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Post by mslo79 on May 14, 2020 12:44:05 GMT
I never thought I would see the day they remade that masterpiece (a word I rarely use) as I still replay the original here and there to this day (although I use 'widescreen fix' and 'unlimited draw distance' mod to enhance the game a bit since with the widescreen fix it displays properly on more modern resolutions like 1080p and the draw distance just shows more objects in the distance which increase visuals to some degree as modern CPU's can easily handle it) as I most recently replayed it on it's 16th anniversary in Aug 2018 and it still delivered a great experience as Mafia (2002) (on PC) is my #1 video game experience to date as it rivals high quality movies which is quite difficult for a video game to do (it's ending leaves me with a strong feeling that only high quality movies can pull off) and just has a great all around feel to it. I replay the Mafia games (primarily the first two) here and there as the years pass and they never fail to deliver a strong experience. while Mafia (2002) is a masterpiece, Mafia II (2010) did not quite fully capture the magic of the first game but it's still probably my 2nd favorite video game experience to date (the 3rd game, Mafia III (2016), is a bit underrated as the characters/story are strong etc but some stuff is a bit off in it as it feels a bit rushed and not as polished as the first two etc). I like one side mission in Mafia II (2010) that plays off nostalgia in the first game but for those who did not play the first game it will just seem like 'just another mission' sort of thing.
I just hope they don't dumb the Mafia (2002) remake down a bit, which I suspect they will on some level (but as long as the core experience is intact, like with weapons feel and story/characters etc, all is good at the end of the day). like one thing I liked in the first game for example (which is not like a typical shooter)... say you got a Tommy Gun, which has a 50 round drum, and you fire off one shot and reload, you will lose those 49 shots of ammo which forces you to be a bit more strategic in when you reload your guns since you want to run the guns ammo as low as possible before reloading (the pump action shotgun is not effected by this though naturally given the way they reload ammo). because if you have a habit of reloading your weapons after firing off a few shots, like I suspect many do with your typical shooter, you could run out of ammo quickly. but I know the game well as I pretty much know when you can go off with ammo vs times you need to conserve a bit. because in a typical shooter (along with Mafia II etc) in that same scenario all that would happen after you fired off one shot and reloaded the Tommy Gun is it would deduct one shot from your reserve ammo and you would not lose any ammo. this is not a show stopper but I hope they keep this, or at least make it a option in the games options as this way it helps keep the experience as close as possible to the original game.
also, one thing for those who played the original game on the PC back in the day prior to the patch coming out for the game is... the 'racing mission' is quite difficult to beat (for the record... I did beat it pre-patch but it was quite frustrating as I consider myself pretty good at racing games and it's almost luck to win as you have to drive nearly perfectly to win) where as after they patched the game, that racing mission is a cake walk. but this was for the better as it was unnecessarily difficult.
also, another thing... they better use the exact audio files (like voice acting and score etc) from the first game in the remake to as that would likely totally screw with the experience if they don't. besides, the person who voiced Salieri died in the year 2010 who has a small part in Back to the Future (1985). so it's not like they can have him update anything if they where to add some missions etc.
just looking at the four pictures there in that article in relation to the Mafia remake... the one with the fire in it I definitely remember that one as Tommy(the main character you play as)/Salieri(the main character mob boss) were having a meal and... a bunch of guys come attempting to whack Salieri and you have to escape out the back and go around the back to the front of that building attempting to take them out before the kill the boss (Salieri). once done I remember something like... Salieri walking out the front reloading his pistol cleaning his ears out a bit from the noise and saying something to the main character like, 'you got balls Tommy' etc.
but anyways... I figure worst case, this remake will be a solid addition to the original as I still suspect ill be replaying the original here and there as the years pass but hopefully this is a strong remake to where it will join a small list of games worth replaying from time-to-time as the years/decades pass.
they are touching up Mafia II (2010) also but that won't be as obvious since it's graphics ain't as much of a difference as the originals are in comparison to modern graphics. because Mafia II's graphics are close enough to today's but Mafia's graphics are a much more obvious improvement.
for the record... the GTA (Grand Theft Auto) games can't touch Mafia series as the GTA games lack something as I think the GTA games those feel more cartoon-ish where as Mafia has a more sophisticated feel/tone etc to it. they just can't capture the magic the Mafia series (primarily the first two Mafia games) have. because when playing through the single player, which is what these games are all about when is all said and done, Mafia is clearly a much superior experience.
