In Mafia 2 I kept moving the boxes for as long as possible just to see what would happen. You move about 9 before Vito refuses to pick up anymore, leaving you no choice but to leave.
to bad, would have been great if you kept picking up the boxes till closing time got your paycheck and then came back the next day, two days of monetiny and then the game ends.
Hearing your analysis about mafia 3 is great. People dismiss it because of its repetitive nature but underneath its really a great story that is cleverly written.
It was an awesome game and would been amazing with a bit more underlying structure to the city. Ie, areas get stronger and can even get the jump on you if you’re around.
@@TheLethalIntrospectionCrew Especially in the current day, there is something really cathartic. The facial textures are still impressive. The set pieces are fun. Maybe they game would have been helped if it wasn't open world.
There aren't many people who could monologue for over an hour and a half about a series I haven't even played and keep me interested throughout. It's great stuff you do Noah. Only downside is it makes me procrastinate from my study even more than I normally do.
You have a real knack for covering game franchises I've always been vaguely interested in, but will probably never purchase. Saves me the time and hassle. Love your work.
Noah's review of Mafia 2 sure has me tempted to play it. I never played it back when it came out because it got a 7 by most reviewers and I especially a full priced game, I usually go for a game that is rated a eight or higher.
Interesting!, I love the story of 3 and I love the boldness of its themes and how it breaks from the cliched itallian mob story mold. So I think your fine to say that, every story grabs people differently. But as Noah expresses in his review, the political themes that Mafia 3 expresses, didn't come out of nowhere. The series didn't just suddenly get political, it always was, as Noah says in his breakdown of Mafia 2 "This is one of the things that really stands out about the Mafia series, it isn't shy reaching out for political themes and taking a definitive artistic viewpoint on them. It explores crime, it explores national identity, it explores gender, it explores race. Even back here in the second game, racial themes are simmering just under the surface. Its only the games fidelity to a Italian american mob story, with telling the story in this particular and classic voice which prevents the themes from taking greater prominence".
Oh ok so your asking in a outlandish way if I am American. I believe in treating people equally and I do believe in equality but I am not even close to being from the "new world" at all!. Never set foot on the place.
for me personally, your channel contains the most sophisticated, well-thought and truly interesting content i've seen on youtube for all its 10 years. thank you!!
What an absolutely phenomenal video, I absolutely love what you had to say about Mafia 3. Just remarkably astoundingly potent and intelligent stuff for a video game retrospective video.
Would love to see you revisit Mafia 1 vs it's Definitive edition some time! Such a fantastic reimagination of the original that helps it transcend the medium and really feels like a hugely sophisticated crime drama
Even now I don't think *Mafia 2* 'Empire Bay' has been surpassed, in terms of creating an urban period 'feel' - I spent _hours_ , just driving / walking around the world, with so much incidental detail, that you simply would never see if you just played the missions only - it's _amazing_ how much was created and never 'used' (as 'assets' - pushed in the players face) No other title gives that _sense,_ of a verisimilitude : The headlights of the '40s cars lighting up the gently falling snow as evening closes around the city, and the steam coming up, off the grills and gutters, misting the darkened shapes of passersby, all hurrying home before night sets in. - all the world-detail in the cafes, bars and factories, the wharf-men unloading war supplies on the docks, the steam trains hissing in the afternoon rain, the fishermen on their trawler-boats - it's fucking _stunning_ in its vision of the post-war American ur-city - totally unmatched even now, even by rockstar (who create incredible spaces themselves, but nothing this tonally bang-on-the-money) imo ....Go take a walk around 'Empire Bay' for half an hour, you'll see....
What really sucked about the english version of Mafia I was the voice acting. In the original czech version they got some of the best voice actors (and some actual movie actors) of the time to voice the characters and it became one of the most praised and atmospheric aspects of the game. The english dub is really piss poor in comparison.
I borrowed mafia 2 a few years ago and remember playing the box scene. I remember the guy offering $12 to move them all and i was like "yeah id do that foe $12" It took me a couple minutes to move a number of them and i was well aware the game wanted me to talk to some guy up stairs, but i wanted to keep moving boxes, cos thats what id do irl. Working there seemed like a damn good deal for the cash.
I never finished either of the first two games for various reasons, but the way Mafia 2's ending ties back to the first's is so jaw-droppingly brilliant I don't even know what to say.
Never been into these types of crime games, but this retrospective is extremely well done. You can make a genre or game that would otherwise seem unappealing to me, be appealing, just because of how much you dissect the themes, mechanics, etc.
Spoiler: Mafia 3 reveals that Joe isn't dead. He makes a cameo with Leo Galante near the end of the game. Also, 2K Czech still worked on the game, just not as lead developer.
Unfortunately, Mafia 2 was an also ran tale of the made guy; that narrative offered few surprises or dramatic moments with any form of integrity. You have to pay attention to notice this cameo. Since Noah Gervais frequently posits conjecture as fact in his videos, like not only suggesting that RTCW was developed by Raven, but using that as a central thesis of his argument, I'm not surprised he missed it.
none of the main people who made mafia 1 and 2 worked on mafia 3. mafia was the vision of Dan Vavra, so I cant wait for his new project Kingdom come. But they took a really big bite to handle with it so I am little bit worried, but still I beleave in him same as I did with mafia 1 and 2.
MajorPhilGraves I always felt Mafia 2 was about how despite the amount of effort you put in, you're nothing if you're not in charge. Money didn't make Vito or Joe untouchable or successful, just unravelled everything and kept them doing low work.
That wasn't Joe, you can find out what happened to him and he's definitely dead. He escapes at the end of Mafia 2 but is eventually turned on in Chicago and has his hands cut off and his face smashed in.
Usually don't leave comments on videos but wow. I've been watching your videos for a little while now and have binged almost all of them. This review leaves me stunned. Thank you for taking me on this journey with you.
Noah, you're the fucking best. I didn't know a video game review could be made to be so touching, insightful and personal. More than enjoy, I really respect your work. Top notch.
If for nothing else. I have to credit Mafia 3 for being unapologetically political at a time when big publishers are trying as hard as possible not to upset the reactionaries in their audience.
I remember replaying the Mafia 2 demo hundreds of times before the game came out or before i bought it. This game blew my mind as a kid. I loved the annoying speed limits and the complex wanted system. The graphics seem to have aged pretty well besides some obvious weird models like the plates of soup or steak. Edit: excellent analysis of the narrative. I never liked the DLC because of how aimless and arcadey they were.
I want to finish watching this video but I am so intrigued by Mafia 3 that I literally cant watch this, I have to experience it for myself...the way you're describing this is incredible
This is one of your best videos so far I think (working my way through the backlog since finding your dark souls video). Thanks so much for making these.
