2016 release discussion

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Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 8:33 pm

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M.Steiner
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Yep! Should get my key tomorrow which will give me time to pre-load it for Friday :D

Saw about the review copies too but whilst that can be bad sign, I'm not too worried in this case. There has been a ton of footage released & lots of hands-on impressions out there already too, so think we'd already have some other red flags by now if there was cause for concern here. That's my thinking anyway heh. Huge fan of Mafia 1 & 2 so really can't wait to play 3! (and the soundtrack looks amazing!) :)

[Edit]
Though there are reports of there being a 30fps lock on PC atm. Not a deal breaker for me but hope there's a patch for that if so.

[Edit2]
https://mafiagame.com/en/news/view/en-mafia-3-a-message-to-our-pc-players/ wrote:We know how important having options that best suit your PC’s performance capabilities are. The team has been hard at work ensuring that Mafia III’s performance is consistent across all platforms, and right now the game runs at a solid 30 frames-per-second. We are currently working on an update for PC that will give players the option to play Mafia III at higher framerates. We’ll share more details about the update, and when you can expect it to arrive, very soon. In the meantime, the team welcomes feedback and would like to hear from you about what performance adjustment options are important to you. We’re actively considering a number of additional post-launch improvements on PC that would give players more control over how they can tailor the game’s experience to suit their rig’s performance. It’s been an incredible journey developing Mafia III and we couldn’t be more excited to get the game in your hands and hear what you think!
[Edit3]
UPDATE [10/6 / 6PM PT]: We currently have a patch running here at the studio that includes 30, 60, and unlimited frames-per-second options in the video menu, among other improvements for the PC version of Mafia III. We’re verifying the patch now to ensure everything is working as expected. If everything goes well, we expect the update to go live this weekend. We will be keeping the PC community up-to-date on the status of the patch throughout the weekend and thank you for all the feedback!
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:03 pm

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M.Steiner
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Few thoughts on Mafia 3:

- Story & characters are great and the gameplay (in general) is a lot of fun. The first 3hrs of storytelling is (whilst not quite Witcher 3 level) absolutely superb and I love how it's presented.
- Music captures the era and feel of the that time perfectly and has to be one of the best video game soundtracks ever.

After that first 3 hours though... I'm still enjoying and invested in the story and characters but there is a lot of repetition to its missions & the gameplay of those. Too much imo. I mean, there is going to be some level of that (with territory control etc) due to your goal in the game and what you're doing, but I would have liked to have seen more new & unique missions and less of (what feels like) copy/paste and do this, do that, rinse, repeat but in different locations. I've not finished it yet though so I hope there are some more of those to come.

For story alone (taking into account that I haven't actually finished it yet, so this could change), Mafia 3 has the potential to be the best in the series. Problem is, I feel Mafia 2 did some things better... Will wait until I've finished 3 before I decide how I'd rank it against 1 & 2 though. Hoping it ends as well as it begun.

Edit: Finished it & thoughts haven't really changed - Fantastic story, music & characters (great voice acting too) but the repetitive nature of the missions (not all of them, but a lot) holds it back from reaching its true potential. Decent game nonetheless but I wish it had taken more from Mafia 2.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 11:30 pm

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Anubis
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I'm really looking forward to playing it for the story definitely. Gameplay wise I kinda get what you mean, but at the same time do you not think all similar GTA-like games do the same now - all missions tend to be derivative or repetetive? Only exception I can think of is Saints Row 4 because the super powers just gave them a whole different angle.
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

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Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 1:19 am

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M.Steiner
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To try and explain in a bit more detail:

A district in Mafia 3 is controlled by a capo and within those districts are rackets. To draw the capo out, you first need to damage their rackets by destroying their contraband, interrogating gang members to learn more info, killing their racket leaders & stuff like that, to then ultimately take control of those yourself and have them assigned to one of your underbosses. Once done, you can then kill the capo & take control of their district.

Games like GTA & Saints Row usually follow the same formula ofc, but this description I've just given of Mafia 3 is the game basically. The locations & characters vary, the (fantastic as I say) story & soundtrack is there to support it, but you follow that exact same process throughout the entire game. There are some particularly fun missions here and there with some nice set pieces but there aren't that many which (at least to me) felt new & unique. Whilst I loved the actual driving (simulation) & shooting mechanics and still had fun with that, some of the missions themselves often felt like side content to be perfectly honest. I never really found that with Mafia 2 and can still think back and recall some of its missions and their place in the story as they were memorable. I don't think I'll be able to say that for a lot of Mafia 3's. Yes for the story itself and some of its characters, definitely, but probably not for the missions.

