Completed the story of Mafia III earlier and happy to leave it there. Was really satisfied with the ending I got (with Lincoln leaving New Bordeaux and Vito taking over) and left with some key moments I'll never forget. Sprinkles of genius atop a perfectly-edible, if a little bland, cake.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@Thrillho@RogerRoger The DLC was definitely some good story content. The Shadow Broker was fun to play through and Arrival was a good tie in to ME3. I actually started the 3rd game after I wrapped 2, but forgot about Arrival. After playing it and restarting my 3 save, it actually made the opening make more sense.
"We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real 'greatness' is what you do with the hand you're dealt." -Victor Sullivan "Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing." -Solid Snake
Completed the story of Mafia III earlier and happy to leave it there. Was really satisfied with the ending I got (with Lincoln leaving New Bordeaux and Vito taking over) and left with some key moments I'll never forget. Sprinkles of genius atop a perfectly-edible, if a little bland, cake.
I tried getting through that game, just couldn't. A shame too, because it was really engaging at first.
Just finished Fatal Frame for the PS2. It was a great experience overall, although very reminiscent, in some respects, of Resident Evil. That's not a bad thing, though. Creeping around a haunted mansion solving puzzles and fighting baddies as you incrementally unlock different parts of the house is fundamentally appealing in an almost Metroidvanian way. It's not like this game doesn't have its own identity, though: the much more Japanese setting and especially the ghost photography make it feel fundamentally different from almost anything else I've ever played.
Some aspects of the experience are stronger than others. The English voice work is incredibly bad, although, given the almost dreamlike tone of the game, the stilted line delivery almost kind of works here and can sometimes add to the creepiness. Some of the character models are pretty chunky looking (probably due to it being an early, mid-budget PS2 game), but the (pre-rendered?) backdrops are absolutely gorgeous (in a creepy, haunting sort of way) and go a long way toward making this look nicer than it has any right to. The combat is interesting, and involves building up charges on your camera by targeting ghosts for as long as possible before taking a picture. This does mean it can be easy to pick off a lot of enemies from afar, though, which doesn't seem to totally jive with other game mechanics, like the zero shot, where you wait until the ghost is actively rushing you to take a picture for more points and higher damage. You use points accumulated from battling ghosts to unlock functions on your camera. While I liked gradually powering up the Camera Obscura, I didn't necessarily care for the system that allowed you to use consumable resources to activate special powers, as those powers are very expensive to unlock and don't always work as well as advertised. Overall, though, the combat is fun, creative, and a great alternative to traditional survival horror combat mechanics.
One other annoyance was the behavior of some ghosts, who would often spend much of the battle teleporting behind me, which would often lead to annoying sequences where I'd have to aim, leave the camera mode after they teleport, run to the other end of the room, turn around, aim, only to have to repeat the process a few more times until they decide to actually stay on one side of the room and start attacking.
There's a LOT of good in this game. It's well-paced, giving you a lot of stuff to see and do over the course of eight hours or so. The atmosphere is fantastic, with the visuals and sound design (wailing ghosts and some incredibly creepy music) creating an oppressive and sometimes overwhelming aura of evil in the environment. Many of the ghost designs are great. And the story is simple but effective and pretty sad once you realized what caused this massive haunting to begin with.
The fixed camera angles and tank controls are pretty characteristic of survival horror games at the time. I personally love them, especially when the camera placement gets creepily creative (any sort of drastic viewpoint change in the camera always fills me with apprehension, as this sort of technique is often used to set up environmental scares).
One of the better survival horror games on the PS2. I'm excited to finally get into this series, especially considering this first game is considered by many fans to be the worst entry in the original PS2 trilogy. I can see why this series became such a cult favorite.
@AdamantiumClaws I can certainly understand how some would struggle to complete Mafia III. I'm assuming (which I shouldn't do, apologies) it was because of the repetitive gameplay?
Inadvertantly, I think I stumbled apon a good approach, because I took a couple days out to visit my significant other just after the phenomenal opening and first district. I'd sampled what the grind entailed, but then didn't launch straight into it. When I came back, the new locations and sprinkles of backstory were enough to keep me going.
