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[KnightWolf]

WTF is this game? Thank you for destroying Mafia for me you idiots

 

[Pachimari]

I'm definitely interested in the setting, but the gameplay shown so far (particularly the easy car ram explosions) is a bit of a deterrent coming from a big fan of the series. Part of the series' identity from the very start has been its far more grounded use and presentation of the various game systems involved. It was obviously still a video game, and if I recall correctly Mafia 2 had some easy "hit the gas tank to ignite" weak spots during shootouts, but generally this was the kind of game where you wouldn't be taking on 20+ cars during a chase, and shootouts would leave the scenery broke and cars full of holes. Everything from the camera perspective, hit feedback, effects, damage values, hitboxes, movement, and mission structure was presented as a bit of a polar opposite to the then wild and wacky adventures of Grand Theft Auto.

When the first gameplay clips showcase the protagonist cover shooting with a grenade launcher, and a car chase where simple rams send targets rolling in flames, my instinctive reaction is "this looks like a decently fun action open world game" but most definitely not "this looks like Mafia". The footage so far is, on a mechanical level, only the marital arts aspect away from being more akin to Sleeping Dogs than Mafia.

So yeah. Definitely interested and keen based on the game by its own merits. Plus I like seeing other developers have their take on open world games given I find Rockstar's formula tiring, and we're at a stage with technology where the genre can really come into its own. I think the setting is cool, especially for the series. A nice shift. But in play I don't, so far, resonate with the branding of Mafia III. And given I feel video games, and my love for particular franchises, are fundamentally defined by play, this is a little bit disheartening. I feel more like I'm looking at a potentially fun open world game rather than a successor to Mafia II.

This so much.
Couldn't have said it any better myself but I feel the exact same.

What a shame really. Just a little anyway.

 

[J-Skee]

Top Spin 5.
Believe.

That... would actually be nuts.

 

[Denzar]

The criminal ecosystem: You can go out there and you can literally work your way up the pyramid. You can find low-level dealers who will lead you to the drug den, which is run by a hide-out boss, who will lead you to the lieutenant, who will lead you to the capo, who will lead you to the mob boss.

So similar to the nemesis system in Shadows of Mordor then?

 

[sn00zer]

Cinematic Trailer: OooooOOooooo coooool
Gameplay: Oh no they made it GTA

 

[knerl]

A video interview with the creative director shares a few details:







EatChildren, I can definitely see where you are coming from, especially in regards to the driving. The previous two games had really distinct driving mechanics, with the strict speed-limits and unwieldy, unique driving models. III is definitely going to be departure in that respect, since it seems like the developer are going for a muscle car/Bullitt approach.

Unless they let you choose between simulator vehicle mechanics or arcade mechanics like in Mafia 2.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

I don't like how crash the cars.It's like crazy taxi.

 

[PillarEN]

So I've just watched the reveal trailer and if this wasn't attached to the Mafia franchise I would have rolled my eyes at the whole thing. Hopefully this is a trailer meant to hype up the Joe six pack gamer because man, how generic and goofy it is with this horrible dialogue that I could never picture in the original game (though I played the Czech dub so maybe the English one has always been more "B movie Hollywood"?) and the lame cast of "everyone is a different stock character" which walks into the frame like a trailer shot by someone who hasn't evolved since the PS2 era. Oh and here is that Jimi Hendricks song because you guys are too stupid to recognize the Vietnam war.

I feel bad for Illusion Softworks who never would have put out such a trailer. Generic AAA 2K written all over it. Please be good but I have serious doubts.

Edit: watched the quick interview with gameplay. Mafia: Focus Group Edition
Who the hell is Hangar 13? Not a Czech developed game anymore?

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

So similar to the nemesis system in Shadows of Mordor then?

Sorta sounds like it. But a core part of mordor was the fact that they renembered you and how the ranks and promotions would actually change as you played. They haven't mentioned anything like that though.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

The suits parts is pretty much true but really I wouldn't have liked it to be the irish either. I dropped GTA for similar reasons ages ago. I want the glamour mixed with violence that eventually makes everything go to hell. Most of the classical mafia movies are about the italians, Goodfellas and the like.

I wouldn't been happy with it going to Asia either but anyway not going to be hugely upset over this. It's not a genre I play a lot so passing Mafia 3 don't trouble me too much.

