Mafia 2... sigh.

[Booze Zombie]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/111/1114635p1.html

The horror, the horror, ive been waiting 8 years for this.

*Sigh* Even though its a mainstream reviewing site, this still made me want to fall on the ground, ive already preordered it on steam and probably cant do anything about it. Or is there a way to cancel the deal i made?

I don't put much stock in IGN's reviews, they seems quite... bad.
They might correctly call a game good or bad at times, but they rarely explain the reasons so you can decide for yourself if it's bad or not.

 

[Woodsey]

IT'S NOT FUCKING GTA. How hard is that for people to understand?

The open-world is a backdrop. That doesn't instantly mean you need to be able to run around with a rocket-launcher and do missions in whatever order you bloody well like; there's a reason why GTA IV and RDR have some of the worst narrative-pacing known to man you know.

It's a linear, story-driven game with an open-world. It is not a non-linear sandbox.

Clearly you have not been waiting for this game for 8 years, or you'd known the difference.

Don't go dragging RDR into this, that game was awesome in its own rights.

What I want to know is how far off the beaten path can you go? Is there spaces between missions where you can do whatever you want for any amount of time, or is there some annoying timer on your screen counting down to the next mission? Linearity is fine as long as the lines are drawn wide.

Yes, it was. And it's narrative suffered because of the non-linear mission structure.

Anyway: you're always in a mission in Mafia. You can buy clothes, weapons, modify your car and explore in the time between you leaving your apartment and the bulk of the mission beginning, but that's too prepare for the most part. There's no timer set on it.

The missions go through linearly, and you don't get "down time" in between them where you then get 3 mission icons that appear on your map to choose from. There's a "down time" of sorts between leaving the apartment (of wherever the cutscene opens) and going to the main part of the mission, and between completing the main part of the mission and returning wherever you need to. Once you (for instance) return to your apartment, there'll be a closing cutscene and then the opening cutscene of the next mission starts up.

One final question : After playing the demo, what did you think the final product was going to be? Considering the open world, i thought that, yeah it was going to be an open world game, i thought the timer was merely for the demo.

The timer is merely for the demo...

 

[A Pious Cultist]

I already sort of expected this.

In the demo the city was barren, you could buy food and drinks from diners but it didn't do anything. You couldn't speak to anyone, you couldn't buy a newspaper that told you about the mafia's latest exploits or anything to that tune. Nothing except attacking random strangers.

Why on earth let people roam freely if there's no motivation to? Why build a whole city when you're only going to be navigating a small portion of it? It seems an easy way to make a game seem lifeless and empty and a great way to waste development resources.

The phone conversations were also incredibly boring, having a few cinematic shots of him and a backlit shot of the guy speaking to him like the film cliche would have been way more interesting.

 

[The Lost Big Boss]

Now I played the demo and everything Greg said was what I thought demo wise. The shooting was not that good, the cover mechanic is good but not great. The fact it presented itself as an open world but it was a linear game was a big turn off. I am all for linear games, but don't put up a smoke screen to trick me.

Ahh yes, that giant smoke-screen of the first game being in the same style, and every interview with developers talking about how the game is linear so that they may focus on the narrative.

I never played the first one so I would't know. And I didn't pay attention to the game media wise. Still it feels like a cock tease, and any one who didn't pay attention to the game would be extremely disappointed. But thats what a review is for, informing the respected audience of ones opinion of the game and the goods and bads of it.

From the looks of it you seem to be a big Mafia fan, sorry if I don't like your game. It just played like a mediocre 3rd person shooter.

I don't care if you don't like it, I just take issue with you blaming the developers for something that's been made perfectly clear. Just like I take issue with reviewers that unrelentingly compare the game to GTA and then complain about it's linearity, despite the connections to it being loose at best.

He didn't complain about the it being linear, he even said,

"You're not going to wander around the streets of Mafia II picking up odd jobs and meeting strangers; this is a world built around the missions you're doing.
Is this a bad thing? Of course not ? it's just something worth pointing out, seeing as it'd be easy to look at this game and think there are hours of freedom in it."

You know how many games have been advertised on the site only to get a 6.5 or something of that nature? Ya, I can see the suitcases of money right under the table (Eye roll)

Yeah, you're right.. GTA 4 was a perfect 10 on it's own merits. (Condescending eye roll)

It's not the score that I have a problem with really, opinions are opinions. I just find the review to be rather lazy overall. They miss a lot of things, use unnecessary comments and filler.. talk about one aspect for too long. It's a long-standing tradition with IGN, which is why I don't really pay much attention to them anymore.