Conversely, my best friend started it around the same time as me, and she pressed on, to the point where she'd done half of the districts and was forced to take a break for a couple days because it was just too samey and she didn't wanna end up hating the experience.
If you've still got your half-complete save, I recommend trying to finish it someday. The story is great.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger "Take a break for a couple of days"? When I'm burnt out on a game, even for a bit, I really need to let it rest for weeks, sometimes months. And Mafia 3 was such a game for me.
By the way, I've been playing this other mafia style game, Yakuza. Ever considered it? It isn't as progressive as Mafia 3 is (from our Western perspective) for sure, but I think it does a lot of stuff a lot better than Mafia 3.
The side activities in Yakuza really help the world feel alive. And the choice for a small open world really helps you feeling like you really love there. Because you recognize every store and street corner you walk past.
@Kidfried Well, when I say "break" I mean not playing anything, a break from gaming altogether. I could never let a game with a strong narrative rest for any longer than that, because I'd lose track of the characters and story. How long was your break from Mafia III, may I ask?
Every time I've seen an article about Yakuza, I've been sorely tempted. It's not usually my kinda fare, but everybody around here recommends it. I'll add you to that list now, thanks!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger Somewhere in February or something when I last played Mafia 3. I dont even know why we stopped actually. My partner and I just suddenly started playing Mad Max instead, even though we're both no fans of that series. I figure we just really disliked Mafia 3. :')
I find it difficult to assess whether you'll like Yakuza, but if you liked Metal Gear Solid's drama and weirdness and liked the world building of Mafia 3, then it sounds like it is up your alley.
@AdamantiumClaws I can certainly understand how some would struggle to complete Mafia III. I'm assuming (which I shouldn't do, apologies) it was because of the repetitive gameplay?
Inadvertantly, I think I stumbled apon a good approach, because I took a couple days out to visit my significant other just after the phenomenal opening and first district. I'd sampled what the grind entailed, but then didn't launch straight into it. When I came back, the new locations and sprinkles of backstory were enough to keep me going.
Conversely, my best friend started it around the same time as me, and she pressed on, to the point where she'd done half of the districts and was forced to take a break for a couple days because it was just too samey and she didn't wanna end up hating the experience.
If you've still got your half-complete save, I recommend trying to finish it someday. The story is great.
Yeah, it was because of the repetitive gameplay, and most of the missions not really having much story significance. It felt like a tightly strung narrative, and then they just send you around for 36 hours to do small time busywork, and the story ground to a halt. It wouldn't be so bad if there were things to do in the world, but there aren't.
@Kidfried Wow, so you haven't actually finished the Mafia III story? That's one heck of a long break! I think the story's payoff is worth going back for, but your actual mileage may vary.
I think I'd just "like" Yakuza. I'd enjoy them whilst they lasted, but I wouldn't buy the soundtracks or change my desktop wallpaper like I do for other franchises. I always try to keep an open mind, though, and the last time I seriously considered it was when I was playing Sleeping Dogs, which somebody made the connection with. Depends how heavily the crime and choice elements of the game are presented, I suppose.
@AdamantiumClaws I'm never usually one to care about trophies, but I did find it odd that there were no trophies associated with the in-game collectibles or street races in Mafia III, as they struck me as the best of the optional content. I can totally understand your perspective.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger The Yakuza games are less about crime than Mafia 3 actually. They are more about relationships and obligations between people. I think it is very difficult to just "like" the game. You will either be moved by it immediately or not be moved by it at all.
The soundtrack is not great though, so you won't buy that whether you'll love the game or not.
I might get back in Mafia 3, but I played it with my partner. So, I'll not only have to convince myself! Maybe after we've finished South Park and right before Assassin's Creed.
@Kidfried That's quite encouraging to hear. I can get invested on a human level, even if I don't agree with the actions and lifestyles being presented. Awesome; it's on my radar!
I'll hum my own music.