I have to disagree with some of your criticism of Mafia 1 compared to its sequel. I felt much more empathy for Tommy than Vito because throughout Mafia 1, the story focuses on his moral values and makes him question and betray his orders. He acknowledges the violent world he lives in, tries to justify it to detective Norman and himself, and we see his inner struggle. Vito, on the other hand, basically starts as a violent selfish kid and ends as a violent selfish kid. He works as the fall guy symbol trying to get ahead and getting back up despite being constantly screwed over by the powerful, but it makes him a pretty static character, which isn't helped by his lack of retrospection compared to Tommy. The moment with Derek, which you seem to love, fell flat for me because it just came out of nowhere. It seemed like a relic of a cut storyline that was supposed to delve more into Vito's personal and family life. Its execution and placement in the game feels abrupt and badly paced, like a last-minute attempt to bring back Vito's past. The ending, then, seems like a betrayal of the last part of Vito's life I was genuinely invested in: his friendship with Joe. It was always the two of them against the world. Throughout all the hardships, betrayals and lost dreams, their friendship remained reliable and certain, so it seemed out of character for Vito to just give up and accept his best friend's execution, especially after going on a city-wide rampage against the killers of Henry, with whom he didn't have anywhere near as firm a bond as with Joe. As far as the difficulty goes, I agree that it can be pretty hardcore, but your gameplay was often just painful to watch. You can't play this game like GTA, running out of cover into enemy fire and spraying and praying like a madman. You can't drift through sharp turns at 60 mph. The shooting mechanics of Mafia 1 are unpolished and the melee combat is straight-up garbage, but the uncompromising brutality of the gunfights and the weight of the car chases are a vital part of the game. It creates moments of high tension that the sequels never come close to. Still, we can all agree that the race was just bullshit.
Great video, and analysis. This is actually the first long-form examination of Mafia 3 that seems to mostly actually "get it". It's a relief not to hear another voice I respect say something like "hearing the N word over and over is just boring", like Rock Paper Shotgun did in its review. I will say, though, that there's a story value to those "racket" missions, IMO. They're "filling" gameplay-wise, but also I think they're trying to "universalize" the story. Like you said at the intro to the Mafia 3 segment, the game's story isn't as much about Lincoln as it is the setting. These rackets show how the issues the game is facing directly, with Lincoln's personal story, is really everywhere in the US. Every industry, every marginalized group, every place white American culture reaches is poisoned by it, including the white people it's supposedly empowering, as shown by the Frisco Fields.
PS: The part about "articulating the rage of an underclass" part really stuck out to me, both in this video and in the game. For a real life example of the same sort of thing, as well as a general coverage of forgotten black radical history from ~1930 to 1960, I recommend the 1983 Documentary "Seeing Red". In the documentary, Professor Howard "Stretch" Johnson explains why he joined the "Abraham Lincoln Brigade", an unofficial and unsupported American regiment in the Spanish Civil War. He talks about the rage that he carried with him everywhere he went, at the NYPD cops and white people harassing him where ever he went, about the FBI agents hassling him for his membership in the Communist Party, about seeing news of people getting lynched or shot everyday, and how the chance to be given a gun and be pointed at some fascists felt like the only thing that could relieve that pressure. "Seeing Red" is here on UA-cam to watch, if you search for it, btw.
Jetsetlemming you know for me being born in 2000 and growing up in Texas, I've always wondered about the US culture and history of the 50 and 60... Upon researching... I was immediately fucking disappointed and disgusted. United States was a VERY different time (I saw imaged of black people being hang and crowds of people would be there like "What the f- was this the norm in back of the day?) the hole segregation bs and... look I'm not good at explaining but you see what I'm trying to get to.
Jetsetlemming here a story while I was playing mafia 3. Now I'm driving around and I thought if I hit a police car i might get a ticket (I was experimenting and trying to see the details)so I thought maybe it's like mafia 2. I do that and cops wants my head. At first I'm confused on why aren't they arrest me and then it took forever to hit me (I'm playing by myself and sometimes I'm dont notice it)... I realized I'm a black man and since this was in the 90's..let's just say cops weren't fond of people of color...
Your videos, and the consistent love and effort you pour into them are so bewilderingly excellent. I just read your most recent Patreon post, and though I can’t afford to be a supporter, I hope you understand just how valuable you are as a content creator and a person. Thank you so much for doing what you do
i love the massive pad of paper you read the names from in this video. it makes it look like you're an ancient priest reciting the names of your many gods. i had that exact same experience on election night. my expectation of what the world was going to look like in the next 4 years crumbled suddenly before my eyes, according to the movement of that dial. i tried to do other things to take my mind off it, but i just couldn't.
I was actually thinking about starting a vidya analysis channel of my own with a throughout look at the Mafia trilogy, but you totally beat me to it with an analysis that's certainly far better than anything I could write. Still haven't watched this video but man, have I always wanted to see you discuss Mafia :D
ffs, I can't believe this, by 2:40 you basically expressed exactly what I thought about the GTA III / Lost Heaven divide. Indeed, Rockstar's cinematic approach from GTA IV and beyond does feel like a contingency from this specific game, which is a surprising thing given it's probably the most obscure of the three.
I was planning i listening to this in the background, but i ended up getting getting fully absorbed in your dialogue. You have a true talent in not only presenting your views on subjects meticulously, but also making your presentations engaging with a nuanced charisma that allows for this format at the lengths you set not only work but to be enjoyable. Keep up the awesome work!
I remember playing Mafia 1 as a kid and I was wondering why I stopped playing. when you mentioned the racing section, all the frustrating memories came flowing back. thanks for the great retrospective Noah!!
Love the analysis. Couple of points though. 7:00 Mafia 1's cars have speed limiters, limiting you to the speed limit in that area. Does make the commutes longer and more tedious if you're done looking at the scenery, but does make them easier. 12:50 Mafia 1 also has a walk button which matches your speed with any other individual in the game who is also walking. I get what you're saying though. Older games expected the player to immerse themselves in the world if they wanted to, they didn't force them into cut-scenes constantly that made playing more akin to watching a film (*cough* Max Payne 3) so they whole thing plays out how to developers intended. I think the shooting in Mafia 1 was also intentionally difficult and clanky to make it less pleasurable than it is in other games, making the violent option less appealing. Maybe it's more of a reflection on the protagonists philosophy rather than limited tech, because I remember the first Max Payne came out at roughly the same time, and that game's shooting was tons 'o' fun. At least, that's how I choose to see it, but then I love Mafia 1 so I'm completely biased :)
The great tragedy of PC centric titles like Mafia 1 is how the context of when they are released is almost always ignored due to the fact that the PC as a gaming platform is perpetually perceived as a current platform and never viewed as retro. Mafia released just one year after GTA 3 and presented a fully realised early 20th century urban setting in a way that was never attempted before at the time. This guy's criticisms are totally valid if the game is critiqued as a modern game but at the time? It was a breath of fresh air and all its faults were easily forgiven after giving us such a wonderful setting and experience. Had Mafia 1 been an early gamecube I imagine it being viewed in a much more favourable light than it is usually by modern gamers or younger retro gamers.