There were a few other things I wish they'd have left in from Mafia 2 as well tbh; Clothing & car customizations, which they are adding to Mafia 3 thankfully (though not sure about physical clothing stores within the game, might be a menu option?), but there are none right now. Usable Gas stations, as I feel they added a bit of life & realism to the city, and you didn't need to fill up all that often so it's not like they were a pain to use imo. I also prefer how police worked in Mafia 2 as well; with speed limits & red lights being a trigger. In Mafia 3 you could be doing 120mph, through a red light and have a head-on collison with another car infront of them and they won't do shit. They'll only come after you if you crash into them, someone calls them (stealing a car, running someone down) or you're firing out in the open etc. Just small niggles though and a personal preference more than anything. Its the mission design I had the most issue with.

I still had a blast with it don't get me wrong, and glad I bought it at release too. Just a shame that the mission structure wasn't as strong and varied as it could have been. Be interesting to hear your thoughts once you start it mate :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 9:18 pm

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Anubis
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So I was going to start it after FFX-2, but the experience of trying to play that has been so painful and frustrating that I've gone onto Max Payne 2 next, which I've been meaning to replay for a while.

I'll report back as soon as I get to it :)
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 12:41 pm

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M.Steiner
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Thought I'd post a vid in here since it's kinda relevant!
M.Steiner wrote:- Music captures the era and feel of the that time perfectly and has to be one of the best video game soundtracks ever.
I got to see the Four Tops & The Temptations last night who are part of that awesome soundtrack ;)
Never been to a gig like this before, where the lower floor seating area basically became a dance floor lol. Really great show, and such good music :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:07 pm

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M.Steiner
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Said I'd post this up soon, now that I've finally decided on my placements for this year lol

MS' TOP 10 GAMES OF 2016
  • #1 The Last Guardian
    #2 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
    #3 Hitman
    #4 INSIDE
    #5 Mafia 3
    #6 Battlefield 1
    #7 Overwatch
    #8 Stardew Valley
    #9 Firewatch
    #10 The Tomorrow Children
Biggest disappointments of 2016: Rise of the Tomb Raider & No Man's Sky

Best DLC/Expansion: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine
- TW3 was my GOTY last year so it seemed a little unfair to include the second & final expansion for it in my list again this year as it would most certainly have taken one of those top spots again lol, but nevertheless, Blood and Wine deserves a mention somewhere. CDPR are arguably the best in the business right now when it comes to storytelling & Blood & Wine was not only some of the best work they've done, but managed to outshine most other main game campaigns out there.

Honourable mentions: Dark Souls III, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided & Dishonored 2.
- Unless I went posting a top 15 or 20 & start getting silly with it, there are still several other games to come out this year which didn't make the top 10 for me but were still pretty <censored> great, and were not bad or disappointing games because of that. Here are just 3 of them.

Fav backlog game played this year: Batman: Arkham Knight
- I can't include this in my top 10 as it wasn't released this year but as it was (quite frankly) unplayable for a large chunk of 2015, it wasn't until early this year that I actually played it. By far the worst state I have ever seen a game launch in & if it wasn't for Anny's praise of it I would probably have continued to put off playing it for even longer (as I'd kinda moved past the point of actually 'wanting' to play it) but the actual game was fantastic & well worth playing once they had finally fixed it. Glad I gave it a second chance.

Final note: I'm nearly done with FFXV but whilst I have been enjoying it quite a bit & wouldn't say it was a terrible game or anything, I can understand and agree with some of the criticisms it has gotten & can't see it making my list because of them. It does have its positives (I'd actually put the combat as one of those), but as a FF title that has been in development for as long as that has, I was expecting more from it. It would have sucked had I come away feeling similar about The Last Guardian as well but thankfully that wasn't the case, so not all bad :)
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:41 pm

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Anubis
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Interesting list MS - especially that so many indie titles made it! Nice to see :)

For my own, I'm not going to restrict myself with "released in 2016" as it'd be nearly empty if I did :lol: But this is the best of everything I've played this year. Top 5 only, because I appear to have played much less than you and have good reason for keeping some things off the list.

TOP 5 GAMES OF 2016
  • #1 Batman: Arkham Knight
    #2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone
    #3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine
    #4 Final Fantasy X HD Remaster
    #5 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Biggest disappointment: Mafia 3 (still not finished it because I went off the boring and repetitive gameplay so much).

Honourable mentions: Stellaris, World of Warcraft: Legion & The Wolf Among Us.
- The Wolf Among Us had very strong narrative but Telltale games are getting tired for me now. Stellaris was incredibly awesome for the first game (75 hours) I played, but lost the appeal after that. World of Warcraft: Legion shocked me by being a fantastic expansion that got me back into the game for the first time since 2006, but as always once a cap my interest wanes.

Dishonorable mentions: Rise of the Tomb Raider (it wasn't bad, certainly better than Mafia 3 for me, but I expected much more).

