The Genius of Mafia: Definitive Edition (Critique/Analysis)

[@WritingOnGames]

Hey everyone, hope you're well. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/writingongames10201 Also, if you enjoy the videos and would like to directly help me continue to make more, consider heading to patreon.com/writingongames and pledging only what you're comfortable with. Doing so gets you access to things like early, completely ad-free video uploads! Your support is what allows me to keep doing this and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. Stay safe everyone!

[@wulfherecyning1282]

Hope you're having a good week. :)

[@KuuchWizard]

Paulie was my favorite character. His desperation to get out of the family tugged at my heart strings, especially when he was telling Tommy how he wanted to maybe open his own pizzeria. I had a bad feeling about him going home with the score from the robbery because everything had been hinting at Sam betraying his brothers once Paulie laid out his plans and exposed himself wanting to get out. One thing I noticed is how at the end of the game during your meetings with the Don, Paulie and Tommy sit together on the left side of the table closer to the exit of the room while Sam is on the right side-his right hand man, if you will.

[@wildnugget1675]

They've always been sitting like this. You noticed nothing. Lol.

[@KuuchWizard]

@@wildnugget1675 when u were born yo mama noticed nothing!

[@theguvnor1171]

OHHHHH

[@NavyBluePersonGuy]

@@KuuchWizardwell damn

[@gabrielrice7330]

​@@KuuchWizard OOOOOOHHHHHHH

[@nomercy8989]

Small nit pick. There actually was music during the driving but the current steam version is mission most of it and the game sounds really strange without it. I recommend downloading the music and copying it into the game files. People who never played the original and are only trying it now will have a much worse experience than back in 2002.

[@WritingOnGames]

You know, I was sure there was! I replayed the original for this review and was actually hit by that thought of "jesus, this is way more bleak than I remember" but, as it turns out, that's not necessarily the case. Thanks for the correction/reminder!

[@alexsm3882]

@@WritingOnGames There was, the music was lit too.

[@TheManuelRP]

btw I hate the Definitive Edition's original music (not the radio). That's mostly the only part I think that is undeniable worse than the original Mafia.

[@Sheridan2LT]

@@TheManuelRP I love mafia DE's original soundtrack. I'm glad that they went and did something modern and relatable than forced some clunky low def shit down your throat the entire game without your consent. It felt like it was a big movie and had heart in it: they really cared about mafia 1. And then APPROPRIATELY implemented jazzy overtones and classical instruments where it fit.

[@TheManuelRP]

@@Sheridan2LT Well, then I won't say it's undeniable worse but, personally, still think it's a big downgrade. Maybe my biggest problems about the music are related with the overall direction of the game, but not the only ones. There are some parts that are noire/policial-like (not necessarily including all of the jazzy overtones you mention) that doesn't fit because of the genre, to say one exemple of some. Also, it surprised me how repetitive it was, more when thinking about the lot of music it got made for Mafia II. Anyway, I don't think that they should just put the exact same music on the game but, IF they were going with a direction more alike the first game, they could re record the original and expand, or do something of the same style. But, damn, if they just putted the same low def (wich never felt like that to me) music files of the original, it's not gonna rape you, man! Chill! It's still great music!

[@vlad4evar]

I'd just beat this game earlier today and immediately got reminded of RDR2's way of portraying a gang falling apart because of the changing times. This game was beautiful, if a bit janky with the gunplay. I genuinely loved the characters and felt bad for a lot of 'em. Gonna replay Mafia 2 now after 4 years, almost to the day, since I last started it up.

[@DingleCerri]

Restarted mafia 2. Thankfully I had it backwards compatible and didn’t have to buy the bullshit “remaster”.

[@adamdavis1737]

I've found Mafia 2 both better and worse to revisit after playing this one. The world has so much more immersion and life to it. More interactivity and character The controls... Leave a lot to be desired

[@dunbass7149]

It’s kinda funny cause you go against the mafia in rdt2

[@DarkPeter]

czech writing at its finest man

[@vlad4evar]

@@DarkPeter any more czech literature/film/games to recommend? seems like some untapped potential over there

[@radjenovic6843]

Mafia 1 has one of the greatest endings to any game, I played it on first release to death "Mr Salieri sends his regards" really stuck with me

[@ProGamer-lk9qw]

And then when 2 made Vito the one to do it I didn’t even know what to think like damnnn

[@NicoBleackley]

Hey! I’m attempting to use my two legs to maintain forward momentum in this exact location!

[@Doctor-Infinite]

That sound like walking with extra steps...

[@memberberries9782]

@@Doctor-Infinite oh la la someone's gonna get laid in college..

[@Doctor-Infinite]

@@memberberries9782 *bold of you to assume I'm gonna get accepted to college* XD

[@badreedinedjellali1328]

this game is truly amazing

[@connor___]

I feel like the title, "definitive edition" is almost a little misleading to people uninformed about the series. The word, "DEFINITIVE" has really been dragged through the mud by the amount of "DEFINITIVE" versions of games have come out in the past few years with very little changed and if anything maybe DLC included. While this game is definitely the definitive way to play Mafia 1 now, I feel like many people will see this on store shelves and pass on it, unaware of it's legacy and just how ambitious it's changes are

[@rikou4214]

@@NuStiuFrate same dude, after watching this video I am FAR more interested on the game

[@markangelolutan2951]

Thanks for the accurate end credits for Supermega, Sonicturtles.