That could be interesting if they do a few tweaks here and there but since the guy who voiced Salieri died in 2010 (he appeared in Back to the Future (1985)) it can't be anything in relation to that character being new. but I think they can easily work around that though since he's not the central character but plays the boss of the character the main character(Tommy) works for and they can just stick to side missions not related to the main characters boss.
I just hope they don't go too crazy with the additions to the game as I prefer it's stays pretty close to a exact copy of the original (but with updated graphics obviously) since if you start messing with it too much it could damage the overall experience.
but I think the main thing is this... as long as the core feel etc is intact with the same score/voice acting, I think everything will be great. then they could possibly add-in some side missions as I don't think that will have a negative impact on the game but will be a solid bonus. like maybe 5-10 additional side missions in addition to ALL of the stuff from the first game.
I hope they keep the core weapons feel etc the same, or at least same-ish. but I have a feeling they will remove the more realistic weapons reload with ammo loss which I hope if they do end up doing that, they give people a option to make it react like the original game does in the games options even if it's disabled by default.
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Post by Pangolin on May 16, 2020 10:28:14 GMT
The screenshots for the Mafia 1 remake look great, but I hope they won't cater to SJW-demands with this one.
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Post by mslo79 on May 25, 2020 0:41:05 GMT
I briefly tested ' Mafia 2 Definitive Edition (2020)' (on PC) and surprisingly everything actually works better than the original release in 2010 as I did not expect that to happen since in general better graphics usually equals lower performance but even with the improved graphics it runs better than the 2010 release even when I max out the graphics at 1080p and enable PhysX from the games 'settings.xml' file and run it on MAX PhysX. basically the section that reads "<Apex>2</Apex>" (NOTE: PhysX off = 0, Lower PhysX = 1, Maximum PhysX = 2). I still get around a 45fps (fps = frames per second) for the average on my i3-2120 CPU paired with a 1050 Ti 4GB GPU in the games built-in benchmark demo test and that's basically maxed out graphics @ 1080p. NOTE: for measure... around 30fps is playable, 60fps+ is liquid smooth/perfect experience. NOTE: according to the games official minimum requirements it claims one needs a "i5-2500K" CPU at the minimum, but that's clearly not needed given my experience with the benchmark test which is a pretty good indicator of how the overall game will run for you. I could probably boost my frame rate further by lowering some unnecessary graphics options (i.e. ones that have very little overall visual impact but generally impact performance noticeably) but I figure what I have now is plenty enough and I get maximum visuals. p.s. I am running it under Linux Mint v19.3-Cinnamon using Lutris/Wine combo (pretty much everyone reading this will be playing it on Windows like usual though since the version I am using is for Windows but Lutris/Wine can play some Windows games under Linux well and thankfully Mafia 2 Definitive Edition is one of them). but by default in Lutris it was using DXVK v1.7L-xxxxxx which was only running the game at 15fps for the average in benchmark test, which is not playable (it's not far from a interactive slide show  ), but when I changed it back to v1.6.1L, it made a world of difference and jumped up to 45fps for the average. I often get 50 something or higher FPS as even during the more taxing times in the benchmark test it does not seem to drop below 30 something FPS. but as far as general 'frames per second'... I already mentioned the 30fps and 60fps stuff, but to go a little further... even for someone desperate to play the game you could probably get by if your averaging around 25fps with some dips into the low 20's occasionally but this is really pushing it as anything under low 20's (probably closer to 25fps for any length of time) is pretty much shot and will definitely have a clear negative effect on your enjoyment of the game since everything is too slow and lags pretty hard. like during that 15fps test... I loaded up my previous completed game save from the original 2010 release in the 2020 remastered version and just walked into the street and went on a shooting spree and everything is simply too slow to be enjoyable as firing a pistol for example, is lagging pretty bad and it's simply not fun. but once I figured out that changing DVXK to v1.6.1L in the Lutris configuration it made a world of difference and everything works as expected. hell, it runs quite a bit better than expected especially given my graphics are basically maxed @ 1080p. |
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Post by mslo79 on Jun 14, 2020 6:08:00 GMT