First off- wow that pad full of names! Having been watching your vids for so long and seeing such growth is so awesome! I'm really happy for your Noah, and happy to have been supporting for so long. You really deliver! Next, I really wish I played Mafia II and III closer together, because I never even picked up on that fact that Vito was the protag from II and the Joe he mentioned was the same. I had forgotten their names (and honestly all of the plot). Which is weird, I played it just a couple of years ago, but it just has all vanished. I probably would have liked Vito more than I did had I been aware. He was my favorite still, but it would have all hit harder. And Noah you do a really good job discussing topics like racism and sexism. Too often I feel like there's a certain kind of venom that comes with the topics from people on either side. It's nice to hear someone who is more focused on the discussion and is able to talk more even handedly. It's much easier to listen to and get behind. Too bad you only delved into Vito, though. I don't blame you, because I couldn't do all the missions for all of the chars either (sorry Cassandra) but Burke has a really great turn around in his reveal. His relationship with Nicki is pretty fascinating and really does make me wish the game had more narrative focus to explore it. Nicki hates him so deeply, but he allows her to so she can stay strong and not be so bothered by his coming death (turns out he has liver cancer). It really made him grow on me. Just goes to show how bad of an idea it was to fill the game with so much monotony in terms of mission structure. You really nailed it with how much of a drag III becomes, which is too bad because everything in between is super solid.
Another fantastic video! I just recently discovered your channel, and it is so refreshing to find such in-depth analysis of games/series that aren't constrained either to being purely contrarian or jumping on the bandwagon with popular opinion. The way how you pick apart all of the themes expressed by the developers (intentionally so, or unintentionally) through the game's story or mechanics has truly changed the way i have looked at games that I both love, and some that I dislike. I usually never have time to put aside for videos that are 20 minutes in length, let alone an hour plus, but whenever I see you upload a new video I make an exception and find the time. You are doing fantastic work, and I am compelled to tell you to retain the style and prose you exhibit in your videos into the future when you inevitably become bigger as a channel, and pressure to adopt a more streamlined/commercially friendly format becomes more common. Cheers, and keep on doing what you do.
When i saw the series before this video I was quite a snob, thanks for showing me the cool stuff that this series had to offer in such a detailed and well-written way.
8:53 , There's a trick here : If you take the "blocked" road on the left and continue driving through it,while ignoring the "wrong way" / "off course" message that you will get ,you eventually go to the end of the road that is attached to the main path you should be taking. Here is the trick though, you need to reset your car right before you reenter the main road / correct road. If done properly, it will reset your car way ahead of the competition and very near the finishing line. Repeat this every lap and the race itself becomes piss easy. That's what i did as a kid :D
I played Mafia 1 back in 2003-2004. The most memorable sequence from the game was the car race, and I actually enjoyed it. Surprised to hear so many disliked it.
What you said around 1:23:15 is very relevant to me as a mixed race person.. (White/Black) You have put into words something ive always felt.. Thank you for being this understanding, introspective and empathetic.. It was a a great point, and something most people dont understand.
pls don't be offended, but how does someone look black and white? Or Do you mean one of your parents are black and the another is white? Or do you have a color that isn't really white nor really dark like people of the middle east?
I have never clicked a video so fucking fast. _City of Lost Heaven_ is one of the greatest games I've ever played, with very little room for improvement. (More stuff to do in Free Roam would have been nice, I guess.) Thanks for doing this.
barfyman362 Noah has shit taste and seems to think sometimes that being nitpicky and whiny makes him a "connoisseur," but that's OK. Sometimes it's good to listen to someone you disagree with just to get a new perspective on something you like.
it's kind of shocking hearing you say the n word in the quote near the end. I think it helps emphasize how shocking that quote SHOULD be, and yet it's such a normalized part of American history that a Black man reading the same quote would sound like a history lecture.
Just wanted to say I really enjoy your long form reviews, mate. I can only imagine how much of a pain in the neck it is rendering these long ol' videos!
I'm somewhat disappointed you didn't get into the free roam and freeride extreme in the original Mafia. One of my favorite aspects of Mafia was the free roam part due to how immersive the game was. Things like being able to ride the trams in the world, having to obey the speed limits. Visiting the game's expansive countryside at your leisure. And of course the massive amount of secrets the game had. It wasn't the most original but it easily was the best part of the game in my opinion. There was also modifications. Some of which are still ongoing. Like there's an ongoing project done by one guy to remake the Titanic in the game to scale. And the project has remained in active development for 10 years now. There was even a successful attempt to mod multiplayer in the game similar to SAMP for GTA San Andreas.
I quite liked the weaker cars and real traffic laws of the original Mafia, and even the ridiculous difficulty of it, because it felt grounded in its own universe. Also, the racing wasn't nearly as bad as getting that fucking race car to the garage in time. I probably spent ten hours of my life over multiple playthroughs of Mafia trying to drive that race car to the garage. The race itself was pretty easy.
Gilbertify Gilbertify At about 3 minutes in he points out that GTA is an American product satirizing American ideas, while Mafia is a Czech product satirizing the same ideas. What I tried to mention is that Rockstar North are the key developers behind GTA and are located in the U.K., which shares many trends and values with the US but are still outsiders. Rockstar as a company is located in New York, but the actual devs are not American
I wouldn't put it past R* to invest HEAVILY in culture research (which isn't hard to do if its contemporary), also R* north maybe the core studio but numerous of R*'s studios (most of which are base in north america) were involved in the making of a GTA V.
Some games may have heavy American developers but the company owning it, the guys running it were never American, even when it was DMA. I'd say a blend of the U.S and U.K goes in the more modern GTA games these days, but ownership of the thing is U.K.
As englishmen they no doubt grew up steeped in american culture, but the satirical attitude to it I'd say smacks of the outsider, english traditions of comedy, and english snobbishness.
This could not have come at a better time. As a preperation for Mafia 3, I decided to replay the first game in the series all the way through yet again. I've always loved this game immensly. I usually name it my second favourite game of all time, next only to Dragon Age: Origins. And upon replaying it again - I understand just why ten year old me loved this game so much, even though I only had the slightest idea of what was happening. For me, it really nailed the feel of being a mafioso in the 1930's. Not only was the setup before every mission amazing (Visiting Ralph for cars, visiting Vincenzo for guns right after being briefed my the Don himself), but also the lots of mission variety and the interraction between characters. Now that I am replaying it while older, I embrace the narrative that much more. The narrative also embraces every aspect of being a mafioso in the 1930's. It shows Tommy living a very simple, yet safe life. But he was lured into organised crime due to the money, women and the pretty clothes. Here, he made a name for himself and became somebody. But this turned out to be his doom, as he was to compassionate for this kind of bussiness. I believe the last quote sums in the game sums it up the best: "The guy who wants too much risks losing absolutely everything. Of course, the one who wants too little from life might not get anything at all". And now, I am very much looking forward to watching this video! You always make great content! :)
Found your channel today from a suggested video and completely fell in love with the amount of insight you're giving on games I love. Subscribed, looking forward to future videos.
Czech subscriber passing by. I loved all the Mafia games. M1 for story, M2 for Characters and Story and M3 for Characters, Gameplay and Graphics and even Story actually M3 is my favourite one I know strange, huh.
M1 have better atmosphere than it have story, the story of M1 is your typical rise in the Mafia to then redemption arc, with a twist, not have as many nuances as M2 story, never the less, the city is great, it was better designed than Vice City that come at the same time, and with better car AI.