[@connor___]

@@markangelolutan2951 Oh hell yeah dude. We'll always remember they're oceans of love

[@Casshio]

It's especially weird since it puts it on the same shelf as the other two "Mafia Definitive Edition's". They are in no way comparable.

[@Sheridan2LT]

Mafia 2 and 3s definitives were nearly exactly like this, especially 2's. They should've had a better subtitle or something. Like Tommy's back or some stupid shit

[@cchristianjeremy]

After finishing this game, you know what other Mafia game I want remade from the ground up? The Darkness 1 & 2.

[@Deadforge]

Never played the original darkness game but The darkness 2 is fucking amazing. I gotta double check if it's backwards compatibile.

[@yaro42]

Mafia 3 had good directed cutscenes, and acting was spot on. But this remake is something else

[@brunoactis1104]

So, Mafia 3 forgot it was a game and not a movie, then.

[@badreedinedjellali1328]

yeah love mafia 3 but the remake is so much better

[@dildodickings2668]

Mafia 3 is a dumpster fire. It's really nice to play i mean the gaming part is very satisfying but everything else in the game like story, characters, cutscenes, pacing, dialogue, the repetitiveness etc was all garbage

[@jeffryrojas4148]

@@dildodickings2668 i only agree with the gameplay being somewhat repetitive but the story was great man, I like the mafia 3 story more than Mafia 1 definitive which is much more cliche, still liked it but no way Mafia 3 had a bad story but I can understand not like it as much as 1

[@DiamondPugs]

The problem with Mafia 3 is that it is not a Mafia game. If they hadn't dragged the Mafia game into a generic revenge story more people would've been willing to give it a chance.

[@John-gy3lj]

What a fantastic review. You should be proud of this.

[@heretic124]

Daniel Vávra, writer of the original Mafia and Mafia 2 (except the ending, that's why it sucked - they cut it because Take2 wanted to release it before the game was ready) said he likes how they've improved the atmosphere and time period context but hates other more basic stuff like cover shooting, driving style (original game had insanely detailed realistic physics), dialogue changes or Sarah's character. Btw he left 2k Czech because his concept of Mafia 3 got rejected. You'd play as a dirty cop who's investigating himself because he's mafioso as well. Shame... At least we got Kingdom Come.

[@Kamtar34]

@Withnail Reason is that she doesn't fit. She is this progressive intelligent character but she married a killer for mafia? In the original, the little bit of Sarah you could see was a naive girl type which believes that her husband is just a driver

[@alexsm3882]

@@Kamtar34 HELP HELP WE'RE BEING ATTACKED

[@renmorpheus]

@@Kamtar34 Or she's progressive in the sense that she's not just a the pretty naive girl but someone who knows how the world is and embraces the spoils of being married to a made man? She is presented just as wise-assy and hardened as Tommy is, with a similar soft side to innocents or those she loves. Reminded me of Boardwalk Empire and the Thompsons and don't see how this must clash with intelligence or progressiveness. Much, much more believable imo, the naivité of the Angelos in the OG was always a little bit dissonant.

[@rdablock]

@@Kamtar34 her father Luigi is a hitman too. she knows what she's getting herself into when she married Tommy and she knows just because Tommy is a hitman he's not necessarily a bad person, because, well, she was raised by a hitman.

[@rehannoor4961]

i disagree with vavra on sarah. his version of sarah is just like a typical noir-film woman.

[@FCV0511]

With how much of a technical, gameplay, and story wreck Mafia III turned out to be, I can't say I had high hopes for Hangar 13's future endeavors into the series. Mafia Definitive Edition rendered my concerns completely unfounded - it truly is a masterpiece of a game and brings back what made the original so great while making contemporary improvements that genuinely do improve the experience. The characters, world design and immersion into a time period, and that feeling of harried jumpiness as you were never able to truly relax (thus being akin to the protagonist's predicament) brought me right back into remembering what I adored about playing Mafia II. Aside from some anachronisms or small mistakes (most of the revolvers are incorrect for the time period, with some borrowing models (from Mafia III) of guns that wouldn't have been around for another forty or fifty years; the 1911 pistol always has its hammer down when the gun wasn't actually able to fire without the hammer being cocked, commercial vehicles like taxis generally didn't have whitewall tires since they were pricier than standard ones, etc), and some gunplay that could be made a little more satisfying in feeling, Mafia Definitive Edition is worth every penny and then some. And I'm especially glad they brought back the Classic difficulty mode - it brings a different, difficult, and yet welcoming new experience to the conveniences of modern third-person action games. I do wish it would also disable the mini-map though. Oftentimes I find myself unconsciously staring at a mini-map route or enemy readout instead of actually driving/playing the damned game in these sorts of games.

[@vishansilva8546]

Mafia 3 story was amazing hanger 14 always had potential just take 2.

[@wulfherecyning1282]

I've been trying to get basic UI scaling to work today. The moment you start trying to learn how game dev works, the more you appreciate just how much work goes into big games like this one.

[@Harril8265]

More people should do this kind of stuff. That perspective is valuable to yourself, and appreciated by devs.

[@3tggalgan]

It is acctually quite interesting to me. The original Mafia is a Czech game and here in Czech Republic the game has a sort of untoutchable status. Critising Mafia is very taboo and saying that you never played it makes you a total outcast. I personally don't hold the game on such a pedestal and I really enjoyed the definitive edition even though that would be a very controversial statement in my country. So to me seeing someone openly critise Mafia is a really odd feeling.

