Posted on: Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Posted in: News
Comments: 52
Mafia II Angry Interview
Angry Joe asks a few questions about the upcoming Mafia II, the much improved sequel continues with a more story driven-style following Vito Scaletta as he rises through the ranks to become a made man.
The demo is out now, download it and report back! What do you think? And can the game hold up on a strong narrative alone (like bioware & bethesda often does) without any multiplayer or co-op features?
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52 thoughts on “Mafia II Angry Interview”
It is all about hte idea of specialists versus generalists. In Mafia two you are getting like 5-6 games in one.
Theres driving around in a simulation, theres melee fighting theres action and then there is stealth missions and probably more. The problem is there is not too that much complexity or depth to these systems, by trying to do to much you get shit, I would much rather play Splinter Cell for stealth, Arkham Asylum for Combat. I think by too much you end up subpar everything and its like why bother.
There is a hell of alot of ambience and if you like just driving around it is like no other, but I found myself completely ignoring the whole world when driving around from mission to mission (only looking at the tiny mini-map screen) . I mean maybe I am just too old school but I didnt like it one bit.
Good game, nice story, feels realistic, no matter how annoying it is to arrested at for speeding or a hit and run. One major flaw, for me at least, was how short it was. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a bit more of the “Get a car, get it to who needs it.” or the “Shoot a guy, don’t get shot.” missions.
The ending was pretty f’ed up, though. That’s pretty much a plus on realism, if you’re in the mafia and you don’t get shot dead, it’s still not going to end well, but he still didn’t have to die. I guess that’s what I get for growing up with Mario, realistic games effect me differently than those who grew up with GTA.
Just finished the game on PS3 yesterday …
I have to say … no it´s not a clone of GTA, and that´s actually good in my book. There´s to many GTA wanabe´s already plus the GTA LCS(LATD+TBGT). I really enjoyed this game for it´s story and characters. It actually had me glued to the tv screen for the last 5 hours of the game just to find out what the next twist in the story would be, what would happen to this character or that character and so on. I totally agree with someone above that sais Godfather+Goodfellas=Mafia II, although i would put it more like this … it starts off like Godfather and suddenly a few hours into the game it transforme´s into Goodfellas (although a 50´s sort of Goodfellas). It has some downside´s though, … yes it has a MASSIVE map … yes you can go anywhere on or between missions … BUT … there isn´t actually anything to do ! Dont get me wrong, most of the storyline missions are kickass Mafia sh!4 all the way (which i loved, in particular that none of those missions are repetetive, the game doesn´t throw the same thing to you twice, which is good), the firefights and weapons handling was crazy (in a good way), but no side missions ? No mini-games or at least something, any minor thing to do in such a bigass map? Common i know it´s not trying to be GTA as i said, but they didn´t pop in Co-op or MP did they? So they could have at least given us a reason to go back to it once you finished the 15 chapters on Hard !!! All in all, i liked it but hope for some knew DLC´s with diferent stuff to do in Empire Bay. I honestly would give it a 7/10 as is.
The demo oozes style but the gameplay left me feeling cold
Really undecided on this one, need AJ for some honest thoughts on it.
man make a review
GodFather + Goodfells = Mafia II
Joe, Joe xD. He was going to eat you up, man. Did you know the dude grew up with friends that we’re actually in mafia families? Maybe thats why he didn’t like you going that stereotype mafia talk.
From what I’ve seen in other interviews with Jack I’ve noticed he’s very serious about this game. He doesnt want it to be cliche. He wanted to avoid the mafia being portrayed as whops that only talk about respect and family.
To be honest, i prefer the Godfather 2 to this game, i tried the demo, i thought it was terrible, what Jack said was bullcrap, there are games like this, for instance, the godfather games, they where fun, i am still on my second playthrough of the godfather 2, this game will be awfull.