You must be glad that all the people making movies or in power to fund them just happen to be white and liked stories set in New York one of America's 4 cities at the time. Me personally I don't like any story post the year 300 because they tell me things that didn't happen before they told me

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

So if Hanger 13 is working on this, what is 2K Czech doing? Do they still exist?

The real creators and designers are making Kingdom Come Delivarance and are now call Warhorse Studios.
This new guys have to do a lot right (and im not seeing it in the screens and videos) for me to be excited for their Mafia game. And the main guy working on it now is the writter of the force unleashed, so....

I like the protags and city at least.

So I've just watched the reveal trailer and if this wasn't attached to the Mafia franchise I would have rolled my eyes at the whole thing. Hopefully this is a trailer meant to hype up the Joe six pack gamer because man, how generic and goofy it is with this horrible dialogue that I could never picture in the original game (though I played the Czech dub so maybe the English one has always been more "B movie Hollywood"?) and the lame cast of "everyone is a different stock character" which walks into the frame like a trailer shot by someone who hasn't evolved since the PS2 era. Oh and here is that Jimi Hendricks song because you guys are too stupid to recognize the Vietnam war.

I feel bad for Illusion Softworks who never would have put out such a trailer. Generic AAA 2K written all over it. Please be good but I have serious doubts.

Edit: watched the quick interview with gameplay. Mafia: Focus Group Edition
Who the hell is Hangar 13? Not a Czech developed game anymore?

Nope. Hangar 13 is a new development group headed by the guy whio made the "fantastic" series The Force Unleashed, Haden Blackman. The old 2kCzech (Illusion Softworks) was restructured, some guys were sent to Hangar 13 (we dont know how many or if they were important), but all the main guys went indie and made a new studio called Warhorse Studios and are making now Kingdom Come Deliverance.
So you could say Mafia 3 is an american game instead of an eastern european one, and it shows.

 

[Lug Nuts]

Unless they let you choose between simulator vehicle mechanics or arcade mechanics like in Mafia 2.

I have a feeling that was a 2k Czech thing :/

 

[Denton]

Nope. Hangar 13 is a new development group headed by the guy whio made the "fantastic" series The Force Unleashed, Haden Blackman. The old 2kCzech (Illusion Softworks) was restructured, some guys were sent to Hangar 13 (we dont know how many or if they were important), but all the main guys went indie and made a new studio called Warhorse Studios and are making now Kingdom Come Deliverance.
So you could say Mafia 3 is an american game instead of an eastern european one, and it shows.

The development is lead by US people since Vavra and others formed Warhorse, yeah. There are still some czechs working on it though:

(interview in CZ from gamescom http://www.hrej.cz/rozhovory/exkluzivne-z-gamescomu-mafia-iii-5204/ ):

We know there are some CZ developers at Hangar 13, but are you also working with the 2K Czech team based in Brno ?

Short answer, yes we are. We have whole media team at our disposal, which handled animations and cutscenes in Mafia 2, and they are working on those for Mafia 3 as well. During Gamescom we did not show many cutscenes because the focus was somewhere else, but this series's main pillar is a strong storyline and all the story cutscenes are being created in Czechland. We also have a group of developers taking care of our engine, whether they are sitting with us in Novato, or in Czechland. But yes, in Hangar 13 we handle the more creative part of development, although we relocated here many people who worked on the second game, for example on its car physics.

He also says they are using improved Mafia 2 engine, are taking the feedback from people into consideration etc.

 

[DrZeus]

Cinematic Trailer: OooooOOooooo coooool
Gameplay: Oh no they made it GTA

Didn't R* and 2k basically have the Mafia and gta teams help each other out during the dev cycle of gta 5 and this. I won't bc surprised to see similarities between the two.

 

[FunkyLounge]

The development is lead by US people since Vavra and others formed Warhorse, yeah. There are still some czechs working on it though:

(interview in CZ from gamescom http://www.hrej.cz/rozhovory/exkluzivne-z-gamescomu-mafia-iii-5204/ ):


He also says they are using improved Mafia 2 engine, are taking the feedback from people into consideration etc.

Definitely interested in the evolution of that engine, already looked good last gen.

Spoiler

Na poměry CZ scény

 

[Denton]

Definitely interested in the evolution of that engine, already looked good last gen.

Spoiler

Na poměry CZ scény

Mafia 2 looks amazing even today, on PC at least. Especially with some downsampling. And the physX was very neat in this game, not many games even today have such enjoyable destruction.

