we'll get the port details outta the way first
each definitive edition has its own quirks as a release: m1 definitive was a complete reimagining of the first game, 3 served as a "goty edition" style release that only altered the lighting (for the worse) and added in technical issues that the original release supposedly didn't have
this release of 2 is a proper remaster of the original game that also includes the dlcs
but it serves more as one of those impressive fan retexture projects than it does something more comprehensive
as a result, it looks better in some areas and worse than others
the latter of which is due to the jank that is putting higher res textures and more modern saturated lighting on models with animations that weren't made for either
the world looks fantastic, it's downright gorgeous at times (the opening winter segment is a standout), but the character models often have an uncanny quality that wasn't as apparent in the original release
there were also animation downgrades (this is mainly with eyes and how they don't really look around like they used to in cutscenes) and several other very noticeable, very consistent bugs that were never patched out
which makes me want to consider this an inferior port
it's not a terrible way to experience the game, it's the way i first finished this game when it came out, but if you have a chance to play the original release then i'd go with that instead
this rating is for the game itself and not the port job
there are quirks that come with this game's context: a AAA game operating on a lower budget released in 2010
the shooting is okay with a weird reverse-bungie crosshair situation that has it rest much higher up than usual
i got used to this relatively quickly and it doesn't get in the way of things
which is good because while the game definitely feels of its time there's a general spectacle to gunfights that make them feel more dynamic than the other release in this franchise
a big part of that is its physx implementation, but me running on a modern amd gpu and having scenes like shooting up the greaser bar absolutely tank my framerate causing me to turn it off didn't really let up on that fact
the destruction of the environment reminds me of games like max payne 3 and that is a massive compliment
it elevates the standard and at times frustrating gunplay
however that quirk comment doesn't apply to the most frustrating element of this game which is its terrible and inconsistent checkpoint system
there are times where it makes sense, there are many more where it sets you back a couple cutscenes and a solid couple minutes of commute
i've experienced greater frustration in games but rarely are they with games that i otherwise enjoy a fucking lot
and combined with how lethal this game is at times you can get sent back quite far in situations where that punishment doesn't feel appropriate
it also doesn't apply to the driving itself, but thankfully that's a compliment
i really enjoy how cars handle in this game and i think it feels significantly better to commute in this game than it does in any of the others
it's primarily because it commits to being somewhat simulationist in its handling, much like mafia 1, but because it's using cars that are just
better
it feels better, and as time progresses so do the quality of cars you'll find around making things even smoother
it feels great to go fast, it's properly dangerous
it's got that gta level of tactility as well, like if you just run away from a car before the closing door animation finishes the door will just remain open and you can physically run into the door to close it back
something that appears dumb but feels appropriate in the context of a video game
cars play a big role in this game and they are shown the appropriate level of reverence: they are symbols of status as much as they are necessary to go do much of anything
to make money you need a car, and you'll often find yourself treasuring whatever car you have
which is not something that the other mafia games (that i've played, i've yet to play the 2002 original) can really attest to
the general gameplay loop here mirrors what people liked about that first game but with the streamlining that comes with eight years of time
you wake up, you drive to a place and do a job, shit gets fucky, you fix it or don't, then you go home
because missions will often either force you into a specific car that isn't yours and tasks you with not fucking it up, or they'll force you to have to acquire a car yourself, there's a lot of importance placed on treating the general experience with some respect
in mafia 3, i would crash cars all the time and not give a fuck about the top speeds that got me there because all it would take was just getting out and then calling for another car to be delivered to me for the low, low price of free
mafia definitive had me reloading a checkpoint if i ever fucked up
mafia 2, while i ultimately wished i could have that ease of mind, encouraged me to generally be smarter about how i approached things
if i fucked up my car i'd either have to take it to a shop, which at several points in the game is not a reasonable thing to do
so then i'd have to ditch it and steal another
with how many cops are on the map this is always risky, and getting rid of a wanted level just adds more complications
so drive at the speed limit and be careful!
