Public Reaction to Demo [Archive]

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 04:24 PM

Do you think the Mafia II demo has done more harm than good? I mean, the Mafia fans all knew what the game would be like and those who were initially Mafia fans were put off by technical issues both on PC and console. (Especially console)

When a lot were hating on this game because issue with Steam or exclusion of melee weapons or exclusive features to nVidia GPUs, do you think a demo was really needed?

halflifealex

08-17-2010, 04:44 PM

with the demo we decide wether we play or not

jdwarfer

08-17-2010, 04:45 PM

I think releasing this demo was a mistake.
There were no need to do it anyway.

Mafia_Cookie

08-17-2010, 04:49 PM

Well all PS3 user went went "OH NOEZ!!! TEH GRASS! WE NEED TEH GRASS!!!!11ONE111ELLEVEN!!!" so...

McGee

08-17-2010, 04:50 PM

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 04:51 PM

Well all PS3 user went went "OH NOEZ!!! TEH GRASS! WE NEED TEH GRASS!!!!11ONE111ELLEVEN!!!" so...

They had every right too. The PS3 situation is a mess.

Otto_plemeniti

08-17-2010, 04:51 PM

Oh, I'm buying the CE, no doubt about it. I've just downloaded the demo to see whether my PC can handle it. And I was stunned how good the game is, in every aspect. It's sooo better optimized than GTA IV. That makes me happy.

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 04:53 PM

Back in my day, the only grass you would get was the pixilated kind. Saw no one complaining then:rolleyes:

If technology had never advanced and people never looked for greener pastures (pun certainly intended) we would never have moved on from older game systems and the industry would collapse.

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 04:53 PM

I think its been good, as its given me a chance to see how it runs on my PC and compare it against the 360 version. I pre-ordered before the demo came out anyway :)

McGee

08-17-2010, 04:54 PM

If technology had never advanced and people never looked for greener pastures (pun certainly intended) we would never have moved on from older game systems and the industry would collapse.

Still. Didn't bother gamers then, shouldn't bother gamers now.;)

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 04:56 PM

Still. Didn't bother gamers then, shouldn't bother gamers now.;)

I'm glad you can look at it that way McGee.

Mafia_Cookie

08-17-2010, 04:58 PM

They had every right too. The PS3 situation is a mess.

Yeah, not hatin' on PS3 users or anything, i feel very sorry for those guys.

I own a PS3 myself and was disappointed by the non existant PhysX, but to be honest i didn't notice the grass and blood the first time and I'm usually picky, guess i wasn't this time :D

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 04:59 PM

Yeah, not hatin' on PS3 users or anything, i feel very sorry for those guys.

I own a PS3 myself and was disappointed by the non existant PhysX, but to be honest i didn't notice the grass and blood the first time and I'm usually picky, guess i wasn't this time :D

Yeah, I didn't notice it either; I was too engrossed in well modelled vehicles and 50s music to notice :D

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:02 PM

Yeah, not hatin' on PS3 users or anything, i feel very sorry for those guys.

I own a PS3 myself and was disappointed by the non existant PhysX, but to be honest i didn't notice the grass and blood the first time and I'm usually picky, guess i wasn't this time :D

I watch the PS3 gameplay videos even now and still can't really work out what all the fuss is about, it looks fine in my eyes. If anything (being an Xbox owner), I could sit here and go "nyer nyer PS fanboys, sucked in" etc etc but it seriously looks ok to me

It really sad to see that there are people out there canceling their preorders because of it...as they may miss out on one of the best story driven titles of the year. Their loss I guess

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:05 PM

I watch the PS3 gameplay videos even now and still can't really work out what all the fuss is about, it looks fine in my eyes. If anything (being an Xbox owner), I could sit here and go "nyer nyer PS fanboys, sucked in" etc etc but it seriously looks ok to me

It really sad to see that there are people out there canceling their preorders because of it...as they may miss out on one of the best story driven titles of the year. Their loss I guess

Completely agree. I could understand if it was something MAJOR, something GAME BREAKING, but give me a break? Grass? Out of everything, grass.

