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
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.