[@palbaselim]

Yeah...he should get an ok from the comission😁

[@JackChristmas]

I'm just stuck on the fact that they used the "Definitive Edition" label for a ground up remake, not a remaster or port. WTF? It's not an "edition" of Mafia if it's a different game, and it certainly isn't definitive! This is somehow more misleading than just calling it "Mafia" again. They already ruined "Remastered" with DuckTales, Day of the Tentacle etc. and "HD" with so many remakes (e.g. Tony Hawk), too. We're quickly running out of exact, clear phrasing here.

[@NevetsTSmith]

You could just go down the Doom route and pretend it's the first entry the series has ever seen. Then just give the next mafia game a subtitle rather than a number. That also helps because a number can imply to some people that there's a direct narrative link between the games. There are actually people out there who don't get into final fantasy because they think there are too many games to get caught up on.

[@ThoRCX]

I think the use of "Definitive" is even weirder for Mafia, because they used the same name for all the 3 Mafia games in the recent re-release. Yet they are totally different : Mafia DE is a remake, Mafia 2 DE is a remaster, and Mafia 3 DE is just some sort of GOTY edition with all the DLCs. It makes everything needlessly confusing.

[@justinhainsworth7726]

@@ThoRCX how is it confusing just play the game

[@ThoRCX]

@@justinhainsworth7726 You really felt the need to post that stupid reply on a year old comment?

[@Jack_DP]

Ok, then how would you feel of gta?

[@cirion66]

Just a few changes that the original writer and director did not like (from various recent interviews in czech): - Expanding the Sarah arc was fine, but she was supposed to be naïve and oblivious, she wasn't completely aware of what does Mafia do - It was always "Well some are bad, but Mr. Sallieri is a 'kind grandpa' and Tommy is also a kind man" (According do Dan Vavra - things mafioso really did - BS naïve / oblivious people, that the other bad apples do the very evil deeds - while in DE, the naivity was gone) - The ending point was supposed to be - there is no glory in the life of a crime. Mobsters act like buddies and family, but in the end, they have no problem with back-stabbing and clearing out obstacles. The ending rant was more about the consequences of greediness and disregarding all rules and laws, instead of "FAMILY IS FOREVA" - It's almost as if the whole point was turned on it's head. PS: There was radio while driving the original game, but the licenses for the digital releases expired. 2K did not bother with putting any generic music at all.

[@cirion66]

@Ashen One It's not about kissing his feet... It's just that while the story Is 90%+ the same, some points are either gone or turned inside out... As Dan said "the moment she takes off his coat and has hands covered in blood and without a hesitation agrees the proposal - you got to be mental to love a murderer that much" Anyway Mafia 1 did certain things that made it a cult-classic. Mafia DE made changes to make it commercially more appealing. That does not make either of game generally better or worse, since each aspired in different ways. If your metric is solely a commercial success - then DE is a clear winner, but i still hold the original in a higher regard in some aspects.

[@marcopapiro8557]

@@cirion66 In my honest opinion the game doesnt' need to show you the moral in the ending with a monologue. Mafia De is more brutal and dark then original,the death of Sergio's girlfriend here is more important (also for the ending)then the original where after hear death Tommy say a cringe joke,or for example the first job for the family in the "ordinary routine" (after the shooting) where Tommy after commited his first murders, he say sarcastically " luckily was just an ordinary routine", here is showed a change and a evolution when he say "At that point i understood the price,but i can't back to be a mister nobody" . Honestly i prefer some things from original and some things from this remake,but in my opinion ( i played the og 4 times)it's ever been a little bit overrated, and Blackman is a writer more good then Vavra( Blackman won a lot of awards for his screenplays of games) the same Mafia 3,i'm playing it now, yeah it has a lot of problems ok,but the characterization of every characters is very good ( in Mafia og Sam and Paulie were almost without a personality). Maybe my only thing with Hangar 13 that they make it all more irrealistic,more enemies,more pursuits,it's same in Mafia 3 and here in Mafia De,but it's ok,are videogames for a reason. Honestly i seeing a solid discussion around this remake and the ways how is better and the ways how is better the og ,and i think this is a good thing (because it means that is judged a good game),both the games are good in differents ways,that's all.

[@acetylen42]

As much as I like the profound monologue at the end of the original, the new ending is more true to the Tommy's character in the game and his role as an unreliable narrator of the story. It is way more clever that Vavra thinks it is. What Tommy in the ending is mostly about his own, real family of Sarah and his children. But it is also about his life of crime and how you can never truly leave it. It's an ironic double meaning that sounds more akin to his sens of humor in the game. I also love how they've changed how he reacts to being called by his real name - the moment he hears it, he knows it's the end.

[@Starzoh]

Your new yorker accent was perfect felt like i was dead in the middle of little Italy

[@lpcoolee]

Dude, you’re so talented; just the way you eloquently put things is so inspiring... even if I didn’t want the game (originally), I do now...

[@zsasz21]

Just found this channel and can I just say that the Magia Definitive Edition is beautiful. Also I wish that Mafia 3 had the Mafia 2 cop system. Like you could lose the cops but unless you changed the car, if you weren't careful, the cops would recognize the car and you'd be back at square one trying to lose the cops.

