Video games based in the golden era

[splintercellsz]

Agreed Shangas. I did enjoy the game... but I felt there needed to be more. Buying cars, etc...

 

[Shangas]

I mean, I give them credit. M2 was very innovative in a number of ways, and certainly very creative. But I found the story, replay-ability, and general gameplay to be quite a drag. In the original game, you can replay SECTIONS of missions if you screw up.

In M2, if you screw up, you have to replay the WHOLE MISSION from start to finish, ALL OVER AGAIN. And that's a pain in the ***, if the mission is three or four or five sections long. Also, I felt that the story moved far too quickly and skipped a lot of details which might've made it more interesting.

Also, everything you read says that the story covers 10 years of the character's life.

1945-1951 is NOT TEN YEARS.

I want my money back.

 

[splintercellsz]

Haha, someone wasn't the best with numbers in the studios!

I havn't played the original Mafia, but is seems fun. And yes, they skipped a lot of details, which put holes in the storyline. I do hope they create a Mafia 3 with everything gone over, more additions, and maybe a multiplayer!

 

[Shangas]

The original Mafia runs from 1930-1938. It's a pretty good game. Much better than the sequel, as most originals tend to be. I think you'll enjoy it.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

I found Mafia II boring after a while. My comments about that game are basically as follows:

- What it does well, it does really well.
- What it doesn't do well, it completely fails at doing.

That's just about it.

Over 10 years later, I'm STILL playing the ORIGINAL Mafia game that came out in 2002. And I still love it just as much.

The original Mafia is one of the best video games ever made, probably some of the most realistic car physics in a game too. The writing was great and the main character was relateable. Mafia II was a real let down. $60 for a game that had half of its side missions cut out for DLC. The whole chapter set up was stupid too, compared to the original were the chapter had separate sections you could reload. I mostly replay the sequel to mess around in the cars. Otherwise it has close to no replay value.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I bought M2 because my nephew was playing it.
Really disappointed after a week or playing.
It just got to be...well...boring.
The cars were great, I especially loved the Jeep as I found it easier to manuever on the ice than anything else.
Between LA Noire and M2 I prefer LAN.
Of course you have free roam, but most places are just for looks and not really able to be explored.

 

[Shangas]

I have not yet tried LAN. I would like to, one day.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

I highly recommend LA Noire. Excellent graphics and physics along with a deep well written story.

 

[The Good]

I really liked Mafia II (haven't played it in almost a year, admittedly), but I was under the impression the timespan would be between 1945 to 1957. I read that somewhere, but I have no idea why they cut half that span off. Maybe the prison sentence could have been extended to have Vito released in 1955 or so, just because rock and roll would make a lot more sense then. When I play the game, I feel like I have to pretend it's the mid-50s while listening to the music on the radio. The music is one of the best parts about Mafia II though, this game got me interested in quite a few '40s and '50s songs.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I have not yet tried LAN. I would like to, one day.

WHAT????
It takes some thinking to play, because how you ask the questions (to suspects), can affect the outcome of each case.
What's neat is that the faces of the characters look just like the actor portraying them.
Then again, most of the women look alike because it's the same actress. A bit unnerving at first, but you get used to it. .
Great cars that literally drive different to me.
The best way to view this is look up gameplay on youtube.

 

[Jugi]

I can recommend LA Noire, very interesting cases and the game really got the feel of 1940's.

 

[CONELRAD]

I recently finished L.A. Noire myself, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. It's nice to play a game that requires one to put some thought into it, rather than just mindless shooting. I can see where some people could be disappointed in some aspects, but I try to enjoy a game for what it is, rather than what it could be. Great music, too.

Never played any of the Mafia games, but I've considered trying them out.

 

[Shangas]

I should be more precise.

I own a copy of L.A. Noire.

But despite DOZENS of REPEATED ATTEMPTS trying EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE...

...I can't get it to run.

Any LAN-players here willing to spare the time to help me, contact me, and I'll explain the situation in its fullest details.

 

[Shangas]

My thanks to ConelRad for helping me to get the game working! You're a saint!

 

[CONELRAD]

I'm just glad I could help.

 

[MarkJohn]

Anyone keeping an eye on Bioshock Infinite which launches of the 26th of March on PC - PS3 and Xbox360?... a fantasy shooter set in a very strange 1912 universe. The art direction looks amazing, and is highly evocative of the era, in terms of clothing and general style, even if the setting is pure fabrication [a city in the sky].

I have pre-ordered it myself for PC and can't wait.

This shows the art style nicely, as well as a Barber Shop Quartet seeming singing a Beach Boys song, which is very odd considering the time its set.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI4tiKqpNIU

An interesting video showing some of the AI in the games companion character Elizabeth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2viudg2jsE8

A couple of promo images.

 

[Swing Motorman]

I have an overlooked Wii (and various other platforms) WWII aviation game called "Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII." The flight physics are pure arcade fantasy, the story a bit bland, and the game isn't terribly authentic to history. But WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!



This is the sort of game that, when you're done playing, you feel like you just watched the best drama film of the decade. And again, the story is generic, but the sensory combination of sight, sound, and your own motions is incredible. I remember feeling my eyes grow teary as I completed the Pearl Harbor mission, and staring at columns of black smoke over the Hawaiian paradise, heard my wingman say, "My God... look at it..." And that wasn't even the first time I'd played that level. If you want a simply powerful sensory experience, find an old copy of this gem.


-Steven

 

[MarkJohn]

I have an overlooked Wii (and various other platforms) WWII aviation game called "Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII." The flight physics are pure arcade fantasy, the story a bit bland, and the game isn't terribly authentic to history. But WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!

Looks pretty good; I'll keep an eye out for a cheap used copy.

There is a new free to play WWII MMO called 'War Thunder' which concentrates on aviation and armoured vehicles... I've never played an MMO but this looks absolutely stunning, so I'm temped to have a go... its in beta at the moment.

http://warthunder.com/ Take a look at some of the fan made videos and screens to see how amazing it can look.... no doubt needs a beast of a PC to getting looking anywhere near as good as the best screens.

Images from jim2point0 at Guru3D.com

 

[Talbot]

Great looking screens MJ. At the risk of demonstrating tip of the iceberg ignorance, what does MMO stand for?

 

[MarkJohn]

Great looking screens MJ. At the risk of demonstrating tip of the iceberg ignorance, what does MMO stand for?

Its stands for 'massively multiplayer online' which means you plays against other real people online, as opposed to computer generated AI... it not a genre of game I've ever played, as its takes too much commitment; I did however download and try the War Thunder beta, just to see what it was like... if you have the time it could be an epic game, playing in the air, on land, or at sea, the scope is quite amazing, and it looks fantastic. It also runs very well, with my PC attaining an average of 127 frames per second on maximum settings, using the in-built benchmark.