Recomendation: DON’T BUY IT.
ya the gameplay was so-so needs improvement in driving and punching people in the face and also i hate that after you kill someone you carnt walk over to them and shoot them in the face with blood squirting everywhere or just put a whole tommy gun clip into a guy but no when you do shoot them in the head a chunk of mud or pavement pops out
all i want is feellike a real gangster and put a bullet in there head just to make sure 
hehe, that guy was not having any of that. xD He seemed so serious, but hey, at least he answered your questions with a straight, firm, yet confident manner. Who knows, I forget when you had this appointment, but maybe he had already heard a bunch of mafioso jokes played at him and he was tired, it looked like that lol. or maybe he was doing the whole tough guy act and forgot to do a funny accent. xD
I laughed my ass off though at the first couple seconds, “Okay tony!” XDD he looked so annoyed.
From what I have seen (Which is very little, I have yet to play the demo >.< Sue me. )
It looks really good, the visuals seem nice, although i'm taking this from the commercials and the gameplay from this video, it looks.. good.
but, from the interview and some of the answers, I'm not sure.. not to mention the mixture of reviews of before-mentioned demo. The fact there's no multiplayer bums me out too. :/
I think his reaction/answer to the boss idea was kinda close-minded, but still, maybe he's just thinking their main focus is a shooter and that's what they'll stick by.
Which by all means is not bad.
Having a Solid Game that follows all the general rules and a good plotline is by far the only thing we gamers really need, first off anyway, get that down and then innovate it with the fancy stuff, make it at least have an atmosphere before adding the fresh car scent.
Who knows? We won't know until it comes out and somebody tries it, you review it, or we play it ourselves. For me, I'ma wait and see, and if someone with a bit of merit like yourself gives it a good review, i'll definately give it a look myself.
I just love how people tend to thumbs-down anybody who seems to be disappointed with the demo. I mean, how DARE anybody express concerns that could be addressed to the developers! How DARE somebody have a different tastes than your own! How DARE anybody express anything besides the utmost contentment for something they in all honesty are not content with!
…watch as this very post gets a ton of thumbs-down.
Heh, I was so tempted to give you a thumbs down to help you prove your point but agree with you too much! In addition I also seem to notice a huge outbreak in thumbs downs as soon as an argument between only two people starts as if one of them is so angry they have to drop a nuclear bomb of thumbs downess on the boards.
At this point though your post was 2 up so maybe we’re both cynics and the world is a nicer place than we think!
played the demo…
1. crouching isn’t as quick to respond as it should be, there is too much animation in some cases to slow it down.
2. leaning against a wall is annoying because it has to be activated/deactivated with the ctrl button. It should be a Hold button action which inherently involves skill as opposed to lack of insight of when to “deactivate”…in other words the feature is a dumbed down feature which screws with the flow of the game that shouldn’t and can get you killed if you haven’t practiced.
3. An accidental process of “sliding to a wall and leaning against it” was accidentally found by myself. Pressing ctrl quickly did that, but I still find it arrogant that I’m locked into a position that I have to lock my self out of. It shouldn’t be this way, especially when crouching and leaning. I have to re-hold down the crouch button to crouch while leaning…WTF?
4. Sprinting in mission mode is Disabled??? WTF is that about? If I can sprint while screwing around then I sure as hell should be able to sprint. If you don’t want me sprinting then REMOVE IT or have a meter that says I can only sprint so much. Also, sprinting should be a weighted system with a meter that is dependent on how many guns you are holding and WHAT you are holding at the time. If I am holding 4 guns then the meter should drain 4x as quick. if I am carrying a large weapon my running should be slightly improved while sprinting and not removed…end of story.
5. You can’t shoot outside your own car WHILE driving which is retarded. Maybe you can as a passenger but you should still be able to do it while driving…it can be limited on how and what angles and so forth but it should be a process that can be done ESPECIALLY since i can look around the entire car when driving.