That's all from me for the year I think. My backlog is still ridiculous and there's still a lot I bought this year that I've not played yet. Maybe it'll make next year's list :lol:
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 4:19 pm

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M.Steiner
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Anubis wrote:Biggest disappointment: Mafia 3 (still not finished it because I went off the boring and repetitive gameplay so much).
Dishonorable mentions: Rise of the Tomb Raider (it wasn't bad, certainly better than Mafia 3 for me, but I expected much more).
Ahh, you shared my thoughts on Mafia 3 it seems :)

For ref:
Few thoughts on Mafia 3:

- Story & characters are great and the gameplay (in general) is a lot of fun. The first 3hrs of storytelling is (whilst not quite Witcher 3 level) absolutely superb and I love how it's presented.
- Music captures the era and feel of the that time perfectly and has to be one of the best video game soundtracks ever.

After that first 3 hours though... I'm still enjoying and invested in the story and characters but there is a lot of repetition to its missions & the gameplay of those. Too much imo. I mean, there is going to be some level of that (with territory control etc) due to your goal in the game and what you're doing, but I would have liked to have seen more new & unique missions and less of (what feels like) copy/paste and do this, do that, rinse, repeat but in different locations. I've not finished it yet though so I hope there are some more of those to come.

For story alone (taking into account that I haven't actually finished it yet, so this could change), Mafia 3 has the potential to be the best in the series. Problem is, I feel Mafia 2 did some things better... Will wait until I've finished 3 before I decide how I'd rank it against 1 & 2 though. Hoping it ends as well as it begun.

Edit: Finished it & thoughts haven't really changed - Fantastic story, music & characters (great voice acting too) but the repetitive nature of the missions (not all of them, but a lot) holds it back from reaching its true potential. Decent game nonetheless but I wish it had taken more from Mafia 2.
Yeah...
The story, characters & music were strong enough for me to remain invested till the end and the gameplay was great in moderation, but whilst I was disappointed by it, I'd still say it was one of my highlights of the year too. Feel kinda weird towards it actually lol. That being said, on the whole, both Mafia 1 & 2 were better games for their time. As such, I included Rise of the Tomb Raider as my biggest disappointed since (at least imo), that didn't even have a good story going for it.

My backlog is still ridiculous and there's still a lot I bought this year that I've not played yet.
TftBL.jpg
TftBL.jpg (7.97 KiB) Viewed 18558 times
;D ;) :p
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:31 pm

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Anubis
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M.Steiner wrote:
My backlog is still ridiculous and there's still a lot I bought this year that I've not played yet.
TftBL.jpg
;D ;) :p
I started it a couple of weeks ago!
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:01 pm

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Oh! I noticed you playing SR4 the other day so assumed you'd skipped passed it again. My bad! This is good news! Where are you at mate? :D
I've been certain that it would be a surprise hit for you (even as a non-BL shooter fan) & that you'd come away loving it, so have been eagerly anticipating your thoughts - May not have felt that way when you first started playing though, I didn't. I ended up playing ep 2-5 over 3-4 days though & was really sad when I'd come to the end of it. Such a great game lol.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:39 pm

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Anubis
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M.Steiner wrote:Oh! I noticed you playing SR4 the other day so assumed you'd skipped passed it again. My bad! This is good news! Where are you at mate? :D
I've been certain that it would be a surprise hit for you (even as a non-BL shooter fan) & that you'd come away loving it, so have been eagerly anticipating your thoughts - May not have felt that way when you first started playing though, I didn't. I ended up playing ep 2-5 over 3-4 days though & was really sad when I'd come to the end of it. Such a great game lol.
I'm playing it slower because I'm playing it alongside a friend, to try and recreate the feeling we had with LIS when it was coming out episodically :)

I'm about halfway through episode 1 I think, need to finish that off this week and then run through episode 2 so I'm caught up!
"Perhaps this is what I have always wished for since that day. The loss and destruction of all. That's right, one must destroy before creating. In that case, if my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. I have no other choice but to move forward....therefore!" - Lelouch vi Britannia/Zero, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

Forever an eXile and proud of it!

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:02 pm

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M.Steiner
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Anubis wrote:I'm playing it slower because I'm playing it alongside a friend, to try and recreate the feeling we had with LIS when it was coming out episodically :)

I'm about halfway through episode 1 I think, need to finish that off this week and then run through episode 2 so I'm caught up!
Ahh, that sounds fun. Well, I hope they enjoy it as well in that case! It's a different kind of experience to LiS for sure (lol :D) but a great one nonetheless.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Re: 2016 release discussion

PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 6:58 pm

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M.Steiner
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M.Steiner wrote:Biggest disappointment of 2016: Rise of the Tomb Raider
How could I forget No Man's Sky?! lol. Granted it was pretty low on my hype list to begin with and I was skeptical about buying it anyway, but I should probably have included NMS in this category too. That being said, I'd say I was more disgusted than disappointed.
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

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