elements like this, the general lethality of combat, and what this game is really about help to create a cohesive experience that the other games don't match up to
the original likely does, as i've heard, and i'll get to it one day
but this will likely remain one of shiniest rough gems in open world crime games
however, most of that is due to the story
i've talked about it in my other write ups about mafia but the strength of these games' narratives is how they will put the plate in front of you
gives you a fork, a knife, a glass of water
but it won't ever force feed you what you should be getting out of it
you gotta do that legwork yourself, actually thinking about how things might connect together in spite of how often video gamey the presentation can be
what you're left with, if you do, is a nuanced crime story that rivals many of the greats in terms of its themes and compelling characters
all the games offer different perspectives on the typical crime story with this one being the most compelling given how cohesive the gameplay package is
an immigrant whose family came to america to chase the dream that never existed, leading to a life of crime where he wished to become a big timer in a city that would never let him
vito scaletta and joe barbaro are the ever present fall guys
the goons to be used that are never quite on the ball enough to realize it
the death of tommy angelo in the first game, characterized as a tragic but inevitable end to that mobster's life, is in this game treated as a desperate bid to make as much cash as quickly as possible to pay off a debt that came from an overtly bad idea
but when you're in the gutter the money seems like it's worth the risk
this is the typical tale of the rise and fall that portrays the rise more as a promotion from associate to management
and the fall an inevitable outcome in a system that punishes every mistake with death and violence
it's hard not to blame the protagonists for their rash and often explosive reactions when that's what they've been taught to do
mafia 3's setup is immediately more engaging given how unabashedly poltiical it is
it's completely unafraid to be a statement in that way
but vito's downfall is told with a greater sense of grace that never loses consistency in tone or quality
if you're just watching the cutscenes it's definitely a product of its time, there isn't much that's inspired about the direction or the voice acting
everything is competent at the very least
but chew on things and just
try to get past the gristle
it's a white man's story for white men (the subject of italians being white or not is not present in this game but feel free to bring it up yourself i'm too white to stop you)
there are elements of this game that handles the topic of race with grace but much like everything else you have to look past what the game is actually putting in your face and give it the thought that it deserves only sometimes in this case
meanwhile this game definitely fails the bechdel test - often women are just objects to be oogled at and nothing more
these are elements that definitely deserve criticism and they often fly in the face of how smart it is otherwise
because while the game treats machismo driven violence as the selfish drive that it is regardless of the reasoning of its application
and the distribution of hard drugs in black neighborhoods as the abhorrent con that only serves the oppressors distributing the poison
it also has out of place nude playboys as the primary collectible and liberal usage of racial slurs that are often not commented on
mafia 3 following this game is wild considering how well it handles the topic of race while also not shying away from characters being racist pieces of shit
2016 was very different from 2010, i guess
but man is this cut lean
the, frankly, shit elements of the narrative combined with the general gameplay quirks keep me from calling this a greatest of all time experience, but i've left a LOT of what makes this game as engaging and thoughtful as it is out
i don't feel like listing everything and writing a comprehensive review, this is me just putting my opinion out there
go play it for yourself cunt, it really is a uniquely good game
its cohesion should not be ignored
the ending, too, while abrupt in a fashion that exemplifies the "ignore how video gamey it all is just give it some time to stew" aspect of this game's storytelling
is a knockout, a real gut punch that comes fast but doesn't hurt until a while later
must play for its genre
each definitive edition has its own quirks as a release: m1 definitive was a complete reimagining of the first game, 3 served as a "goty edition" style release that only altered the lighting (for the worse) and added in technical issues that the original release supposedly didn't have
this release of 2 is a proper remaster of the original game that also includes the dlcs
but it serves more as one of those impressive fan retexture projects than it does something more comprehensive
as a result, it looks better in some areas and worse than others
the latter of which is due to the jank that is putting higher res textures and more modern saturated lighting on models with animations that weren't made for either
the world looks fantastic, it's downright gorgeous at times (the opening winter segment is a standout), but the character models often have an uncanny quality that wasn't as apparent in the original release
there were also animation downgrades (this is mainly with eyes and how they don't really look around like they used to in cutscenes) and several other very noticeable, very consistent bugs that were never patched out
which makes me want to consider this an inferior port
it's not a terrible way to experience the game, it's the way i first finished this game when it came out, but if you have a chance to play the original release then i'd go with that instead
this rating is for the game itself and not the port job
there are quirks that come with this game's context: a AAA game operating on a lower budget released in 2010
the shooting is okay with a weird reverse-bungie crosshair situation that has it rest much higher up than usual
i got used to this relatively quickly and it doesn't get in the way of things
which is good because while the game definitely feels of its time there's a general spectacle to gunfights that make them feel more dynamic than the other release in this franchise
a big part of that is its physx implementation, but me running on a modern amd gpu and having scenes like shooting up the greaser bar absolutely tank my framerate causing me to turn it off didn't really let up on that fact
the destruction of the environment reminds me of games like max payne 3 and that is a massive compliment
it elevates the standard and at times frustrating gunplay
however that quirk comment doesn't apply to the most frustrating element of this game which is its terrible and inconsistent checkpoint system
there are times where it makes sense, there are many more where it sets you back a couple cutscenes and a solid couple minutes of commute
i've experienced greater frustration in games but rarely are they with games that i otherwise enjoy a fucking lot