6. The “Car in the Garage” selection system is messed up as well. If you don’t HAVE a 3 car garage then you shouldn’t be able to select more than what the garage can hold. Besides, this is the 50′s! No mobster owned more than 2 personal cars. Owning just one was living lavishly. Have some sense of realism.
7. The resist arrest and pay off the cops portion threw me as well. I don’t know how much cash I have to work with to perform that kinda action. Its just a ridiculous notion to think that my characters money is limitless. All cops shouldn’t be automatically patient by the way. There should be randomized moments where the cops throw you on a hood of a car or against a wall or just beat the crap out of you in an alley with other cops after they arrest you instead of taking you in. THIS IS REALISM BACK IN THE 50′S.
8. The cops stop the car when when you are about to drive off. I hate it when this happens. If a police officer is outside your car door he DOES NOT have the magical power to stop your car…fck that. If I hit the gas I should be able to take off no matter how close. If a cop reaches for my door I should be able to drag his ass across the map while he’s holding on to the door…yeah that’s right…drag his ass ACROSS A MAP while holding on to the door and I have to work him off the door by speed or reckless driving, for a short or long amount of time. NOT the garbage like an imaginary EMP blast that stops my car in its place and I get pulled out.
9. As for fighting, you can’t hit women?? The 50′s were all about slapping women in the face! THAT IS FACT! Sure you shouldn’t be able to punch a a woman randomly on the street, but you should be able to slap them and have random guys come at you for doing that…that would be fun. Having slapped a woman be instant Aggro to random fighting random guys. Yes I said slapped, not punch! No female was ever punched back then.
10. Cops can climb but I cannot? If you have cops come after you near the park near your house cops can climb fences…which is COOL. But when you cannot that is where that upsets me. Also, Agro detection for police is actually somewhat realistic for that era…but they call off the police trying to find you I think too quickly and calmly.
11. As for the subject of stereotypical citizens of the 50′s, I bothered an African American by accident by trying to punch a cop back. The African American pulled out a gun??? Back then, KNIVES or BRASS KNUCKLES were what was mainly used for defense in the inner city by citizens for protection or thieves trying to make a decent buck. When I see this I think some Grand Theft Auto designer had his own personal “take” in the game instead of someone making this a Period example of what the game is supposed to be about.
So that is my take on the demo…but I assume since it was a demo it will be fixed by release…but I highly doubt that.
Freedom of speech rocks
when will joe learn not every game needs multiplayer
His just lonely
the guy acted like a straight up meat head, i liked his straight answers, but come on row with the punches have fun a little WHY SO SERIOUS? lol
Oh man, I remember playing the first game. It was so awkward, while driving, it’s not even funny. I tell ya this: I’m not a big racing fan, but I did play a few racers in my time. But the race in Mafia? I wanted to grab a Tommy gun and shoot my freaking brain off 8V
On the Developer:
I liked his style strangely enough! Yeah you could argue he wasn’t selling the game hard but thats what I liked. He didn’t feel like a second hand car salesman like some of the developers do. He didn’t say the words multi-layered, totally immersive or any of those other shit-eating phrases so easy to throw out there. I also liked his response to the mob-boss question, just a a flat out “nope, aint that kind of game”.
On Multiplayer:
Hallelujah! A new game coming out that doesn’t just throw in a multiplayer mode or even promise one to follow immediately. From what we’ve seen we can tell these guys have just really focused on the single player story. There are lots of people (myself included) who aren’t mega-fans of online play. Most of the time I just want to jump into a world or a setting and not have to think about competing or relying on someone else. Its refreshing to see a company that doesn’t feel they HAVE to put in multiplayer. Would it be kickass if what Joe suggested (public enemy co-op heists) could happen, sure! But I’m glad if they do get put in only as DLC’s or expansions. Mafia was a game that opened my eyes to the storytelling and emotional potential of cinematic style single player games. I would like it to stay that way for the main part. And I did say main part, I wouldn’t mind it as an extra! Don’t kill me!