IGN seems to be transitioning into the super-corporate segment of entertainment. I see IGN as the future X-Play and whatever channel it is they belong to. Not to be taken seriously at all.

There really isn't many review sites worthy of praise today. Word of mouth, and places like the Escapist, where it's all about the community, are about all we have, as discerning gamers.

I read the review and it sounded like he got most of the key aspects of the game, good and bad. He even pointed out the cops AI, something you said he missed witch leads me to believe you didn't read the review but watched the video version.

As for GTA 4 getting a 10. When a game is so good that it pushes the boundaries (Witch it did) it deserves a 10. Looking at games in retrospect can give a better view on a games lasting on gaming.
For example, in three years from now, do you think anyone is going to give a shit about Modern Warfare 2, or even Black Ops for that matter? No. Now in five years ask people about GTA 4, or even something like Resident Evil 4 and people will remember how it helped evolve gaming.

 

[Nvv]

IT'S NOT FUCKING GTA. How hard is that for people to understand?

The open-world is a backdrop. That doesn't instantly mean you need to be able to run around with a rocket-launcher and do missions in whatever order you bloody well like; there's a reason why GTA IV and RDR have some of the worst narrative-pacing known to man you know.

It's a linear, story-driven game with an open-world. It is not a non-linear sandbox.

Clearly you have not been waiting for this game for 8 years, or you'd known the difference.

Don't go dragging RDR into this, that game was awesome in its own rights.

What I want to know is how far off the beaten path can you go? Is there spaces between missions where you can do whatever you want for any amount of time, or is there some annoying timer on your screen counting down to the next mission? Linearity is fine as long as the lines are drawn wide.

I think he meant to criticize the narrative pacing of RDR, not the game itself. (I loove the game, but admit the story pace is weird at best.)

On the timer thingie: I don't think (not 100% sure) that there will be timers between missions. Or in the start-phase of missions. The timer is purely to make the demo more compact, forcing people to actually experience the story.

 

[iGiac]

ITT: People who know nothing about IGN or the people who work there.

If you can't give me the name of the reviewer off the top of your head and what he's like personality wise, then you have no business insulting them.

Of course, if you know nothing about someone why would you listen to them?

IGN has some of the best editors personality wise, but of course they're big and popular so you all have to hate them.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

Just be calm and try to enjoy yourself when you are actually playing the game. Sure, there may be some flaws, but what game doesn't? It has a good story and good gameplay. Just do the story missions and enjoy the ride.

 

[SyphonX]

I read the review and it sounded like he got most of the key aspects of the game, good and bad. He even pointed out the cops AI, something you said he missed witch leads me to believe you didn't read the review but watched the video version.

You're right, he does talk about it at the very end. I must have missed it in between the picture and the closing comments. He doesn't go into much detail on it, though.

I actually haven't watched the video review. I've read the IGN and IGN AU reviews though.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

Here is what they said for the cops:

"In a similar vein, police in Mafia II can be interestingly aggressive and annoyingly conscientious. The game uses a cool mechanic where cops will report your license plate or clothing description, and then it's up to you to make it to a chop shop or clothing store to throw them off the trail. Other times they'll be stopping you for speeding or fender benders (while they ignore you blowing through red lights). Most of the time, I dodged these issues without a problem, but during one of the final missions, I ran into the fuzz three separate times on three blind turns and had to get out of the car each time so that I could wait while they wrote me a ticket."

Yeah they didnt hate it, but i agree its hit or miss.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

I read the review and it sounded like he got most of the key aspects of the game, good and bad. He even pointed out the cops AI, something you said he missed witch leads me to believe you didn't read the review but watched the video version.

You're right, he does talk about it at the very end. I must have missed it in between the picture and the closing comments. He doesn't go into much detail on it, though.

I actually haven't watched the video review. I've read the IGN and IGN AU reviews though.

oh ho, a whole paragraph on one game mechanic isnt enough for you?

 

[Retardinator]

They gave it WHAT!?
And they wrote WHAT!?
And they said WHAT!?
Smarmy little sorry ass...

Oh wait, I'm supposed to be constructive here *ahem*
While everything IGN said is mostly true, I was anticipating this game more for the story than the gameplay mechanics. The roaming between missions is a nice touch, rather than keeping it strictly linear as with the previous installment. It's all in the details, though.