[@toby9364]

I’d never played the first mafia game, only 2 and 3. experiencing this remade masterpiece for the first time was amazing

[@pluesch.]

While I really appreciate how they modernized the original, the little rewrites and way better presentation still aren't enough to elevate it to something truly amazing. Personally I really think that they missed a huge opportunity simply following the overall story to the T. It would have been great to add more intermezzos between Tommy and the detective to help flesh out various characters a bit more as most of them seemed really underdeveloped and frankly speaking, very stereotypical. The overall story also felt very disconnected due to all the time skips. I get that it's just a retelling of whatever Tommy lived through, but that's exactly the point. A bit more fluff, maybe a few missions that weren't specifically about the mob life's rather samey missions of "go to x, kill or steal y" would have really helped to tie it all together. At the end, I honestly kind of felt let down after finishing the game as it feels both modernized, yet still archaic at the same time by sticking too close to the source.

[@thepetrifiedbard1646]

Yep totally agree at the start it seemed like they were adding more character to paulie, sam and sarah but by the end they had barely advanced there characterization

[@HenryTownsmyth]

Yes, and its gameplay really feels just like another 3rd person game. It doesn't do anything new or sets any sorts of trend as the original did.

[@MrIsaac95]

I agree, I wish they added more story missions to flesh out the characters more (like how the Final Fantasy 7 remake added more story content with this goal in mind).

[@MrSpenGali]

Spot on. I think it feels outdated, doesn’t feel like a 2020 game. I thought it was quite disappointing, by the time I’d finally got into it and adjusted it was the final scene which just didn’t seem right. Should of remade it with whole different aspects or remade it as close to the original as possible. Not in between.

[@mescellaneous]

they really lost something when they added shooting from cover, having npcs randomly running out of cover, stealth like gameplay, melee counter. in essense, game mechanics that cheapened the story, on top of altering parts of the story and adding cutscenes where the original game would use in-game dialogue.

[@FR4NKYEtheIV]

Just to clarify, Mafia 1 HAD music during commute. It was just removed for the Steam version...

[@JaydevRaol]

Good to know that you enjoyed it because I know how disappoint you were with Mafia 3. I am glad this 'Definitive edition' didn't turned out like Mafia 2 & 3 definitive editions which most people consider to be terrible remaster versions of the original. I wish they had also remake the Mafia 2 instead of a remaster like they did for the first game.

[@LambHoot]

16 minutes into this video and during your skillshare read, my girlfriend goes “you know if there was an accent I ever wanted to try to learn, it’d be scottish” are there scottish accent courses on skillshare yo?

[@WritingOnGames]

I am Scottish ya bellend (This was in response to someone saying "he's not Scottish ya bellend he's Irish" which is funny on multiple levels but the person deleted their comment but it's also quite funny that now it just looks like I'm replying to this comment calling Denis a bellend)

[@weed75black35]

The only mission that got completely butchered was "You Lucky Bastard". In the original, you personally try to assassinate Sergio and fail 3 times, and only succeeding on the 4th attempt. These attempts are carried out across multiple days, maybe even weeks; and each time, you had to drive to the destination from Salieri's bar, hoping during the monotonous drive that you will succeed this time. Your patience grows thin, just like Tommy's. This is completely lost in the remake where Sergio has 3 attempts carried out on him within a day. The original was meant to reflect how often failed assassinations happen in real life. Sergio being a lucky bastard isn't meant to be literal, each failed attempt could've been avoided if they had double checked or accounted for more variables; Sergio isn't straight up dodging bullets like he does in the remake.

[@JoJo-xp6wr]

Sadly I couldn't watch this because I want to get the game, so I didn't want spoilers, but I will be sure to watch this analysis after I get it and finish it to have a more "in depth" look in it!

[@sKiiTs8]

great video mate. made me play and finish definitve and really really liked it. love how you analyse games.

[@PlayersPush]

Thank you, sir. I always look forward to your videos

[@angus_bangus]

Thanks for this video!!! It convinced me to play this game. I HAD A BLAST. By far one of my favorite games this year. I glided through all of it in 3 days. It was that good. I would've never given it a chance without this video. Thanks Hamish!!!!!

[@aLmAnZio]

I don't know what to think of this. I haven't played the Definitive edition yet, but I have played all of the other games in the series, allthough I couldn't stomach to finish MAFIA III. Mafia II wasn't even close to Mafia I in terms of its story in my opinion, so it seems odd to me that you end up focusing so much on Mafia II. Furthermore, what really did it for me with the original Mafia was exactly the limitations it had. Getting tickets for speeding or running red lights was an awesome feature, especially during mission, because it added a tension that was very much effective. On a mission to perform a crime, doing stupid things to attract attention to yourself was framed as a bad idea. It was a brilliant system. Your focus on the lack of music also kind of suggest that you've only played the GOG version. The original didn't have radio stations, but it did have an iconic soundtrack that had theme songs for the different districts of the game that would play when you drove through them. I lissen to those sound tracks to this day, and it is the game that got me into brass band jazz and other music from the era portrayed. Equally, the storytelling in the original Mafia was extraordinary. It remains one of the best games I've played in my life. I have been afraid to buy this game, exactly due to how influencial the original has been in my life. My last play through was last year, it is one of the few single player games I've revisited time and time again spanning allmost 20 years now.

[@Hepausesshaving182GGMU]

Play the mafia definitive edition YOULL LOVE IT

[@ty_teynium]

1:11 You may as well give up Mugsy! You can't outrun us forever! Mugsy: Not unless I shift into Maximum overdrive!