On Gameplay:
Hey, it looks boss. I know it, you know it, lets leave it at that. Tommy guns all round!
Cheers,
Boosty
Judging by Joe’s question, I don’t think he has played the first Mafia. I bet many reviewers are going to give a lower score to Mafia II than the game deserves just because it isn’t a GTA IV clone.
I’ve played the demo. It’s alright. The time limit bugged me though haha.
Some things to note.
-There is no blind fire
-Every black guy has a gun
-I enjoy the playmate thing…
-Will there be a wide variety of weapons? I can’t imagine them using anything but colts, 6 shooters, shotguns and tommy guns.
-There is no multiplayer whatsoever. So… no free roaming with your buddies
-Cops don’t shoot you for speeding anymore, but they shoot you for resisting arrest, which is reasonable, but couldnt the just beat the crap out of me instead and leave me on the ground?
-The cops can shoot you from a very far range, which is annoying.
-Test the range on the shotgun, it’s badass.
-The “Taking Cover” mechanic could have been a bit more badass, like in GTA where you would roll if you were far from the wall rather then half teleport there.
-It would be cool if you could use a baseball bat or something. Appearently you can open the trunk of your car, how cool would it be if you could store a baseball bat in there so if anyone rear ends you.
LOL! joe was enthusiastic with humor and it felt as if the guy simply intimidated or shut him down.
Can i call you tony? no lol
that game would had been THE BEST if it had coop split screen…. nothing better than a coop shooter.
I liked the demo a lot, thought the time constraint is a bit of a bugger, the look and feel of the game is nice and definitely an improvement of the original, but will have to wait and see for the full game. My only problem with the game is the driving with the cars, they are hard to steer. :S
I liked the demo I have played both the pc version and ps3 version the controls are good but the ps3 has NO MOTION BLUR WTF except from that the ps3 version was good GOOD INTERWIEW JOE YOU ARE THE MAN
I liked how no nonsense this guy is. “This is how we do it deal with it.”
I’d like to know if you can still free-roam in Mafia 2 when the story mode is over, or perform side quests, something other than play the campaign over and over again.
Give the guy a break. For once we get some dude who just tells it the way it is and doesn’t try to “wow” us by making mundane features seem like the most innovative thing ever.
The game looks promising, but with the interview, I can’t tell if I respect the guy for being so straight-up about everything or if I resent him for being so disrespectful.
Heya, baws, what say you that I go out and whack this guy?
Jeez, that guy was such an ass. I would have stopped the interview and walked out on the guy. You’d think he would care more about a game that he’s supposed to be promoting. Great interview though Joe!
I’ve been waiting for this game for a long time it looks really good graphics wise and just style too.
I have to say, that guy didn’t seem very excited. If he’s not excited about his own game, why should we be? Also, he acted like he had better things to do than an interview with a prospective customer. To me, this shows how much he cares about public relations.
I personally didn’t like the demo nor the trailer and I now have low hopes for the game. The only things the demo and post-demo trailer showed me were driving, shooting, and cutscenes. Having an open world doesn’t really matter if those are the only things the game appears to have. The game will have to carry itself with its plot, or else the game will probably get old really fast.
The demo was pretty fun. I liked the atmosphere they’ve set up, it really seems like a lot of time & effort was spent crafting the world around you. The actual gunplay feels a bit… loose, & I would have appreciated a ‘blind fire’ mechanic, but overall it’s looking like a entertaining rental.
i tryd it i did not like it that mush
I was really considering getting this but multiplayer’s the biggest part of any game to me so I might just let this one go. I mean really, there are plenty of games of this style with it and the multiplayer is the only thing that keeps me playing after so long so I might as well save my money.
I liked the “being a boss is boring!”-part – in your face Godfather games.
Really excited about this game, used to play the first Mafia for weeks and liked much more than the GTAs of that time. I even loved the frustrating racing segment. People dont make that kind of challenge anymore.