8 років тому+18
diss mafia 1's controlling scheme for cars as much as you want, if you had a wheel, you could drive the car with one arm and shoot out the windows on the mouse with the other in first person mode. Never been done before nor since.
Yeah, I wasn't aware of the distinction and now I can't really go back and change it. There's always some error in my videos, but I hate it when it's a big avoidable one. I should've done more research on GTA but I just did it on the mafia ones and trusted my memory, which is sometimes inadvisable.
Yeah, I'd do that. Your point still stands (despite the obvious error). GTA is an American-focused product despite being made overseas (and it is for an US publisher). GTA is certainly 99.9% more "American" than Scottish in terms of culture!
I very much enjoyed the video. Currently reinstalling Mafia 3, after abandoning pretty early on, just to give it another chance. I might even dive back into Mafia 2. Mafia 1 is one of my old favorites, finished it several times and never once found the lack of side content bothersome. The narrative is so much better than the GTA games, even though GTA5 is getting close.
I currently playing through mafia 3 and your analysis about the game took the words right out of my mouth. I am weary about games, particularly open-world games, were the structure is so repetive and one note but Mafia 3 gives me enough good narrative and mechanical reasons to keep going, even if it is dull at times.
This video made me want to get Mafia 2 and after beating it and coming back here, I may need to get Mafia 3 as well. It may just be that I've been listening to a lot of Rush recently but it feels like an apt comparison. Mafia 2 is classic 70's Rush whereas Mafia 3 is 80's Rush. Mafia 2 carved out its own niche like Rush's 70's catalog and Mafia 3 incorporated trendy aesthetics into that niche like 80's Rush. I'm a little weird because I like both 80's synth Rush and "open world game" gameplay loops. Okay, a bit of a shaky metaphor but I like it. To be honest, the scene at the docks in Mafia 2 where you're lifting crates back and forth kind of lost its most likely intended appeal for me when I looked up how much ten bucks in 1945 would be worth in 2016 money. It's $134.29 by the way. That's roughly $16.80 an hour! Minimum wage now is less than half that! I picked up boxes as long as I could when I found out that information. I found out quickly that there isn't an ending where you finish your work and become an honest dock worker. You move a couple crates and then eventually the game decides for you with Vito saying something like, "I'm sick of this shit" that you're done.
I haven't played Mafia 3 but the bitter speech the Padre makes is fuckin right on. And what Noah says, "We live in a world where progress is not a staircase, but a pendulum that swings between compassion and cruelty" he hit the nail right on the head. Popular culture will grow tired of the inclusivity and the... Progressiveness that it sees as virtue signalling and cuckoldry very soon and we will have the fascistic status quo back again. I hate it.
i replayed that game probably 10 times at least. yes the race is horrendous, but the atmosphere, music & gameplay of the game is amazing the mission design really puts you in the shoes of how it would've been back then especially if you're a fan of mafia movies and interested in the mob as a whole i really loved driving around the city especially at night while listening to the tunes or take a trip to the outer areas and just cruise around feels almost like a perfect game, absolutely love it (besides the noted point above) :)
I love your Thorough looks at games. Mafia was my favorite game for years after it came out. I've finished it so many ties that I've lost count. I just love that universe, the music, etc. Even speedran the first one for a while. I actually miss the punishments for traffic violations. Wish there was an option for 'em in the newer mafia games as well but I think I am one of the few ones who actually enjoyed the immersive features even if they may be somewhat tedious.
I wish I could afford to give you some money for these videos. Keep up the great work, you're by far the most coherent and eloquent game 'critiquer' out there.
You could/can cheat the race in mafia 1, by driving onto the under-construction-road halfway through the race, this would teleport you back to the finish line as a sort of reset. Except the race just continued with you now being half a lap ahead of all the other cars.
Man.. I'm beginning to think I'm the only one in the world that had no problems with the Race.. not only that, I actually enjoyed it, and only needed a second atempt to figure out the driving mechanics and win it (Original, un-patched version / Keyboard+Mouse).. but, I'm the guy that plays Racing games with all assists Off, and played Mafia 2 in Simulation mode in regards to Driving (even in the Snow).
I wonder if that would be a good idea, just because of the sheer amount of narrative in the Witcher series and the numerous themes it uses and touches upon. He probably has enough material in there to make a dozen series. Trying to make one coherent video of that would probably require either a very broad view or a laser-focus on a single theme, which would be hamstrung by the fact it may have to ignore so many other parts about the narrative.
This is top tier societal critique disguised as media analysis
In Mafia 2 I kept moving the boxes for as long as possible just to see what would happen. You move about 9 before Vito refuses to pick up anymore, leaving you no choice but to leave.
to bad, would have been great if you kept picking up the boxes till closing time got your paycheck and then came back the next day, two days of monetiny and then the game ends.
better even, the game never ends, just becomes a dock worker simulator instead
Horned marten للببتبنيببخبخخخ😢👗👖👚👢👕👔👡👠👘🎓👓💄👞👟👕👒👑🐓🐱🐰👢💰💰💰💸💸💷💳💳👞🎺👠🐰🐓💄🎼🎺👡👠
goodthunderbluffkid That'd be easy to implement, but it wouldn't fit Vito.
No, but it would show exactly why he turned to crime. It would show you just how little you would have to lose, and so much to gain.
Hearing your analysis about mafia 3 is great. People dismiss it because of its repetitive nature but underneath its really a great story that is cleverly written.
It was an awesome game and would been amazing with a bit more underlying structure to the city. Ie, areas get stronger and can even get the jump on you if you’re around.
@@TheLethalIntrospectionCrew Especially in the current day, there is something really cathartic. The facial textures are still impressive. The set pieces are fun. Maybe they game would have been helped if it wasn't open world.
Nah, its super cringe
@@Szgerle Nah, you're super cringe
@@Stevey2578 keep crying
There aren't many people who could monologue for over an hour and a half about a series I haven't even played and keep me interested throughout. It's great stuff you do Noah. Only downside is it makes me procrastinate from my study even more than I normally do.
You have a real knack for covering game franchises I've always been vaguely interested in, but will probably never purchase. Saves me the time and hassle. Love your work.
Noah's review of Mafia 2 sure has me tempted to play it. I never played it back when it came out because it got a 7 by most reviewers and I especially a full priced game, I usually go for a game that is rated a eight or higher.
what is SJW?
Interesting!, I love the story of 3 and I love the boldness of its themes and how it breaks from the cliched itallian mob story mold. So I think your fine to say that, every story grabs people differently.
But as Noah expresses in his review, the political themes that Mafia 3 expresses, didn't come out of nowhere. The series didn't just suddenly get political, it always was, as Noah says in his breakdown of Mafia 2 "This is one of the things that really stands out about the Mafia series, it isn't shy reaching out for political themes and taking a definitive artistic viewpoint on them. It explores crime, it explores national identity, it explores gender, it explores race. Even back here in the second game, racial themes are simmering just under the surface. Its only the games fidelity to a Italian american mob story, with telling the story in this particular and classic voice which prevents the themes from taking greater prominence".
what is this "New World" you speak of?.