[@jj-blaze]

Insightful and well-thought review! Changed my mind about trying the Definitive Editions of the series!

[@DingleCerri]

This game and Ghost of Tsushima have been my favorite games of the year. I played the original way back in 2001. They did it major justice with this game.

[@robin9031]

Mafia 2 has been my favorite game for almost 10 years and every time I tried Mafia 1 I've been turned off by how confused it feels about itself. this is probably my favorite video game remake of the ones that've been coming out and this video really helped me put into words why I think that

[@AJ-pc9gu]

Exact opposite for me. Love mafia one, thought two was mediocre. Especially considering it came out 8 years later.

[@DensityDennis]

Yes, when it comes to story, graphics and overall gameplay and the satisfaction there of... I agree, a 10/10 (overstatement) in my book. But my biggest problem is a lack of open world content that made Mafia II so special. Making money different ways, buying clothes, going to bars... All that stuff. Plus, it now feels even more like you're just driving from A to Z and don't really have a reason to enjoy the city to its fullest. But aside from that, I'd gladly play the story again one day in the future!

[@electricsynthesis]

Thank you so much for making a video on this, Hamish. Mafia is a really heartfelt game for me and it deserves an eternal spot in the halls of the greatest games of all time. Even the remake does a great job throughtout, loved playing it at release and a lot of good memories came back.

[@Xegethra]

That racing mission is harder with 3 laps, at least on Classic mode. I like the original game, I used to have a love/hate with it and I still do but I like it a lot more these days. Playing both at the same time, mission by mission is rather nice for me. The story is the same largely, although I like some lines better in the original game, such as the ending monologue, the church scene and the whole of fair plays cutscenes trying to get tommy into it. The games swap for me between which has the better lines. Of course the remake has better line delivery over all though. And the city maps is really nice with enough changes in routing and street layout, it's the same city but different. Some missions have changed locations of things like Billy, the racetrack, the interior of the motel, the prison and whatnot but is largely the same. I think the island the politician gets shot on is on the other side of the river too. The Terranova bridge is under construction in the original game, don't know if it is in the remake, haven't noticed. Also just for relaxation and moonlighting have had some major changes. Sometimes the original make you commute and other times it doesn't, then DE decides to swap some times when you do commute or not, such as Great Deal and indeed, moonlighting. I also don't like in the remake that they mention Morello in almost every sentence, it robs the gang of doing things independently of him, and just gets annoying. Overall I like both games, classic mode in the remake doesn't feel exactly like in the original but at least it's the harder mode of the game, and you can turn a lot of those ui things off anyway. I always try to avoid killing innocent bystanders in both games. It's doable, you don't have to go running them down, even in car chases.

[@marcopapiro8557]

I'm agree,but im glade that in the remake they killed Johnny in the church,in the original was a big plot hole.

[@Jolgeable]

You pointed out how Tommy doen't have time to take a breath. Yeah, so much so that the Free Ride mode is only accessible by accessing the pause menu. If we just let the story flows, this mechanic of the game reinforce what you said. =D

[@evanbarr8698]

As someone who never played the original Mafia, I loved this game! I saw some stuff about before release and was super and like a week before release pre-ordered it. I thought the story was good and the driving was realistic and I played all of it on classic. (That race made me loose my mind) Just thought it was a magnificent game and remaster and I'm gonna soon get the second one. (I want to see if that will get re-remastered but I doubt it)

[@moeezS]

This has been one of your greatest reviews, I can feel the passion in how much you were impressed with the storytelling of the game from the world, themes, and character work. It's a shame there is ludonarrative dissonance rather than resonance, where Tommy is a good guy in cutscenes as contrast to the gameplay.

[@deletedaccount1990]

I absolutely loved the original as a teenager. This remake is simply superbly redone. The extended story, the redone city, the gameplay mechanics, the vastly updated graphics... They have given thiis classic the justice it totally deserved.

[@sahasmahogha6399]

Does mafia 3 have checklists one gotta grind through? Yes. Can you make them fun? Also yes. You just gotta have a strategy without going in all guns blazing.

[@joenathan8059]

Well of course Tommy is gonna look like a good guy. How else is he gonna get a lighter sentence?

[@HxH2011DRA]

In short, this is how you do a reimagining

[@charlieni645]

I wholeheartedly agree that this is a 11/10 remake and a pretty damn enjoyable third person shooter in its own right, but I don't think that the script rose above the original. Staying 100% true to the framework of the original shackles the game from being able to about more than the conventional mob story riddled with genre cliche. Sarah is still barely a character. Time period stil barely reflects on the story beyond prohibition. And after all the betrayal, blood and carnage under unrestrained power and greed, which would be a perfect metaphor and microcosm for the capitalist system that led to the Great Depression, the game ended with Tommy looking at the camera and said "family's important, bro" that just left me with a shrug and a "that's it?". Mafia 3 despite its numerous amount of flaws is commendable because it told a mob story that feels modern and relevant in a time when the genre has been repeatedly explored and deconstructed in media such as Soprano and The Irishman. Mafia DE, in comparison, is a very comptently made and much tighter designed game but also feeling much more throwaway after finishing it for its lack of narrative substances to chew on.

[@jman2856]

“Family is forever.” Tommy could and would never escape the mafia, this is the point.