Spoiler

tzn. nejen na poměry cz scény

 

[mechphree]

Looks great. Don't see why some people feel it's going to destroy the franchise. I'm definitely interested in the setting and characters. I'm also interested in how big the actual world is.

 

[brau]

HYPE!

 

[cleveridea]

Have to say that I am surprised by the direction but certainly not disappointed, I think diversity of location/setting/time period is a good thing

Game doesnt look too great detail wise but presumably thats just because its early.

Def there day one if it delivers.

 

[Rock Howard]

Damn that´s a pretty violent game. The only thing i don´t like are the exaggerated car crashes. Happy to hear that Vito will become one of your lieutanents.

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

New interview at Gamesreactor.

Apparently the drug den mission in the Gamescom demo can be completed in a non-violent way by blackmailing the hideout boss into turning everything over to the player. Every hideout has a unique set of rewards based on the lieutenants, and how you chose to divvy up and rebuild you're criminal empire effects not only unique abilities available to the player but the narrative. To max out a skill set you would require you to stick with one character, while ignoring the other two.

"It comes down to what do you give to these three lieutenants, and then what do they give you in exchange. So every hideout has an unique set of rewards based on the lieutenant [that it is given to].

"They're kind of almost like living skill trees. So if you know anything about skill trees you know you can either go broad or go deep. So if you really want to go deep on a skill tree you've gotta give everything to one mobster, well that's going to leave the other two guys unhappy, right! But if you wanna go broad and keep them all happy you can, but you might not get the pinnacle reward that Vito has to offer because you haven't given him enough stuff to warrant that. So there's an interesting balance there."

No multiplayer, and it's running on a new engine, that shares some features from Mafia 2.

"We haven't revealed the name of it yet, but it's all proprietary that we've built within Hanger 13. Some of it is tech that we've rolled over and have upgraded and improved from Mafia II, so there was definitely a solid foundation to build on for new-gen. But a lot of it is wholly new as well. We have a really solid tech team, hopefully it shows in the demo. I think the lighting's incredible, the variety of the pedestrians, the density of the pedestrians, are all pretty phenomenal."

 

[dex3108]

Finally something new

 

[Trace]

Finally something new

Why is everything orange?

 

[dex3108]

Why is everything orange?

Artistic vision/Artstyle

 

[sangreal]

looks more like fallout than mafia

 

[brau]

looks more like fallout than mafia

I actually thought it was a screen from Farcry 2.

 

[Easy_D]

I actually thought it was a screen from Farcry 2.

I thought it was Resident Evil 5. I thought we were past shitty colour correction.

 

[ODDI]

looks more like fallout than mafia

I'm getting more of a Far Cry vibe covered in piss but it's just concept art so....

 

[captjohnboyd]

It's funny (I doubt the artists knew this) but before a rain here in Louisiana sometimes the sky takes on a really odd color like an orange or yellow and it colors everything like that. Cars, sidewalks, buildings, everything. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. Imagine looking through a piece of yellow cellophane and you'll get it. I've never seen it anywhere else I've lived outside of Louisiana

 

[brau]

I thought it was Resident Evil 5. I thought we were past shitty colour correction.

OH! thats a good call. It does look like RE5. I feel we are getting somewhere now.

It's funny (I doubt the artists knew this) but before a rain here in Louisiana sometimes the sky takes on a really odd color like an orange or yellow and it colors everything like that. Cars, sidewalks, buildings, everything. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. Imagine looking through a piece of yellow cellophane and you'll get it. I've never seen it anywhere else I've lived outside of Louisiana

Photo or it never happened.

 

[dex3108]

I'm getting more of a Far Cry vibe covered in piss but it's just concept art so....

It is more like screenshot then concept art. I am not digging colors but i like the vibe.

 

[Neuromancer]

Why is everything orange?

That's the way everything looked in the 70's.

 

[captjohnboyd]

OH! thats a good call. It does look like RE5. I feel we are getting somewhere now.



Photo or it never happened.

Lol it actually happened today too! I swear when I have privileges I'm going to start a thread and show some pics (although it's hard as hell to capture)

 

[Numb]

Finally something new

Good spot to get rid of bodies and feed people to alligators.MMMMM

 

[Lord of Castamere]

Yeah.. this isn't releasing any time soon. Calling September, unless R* announces a game for next fall. Might not release until next spring.

 

[dex3108]

New artwork is here