Oh ok so your asking in a outlandish way if I am American. I believe in treating people equally and I do believe in equality but I am not even close to being from the "new world" at all!. Never set foot on the place.
for me personally, your channel contains the most sophisticated, well-thought and truly interesting content i've seen on youtube for all its 10 years. thank you!!
1:30:40
That speech killed a part of me inside. I really like Father james character.
*We are a cruel and wicked people*
Favorite quote of 2016.
It still is...
I should really get back into trying to beat it...
What an absolutely phenomenal video, I absolutely love what you had to say about Mafia 3. Just remarkably astoundingly potent and intelligent stuff for a video game retrospective video.
Would love to see you revisit Mafia 1 vs it's Definitive edition some time! Such a fantastic reimagination of the original that helps it transcend the medium and really feels like a hugely sophisticated crime drama
Even now I don't think *Mafia 2* 'Empire Bay' has been surpassed, in terms of creating an urban period 'feel'
- I spent _hours_ , just driving / walking around the world, with so much incidental detail, that you simply would never see if you just played the missions only - it's _amazing_ how much was created and never 'used' (as 'assets' - pushed in the players face)
No other title gives that _sense,_ of a verisimilitude : The headlights of the '40s cars lighting up the gently falling snow as evening closes around the city, and the steam coming up, off the grills and gutters, misting the darkened shapes of passersby, all hurrying home before night sets in.
- all the world-detail in the cafes, bars and factories, the wharf-men unloading war supplies on the docks, the steam trains hissing in the afternoon rain, the fishermen on their trawler-boats
- it's fucking _stunning_ in its vision of the post-war American ur-city - totally unmatched even now, even by rockstar (who create incredible spaces themselves, but nothing this tonally bang-on-the-money) imo
....Go take a walk around 'Empire Bay' for half an hour, you'll see....
Id spend days driving around and getting coffe and beers at the coffee shops. Such a little detail but so important
*Eagerly awaiting "How does Mafia Definitive compare"*
The point about Ras the Destroyer really got me, I’d long forgotten about that book, but the parallels are so solid.
Just want to point out a walk button exists in Mafia 1, to allow you to toggle walking.
What really sucked about the english version of Mafia I was the voice acting. In the original czech version they got some of the best voice actors (and some actual movie actors) of the time to voice the characters and it became one of the most praised and atmospheric aspects of the game. The english dub is really piss poor in comparison.
I borrowed mafia 2 a few years ago and remember playing the box scene. I remember the guy offering $12 to move them all and i was like "yeah id do that foe $12"
It took me a couple minutes to move a number of them and i was well aware the game wanted me to talk to some guy up stairs, but i wanted to keep moving boxes, cos thats what id do irl.
Working there seemed like a damn good deal for the cash.
Seeing stuff like this, I am surprised we don't have work sims yet where you just move boxes around
I never finished either of the first two games for various reasons, but the way Mafia 2's ending ties back to the first's is so jaw-droppingly brilliant I don't even know what to say.
Never been into these types of crime games, but this retrospective is extremely well done. You can make a genre or game that would otherwise seem unappealing to me, be appealing, just because of how much you dissect the themes, mechanics, etc.
I 00i00000000990000
Spoiler: Mafia 3 reveals that Joe isn't dead. He makes a cameo with Leo Galante near the end of the game. Also, 2K Czech still worked on the game, just not as lead developer.
Walp, still haven't played the third game, but I totally saw it coming. What a wonderful way to ruin the dramatic impact of Mafia 2's ending.
Unfortunately, Mafia 2 was an also ran tale of the made guy; that narrative offered few surprises or dramatic moments with any form of integrity. You have to pay attention to notice this cameo. Since Noah Gervais frequently posits conjecture as fact in his videos, like not only suggesting that RTCW was developed by Raven, but using that as a central thesis of his argument, I'm not surprised he missed it.
none of the main people who made mafia 1 and 2 worked on mafia 3. mafia was the vision of Dan Vavra, so I cant wait for his new project Kingdom come. But they took a really big bite to handle with it so I am little bit worried, but still I beleave in him same as I did with mafia 1 and 2.
MajorPhilGraves I always felt Mafia 2 was about how despite the amount of effort you put in, you're nothing if you're not in charge. Money didn't make Vito or Joe untouchable or successful, just unravelled everything and kept them doing low work.
That wasn't Joe, you can find out what happened to him and he's definitely dead. He escapes at the end of Mafia 2 but is eventually turned on in Chicago and has his hands cut off and his face smashed in.
Although Mafia3 was made by a different studio, a substantial part of the team comprised of former 2K Czech developers (creators of Mafia1 and 2)
I love realizing there are some of these essays I haven't seen.
Usually don't leave comments on videos but wow. I've been watching your videos for a little while now and have binged almost all of them. This review leaves me stunned. Thank you for taking me on this journey with you.
*Worries about Noah on a scary road trip*
*Sees plate of spaghetti on the intro*
"Yeah...he's gonna be alright" XD
You should release these as podcasts for on the road listening!
Noah, you're the fucking best. I didn't know a video game review could be made to be so touching, insightful and personal. More than enjoy, I really respect your work. Top notch.
You have a real talent for literary analysis - story, theme, character, setting, and the language of gameplay. Really good. Really really good.
This one video kind of convinces me that Noah could also make decent movie review content
If for nothing else. I have to credit Mafia 3 for being unapologetically political at a time when big publishers are trying as hard as possible not to upset the reactionaries in their audience.
I remember replaying the Mafia 2 demo hundreds of times before the game came out or before i bought it. This game blew my mind as a kid. I loved the annoying speed limits and the complex wanted system. The graphics seem to have aged pretty well besides some obvious weird models like the plates of soup or steak.
Edit: excellent analysis of the narrative. I never liked the DLC because of how aimless and arcadey they were.
I want to finish watching this video but I am so intrigued by Mafia 3 that I literally cant watch this, I have to experience it for myself...the way you're describing this is incredible
This is one of your best videos so far I think (working my way through the backlog since finding your dark souls video). Thanks so much for making these.
I have to disagree with some of your criticism of Mafia 1 compared to its sequel. I felt much more empathy for Tommy than Vito because throughout Mafia 1, the story focuses on his moral values and makes him question and betray his orders. He acknowledges the violent world he lives in, tries to justify it to detective Norman and himself, and we see his inner struggle. Vito, on the other hand, basically starts as a violent selfish kid and ends as a violent selfish kid. He works as the fall guy symbol trying to get ahead and getting back up despite being constantly screwed over by the powerful, but it makes him a pretty static character, which isn't helped by his lack of retrospection compared to Tommy.
The moment with Derek, which you seem to love, fell flat for me because it just came out of nowhere. It seemed like a relic of a cut storyline that was supposed to delve more into Vito's personal and family life. Its execution and placement in the game feels abrupt and badly paced, like a last-minute attempt to bring back Vito's past.
The ending, then, seems like a betrayal of the last part of Vito's life I was genuinely invested in: his friendship with Joe. It was always the two of them against the world. Throughout all the hardships, betrayals and lost dreams, their friendship remained reliable and certain, so it seemed out of character for Vito to just give up and accept his best friend's execution, especially after going on a city-wide rampage against the killers of Henry, with whom he didn't have anywhere near as firm a bond as with Joe.
