click to expand...

As I said its likely to keep peoples expectations down.

Even Mafia DE wasnt really sold as an open world game because while it has an open map, it is a linear game, you go from mission to mission, but you arent "teleported" to the next shoot out mission immediately, you can mosey around if the next objective has no timelimit to get to it.

But, you are inherently always on the golden path.

They even described how the cars breaking down mechanic from Mafia 1 is making a comeback, if the game was action stage to action stage, when would there realistically be time to let the vehicles breakdown and us have to fix them?
Why would they bother recording the different sounds of all the different cars unless it was possible for you to pick and choose which car you drive while you are moseying around?


But as you said, we will see, im sure they will do another deep dive closer to release.
 
I'm really hoping this means we'll see some smart devs push against the $80 pricing increase, and go for $50.

All these companies pushing for $80 talk about "variable pricing", but they're never the ones actually releasing lower cost stuff too.
 
RoadHazard said:
I don't know, the official FAQ on their site has this question:

That seems pretty clear to me. The answer isn't "yes, but the story is linear and there are no side activities", they're straight up saying that there is no open world.

Sounds to me like you will be going through different "wide linear" areas in order, and you're free to branch off a bit from the main path there, but there is no open, connected world. That also matches your developer quote.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the messaging isn't very clear, and again, "open world" is a vague term. In the more nuanced statement I quoted, they said "it's not open-world in the strictest sense" (italics mine) - which implies that it is open world in some "non-strict" sense - whatever that means, heh. Also, if you notice, they use parallel language to describe the structure of Mafia 1 and 2 and OId Country, and they point to Mafia 1 and 2 as being closer to the reality of Old Country than 3.

From what I'm hearing, I'm guessing it will be similar to Mafia 1, which had no side activities to speak of, but a world you could drive around if you liked.

Anyhow, I'm sure we'll get more info soon, and it will become clearer.

p.s. Black Stride made some good points in his post (248). That sounds like what I'm thinking, too.

RoadHazard said:
I'm not watching that, but why would they intentionally undersell their game in their own FAQ about it?
Click to expand...

It's not underselling, it's honest communication with the customers. If they say "Yes, it's open world," people will interpret that to mean they're getting a GTA or Ubisoft-type game, full of sidequests and miscellaneous activities. They don't want to mislead people. That would create major blowback.

Chuck Berry said:
You guys are really having a field day with the type of game this is. Jesus christ :messenger_tears_of_joy: :messenger_tears_of_joy: :messenger_tears_of_joy:
Click to expand...

Hey, it's imperative that we sort this out immediately! lol
 
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RoadHazard said:
The FAQ question isn't "Is this an open world game?", it's specifically "Does this game feature an open world?". And their answer is no. If it did, like the previous games, I don't know why they would answer it that way. They could have said something like "yes, but the game is linear and does not follow a typical open world structure". So I'm gonna read that as no, the game does in fact not feature an open world. Because that's literally what they're saying.

You seem incredibly confident that they don't actually mean what they're saying, and I don't know what your evidence is.
Click to expand...

Thats the thing about all of this, they are saying that, but saying its like Mafia 1 and 2.

They said this during the panel and also stated this last year. Most of us took that to simply mean its not like Mafia 3 that has some open story structure where you can play in any order.

The problem with all of this is simple....they are saying NO OPEN WORLD in a FAQ, then fucking telling you its like Mafia 1 and 2...

So....unless Mafia 1 and 2 magically did not have a open world and we were just all smoking crack, I think clearly they maybe be using that term wrong, exaggerating the structure or something like this and I believe it may hurt them. Several users here expressed not seeking to by it based on this, some online are saying they will skip it and calling it an Uncharted clone. etc Mafia fans want a classic Mafia, so saying its like 1 and 2, is indeed stating it does have an open world, as.....those are fucking open world games....

So.....I think maybe they need to take that shit down as this panel has them confirming its like Mafia 1 and 2 and they made those statements last year. I understand they wish to let folks know the STORY is linear, but saying "NO OPEN WORLD" will be interpreted like its like Uncharted.