After seeing that it has be a bit worried as they are not using the same voice acting from the first game as the lead character there feels more like a typical mobster instead of more of a regular guy caught in a bad situation etc. I can't see myself warming up to Tommy in Mafia (2020) like I did in Mafia (2002) which that might be enough to ensure the overall experience can't reach the greatness of the original from 2002. so while it's still possible the game could turn out strong in it's own right, I doubt it will be a outright replacement to the masterpiece (a word I rarely use) from 2002 (on PC) because changing major things like the voice acting completely alters the feel of the characters and, from what I have seen here so far, changing Tommy was a mistake (but I am not ready to completely write the game off as I still think of it even captures a little of the first games magic, it will be one of the best video game experiences for me at the end of the day). hell, even visually he does not really look like Tommy from the 2002 game as someone like Salieri, while he's altered and feels different also, I think ill warm up to his new interpretation a bit easier as while he's altered it could be solid, just in a different way. so if they screwed up the main character Tommy, which right now I am a bit worried in that regard, I am hoping they can balance it out in other ways etc.
p.s. on a side note... I noticed earlier that prices of used CPU's of the i5-3xxx (Ivy Bridge (3rd generation)) are finally at a price to where they are worth buying (i.e. $20-30) as the last time I checked, roughly a couple of years ago or so, they were still too expensive for older technology, like around $50+ at which point it's not worth investing in older tech at that price since you can get noticeably faster/newer CPU's for not all that much more, but at $20(maybe $25-30) it's definitely worth upgrading. but earlier I ordered a i5-3550 (3.3Ghz (Ivy Bridge (3rd gen)) for only $20 which will give me a solid boost to gaming performance for barely any $ since I was on a i3-2120 CPU (dual core 3.3Ghz Sandy Bridge(2nd gen)) and going from that to a i5 gives a rather big boost to gaming performance (I am just going to use the stock heatsink from my i3-2120 CPU since looking around online it appears it will work well enough even though it will naturally run hotter than my i3-2120 CPU due to more CPU cores which generate more heat). the messed up thing is, the i7-3xxx range CPU's, are still too high to where it's simply not worth buying them as they are not much better than the i5-3xxx range CPU's but cost roughly 2-3 times as much as the prices they want for the i7-3xxx CPU's, one can get a modern CPU for about the same $ or not much more, so it makes no sense to pay the prices they are asking for the i7-3xxx CPU's. also, I plan on running the 'Prime95 torture test' on the i5-3550 CPU once it gets here to make SURE it's stable and temps are within reason because that will tax your CPU harder than general use/gaming etc will as if your system does not crash or act up running that for a while you can be confident your CPU etc is stable.
bottom line... with that i5-3550 CPU upgrade, it's pretty safe to say my setup can run Mafia (2020) remake (since I know my 1050 Ti 4GB GPU (which I had since July 2017) will be able to run it well enough).
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Post by mstreepsucks on Jun 15, 2020 21:07:32 GMT
It's one of the best games. the remake will maybe be even better.
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Post by mslo79 on Jun 16, 2020 1:11:17 GMT
mstreepsucksGiven what we have seen so far I have my doubts about it being outright better overall as, at least as of now, my primary complaint is they altered the lead character (Tommy) too much as his voice does not seem to suit that character as he sounds like a more typical mobster variation instead of more of a regular guy caught in a bad situation like he was in the original game from 2002 and even his look was altered a bit too much where I think they did a better job with Salieri (the main boss Tommy works for) as it looks more like him, just with better graphics, and while Salieri's voice is different (which it would have to be since the guy who voiced him in the 2002 game is dead so either they used the exact sound files or they would have had no choice selecting a different voice actor) I, like I was saying, can see myself warming up to him a bit more easily. but with that said... ill see how Sam/Paulie (Tommy's two main mob friends) etc turn out as I am hoping if Tommy ends up being a bit less interesting, maybe they can make up for it a little in other ways. so while I am a bit worried, I still think if even the overall game only has a glimmer of the magic that the first game has, it's still going to be one of the top games ill play at the end of the day. but my guess is it won't be outright superior to the original game from 2002 even though graphically it's obviously superior since there have been improvements in graphics technology since. but since I feel the characters voices are what really make or break characters in video games in general that has me a bit worried with Tommy as you can see they tried to get him more 'mob like' but, at least based on what we have seen in this recent video, that voice just does not suit the character from the original game from 2002. still, at the end of the day... it's pretty much the only new game I am looking forward to as just on the chance of potential greatness it's worth giving it a shot since it's a remake of my clear cut #1 video game experience to date as, like I always preach, it's a true masterpiece (a word I rarely use) and I am not the only person who has high praise for the original Mafia (2002) (on PC) game as there are a fair amount of other random people online who think more highly of that game.