As far as the difficulty goes, I agree that it can be pretty hardcore, but your gameplay was often just painful to watch. You can't play this game like GTA, running out of cover into enemy fire and spraying and praying like a madman. You can't drift through sharp turns at 60 mph. The shooting mechanics of Mafia 1 are unpolished and the melee combat is straight-up garbage, but the uncompromising brutality of the gunfights and the weight of the car chases are a vital part of the game. It creates moments of high tension that the sequels never come close to. Still, we can all agree that the race was just bullshit.
You are brilliant. Keep up the excellent work.
Great video, and analysis. This is actually the first long-form examination of Mafia 3 that seems to mostly actually "get it". It's a relief not to hear another voice I respect say something like "hearing the N word over and over is just boring", like Rock Paper Shotgun did in its review.
I will say, though, that there's a story value to those "racket" missions, IMO. They're "filling" gameplay-wise, but also I think they're trying to "universalize" the story. Like you said at the intro to the Mafia 3 segment, the game's story isn't as much about Lincoln as it is the setting. These rackets show how the issues the game is facing directly, with Lincoln's personal story, is really everywhere in the US. Every industry, every marginalized group, every place white American culture reaches is poisoned by it, including the white people it's supposedly empowering, as shown by the Frisco Fields.
PS: The part about "articulating the rage of an underclass" part really stuck out to me, both in this video and in the game. For a real life example of the same sort of thing, as well as a general coverage of forgotten black radical history from ~1930 to 1960, I recommend the 1983 Documentary "Seeing Red". In the documentary, Professor Howard "Stretch" Johnson explains why he joined the "Abraham Lincoln Brigade", an unofficial and unsupported American regiment in the Spanish Civil War. He talks about the rage that he carried with him everywhere he went, at the NYPD cops and white people harassing him where ever he went, about the FBI agents hassling him for his membership in the Communist Party, about seeing news of people getting lynched or shot everyday, and how the chance to be given a gun and be pointed at some fascists felt like the only thing that could relieve that pressure.
"Seeing Red" is here on UA-cam to watch, if you search for it, btw.
Sounds like a heck of a story. I'll watch it
Jetsetlemming Now this comment... I like.
Jetsetlemming you know for me being born in 2000 and growing up in Texas, I've always wondered about the US culture and history of the 50 and 60...
Upon researching... I was immediately fucking disappointed and disgusted. United States was a VERY different time (I saw imaged of black people being hang and crowds of people would be there like "What the f- was this the norm in back of the day?) the hole segregation bs and... look I'm not good at explaining but you see what I'm trying to get to.
Jetsetlemming here a story while I was playing mafia 3.
Now I'm driving around and I thought if I hit a police car i might get a ticket (I was experimenting and trying to see the details)so I thought maybe it's like mafia 2.
I do that and cops wants my head.
At first I'm confused on why aren't they arrest me and then it took forever to hit me (I'm playing by myself and sometimes I'm dont notice it)... I realized I'm a black man and since this was in the 90's..let's just say cops weren't fond of people of color...
Noah. You’re the best. I just can’t get enough of your content
Your videos, and the consistent love and effort you pour into them are so bewilderingly excellent. I just read your most recent Patreon post, and though I can’t afford to be a supporter, I hope you understand just how valuable you are as a content creator and a person. Thank you so much for doing what you do
i love the massive pad of paper you read the names from in this video. it makes it look like you're an ancient priest reciting the names of your many gods.
i had that exact same experience on election night. my expectation of what the world was going to look like in the next 4 years crumbled suddenly before my eyes, according to the movement of that dial. i tried to do other things to take my mind off it, but i just couldn't.
I was actually thinking about starting a vidya analysis channel of my own with a throughout look at the Mafia trilogy, but you totally beat me to it with an analysis that's certainly far better than anything I could write. Still haven't watched this video but man, have I always wanted to see you discuss Mafia :D
ffs, I can't believe this, by 2:40 you basically expressed exactly what I thought about the GTA III / Lost Heaven divide. Indeed, Rockstar's cinematic approach from GTA IV and beyond does feel like a contingency from this specific game, which is a surprising thing given it's probably the most obscure of the three.
That ending man, damn. Yeah, there's a damn good reason i subscribe to you
God, Mafia III kicked my ass harder than any other game in memory, emotionally and spiritually. It's such a great piece of work.
I was planning i listening to this in the background, but i ended up getting getting fully absorbed in your dialogue. You have a true talent in not only presenting your views on subjects meticulously, but also making your presentations engaging with a nuanced charisma that allows for this format at the lengths you set not only work but to be enjoyable.
Keep up the awesome work!
If you keep moving boxes, he actually stops automatically after a few minutes
You always end these off in the absolute best way.
this retrospective is so different from any video I've watched about Mafia that it blows my mind
I remember playing Mafia 1 as a kid and I was wondering why I stopped playing. when you mentioned the racing section, all the frustrating memories came flowing back. thanks for the great retrospective Noah!!
Love the analysis. Couple of points though.
7:00 Mafia 1's cars have speed limiters, limiting you to the speed limit in that area. Does make the commutes longer and more tedious if you're done looking at the scenery, but does make them easier.
12:50 Mafia 1 also has a walk button which matches your speed with any other individual in the game who is also walking.
I get what you're saying though. Older games expected the player to immerse themselves in the world if they wanted to, they didn't force them into cut-scenes constantly that made playing more akin to watching a film (*cough* Max Payne 3) so they whole thing plays out how to developers intended.
I think the shooting in Mafia 1 was also intentionally difficult and clanky to make it less pleasurable than it is in other games, making the violent option less appealing. Maybe it's more of a reflection on the protagonists philosophy rather than limited tech, because I remember the first Max Payne came out at roughly the same time, and that game's shooting was tons 'o' fun. At least, that's how I choose to see it, but then I love Mafia 1 so I'm completely biased :)
UtopiaV1 Mafia 2 also has speed limiters I think
i wish Mafia 2 had a speed limit button
@@whodatninja439 it does. It's L on pc
A excellent Through look at Mafia.
For me, mafia 3 ending of clay leaving is (probably) the best.
The great tragedy of PC centric titles like Mafia 1 is how the context of when they are released is almost always ignored due to the fact that the PC as a gaming platform is perpetually perceived as a current platform and never viewed as retro. Mafia released just one year after GTA 3 and presented a fully realised early 20th century urban setting in a way that was never attempted before at the time. This guy's criticisms are totally valid if the game is critiqued as a modern game but at the time? It was a breath of fresh air and all its faults were easily forgiven after giving us such a wonderful setting and experience. Had Mafia 1 been an early gamecube I imagine it being viewed in a much more favourable light than it is usually by modern gamers or younger retro gamers.
Mafia was on PS2 and Original Xbox though
@@saloonboone in 2004. By then console gamers assumed it was a gta 3 clone and not a predecessor.
First off- wow that pad full of names! Having been watching your vids for so long and seeing such growth is so awesome! I'm really happy for your Noah, and happy to have been supporting for so long. You really deliver!