[@charlieni645]

@@jman2856 "You can't leave your past behind" is basically a package deal that comes with every mob story. It's a cliche of its own right. It wouldn't be much of a problem if the game takes a deep dive and adds a layer to it, but it doesn't which inadvertedly highlights how dated the original is and is antithetical to the purpose of a modern remake.

[@WritingOnGames]

The "layer" the game adds is that it, well, conveys that feeling of being ground down by your surroundings and being unable to "leave the past behind" directly through gameplay, with the remake polishing that approach up in the same way Mafia 2 did way back in 2010. If you just lay the plot out then sure, it might not be the most innovative gangster story ever, but the way it's delivered through mechanics sure might be.

[@charlieni645]

@@WritingOnGames After watching the video again, I think I can meet you halfway. Hangar 13 definitely did a bang up job touching up the story's presentation that breathed life into it and made narrative the center pillar, and I agree that the chapter by chapter pacing sells that Tommy was a disposible grunt in an army that he gradually wanted a way out of. But still, how they treated Sarah is such a waste. She is meant to be the drive for Tommy's desire for normalcy but her role after the escort mission is miniscule and feeling convoluted. Her lecturing Tommy how the congressman he shot voted for women's voting right had me wincing. I gues it can be interpreted that those fleeting moments with Sarah are meant to signify how his normal life was drown out by mob violence during his days working for Salieri, and Sarah's questioning of what he did led to further division between the two during the time jumps between missions that further motivated him to leave the mob, but something like a new Sarah focused mission maybe near the end when he planned his way out that made these subtext text would go a long way in my opinion. Which is the center of point: staying 1 to 1 to the original's structure shackles the developers into constantly seeking permissions on narrative design from an 18-year-old, archaic piece of software. That also reflects on how the game treats the time period. Newspaper clippings, ad billboards, and radio are excellent touches, but the mafioso throughout the game had been a relatively isolated world. Poverty is barely a subject even in the chapters before Tommy joined the mob. Missions also mostly take place in locations unreflective or untouched of the economic and social climate. Except for the assassination level where we see homeless people dwell in sewer and abandoned prison cells and under the constant stress of being evicted by the city. I wish there are more levels like this. However, speaking of the original, it's interesting you mentioned the original's strict demand from players to meet it in its own terms. On a second thought, it is clear staying faithful to the original was one of the biggest bullet points in the remake's pitch. I disagree with this decision, but I realize most of my problems have to do with me not meeting the remake in its own terms and wishing for additions beyond its scope and intent.

[@frenchdonut22]

This game is absolutely incredible. Paulie was the best character

[@gamerdweebentertainment1616]

Stopping on Tramm Tracks for a ticket? I also like to live dangerously...

[@fishwygaming]

The big dilemma was how to not disappoint hardcore fans of the original compared to how to get new fans. The stayed mostly on the hardcore fans side and that might be the wise thing. But the potential of the game is immense and it's a shame they didn't use the opportunity to do so and made it more comparable to e.g RDR2 in terms of numbers of missions and what you can do in the world. I love the remake for what it is, beautiful city and beautiful cinematic and you get dragged into the history better than the original, but they also "narrowed it" a bit by guiding the players too much I think making it a bit brain dead. The best example is the mission "Lucky Bastard" where in the original I spent countless minutes. if not hours, trying to find out how to blow the door of the garage with the train car. The game can easily be fitted with 1 or 2 DLC's though.

[@tenghiskhan2063]

Having played this game recently, as well as the rest of the mafia series, I love all 3 games, but with 3, although they definitely did a good job of increasing the open world style of the game, unfortunately I feel like that was never how mafia was supposed to be, it was a semi-open world, where the differing cultures of Lost Heaven and Empire Bay were backdrops for your actions and story, and they had such an opportunity to show the culture of New Bordeaux so well but unfortunately it feels like, although the gameplay is fun it became more of a chore to progress through the story rather than an experience like the last 2 games, Lincoln is a good character and the game is ballsy with its subject matter but honestly the HUD is part of the game I don’t like, the remake and mafia 2 have such a limited HUD which allows you to take in the world in all its glory where Mafia 3 has you looking at all the different HUD elements

[@adamdavis1737]

I had a blast replaying this story But something was just.... Missing in this remake and I can't put my finger on it

[@PolarbearYGT]

Dissonance is what you make of it imo. You aren't SUPPOSED to drive over pedestrians which would increase immersion as well (since the SIM like vehicle handling). It's like eating the cake and complaining there is no cake simultaneously. Nice video tho love your vids.

[@coloproductions]

14:37 “Disonancia Ludonarrativa”

[@finnthefannibal]

12:46 - 13:46 perfectly describes the open world of Cyberpunk 2077.

[@FuriousBoxing]

This game is absolutely fantastic. If rockstar or naughty dog made it everyone would be jizzing in their pants!

[@wodedagawd9328]

If mafia 4 don't make me pump my gas o don't want it

[@CZChameleon]

There IS music to accompany you on your travels, however, they had to cut it from the Steam version for copyright reasons. It can be patched back in though...

[@laxmannate07]

Just picked it up. Loving it so far. Some of the character models and animations do come across as dated, but man that city is gorgeous

[@himanshu9418]

U should write about ETS2, Its concept is so simple yet engaging.

[@Justin-mb7lx]

recently finished the game, it was literally a playable movie, loved it! and loved the video too!