That is their own fault for fucking saying that btw. That is generally not how we use this term and I believe strongly it will cost this game sales by potential fans who believe its a departure from the series in general and not merely from 3. People are seeing this like it has ZERO OPEN WORLD compared to 1, 2 etc.

https://gamingbolt.com/mafia-the-old-country-is-structurally-similar-to-mafia-1-and-2-says-hangar-13

Studio president Nick Baynes calls it "a linear adventure" in a world where "you can go off the beaten path and explore."

"
And yes, that means it's not quite an open-world title, at least not in the "strictest sense", per Cox. Baynes added, "The way I describe it is you're not going to be playing Mafia: The Old Country and going off and doing endless side quests and doing activities in the world.

"We want players to go through and experience a story, but set in this beautiful world. And if you are going along a path and want to go over here and explore, in many cases, you can do that because the world exists around you. But we're encouraging you to go through the story."

"It won't say the game is "purely linear" since it sounds "too tight" or that it's "open-world" which is "too broad," hence the comparison to the first two Mafia games. "Open-world is a very loaded term, and it's a conversation we have had many times regarding, 'Should we use this word or not?' And the answer is kind of yes and no. I hope that helps you!""


So....I think truly...they should have legit STFU regarding that FAQ and merely state its story is not as open as Mafia 3. Please understand what is being stated here, Mafia 1 is not as open as 3 regarding its structure, there is not fucking FAQ Saying Mafia 1 is NOT OPEN WORLD, there is not big ass fucking headline saying MAFIA 1 REMAKE NOT OPEN WORLD or anything dumb like this. If it is like the majority of games in the series, they merely needed to just say its not like 3 and leave it at that, not posting a FAQ saying its NOT OPEN world

So Black_Stride Black_Stride has it correct. They have confirmed you can explore this world like Mafia 1 and 2 and simply that its structure is more linear in terms of the story compared to 3 and I agree with many on here, if this game sells less units, they have themselves to blame over this whole thing as this is not how we use this term.
 
EDMIX said:
Thats the thing about all of this, they are saying that, but saying its like Mafia 1 and 2.

They said this during the panel and also stated this last year. Most of us took that to simply mean its not like Mafia 3 that has some open story structure where you can play in any order.

The problem with all of this is simple....they are saying NO OPEN WORLD in a FAQ, then fucking telling you its like Mafia 1 and 2...

So....unless Mafia 1 and 2 magically did not have a open world and we were just all smoking crack, I think clearly they maybe be using that term wrong, exaggerating the structure or something like this and I believe it may hurt them. Several users here expressed not seeking to by it based on this, some online are saying they will skip it and calling it an Uncharted clone. etc Mafia fans want a classic Mafia, so saying its like 1 and 2, is indeed stating it does have an open world, as.....those are fucking open world games....

So.....I think maybe they need to take that shit down as this panel has them confirming its like Mafia 1 and 2 and they made those statements last year. I understand they wish to let folks know the STORY is linear, but saying "NO OPEN WORLD" will be interpreted like its like Uncharted.

That is their own fault for fucking saying that btw. That is generally not how we use this term and I believe strongly it will cost this game sales by potential fans who believe its a departure from the series in general and not merely from 3. People are seeing this like it has ZERO OPEN WORLD compared to 1, 2 etc.

https://gamingbolt.com/mafia-the-old-country-is-structurally-similar-to-mafia-1-and-2-says-hangar-13

Studio president Nick Baynes calls it "a linear adventure" in a world where "you can go off the beaten path and explore."

"
And yes, that means it's not quite an open-world title, at least not in the "strictest sense", per Cox. Baynes added, "The way I describe it is you're not going to be playing Mafia: The Old Country and going off and doing endless side quests and doing activities in the world.

"We want players to go through and experience a story, but set in this beautiful world. And if you are going along a path and want to go over here and explore, in many cases, you can do that because the world exists around you. But we're encouraging you to go through the story."

"It won't say the game is "purely linear" since it sounds "too tight" or that it's "open-world" which is "too broad," hence the comparison to the first two Mafia games. "Open-world is a very loaded term, and it's a conversation we have had many times regarding, 'Should we use this word or not?' And the answer is kind of yes and no. I hope that helps you!""