Next, I really wish I played Mafia II and III closer together, because I never even picked up on that fact that Vito was the protag from II and the Joe he mentioned was the same. I had forgotten their names (and honestly all of the plot). Which is weird, I played it just a couple of years ago, but it just has all vanished. I probably would have liked Vito more than I did had I been aware. He was my favorite still, but it would have all hit harder.
And Noah you do a really good job discussing topics like racism and sexism. Too often I feel like there's a certain kind of venom that comes with the topics from people on either side. It's nice to hear someone who is more focused on the discussion and is able to talk more even handedly. It's much easier to listen to and get behind.
Too bad you only delved into Vito, though. I don't blame you, because I couldn't do all the missions for all of the chars either (sorry Cassandra) but Burke has a really great turn around in his reveal. His relationship with Nicki is pretty fascinating and really does make me wish the game had more narrative focus to explore it. Nicki hates him so deeply, but he allows her to so she can stay strong and not be so bothered by his coming death (turns out he has liver cancer). It really made him grow on me.
Just goes to show how bad of an idea it was to fill the game with so much monotony in terms of mission structure. You really nailed it with how much of a drag III becomes, which is too bad because everything in between is super solid.
What a journey this video was! Loved every second of it.
Another fantastic video! I just recently discovered your channel, and it is so refreshing to find such in-depth analysis of games/series that aren't constrained either to being purely contrarian or jumping on the bandwagon with popular opinion. The way how you pick apart all of the themes expressed by the developers (intentionally so, or unintentionally) through the game's story or mechanics has truly changed the way i have looked at games that I both love, and some that I dislike. I usually never have time to put aside for videos that are 20 minutes in length, let alone an hour plus, but whenever I see you upload a new video I make an exception and find the time. You are doing fantastic work, and I am compelled to tell you to retain the style and prose you exhibit in your videos into the future when you inevitably become bigger as a channel, and pressure to adopt a more streamlined/commercially friendly format becomes more common.
Cheers, and keep on doing what you do.
I just made this second account to bypass the age restriction, even kids love you Noah, also adopt me, please
Your videos are almost incomprehensibly good. Thank you so much.
this was great. Watched the entire thing in one sitting. Thank you
When i saw the series before this video I was quite a snob, thanks for showing me the cool stuff that this series had to offer in such a detailed and well-written way.
8:53 , There's a trick here : If you take the "blocked" road on the left and continue driving through it,while ignoring the "wrong way" / "off course" message that you will get ,you eventually go to the end of the road that is attached to the main path you should be taking. Here is the trick though, you need to reset your car right before you reenter the main road / correct road. If done properly, it will reset your car way ahead of the competition and very near the finishing line. Repeat this every lap and the race itself becomes piss easy.
That's what i did as a kid :D
I played Mafia 1 back in 2003-2004. The most memorable sequence from the game was the car race, and I actually enjoyed it. Surprised to hear so many disliked it.
This is the best title card yet.
Please please do something on the metro series these are great
Hes mentioned Metro before. I believe in the Dishonored video. He didnt seem to like them ):
What you said around 1:23:15 is very relevant to me as a mixed race person.. (White/Black) You have put into words something ive always felt.. Thank you for being this understanding, introspective and empathetic.. It was a a great point, and something most people dont understand.
pls don't be offended, but how does someone look black and white? Or Do you mean one of your parents are black and the another is white?
Or do you have a color that isn't really white nor really dark like people of the middle east?
Superschokokeks My father is black, mother white.
U mean a "" Trans racial person """
Czech guy here, just fun fact. Lot of people here love Joe's character because in czech he's dubbed by the same man who dubbes Homer Simpson.
An excellent essay with some great insights into each of the games and the series overall. Thanks so much for making and sharing these.
I have never clicked a video so fucking fast. _City of Lost Heaven_ is one of the greatest games I've ever played, with very little room for improvement. (More stuff to do in Free Roam would have been nice, I guess.) Thanks for doing this.
too bad noah didnt like it too much
barfyman362
Noah has shit taste and seems to think sometimes that being nitpicky and whiny makes him a "connoisseur," but that's OK. Sometimes it's good to listen to someone you disagree with just to get a new perspective on something you like.
Nostalgia goggles, m8.
BakehousePictures
First time I played it was around 2014-ish.
Updated my journal
Oh. Carry on.
This guy does very good concise, thorough, thought provoking reviews that is well worth your time to watch.
it's kind of shocking hearing you say the n word in the quote near the end. I think it helps emphasize how shocking that quote SHOULD be, and yet it's such a normalized part of American history that a Black man reading the same quote would sound like a history lecture.
Just wanted to say I really enjoy your long form reviews, mate. I can only imagine how much of a pain in the neck it is rendering these long ol' videos!
I'm somewhat disappointed you didn't get into the free roam and freeride extreme in the original Mafia.
One of my favorite aspects of Mafia was the free roam part due to how immersive the game was. Things like being able to ride the trams in the world, having to obey the speed limits. Visiting the game's expansive countryside at your leisure. And of course the massive amount of secrets the game had.
It wasn't the most original but it easily was the best part of the game in my opinion.
There was also modifications. Some of which are still ongoing. Like there's an ongoing project done by one guy to remake the Titanic in the game to scale. And the project has remained in active development for 10 years now. There was even a successful attempt to mod multiplayer in the game similar to SAMP for GTA San Andreas.
I quite liked the weaker cars and real traffic laws of the original Mafia, and even the ridiculous difficulty of it, because it felt grounded in its own universe.
Also, the racing wasn't nearly as bad as getting that fucking race car to the garage in time. I probably spent ten hours of my life over multiple playthroughs of Mafia trying to drive that race car to the garage. The race itself was pretty easy.
you are a true gem of youtube, bless your soul, good man.
Rockstar North is based in the U.K., so the outsider idea is somewhat present
Gilbertify Gilbertify At about 3 minutes in he points out that GTA is an American product satirizing American ideas, while Mafia is a Czech product satirizing the same ideas.
What I tried to mention is that Rockstar North are the key developers behind GTA and are located in the U.K., which shares many trends and values with the US but are still outsiders. Rockstar as a company is located in New York, but the actual devs are not American
I wouldn't put it past R* to invest HEAVILY in culture research (which isn't hard to do if its contemporary), also R* north maybe the core studio but numerous of R*'s studios (most of which are base in north america) were involved in the making of a GTA V.
Some games may have heavy American developers but the company owning it, the guys running it were never American, even when it was DMA. I'd say a blend of the U.S and U.K goes in the more modern GTA games these days, but ownership of the thing is U.K.
As englishmen they no doubt grew up steeped in american culture, but the satirical attitude to it I'd say smacks of the outsider, english traditions of comedy, and english snobbishness.
Such a great little opening sequence!! Love your work man.
This could not have come at a better time.
As a preperation for Mafia 3, I decided to replay the first game in the series all the way through yet again. I've always loved this game immensly. I usually name it my second favourite game of all time, next only to Dragon Age: Origins. And upon replaying it again - I understand just why ten year old me loved this game so much, even though I only had the slightest idea of what was happening. For me, it really nailed the feel of being a mafioso in the 1930's.