[@illestvillain1971]

What about the racing mission

[@Kamtar34]

its weird but one thing totally kills the immersion for me: police cars with radios, also that it sounds like radio from 70s up

[@Rihcterwilker]

The original still is the definitive version, in my opinion. This is a new game with the same plot points, but alot was lost in translation.

[@konokolokopokonodokobokogo6669]

Yeah I listened to the soundtrack cause I was curious and then I watched a playthrough and I got like a quarter of the way and decided I would buy it. I enjoyed the writing from the get go. Now I have it and I can play it whenever I want.

[@thisisanexonym]

When I first played Mafia 2 that shit hit different. I'm ecstatic to play anything that comes close to how good that game is.

[@KK-VLOG]

The remake is nice but I would never recommend anybody to skip the original and go straight to the remake.. there is a very specific vibe in the original that remake simply does not replicate.. the ultimate expirence is to play the original (with the music of course!) And then play the remake to enjoy that.. improved version.. Notice all the differences and little niuanses.. Mafia DE is a fantastic HOMAGE to Mafia The City Of Lost Heaven but it is definitely not a replacement.

[@weedwin7356]

Hopefully in a few years they might do a reimagined Mafia 3 and streamline the mission structure cos the world-building and performances in that game are stellar and need to be done justice. Great video, love that this game is getting in-depth analyses.

[@Aemond2024]

No it's anti white

[@mohammedsarker5756]

I love this game, marathoned it in one weekend, my favorite game since Red Dead 2.

[@lunchpin403]

So you have to actually sign up and enter your credit card details to get the "free" skillshare trial 👎

[@HenryTownsmyth]

Yes, then they charge you and you are confused why. They tell you that you were supposed to cancel the subscription. Scummy like all others.

[@I-Rex232]

I think it would be way more interesting if instead of straight up remasters or remakes we would get more new takes on older games, the originals already exist, there is no point to immitate them. but trying to deliver the same core idea in a different way, taking what works for their intepertation of what the game should be and carefully considering what doesnt and add new stuff would just be so cool.

[@bubulaex]

What’s the song that starts at 9:32? Sounds awesome

[@echoesroll]

I’m playing this game now , just love it …beautiful graphics and very immersive .

[@theclassicmanila-style8435]

always been a fan of this franchise, mafia 2 is my all time fav but still doesnt change the fact that although their strongest point was their story telling arguably one of the best in gaming history , this franchise is one of the laziest in terms of content for AAA series. still no side quest, no mini missions , empty open worlds for 2 decades now and they have no plans on changing that, maybe it's time for a new developer to rival them maybe revive the godfather series

[@MrSpenGali]

You get it. Outdated and disappointing, this came out in 2020 and for the time it’s not good enough. This isn’t 2018.

[@rhopper564]

Idk, Mafia 3 is one of my favorite games of the last generation and I think is a unique and beautiful and powerful game that’s almost unlike anything else in the open-world AAA space. I think it does things-even with its mechanics-that it doesn’t get enough credit for. I’m sure definitive edition is great, but the things I liked about Mafia 3 were how it transplanted the tropes of mafia stories to a story about racial injustice and the rage of the marginalized-the kind of story that rarely gets told in this genre, much less this medium. DE just seems like a stronger, more nuanced version of the extremely basic story outline of Mafia 1. I just...despite its flaws, I wish Mafia 3 got more credit for the amazing things it does. I really really do.

[@117thstreet_Hebrew_Hamburgers]

Brave of you

[@Raidenstream]

Mafia 3 is a very solid game, it takes an amateur in the classic sense of the term to recognize that. The consumer cannot see, they are blind to all nuances, they only go in surface in everything they do.

[@samsant3238]

Having never played the original, I loved diving straight in and finishing this on Classic!

[@Wolf-E_VA]

A small nit pick with the point of them trying to make tony seem like the good guy, remember that he's telling this story to a cop maybe trying to get some sympathy point seeming like he's the good guy, but in reality he was just as bad as everyone else in the life

[@fastony9659]

I honestly have no shame in saying that if it weren't for the remake, I would never have played classic 1. And I know, there are die hard 1 purists who are pissed at me saying that, but look, some old games really do play like an *old* game. And it's because of the remakes like these are why I honestly think they're important, because I absolutely love 1's story. I am so glad to have experienced such a rich story, characters, and writing, and that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the remake.

[@johndoe-fq7ez]

Why are there so many Scottish and English spoken essay channels. Every time I click on a video like this the person has a Scottish or English accent

[@VeteranWolf]

6:45 you gave me goose bumps

[@beast667]

I'm still traumatised by the racetrack mission in the original game..

[@ty_teynium]

Spoilers!? I'm not even into this game but I had a feeling this might be somewhat alright.

[@Lotsofleaves]

To look at your tasks press OBJECTIVES

[@Theguyunderyourbed22]

I know every open world game doesn't have to be GTA and that kind of thinking really limits what can be done with the genre, as well as often lead to failed attempts at imitating it, but even so I was a bit disappointed with how little of the large and detailed world we actually see. I mean it's there and you can explore it in free ride mode but I'd actually like it if some of the more impressive set pieces were used in some way like the dam or the towering skyscrapers. I never considered though how that in itself could be perceived as a narrative device. So that leaves my only gripe with the game the disconnect of cutscene Tommy hesitating to pull the trigger to gameplay Tommy mowing through dozens of people.