and combined with how lethal this game is at times you can get sent back quite far in situations where that punishment doesn't feel appropriate
it also doesn't apply to the driving itself, but thankfully that's a compliment
i really enjoy how cars handle in this game and i think it feels significantly better to commute in this game than it does in any of the others
it's primarily because it commits to being somewhat simulationist in its handling, much like mafia 1, but because it's using cars that are just
better
it feels better, and as time progresses so do the quality of cars you'll find around making things even smoother
it feels great to go fast, it's properly dangerous
it's got that gta level of tactility as well, like if you just run away from a car before the closing door animation finishes the door will just remain open and you can physically run into the door to close it back
something that appears dumb but feels appropriate in the context of a video game
cars play a big role in this game and they are shown the appropriate level of reverence: they are symbols of status as much as they are necessary to go do much of anything
to make money you need a car, and you'll often find yourself treasuring whatever car you have
which is not something that the other mafia games (that i've played, i've yet to play the 2002 original) can really attest to
the general gameplay loop here mirrors what people liked about that first game but with the streamlining that comes with eight years of time
you wake up, you drive to a place and do a job, shit gets fucky, you fix it or don't, then you go home
because missions will often either force you into a specific car that isn't yours and tasks you with not fucking it up, or they'll force you to have to acquire a car yourself, there's a lot of importance placed on treating the general experience with some respect
in mafia 3, i would crash cars all the time and not give a fuck about the top speeds that got me there because all it would take was just getting out and then calling for another car to be delivered to me for the low, low price of free
mafia definitive had me reloading a checkpoint if i ever fucked up
mafia 2, while i ultimately wished i could have that ease of mind, encouraged me to generally be smarter about how i approached things
if i fucked up my car i'd either have to take it to a shop, which at several points in the game is not a reasonable thing to do
so then i'd have to ditch it and steal another
with how many cops are on the map this is always risky, and getting rid of a wanted level just adds more complications
so drive at the speed limit and be careful!
elements like this, the general lethality of combat, and what this game is really about help to create a cohesive experience that the other games don't match up to
the original likely does, as i've heard, and i'll get to it one day
but this will likely remain one of shiniest rough gems in open world crime games
however, most of that is due to the story
i've talked about it in my other write ups about mafia but the strength of these games' narratives is how they will put the plate in front of you
gives you a fork, a knife, a glass of water
but it won't ever force feed you what you should be getting out of it
you gotta do that legwork yourself, actually thinking about how things might connect together in spite of how often video gamey the presentation can be
what you're left with, if you do, is a nuanced crime story that rivals many of the greats in terms of its themes and compelling characters
all the games offer different perspectives on the typical crime story with this one being the most compelling given how cohesive the gameplay package is
an immigrant whose family came to america to chase the dream that never existed, leading to a life of crime where he wished to become a big timer in a city that would never let him
vito scaletta and joe barbaro are the ever present fall guys
the goons to be used that are never quite on the ball enough to realize it
the death of tommy angelo in the first game, characterized as a tragic but inevitable end to that mobster's life, is in this game treated as a desperate bid to make as much cash as quickly as possible to pay off a debt that came from an overtly bad idea
but when you're in the gutter the money seems like it's worth the risk
this is the typical tale of the rise and fall that portrays the rise more as a promotion from associate to management
and the fall an inevitable outcome in a system that punishes every mistake with death and violence
it's hard not to blame the protagonists for their rash and often explosive reactions when that's what they've been taught to do
mafia 3's setup is immediately more engaging given how unabashedly poltiical it is
it's completely unafraid to be a statement in that way
but vito's downfall is told with a greater sense of grace that never loses consistency in tone or quality
if you're just watching the cutscenes it's definitely a product of its time, there isn't much that's inspired about the direction or the voice acting
everything is competent at the very least
but chew on things and just
try to get past the gristle
it's a white man's story for white men (the subject of italians being white or not is not present in this game but feel free to bring it up yourself i'm too white to stop you)
there are elements of this game that handles the topic of race with grace but much like everything else you have to look past what the game is actually putting in your face and give it the thought that it deserves only sometimes in this case
meanwhile this game definitely fails the bechdel test - often women are just objects to be oogled at and nothing more
these are elements that definitely deserve criticism and they often fly in the face of how smart it is otherwise
because while the game treats machismo driven violence as the selfish drive that it is regardless of the reasoning of its application
and the distribution of hard drugs in black neighborhoods as the abhorrent con that only serves the oppressors distributing the poison
it also has out of place nude playboys as the primary collectible and liberal usage of racial slurs that are often not commented on
mafia 3 following this game is wild considering how well it handles the topic of race while also not shying away from characters being racist pieces of shit
2016 was very different from 2010, i guess
but man is this cut lean
the, frankly, shit elements of the narrative combined with the general gameplay quirks keep me from calling this a greatest of all time experience, but i've left a LOT of what makes this game as engaging and thoughtful as it is out
i don't feel like listing everything and writing a comprehensive review, this is me just putting my opinion out there
go play it for yourself cunt, it really is a uniquely good game
its cohesion should not be ignored
the ending, too, while abrupt in a fashion that exemplifies the "ignore how video gamey it all is just give it some time to stew" aspect of this game's storytelling
is a knockout, a real gut punch that comes fast but doesn't hurt until a while later
must play for its genre