So....I think truly...they should have legit STFU regarding that FAQ and merely state its story is not as open as Mafia 3. Please understand what is being stated here, Mafia 1 is not as open as 3 regarding its structure, there is not fucking FAQ Saying Mafia 1 is NOT OPEN WORLD, there is not big ass fucking headline saying MAFIA 1 REMAKE NOT OPEN WORLD or anything dumb like this. If it is like the majority of games in the series, they merely needed to just say its not like 3 and leave it at that, not posting a FAQ saying its NOT OPEN world

So Black_Stride Black_Stride has it correct. They have confirmed you can explore this world like Mafia 1 and 2 and simply that its structure is more linear in terms of the story compared to 3 and I agree with many on here, if this game sells less units, they have themselves to blame over this whole thing as this is not how we use this term.
Click to expand...

mafia-2-268-small.webp
 
Black_Stride said:
This game is the same as Mafia 1.
There is an over world (or multiple) Mafia 1 spanned what 5 time periods?, but during the campaign you are on mission in said overworld.

They did a developer deep dive for PAX and explained that its very similar to 1.

You are directed to continue the story but as long as there is no time limit you are free to go wherever you want, and spend as much time enjoying the world they have modelled.

If they called this game open world then people go it in their hands and realized yes its an open map but in effect you are constantly on mission and there isnt an open world so to speak they would feel misled.
So saying it isnt open world but you can go wherever you want when the game lets you, keeps peoples expectations in check.

The term open world game and the term sandbox game have become interchangeable but alot of older game design where there is a large map wouldnt actually constitute open world by todays standards, because what people actually expect when you say open world game, is a sandbox game.
So better to nip it in the bud and NOT call it an open world game.
Click to expand...
I agree that 'open world' and 'sandbox' are often incorrectly used interchangeably and shouldn't be.

I think that saying 'it's not open world' if it is open world is the worst compromise they could have arrived at. Especially in the context of Mafia, where there has always been a bit of a debate over whether their being open world (a point which in itself was not previously in dispute) actually added anything. The argument being that Mafia 1 and 2 would have worked just as well or been improved by being a linear sequence of traditionally designed closed levels, ie. no open world at all.

My first thought on reading the reports that Old Country wouldn't be open world was that it would be like that instead. Then I read it would be more like Mafia 1 & 2 -two open world games- so now I'm just confused about what they're making.
 
Got no problem with the length and linearity but who asked for this setting? Was it really that hard for them to come up with a story in the US which, in the spirit of the first two games, captures the glam of something like Goodfellas? Got no confidence this will be good as Hangar 13 have sucked ass so far.
 
JaxarGT said:
I've loved every Mafia game, even Mafia III!

A little bummed to head that it's linear though..
Click to expand...

From your first sentence I take it 3 was the weakest in your books?
Well its the only Mafia game that isnt linear, 1 and 2 are both linear games.....so not sure why you are bummed.
 
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2k we're the first company to introduce the $70 price tag as we transitioned in to this generation, yet this is a game from one of their core franchises and it's priced at $50?

Whats the catch?
 
GHG said:
2k we're the first company to introduce the $70 price tag as we transitioned in to this generation, yet this is a game from one of their core franchises and it's priced at $50?

Whats the catch?
Click to expand...
Maybe we are seeing a broader shift away from the idea of a standard price in the AAA / high AA space, and a recognition that the optimal launch price point may vary more from game to game.
 
GHG said:
2k we're the first company to introduce the $70 price tag as we transitioned in to this generation, yet this is a game from one of their core franchises and it's priced at $50?

Whats the catch?
Click to expand...

Take-Two are weirdos.

WWE 2K25 - 60
CIV VII - 70
NBA 2K25 - 70
Topspin 2K25 - 60
PGA 2K25 - 70
Lego 2K Drive - 70
Mafia OC - 50
Borderlands 4 - 🥴


It seems they dont have a standard price and pick and choose as they go along.
Dunno why Lego Drive and PGA are 70 yet WWE and TopSpin are 60
 
Loved mafia 1 remake, liked mafia 3 and mafia 2 was okay, imo. So pretty excited for this.

Already getting my open world fix from DS2 and GoY, so linear sounds great
 
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Black_Stride said:
Take-Two are weirdos.

WWE 2K25 - 60
CIV VII - 70
NBA 2K25 - 70
Topspin 2K25 - 60
PGA 2K25 - 70
Lego 2K Drive - 70
Mafia OC - 50
Borderlands 4 - 🥴


It seems they dont have a standard price and pick and choose as they go along.
Dunno why Lego Drive and PGA are 70 yet WWE and TopSpin are 60
Click to expand...