I'm sorry, but there was a time where games used to be games. Back then graphics were something they thought second of, now it's the MAIN priority, and because of that silly things like this occur. :(

Mafia_Cookie

08-17-2010, 05:10 PM

I watch the PS3 gameplay videos even now and still can't really work out what all the fuss is about, it looks fine in my eyes. If anything (being an Xbox owner), I could sit here and go "nyer nyer PS fanboys, sucked in" etc etc but it seriously looks ok to me

It really sad to see that there are people out there canceling their preorders because of it...as they may miss out on one of the best story driven titles of the year. Their loss I guess

Yeah, the only thing that bugged me was there was no cloth physics, but that probably is gonna have to be fixed at release, but not to be rude but it isnt that big of a deal cause im getting it on 360

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:11 PM

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:14 PM

The main reason we have this problem is because of cross platform titles. In the PS2 days, noone compared PS2 games to Gamecube games....well because mostly the games didnt appear on both consoles.

Gamers focused on the games then and not the pixels. Cross platform games are good as they expose the titles to a wider audience, but he downside is, all they seem to do is add fuel to console wars.

Again, I completely agree.

I think especially with the current generation of consoles many gamers have become into graphics *****s. Nobody cared about textures, nobody cared about shading, nobody cared about facial animations. I understand that it's 2010. People have "higher standards", but I still miss those days when games were based off there gameplay and story, rather than there textures.:(

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 05:14 PM

Yeah I remember a lot of people cancelling 'pre-orders' for Alan Wake because it was 540p. That's not fair in my opinion.

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:15 PM

Yeah I remember a lot of people cancelling 'pre-orders' for Alan Wake because it was 540p. That's not fair in my opinion.

Yeah, and you see I don't even notice crap like that^.

More and more it feels that graphics matter most these days, rather than the gameplay people once coveted for.

sunspot78

08-17-2010, 05:18 PM

I think the demo is AWSOME, im replaying the first game again and watching sopranos all over again aswell thanks to that freakin demo(watched goodfellas for the first time thanks to the devs diaries).

I haven't seen the console versions but I do think that the problems that people complain about wouldnt bother me.

I am a PC gamer, always have been since the C64 and amiga 500. But I have owned all consoles(buy and play a specific game, then resell them for more and make a profit).

I do like consoles cause you can't really sit and moan over framerates and what to tweak, and what upgrades to get to make the game run better. What you see is what you get and I find that relaxing.

However I have seen the demo for ps2 there are some tearing and the graphics do look inferior to the other versions. But It wouldnt bother me while I was playing.

its like GTA4 in reverse, it was awsome on console. but sucked on the PC. Didnt stop me from playing it on the PC tough.

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:19 PM

Yeah I remember a lot of people cancelling 'pre-orders' for Alan Wake because it was 540p. That's not fair in my opinion.

Man, I loved Alan Wake...I rate it as one of my GOTY titles so far. Even though it was 540p they created out-of-this-world lighting effects and atmosphere. I certainly wasnt sitting in front of my TV with a magnifying glass counting the pixels :)

TheAbsoluTurk

08-17-2010, 05:23 PM

Yeah, and you see I don't even notice crap like that^.

More and more it feels that graphics matter most these days, rather than the gameplay people once coveted for.

Honestly, I think it's because most things have been done to death in video games. First-person shooters are the biggest-selling, most popular games and since all share a common focus, (kill enemies from a first-person persepective) they are always being scrutinized based on their technical performances rather than on a gameplay level. And even third-person games are 'getting old' since Resident Evil 4 made that style popular.

In most game reviews, you usually hear something along the lines of 'nothing we haven't seen before' and it seems like this could be correct.