Not only was the setup before every mission amazing (Visiting Ralph for cars, visiting Vincenzo for guns right after being briefed my the Don himself), but also the lots of mission variety and the interraction between characters.
Now that I am replaying it while older, I embrace the narrative that much more. The narrative also embraces every aspect of being a mafioso in the 1930's. It shows Tommy living a very simple, yet safe life. But he was lured into organised crime due to the money, women and the pretty clothes. Here, he made a name for himself and became somebody. But this turned out to be his doom, as he was to compassionate for this kind of bussiness.
I believe the last quote sums in the game sums it up the best: "The guy who wants too much risks losing absolutely everything. Of course, the one who wants too little from life might not get anything at all".
And now, I am very much looking forward to watching this video! You always make great content! :)
Amazing reviews. Love the sober articulate style.
subscribing to your channel is one of the best decisions I've made this year! thanks for the content
Found your channel today from a suggested video and completely fell in love with the amount of insight you're giving on games I love. Subscribed, looking forward to future videos.
Czech subscriber passing by.
I loved all the Mafia games. M1 for story, M2 for Characters and Story and M3 for Characters, Gameplay and Graphics and even Story actually M3 is my favourite one I know strange, huh.
M1 have better atmosphere than it have story, the story of M1 is your typical rise in the Mafia to then redemption arc, with a twist, not have as many nuances as M2 story, never the less, the city is great, it was better designed than Vice City that come at the same time, and with better car AI.
diss mafia 1's controlling scheme for cars as much as you want, if you had a wheel, you could drive the car with one arm and shoot out the windows on the mouse with the other in first person mode. Never been done before nor since.
Isn't rockstar Scottish?
Rockstar North is scottish.
Yeah, I wasn't aware of the distinction and now I can't really go back and change it. There's always some error in my videos, but I hate it when it's a big avoidable one. I should've done more research on GTA but I just did it on the mafia ones and trusted my memory, which is sometimes inadvisable.
will you ever do a video on the GTA series?
You can always add caption with correction over video in youtube editor.
Yeah, I'd do that. Your point still stands (despite the obvious error). GTA is an American-focused product despite being made overseas (and it is for an US publisher). GTA is certainly 99.9% more "American" than Scottish in terms of culture!
Took me more than a week to watch it to the end, but was well worth the time. Great video, as always.
Wow..... that ending. So true.
Wow, what a treat. Hopefully one day we will be enjoying your treatment of Thief, The Dark Project. Keep up the fantastic work.
I very much enjoyed the video. Currently reinstalling Mafia 3, after abandoning pretty early on, just to give it another chance. I might even dive back into Mafia 2.
Mafia 1 is one of my old favorites, finished it several times and never once found the lack of side content bothersome. The narrative is so much better than the GTA games, even though GTA5 is getting close.
I currently playing through mafia 3 and your analysis about the game took the words right out of my mouth. I am weary about games, particularly open-world games, were the structure is so repetive and one note but Mafia 3 gives me enough good narrative and mechanical reasons to keep going, even if it is dull at times.
My heart swells with joy. Thank you Noah !!!
This video made me want to get Mafia 2 and after beating it and coming back here, I may need to get Mafia 3 as well. It may just be that I've been listening to a lot of Rush recently but it feels like an apt comparison. Mafia 2 is classic 70's Rush whereas Mafia 3 is 80's Rush. Mafia 2 carved out its own niche like Rush's 70's catalog and Mafia 3 incorporated trendy aesthetics into that niche like 80's Rush. I'm a little weird because I like both 80's synth Rush and "open world game" gameplay loops. Okay, a bit of a shaky metaphor but I like it.
To be honest, the scene at the docks in Mafia 2 where you're lifting crates back and forth kind of lost its most likely intended appeal for me when I looked up how much ten bucks in 1945 would be worth in 2016 money. It's $134.29 by the way. That's roughly $16.80 an hour! Minimum wage now is less than half that! I picked up boxes as long as I could when I found out that information. I found out quickly that there isn't an ending where you finish your work and become an honest dock worker. You move a couple crates and then eventually the game decides for you with Vito saying something like, "I'm sick of this shit" that you're done.
I haven't played Mafia 3 but the bitter speech the Padre makes is fuckin right on.
And what Noah says, "We live in a world where progress is not a staircase, but a pendulum that swings between compassion and cruelty" he hit the nail right on the head. Popular culture will grow tired of the inclusivity and the... Progressiveness that it sees as virtue signalling and cuckoldry very soon and we will have the fascistic status quo back again. I hate it.
I love the openings of these videos so much man
Amazing. One of the best videos you've done, and a thoroughly definitive take on the series.
I'd love to see videos on either The Suffering or The Manhunt Series!
i replayed that game probably 10 times at least. yes the race is horrendous, but the atmosphere, music & gameplay of the game is amazing
the mission design really puts you in the shoes of how it would've been back then
especially if you're a fan of mafia movies and interested in the mob as a whole
i really loved driving around the city especially at night while listening to the tunes or take a trip to the outer areas and just cruise around
feels almost like a perfect game, absolutely love it (besides the noted point above) :)
I love your Thorough looks at games. Mafia was my favorite game for years after it came out. I've finished it so many ties that I've lost count. I just love that universe, the music, etc. Even speedran the first one for a while. I actually miss the punishments for traffic violations. Wish there was an option for 'em in the newer mafia games as well but I think I am one of the few ones who actually enjoyed the immersive features even if they may be somewhat tedious.
I wish I could afford to give you some money for these videos. Keep up the great work, you're by far the most coherent and eloquent game 'critiquer' out there.
You could/can cheat the race in mafia 1, by driving onto the under-construction-road halfway through the race, this would teleport you back to the finish line as a sort of reset. Except the race just continued with you now being half a lap ahead of all the other cars.
I look forward to getting home from work so I can watch your videos, fantastic content please don't stop making them.
thumbs up right away.
edit: watched. thank you for another lesson , professor. I repeat myself everytime but there's nobody out here like you
Man.. I'm beginning to think I'm the only one in the world that had no problems with the Race.. not only that, I actually enjoyed it, and only needed a second atempt to figure out the driving mechanics and win it (Original, un-patched version / Keyboard+Mouse).. but, I'm the guy that plays Racing games with all assists Off, and played Mafia 2 in Simulation mode in regards to Driving (even in the Snow).
Mafia 1 is a Masterpiece.
This commentary was absolutely insane, excellent work!
Great view points and always Noah. If you ever find yourself in Chicago I'll be honored to buy you a beer or two....or twelve.
I think this is one of your best videos yet
A Thorough Look at Witcher? Btw I love your stuff
Dalle Smalhals why will he hate witcher(2007)?
What? You cannot use a controller with The Witcher. I agree with the other points though.
I wonder if that would be a good idea, just because of the sheer amount of narrative in the Witcher series and the numerous themes it uses and touches upon. He probably has enough material in there to make a dozen series.
Trying to make one coherent video of that would probably require either a very broad view or a laser-focus on a single theme, which would be hamstrung by the fact it may have to ignore so many other parts about the narrative.