This tells me they don't have much confidence in Mafia, or that it's a really short game and they know that's what the reviews will say.
 
RoadHazard said:
This tells me they don't have much confidence in Mafia, or that it's a really short game and they know that's what the reviews will say.
Click to expand...

The devs tell you point blank the game is similar in structure to Mafia 1 and 2, you failed to extrapolate what they meant.

The devs price the game at 50 dollars, you manage to extrapolate the games length, their confidence level in the game and what reviewers will say.



Your brain works in mysterious ways my guy.
 
Black_Stride said:
The devs tell you point blank the game is similar in structure to Mafia 1 and 2, you failed to extrapolate what they meant.

The devs price the game at 50 dollars, you manage to extrapolate the games length, their confidence level in the game and what reviewers will say.



Your brain works in mysterious ways my guy.
Click to expand...

Your brain is the mysterious one if you think the developers set the price.
 
GHG said:
2k we're the first company to introduce the $70 price tag as we transitioned in to this generation, yet this is a game from one of their core franchises and it's priced at $50?

Whats the catch?
Click to expand...

The game is linear, and it will probably be short (e.g., 12 hours). I'm speculating about game length, but the developers have compared its structure to Mafia 1 and 2, both of which were about 12 or 13 hour games, give or take. So, we're looking at a linear, relatively short game. I imagine that's the main reason they priced it lower. I don't think many people would want to pay $70 for a relatively short, linear experience.

Additional factors could be: 1) they recognize that the game will not be a critical darling; it will not light the Metacritic charts on fire; 2) it is fourth in a series rather than something new, and it follows on what most people consider a rather disappointing entry, Mafia III, which depleted some of the momentum (so they know they aren't going in with a "hot" property, on the broad scale).
 
The trailer got me hyped.
I would like to play the previous games on my ps5.
I checked my local stores.

Mafia 1 definitiv edition 16 eur.
Mafia trilogy 21 eur.

Is Mafia 1 in the trilogy the definitive edition?
If yes, the trilogy is a no brainer.

Are they worth playing today?
 
protonion said:
Is Mafia 1 in the trilogy the definitive edition?
Click to expand...

I'm looking at the Mafia Trilogy, PS4 version, on amazon. In the description, it lists the Definitive Edition for each. Price is $27. I assume that's the one you're talking about. So, yes.

You can also find them pretty cheap on sale. I picked both 1 and 2 up for about $6 each on the PS Store. (edit: I see Mafia 1 is $6 on the PS Store now.)

protonion said:
Are they worth playing today?
Click to expand...

1 and 2, absolutely. I played them both a year or two ago, and I really enjoyed them. A lot boils down to taste, of course, but I was looking for a straightforward story-driven game with good characters, action, and pacing. Nothing drawn out and overpadded. Mafia 1 and 2 really hit the spot for me. I liked the Italian mob setting, too.

3 is more of a question mark. Some people like it, some don't. I didn't like it personally. I just didn't connect with the characters or what felt like a meandering plot. It has a different structure than 1 and 2 - more open-world, which I wasn't looking for, either. I also didn't like the shift away from old-timey Italian mobsters in NY/NJ to the Vietnam era and New Orleans. Others enjoyed it, though.
 
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viveks86 said:
I don't know man. I can at least understand if your issue was with the number of shots, even if that is a bit nitpicky imo. But now it is about a reload animation not being shown in a brief snippet. And then it's "obviously cut by some chick fresh out of college". Your posts are getting more and more unreasonable as you dig your heels in, when you could just as easily give them the benefit of the doubt. If the actual game has inconsistent shots, then by all means raise it. Currently, I think there is room for a more charitable interpretation.
Click to expand...
Bet me a dollar on it? We could probably find out.
 
viveks86 said:
On the number of shots or on the "chick"? I have no idea about the former. But for the latter, sure. I'll gift you a month of Gold if you can prove that :messenger_grinning_smiling:
Click to expand...
The person who cut the trailer is not someone who plays the type of games we talk about here at NeoGAF. We can know it's a woman, because the higher ups that have to approve the trailer did not have the stones to tell her that her "art" is bad. I've worked in engineering for 25 years. The tidal wave of "STEM chicks" began about 10 years ago. I see it all the time. You'll get a C average girl who went into STEM because their guidance counselor told them to. They scrape by through college and get that engineering degree. Get hired at 'household name mega corp' and immediately start producing the worst work you've ever seen, but rather than get fired, they fail upward because the boss thinks they're pretty and the boss doesn't have the guts to tell them their designs suck. At that point the real engineers will be asked to make up for her slack. The really talented guys just leave and go to work for a smaller company and boom, then you get Boeing planes falling out of the sky. Or Mafia trailers with double barreled shotguns shooting 3 times.