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Post by mslo79 on Jul 22, 2020 15:24:47 GMT
A new gameplay video from yesterday July 21st 2020.
it's nice seeing one of the missions there (with a bit or piece of other random things) as you can see the visuals are clearly improved
but after hearing Paulie/Sam, I am a bit worried there as I think their voices from the original game from 2002 are superior as out of the four voices we have heard so far, Tommy and his two buddies (Paulie/Sam) along with Salieri in the previous video, the only one I think they got right is Salieri. but hopefully their voices grow on me a bit. but I suspect even if they do, the original games voice acting for the main 3-4 characters (and I suspect even more) will be superior in the original.
plus, even visually... while the graphics are obviously better I think Tommy/Paulie/Sam look a bit too different from how they look in the original where as Salieri/Frank look good and you can easily tell who they are. so when it comes to Tommy and his two buddies, even their voices are different along with they don't really resemble themselves in the original game (for example... that's Paulie in the still image on the video but looking at that still image straight up, I simply cannot tell that's him as it does not look like him(the same with Sam)), it will likely alter quite a bit about the game overall. sort of like playing a familiar game but different at the same time. sort of like meshing different games together. like Mafia (2002) meshed with something new.
but all-in-all, like I have mentioned before... while I think some stuff in this remake will be worse than the original, I think in some ways it could be better but mostly due to the increase in visuals as short of that I still expect the original game from 2002 to be superior overall (like in terms of overall atmosphere/characters voices etc). still, unless they manage to really screw things up, this Mafia remake still has a good chance to be among the very top games I have played and at the end of the day and be among a small group of games worth replaying from time-to-time as the years pass which is where games, like movies, are ultimately made or broke.
on a little side note... while the 'tommy gun' should be good overall, I kind of miss the Tommy Gun feel from original game where it kicks around quite a bit and is harder to handle (to where I generally just use tiny bursts, if not snipe with it a bit with headshots). plus, not to mention the more realistic weapons reloading which ads a bit of strategy/tension to shootouts which will almost certainly be gone to dumb the game down a bit for the more casual player. NOTE: it would be nice if they tweaked things on the highest difficulty mode to where realistic weapons reloading was included and Tommy Gun is harder to control. but I doubt this will happen.
p.s. the original Mafia (2002) game still gets a 10/10 from me to this day (it's overall experience rivals the best movies for me). I hope this remake is in the 8-9/10 range as I don't see it exceeding a 9/10 when is all said and done (like I think it will top Mafia III overall but after that I am not expecting it to top the 1st game and maybe not the 2nd game either). for measure for me... Mafia (2002) = 10/10 (a true masterpiece(a word I rarely use)). Mafia II (2010) = 9/10. Mafia III (2016) = 7-8/10 (I think Mafia III is underrated as it's still overall better than any Grand Theft Auto game if you ask me as GTA is a bit too cartoony/arcade like in overall feel where as Mafia series feels more serious/real). on Mafia III... I think the characters and cuts scenes and the like are solid, as they did well here(along with soundtrack/general mood of the game), but in someways they could have done better like tweaking other things a bit.
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), but when I changed it back to v1.6.1L, it made a world of difference and jumped up to 45fps for the average. I often get 50 something or higher FPS as even during the more taxing times in the benchmark test it does not seem to drop below 30 something FPS.