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:25 PM

Man, I loved Alan Wake...I rate it as one of my GOTY titles so far. Even though it was 540p they created out-of-this-world lighting effects and atmosphere. I certainly wasnt sitting in front of my TV with a magnifying glass counting the pixels :)

Though the bad facial animations did make everything feel uncanny valley.

Btw, seeing that your an Alan Wake fan, what did you like about it?

You see I also LIKED Alan Wake, but was overall extremely disappointed.

I thought the voice acting was hit an miss. Alan's voice was good, his wife felt weak. Some others were also good, some others were also bad.

Horrible Facial Animations. It made Alan look very fake, and made you feel submersed.

Bad dialogue. For a game that's supposed to be about a writer, the writing felt really cheap to me.

Really linear. It felt for almost half of the game, you were wandering in forests, doing the same thing constantly. It got boring IMO, quickly.

Lost potenital. Beside's a few AWESOME moments (like when Alan has flashbacks to his apartment, or the 3rd chapter when Alan is in a mental hospital), everything feel's weak. The atmosphere never seems to be there, and it never grasps you.

The ending. It was way to cryptic, IMO.

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:27 PM

Honestly, I think it's because most things have been done to death in video games.

I think there is still room for innovation (not just graphical innovation, but gameplay). I know this is not the best place to discuss alan wake, but that game innovated by using light as a gameplay mechanic.

Theres probably tons of things that can still be done with gaming that hasnt been thought of yet without having to resort to "out graphic-ing the last game"

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:27 PM

Honestly, I think it's because most things have been done to death in video games. First-person shooters are the biggest-selling, most popular games and since all share a common focus, (kill enemies from a first-person persepective) they are always being scrutinized based on their technical performances rather than on a gameplay level. And even third-person games are 'getting old' since Resident Evil 4 made that style popular.

In most game reviews, you usually hear something along the lines of 'nothing we haven't seen before' and it seems like this could be correct.

I disagree. There's innovation still out there, but many developers chose to stick with there guns, so to speak.

I say create a unique art style, or create an incredible story, with an incredible atmosphere.

Resident Evil 4 was an amazing game, simply because of the atmosphere you were put in. Not because of it's graphics, or anything silly like that.

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:30 PM

Btw, seeing that your an Alan Wake fan, what did you like about it?

I think it did a number of things right. Im a sucker for atmospheric games (im the sort of person who loves to turn down the lights and watch the scariest motherf#*^ing movie I can find)...you can probably see where I am going with this

I just mentioned that the way light was implemented in the game just blew me away and (although weird) the story was pretty gripping. I enjoyed the characters as well. To me I guess, it was like watching an awesome thriller movie from start to finish

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:34 PM

I think it did a number of things right. Im a sucker for atmospheric games (im the sort of person who loves to turn down the lights and watch the scariest motherf#*^ing movie I can find)...you can probably see where I am going with this

I just mentioned that the way light was implemented in the game just blew me away and (although weird) the story was pretty gripping. I enjoyed the characters as well. To me I guess, it was like watching an awesome thriller movie from start to finish

I thought the light was a neat mechanic as well, but felt as the game went on, it began to feel a bit gimmicky.

Overall I thought the story was decent, but felt Barry was annoying, Alan was unrelatable.

To me the atmoshpere was seriously lacking, and only during the mental hospital level, with the storm in the background did I feel this atmosphere break through. But then it disappeared. :(

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:37 PM

Rattaplan

08-17-2010, 05:39 PM

I'm glad they gave us a demo. Before I wasn't really sure for which platform I had to buy it (PS3 or PC). This made it clear. Plus it was good fun and a little distraction while waiting for the real thing.