We need to order a hit on his ass… geesh what a douche..
nice review tho.. too bad he didnt play along or whatever.
Thank you for listening to me Joe and putting this interview up. I have been looking forward to seeing this one ever since Spoony mentioned it. It was well worth the wait, that was so funny! Can I call you Tony?
That guy either had no sense of humour or way to much.
Tried the demo on my PC…..unfortunately it’s buddy and it screws wih my screen (after I run this game everything looks really dark).
Fortunately my lil’ bro will buy this game….saves me money
Frankly, this game won’t work with my computer, but I feel kinda sorry for you there won’t be multiplayer. I mean they were working on multiplayer for first game really, really long time and in the end they didnt release it (I am not sure but they were working on it over 5 years) and in one CZ interview they promised multiplayer, it bothers me a little that they promised something and in the end you wont get it guys but hey I am sure this game will kick ass in single player, now execus me I am gonna rob bank so I can get new PC and play this game
Yeah, they wanted that, but thanks to firing in 2K Czech and other financial problems they had to drop it , otherwise it wouldn´t be released in this year.
i actually liked how brutally honest this guy was. really you get so many game designers trying to be charming and promise you all of this stuff or try to use pretty words to veil what they really mean, but this guy wasn’t full of promises where you didn’t know exactly what you were getting and he was pretty straightforward with it all.
but yeah, anyway, this looks like a pretty fun game, shame there’s no multiplayer though.
Hah, better controls. Overall better but cars are downright terrible, at least on the turns. On my computer, I can run the demo with no lag with everything on the best settings at 45-51 fps, and yet to turn a corner in a car I have to press right a good 5 seconds before I get to the turn, before I ever see the car’s wheels turn. In fact, at the end of the demo, I couldn’t help but laugh when he makes the sharp turn on the bridge, cause I kept thinking, how did he get the car, that took 30 ft wide turns when I used it, make a quick 5 ft slide? After all the handbrake takes the same 5 sec to turn on, and even then deceleration is just as bad. Reminds me a bit of saboteur. At least the strength of the game is the shooting, the guns handle well, with accurate recoil and sounds, and plenty of destruction. Overall, I’d pick it up if the cars get fixed.
Wow, he was pretty unprofessional and boring. Swinging a drink around while talking with someone about a game you’re supposed to generate hype for? And giving monotone responses? Bah.
Good video though.
totally agree. extremely unprofessional and cocky. Couldn’t even be bothered to play along with Joe in the beginning of the segment.
Good review on Joe’s part though.
Thanks man! Did the best with what I had.
Mafia 2 looks really damn good. The original kicked ass without any multiplayer or anything like that. I just, REALLY wish that they could’ve put in at least a co-op mode. I mean, Joe is with you for MANY of the levels, and a second player could totally jump in and play as him. If it were implemented, I mean.
Also, yeah, that guy REALLY seemed like he either didn’t have a sense of humor, or he just hates your guts.
Finally an awesome game from my homeland! I am totally psyched about this game! And I also heard that in binary codes for demo there was found some form of multiplayer – maybe DLC?
I think that that guy wanted to punch you
I downloaded and played the demo yesterday, the controls are pretty good, better than GTA4 in my opinion, this kind of story and environment as always appealed to me anyway so. 1 thing I noticed on the demo is the melee system is really good, I utterly disliked the GTA4 melee system, and the melee system of the GTA franchise in general, and this one seems to be what other games should be looking for in a melee system. The “Wanted” level transitions seem really smooth in my opinion, and the idea of transitioning from pistols to automatic weapons as your crimes get worst and worst is quite an interesting one. I also like that you can actually ROB a store, as in kill the owner, grab the cash in the cash registrator and actually TAKE the items in the store for free, that’s one part of GTA4 I really thought lacked. Also… I like the collectibles… if you know what I mean…
You mean boobies. And i agree.
Sehr gut.