[@CygnusX-11]

i wish it was longer...

[@jackeldogo3952]

I need to run through Mafia 2 DefEd at the Hard level, then I think I'll pick up this one. Haven't played the original in at least 20 years. Maybe I'll dust off my PS2 and go through playthrough and hope Mafia I will be on sale in the PSN soon. Thanks for the review, this is exactly what I was looking for to make my decision.

[@brucesnow7125]

I think Mafia 3 had some fantastic elements in it. The story was absolutely great. It was all about the political and the cultural issues of the 60s delivered through the perspective of multiple characters. The documentary style was great way to communicate that we are viewing a story of our character and the setting through the eyes of others. With amazing soundtrack, phenomenal performances and nuanced character work - you could tell that it was something that writers genuinely cared about. It is just unfortunate that the base gameplay was so damn repetitive. I do not understand it. There are missions in the game that are genuinely engaging and unique, but to get to them, you have to struggle through a massive slog of repetitive content. It is like those anime shows, where they fill up the genuinely engaging story with endless filler, forcing you to shuffle through shit to get to the gold. I feel like if they kept it linear, the game would have been great. Definitive Edition showcased that wonderfully.

[@matman000000]

I liked a lot of the story changes and that the writers delved deeper into the characters beyond their original Scorsese-inspired archetypes. That said, I wish they kept some of that hardcore gameplay of the original. DE just plays like every cover shooter from 10 years ago, somehow even worse than Mafia 2 sometimes. The original's combat and driving was clunky, but also genuinely tense, which made many moments a lot more memorable. DE just felt very generic in everything but the story. I also don't understand why they didn't add some open world content, especially with the expanded but mostly unused countryside.

[@jackeldogo3952]

ARRGRGGHHH!!! I got a horrible flashback of that stupid tutorial on Driver (and the stupid running red light sh@t on the original Mafier).

[@NecroxProduction]

The game has like 2 traffic lights in the whole city compared to original.

[@rehannoor4961]

true, most of junction is just having a stop/caution sign.

[@talpatv512]

And that makes sense since the game takes place in the 30s lmao

[@NecroxProduction]

@@talpatv512 there were plenty of traffic lights in 30s. The original game had them. This one removed them to make it more casual. There is literally no reason to have a speed limiter in this game.

[@talpatv512]

@@NecroxProduction who the hell wants to get pulled over every 2 minutes? And yes, the speed limiter is preety useful, I don't want to get pulled over by the cops just because i was driveing past 40 km/h or something lol. People like to nitpick on the most stupid and things

[@NecroxProduction]

@@talpatv512 that's what made Mafia different from GTA. This game is just another "drive fast, shoot half a city per mission" game. Oh yeah so fun, haven't played one of those in a while... Enjoy your day.

[@feckyerlife]

man i wanted to like this game but it has a game breaking bug that isn't fixed. The mission "Great Deal" after clearing the garage and escaping with the booze truck, the truck always takes off at like 200mph always blows up on the bride. Ive restart the mission, loaded prior saves and nothing still same bug. Not gonna restart the game.

[@stevekennedy2495]

i played the original back in 2002, honestly i loved the game from what i remember. but that racing mission was a nightmare. Also.. i didnt have much to compare it to. but the story was so good it didnt matter.

[@syahran1518]

i remember playing the original in ps2 back in 2007 but only for a little bit cus my younger self can't handle the driving mechanic

[@Kptn_kabaakal]

man i remember first mafia game. i especially remember being young and having known barely any english so that i couldnt figure out there was car speed limiter that is ON by deafult when you first start the game. why was that frusturating? because the intro of the game is a CAR CHASE. god how i toiled, trying to figure out what i was doing wrong, because it made sense to me that a car that old wouldnt speed over like 40. i uninstalled the game and reinstalled it 4 years later(now with a little bit more english skills) just to realize how dumb i was lol.

[@MetalGamer666]

I wish we at least had the option for the "hardcore" stuff from the original, like police that gave you tickets for running a red light, having working blinkers on cars, and even more simulation driving physics. While I like Mafia DE on classic difficulty with simulation driving and manual shifting, it still feels dumbed down too much. You can basically ignore the police now, like in most open world games, where in the original you had to avoid speeding and running red lights as it could ruin your mission.

[@ThousandairesClub]

got it for 30 bucks digitally. not a fan of linear games but im sure something will be added later that adds replay value. i loved Mafia 3 for its open world activity and HUNDREDS of missions where youre just killing people over and over.....but im a sociopath at heart so thats not surprising.

[@sol5916]

It’s just that it’s more of a telltale story game than it is a shooter. Some people like it. I prefer gameplay

[@sohamroy8442]

I just started playing it today. Awesome game. Love it

[@CrimsonCrime2234]

One huge criticism I want to put down is accessibility of the game. They really to make inverted x-axis an option. Now you could only invert y-axis

[@Agreel]

3:13 That's not new. The console version of the original also had 3 laps.

[@Thomas_Angelo]

My computer is shit but it can play this game but the graphics won't go down and I suffer.

[@gower1973]

£35 for all the games might be a good deal if you’ve got none of the games, but £35 for a rehash of the first one which was and still is the best isn’t a good deal. Probably pick it up when it’s on sale.

[@bacd-nn2lg]

On PC classic difficulty is super easy were on console if very hard to aim. 7/10 the remake lack several fundamental things like a public transportation.