Having just spent a weekend negotiating with my partner over movie choices (one cheesy Hollywood action flick for me, one musical or British comedy for him, etc.) I completely understand the need for multimedia agreement in relationships. Assassin's Creed looks incredible anyway, so it'll get blown out of the water as soon as you start that, I'm sure!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger The Yakuza games are less about crime than Mafia 3 actually. They are more about relationships and obligations between people. I think it is very difficult to just "like" the game. You will either be moved by it immediately or not be moved by it at all.
The soundtrack is not great though, so you won't buy that whether you'll love the game or not.
I might get back in Mafia 3, but I played it with my partner. So, I'll not only have to convince myself! Maybe after we've finished South Park and right before Assassin's Creed.
I've been on the fence about getting the Yakuza games for years. I think it's always been a little off-putting that you can't drive.
I like what I've played of Yakuza 0, but I'm not hugely "moved by it." It's alright. The story is pretty good, and the ridiculous machismo of the characters is entertaining, but the gameplay is a bit repetitive for my tastes (which is less of a problem for other beat em up games that are shorter and often emphasize a variety of interesting levels). The quality of the presentation itself is also somewhat uneven, like Bayonetta, transitioning between cutscenes and these odd visual novel-esque sequences with static images.
@AdamantiumClaws To be clear, Yakuza is not a sandbox game like GTA or Mafia. It's an open world (but not sandbox) beat 'em up game with a strong focus on narrative and side activities. It's a completely different experience, that's why you can't drive because it's not necessary. Everything is reachable within a couple of minutes because the focus is on filling the small open world with tons of things to do in it.
Hmm, yeah, that's why I'm on the fence. Just not sure I would enjoy something like that.
Although maybe I should try it just to know. Because if I don't like it, I certainly won't like Shenmue.
@AdamantiumClaws@RogerRoger
Yes, I would echo what these others have said about Yakuza. I’m only partly (maybe 30%) through Zero and so I’m not an expert, but it does feel different from any other open world beat ‘em up game that I’ve played. The map is fairly small, you can ride a Taxi if you want from one part to another, but it doesn’t take long to just run there. Despite being small, it’s packed with activities.
The protagonists are very lovable. Despite the “mafia” (in this case yakuza) backdrop, I have really identified with Kiryu and Majima. As you go around town helping people, doing side quests, and progressing the story, you can’t help but be smitten by each of their plights. I typically prefer to play as the “good guy” and be the altruistic or noble hero, rather than kill cops and beat up women, and I’ll just say, I really like playing as these guys.
The humor can be a little juvenile, so be forewarned, and it clearly has the Japanese quirkiness that some people may not appreciate. I agree that the length of the game is probably a bit too much, but I can say that about 80% of AAA games coming out recently. I think Kiwami is supposedly more streamlined. But the mini games could keep one going for a long long time if you really wanted to.
As a newbie to the series, just chiming in with my impressions. 😄
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@AdamantiumClaws@RogerRoger
Yes, I would echo what these others have said about Yakuza. I’m only partly (maybe 30%) through Zero and so I’m not an expert, but it does feel different from any other open world beat ‘em up game that I’ve played. The map is fairly small, you can ride a Taxi if you want from one part to another, but it doesn’t take long to just run there. Despite being small, it’s packed with activities.
The protagonists are very lovable. Despite the “mafia” (in this case yakuza) backdrop, I have really identified with Kiryu and Majima. As you go around town helping people, doing side quests, and progressing the story, you can’t help but be smitten by each of their plights. I typically prefer to play as the “good guy” and be the altruistic or noble hero, rather than kill cops and beat up women, and I’ll just say, I really like playing as these guys.
The humor can be a little juvenile, so be forewarned, and it clearly has the Japanese quirkiness that some people may not appreciate. I agree that the length of the game is probably a bit too much, but I can say that about 80% of AAA games coming out recently. I think Kiwami is supposedly more streamlined. But the mini games could keep one going for a long long time if you really wanted to.
As a newbie to the series, just chiming in with my impressions. 😄
That actually sounds fun. I'll check it out when I have time and money
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