Mafia II is Not a Game
- Thread starter Russ Pitts
- Start date
First of all, I haven't played the game yet, but I wanted to put my two cents in. Rock, Paper, Shotgun's John Walker reviewed the game and was somewhat critical of the game in general and the story in particular. The bloke is big on storytelling, a reputed reviewer and a huge Mafia fan. It's not like if it were written in stone, and I really, really want this game to be amazing; but it seems to be divisive at best.ALuckyChance said:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/08/28/wot-i-think-mafia-ii/
I can't say I have anything to add as far as Mafia 2 goes, as I have no interest in the game what so ever and have not played it, but I do need to commend the column in general. While one could argue that this particular column borders on pretentious, this is the sort of writing I enjoy. It immediately brings to mind other Escapist articles like Yahtzee's Extra Punctuation or MovieBob's Intermission (or even, to some extent, the old Afterthoughts section from EGM). It embraces the idea that while the review of a game should be self contained, there's often more to say and more to discuss that doesn't really fit into that main compartment. G4's web presence has really done extremely well with this sort of thing in it's Talkabout, Feedback and Sessler's Soapbox video entries and I would love to see this sort of extended commentary added for all of The Escapist's major reviews.
Shame the gameplay isn't as stellar. Can't see me spending anything more than a rental on it. In the end, the most vital aspect of a game is the gameplay, the thing that sets it aside from story-driven books and to a smaller (but not by much) extent movies.
I can probably accept the interactive theater classification, but not when it's priced like a game.
I can probably accept the interactive theater classification, but not when it's priced like a game.
Worse. He's actually Editor in Chief of the entire site. Disagree all you like, but you might want to rethink the "stupid" bit.Furburt said:
I am liking that lately(as in the last few years) there have been successful games that have a story, if you take a small look under the mayhem and fun and you get a deep story to rival most other media.
I do think since the game was JUST released, relative, that people who like the game are playing through rose-tinted glasses. It will probably take a few playthroughs before something purely analytical to come. But until then it is still a very fun game.
EDIT:
And
I restate that you are posting things just before me to entertain me for some reason.. Crazy Susan.
I do think since the game was JUST released, relative, that people who like the game are playing through rose-tinted glasses. It will probably take a few playthroughs before something purely analytical to come. But until then it is still a very fun game.
EDIT:
hahahahahaha.....Susan Arendt said:
And
I restate that you are posting things just before me to entertain me for some reason.. Crazy Susan.
This game is interactive theater and the way it ends is proof of that. In GTA 4 when the game ends, you still have the rest of the world to play around in. In Mafia 2 when the game ends, you can't play in the world pass that point because the developers on some level believed the world is nothing more than a stage for what happens and what is the point now that the story is over. The world falls on it ass without the story and it cannot get back up without it.
Russ could have equally said similar things about the original 'Mafia'. Both are effectively interactive films.
The first 'Mafia' even had the tagline "Welcome to the game of the greatest 1930s gangster film Scorsese never made."
I like to see games as a form of art. An entertainment medium of the modern age. I think nothing exemplifies this more than the Mafia series of games. They strike an emotional chord in a similar way a movie could - while still being a game. Even though I'm at uni my xbox is back home - and even my mum (who hates videogames) likes Mafia 2 from what she's seen and heard of it.
It blends cinema and videogames excellently. I can't wait for LA Noire to come out. I think that could be a genre-definer, if it works out well and as promised. It would finally demolish any stigma videogames have as some sort of 'lower' form of entertainment.
The first 'Mafia' even had the tagline "Welcome to the game of the greatest 1930s gangster film Scorsese never made."
I like to see games as a form of art. An entertainment medium of the modern age. I think nothing exemplifies this more than the Mafia series of games. They strike an emotional chord in a similar way a movie could - while still being a game. Even though I'm at uni my xbox is back home - and even my mum (who hates videogames) likes Mafia 2 from what she's seen and heard of it.
It blends cinema and videogames excellently. I can't wait for LA Noire to come out. I think that could be a genre-definer, if it works out well and as promised. It would finally demolish any stigma videogames have as some sort of 'lower' form of entertainment.
The game to me was a huge disappointment. I finished the whole thing in five to six hours. There was very little to do outside of the main story. It truly is just a too long interactive movie.
Every Mafia story needs to be well told and well written.
Mafia 2 does this brilliantly.
Fuck sandbox. I don't need to be able to do crazy little side missions to appreciate the aesthetics of a truly brilliant and fairly original Mafia storyline. If anything, they would ruin it. They would side-track you from the story and the progression. We didn't care about linearity 10 years ago. Why the f*** should we care about it now?
Even a sandbox game such a GTA4 or SR2 restricts you at the start. There are certain places you can't go, weapons you can't obtain. However, in Mafia 2, you have complete access to every part of the map and every store from the start of Chapter 2. Halfway through, you have the ability to bust up a cop, steal his gun and go on a rampage. On Hard difficulty, I ended that chapter with a Thompson, Shotgun and 2 Handguns. Also, by the end of the same chapter, one is able to steal any car in the game world and both store and modify them.
The only downside is how aprubtly the story ended, although there is more than a slim chance DLC will fix that.
Mafia 2 does this brilliantly.
Fuck sandbox. I don't need to be able to do crazy little side missions to appreciate the aesthetics of a truly brilliant and fairly original Mafia storyline. If anything, they would ruin it. They would side-track you from the story and the progression. We didn't care about linearity 10 years ago. Why the f*** should we care about it now?
Even a sandbox game such a GTA4 or SR2 restricts you at the start. There are certain places you can't go, weapons you can't obtain. However, in Mafia 2, you have complete access to every part of the map and every store from the start of Chapter 2. Halfway through, you have the ability to bust up a cop, steal his gun and go on a rampage. On Hard difficulty, I ended that chapter with a Thompson, Shotgun and 2 Handguns. Also, by the end of the same chapter, one is able to steal any car in the game world and both store and modify them.
The only downside is how aprubtly the story ended, although there is more than a slim chance DLC will fix that.
I didn't respond to Mafia 2 as well as Russ did (I didn't think the execution of storyline was that well done), but I do think it is certainly a step in the right direction, and more than just a videogame.
Which is probably why it appears not to be doing so well critically. I.e. it's not your generic third person shooter.
Which is probably why it appears not to be doing so well critically. I.e. it's not your generic third person shooter.
I could make a thoughtful comment on an interesting article, or I could make fun of your typo because I'm shallow and lazy. Let's see....
HAHA! TYPO!
Even though in this instance it was purely for emphasis I do reserve the right to call anyone who seems to think that games has to transcend into another art form to be properly apreciated as art stupid no matter the context or the potential consequenses, that being said I really hope he isn't personally offended; he seems like a nice dude and it would sadden me greatly if any perceived insult of mine had him sleepless with tears.Susan Arendt said:
Though I doubt that is very likely.