Aside from consumers, the ones who really get the worst of this phenomenon are the actual galaxy brain girls who have always worked in STEM. They end up getting lumped in with the STEM chicks that would have gone for a BA in Business if they were in college a decade earlier.
 
I didn't know this was coming out as early as it is until I watched Bossman's latest video.

I am very curious to see the reception (non critic). The trailer looked fine to me and there were a few parts that were genuinely completing for me.

The price is the real stand out...would be nice if this was a very solid 20 hour game and they decided to release it at this price to get folks to bite!
Exciting times...
 
RoadHazard said:
Your brain is the mysterious one if you think the developers set the price.
Click to expand...

Dev, Pub, Granny whatever, the price setter.
How you extrapolated all that information but couldn't from what the devs were saying is strange.

Esppiral said:
That price concerns me, I hope it comes dubbed in languages other than English like the previous ones....
Click to expand...

Sicilian is already confirmed for people who want a truly authentic experience.

protonion said:
The trailer got me hyped.
I would like to play the previous games on my ps5.
I checked my local stores.

Mafia 1 definitiv edition 16 eur.
Mafia trilogy 21 eur.

Is Mafia 1 in the trilogy the definitive edition?
If yes, the trilogy is a no brainer.

Are they worth playing today?
Click to expand...

Mafia Trilogy is all the Definitive Editions so yeah totatlly worth revisting Mafia 1 and 2......because you are on PS5 I dunno if Mafia 3 is worth it.
On PC you can mod out the bloat of Mafia 3, unfortunately the game has "useless" open world bloat and it will lock you out of the story sometimes if you havent completed certain things.
If you can stomach open world bloat then you could probably get the trilogy done easy work by the time this game comes out.


Id advise you just do Mafia 1 and 2 keep your hype levels high for Old Country.
 
Black_Stride said:
Dev, Pub, Granny whatever, the price setter.
How you extrapolated all that information but couldn't from what the devs were saying is strange.
Click to expand...

If T2 thought they could charge $70 for this they would. There's a reason they're charging a budget price for this game.
 
Havent been following this game but hopefully the devs mean that the game is more like the first 2 games where it has a 'open world' map but its all mission based, one after the other.

I'd prefer a proper opwn world with side content, and collectables etc, but if i have to i'll also take the structure of the first 2 games.
Dont think i will be playing this if its literally a linear game with no map and you just do 'mission 1', then 'Mission 2', etc.

Of course with them not calling this 'Mafia 4', maybe they are viewing this as more of a spin off game where it is linear mission based.
 


Man, the passion of these devs..
That is just absolutely incredible and commendable. Can't wait for the game.
 
Vick said:


Man, the passion of these devs..
That is just absolutely incredible and commendable. Can't wait for the game.
Click to expand...

It won't matter if the game turns out to be terrible and from what I've seen so far, it's not looking promising

Everything about it this just screams mediocrity
 
GHG said:
2k we're the first company to introduce the $70 price tag as we transitioned in to this generation, yet this is a game from one of their core franchises and it's priced at $50?

Whats the catch?
Click to expand...
They did a very similar thing with Mafia 1 remake. It had $40 price tag while other games were normally $60. I assume this strategy payed off for them back then, so they decided to do something similar again
 
I'm replaying Mafia 3 again, this time so I can check out the 3 expansions. Second time around I find it more fun. Yes, the stuff you have to do before actual good story missions IS repetitive, but the story, characters, driving mechanics and combat remains very nice.

And yesterday I finished the Sign of the times expansion/DLC and thought this was quite good, with a really nice story and characters. Hangar 13 IS capable of making a good game. With TOC being more linear, likely no repetitive shenanigans it could be damn good. The low price though, I find suspicious.
 
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