 

[Booze Zombie]

For example, in three years from now, do you think anyone is going to give a shit about Modern Warfare 2, or even Black Ops for that matter? No. Now in five years ask people about GTA 4, or even something like Resident Evil 4 and people will remember how it helped evolve gaming.

Pardon me here, but how exactly did GTA 4 change anything?
It let you heal with food, dick about in a city and play through a story whilst hiding behind walls and hide an entire arsenal in your coat.

Plenty of games have done this.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

For example, in three years from now, do you think anyone is going to give a shit about Modern Warfare 2, or even Black Ops for that matter? No. Now in five years ask people about GTA 4, or even something like Resident Evil 4 and people will remember how it helped evolve gaming.

Pardon me here, but how exactly did GTA 4 change anything?
It let you heal with food, dick about in a city and play through a story whilst hiding behind walls and hide an entire arsenal in your coat.

Plenty of games have done this.

It will be remembered as the greatest cash-in in gaming ever! That and modern warfare 2 and Super mario galaxy 2.

 

[Phoenixlight]

If you preordered it, the story obviously appealed to you so just ignore I.G.N.

 

[VladmirL]

Don't let a review decide for you if a game is good or not, just go play it and decide for yourself.
Besides IGN is a terrible reviewer to base any opinion off.
I personally lost all respect for them as a source when they gave Assassin's Creed a 7.5. I thought that game was amazing.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

If you preordered it, the story obviously appealed to you so just ignore I.G.N.

Yes, it *smartass tone* appealed to my demographic.

 

[SyphonX]

oh ho, a whole paragraph on one game mechanic isnt enough for you?

It's a paragraph explaining virtually nothing. The reader would have to read up on the game to understand what he's talking about here. Most people would assume the "ticket" remark at the end was a joke. It's a closing remark after all.

There is no mention of being able to bribe them. There is no mention of the witness system if you rob a shop. The owner will call the cops (if he's alive), and cops will come and question him. If you go near them, the cashier will point you out.

The cops don't simply chase you and play bumper cars over nothing. You have options, and their responses are dynamic and elevate accordingly. I consider this an innovation, because I don't remember a game that's ever done it. He didn't elaborate on any of this at all.

I'm not obligated to feel grateful just because he wrote a paragraph of filler, minus all explainable detail.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

Although it was a pretty shallow review that's hard to take seriously, the gameplay doesn't look that exciting, even compared to The Getaway, which I liked quite a bit. Also, if the game can be finished in 10 hours and there's nothing to do besides collecting pin-ups, that is pretty empty as well.

There was a demo so I would trust that over a review anyway.

I PLAYED the demo! Okay? Just wanted to make that clear

 

[Woodsey]

oh ho, a whole paragraph on one game mechanic isnt enough for you?

It's a paragraph explaining virtually nothing. The reader would have to read up on the game to understand what he's talking about here. Most people would assume the "ticket" remark at the end was a joke. It's a closing remark after all.

There is no mention of being able to bribe them. There is no mention of the witness system if you rob a shop. The owner will call the cops (if he's alive), and cops will come and question him. If you go near them, the cashier will point you out.

The cops don't simply chase you and play bumper cars over nothing. You have options, and their responses are dynamic and elevate accordingly. I consider this an innovation, because I don't remember a game that's ever done it. He didn't elaborate on any of this at all.

I'm not obligated to feel grateful just because he wrote a paragraph of filler, minus all explainable detail.

Oooh, I could kiss you.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

oh ho, a whole paragraph on one game mechanic isnt enough for you?

It's a paragraph explaining virtually nothing. The reader would have to read up on the game to understand what he's talking about here. Most people would assume the "ticket" remark at the end was a joke. It's a closing remark after all.

There is no mention of being able to bribe them. There is no mention of the witness system if you rob a shop. The owner will call the cops (if he's alive), and cops will come and question him. If you go near them, the cashier will point you out.

The cops don't simply chase you and play bumper cars over nothing. You have options, and their responses are dynamic and elevate accordingly. I consider this an innovation, because I don't remember a game that's ever done it. He didn't elaborate on any of this at all.

I'm not obligated to feel grateful just because he wrote a paragraph of filler, minus all explainable detail.

Oooh, I could kiss you.

Yeah thats true, i thought the fact that robbing a shop and the cashier calling the cops and they show up to question was pretty cool, but the bribe system was about the same as going to jail and getting bailed out. [like, yes omg i said it, gta]