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:41 PM

I think AW is just one of those kinds of games you either like or you don't. Different people get something different from it....I think Mafia II will be similar in that regard

Alot of people (who are not following it as closely as we are) will buy it thinking its the next GTA and be disappointed because of that....where others will appreciate it for what it is trying to do. Its almost like an interactive movie (and those are the games I love the most)

I've stated earlier in the Review Thread. Mafia 2 will be this year's Alan Wake. It will recieve high praise, and low praise. Due, mainly to it's non sandbox approach, which will feel limiting to most.

You mentioned you like games that are interactive movies, may I ask did you ever play Bioshock?

xxstalker24xx

08-17-2010, 05:42 PM

I think releasing this demo was a mistake.
There were no need to do it anyway.

I hope you mean a mistake for the console demo as the pc one has made all my clan m8's that didnt know or play mafia, instantly pre-order mafia 2 after playing the demo and if thats not enough of a reason on why to have a demo release i will never know.

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:43 PM

I hope you mean a mistake for the console demo as the pc one has made all my clan m8's that didnt know or play mafia, instantly pre-order mafia 2 after playing the demo and if thats not enough of a reason on why to have a demo release i will never know.

Agreed. I'm sure the people who are upset with the demo, and quote, unquote "canceling there pre-orders" are few, and far between.

The demo was a good beacon for people who had no clue about Mafia 2, and it gave them a taste, which from the sound of my friends, say they love it!:)

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:44 PM

You mentioned you like games that are interactive movies, may I ask did you ever play Bioshock?

Mods may prefer us talking about a 2K game :) I loved the first one but for some reason I couldnt really get into the 2nd. Andrew Ryan made a great antagonist and I think Bioshock 2 really lacked interesting characters

Bioshock Infinite is looking really good though

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:45 PM

Mods may prefer us talking about a 2K game :) I loved the first one but for some reason I couldnt really get into the 2nd. Andrew Ryan made a great antagonist and I think Bioshock 2 really lacked interesting characters

Bioshock Infinite is looking really good though

Same here. Bioshock 2 felt nothing like the 1st. An the plot in the second one felt quite boring if you ask me.

So since we're both fans of linear, cinematic, move like experiences, are there any game's you could recommend that evokes these traits^:)

xxstalker24xx

08-17-2010, 05:49 PM

Same here. Bioshock 2 felt nothing like the 1st. An the plot in the second one felt quite boring if you ask me.

So since we're both fans of linear, cinematic, move like experiences, are there any game's you could recommend that evokes these traits^:)

You cant get more linear then CoD MW2, but its poo

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:50 PM

You cant get more linear then CoD MW2, but its poo

Medal of Honor 2 was pretty good:)

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:52 PM

So since we're both fans of linear, cinematic, move like experiences, are there any game's you could recommend that evokes these traits^:)

Heres some games of this genre I think you'll enjoy (not sure how many of them you have played):

Recent games: Dead Space, Mass Effect, Ghostbusters (might sound funny, but it did the franchise justice)

If you want to go back further though, the Thief series provoked good atmosphere and adventure game genre has some awesome titles. Also a bit of a fan of the horror survivalist games such as Silent Hills and Resident Evils

Mafia_Cookie

08-17-2010, 05:54 PM

Heavy Rain is like a interactive movie too

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:55 PM

Heres some games of this genre I think you'll enjoy (not sure how many of them you have played):

Recent games: Dead Space, Mass Effect, Ghostbusters (might sound funny, but it did the franchise justice)

If you want to go back further though, the Thief series provoked good atmosphere and adventure game genre has some awesome titles. Also a bit of a fan of the horror survivalist games such as Silent Hills and Resident Evils

Lol, I played all of those games. I especially agree with Ghost Busters. I felt that game was very underrated, and created a really unique experience!:)

Did you play Metro 2033?

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:55 PM

Heavy Rain is like a interactive movie too

lmao, a bit? It IS an interactive movie:p

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:57 PM

Heavy Rain is like a interactive movie too

My next system purchase will be a PS3, because that system has some awesome exclusives on it (such as Heavy Rain) -- I really liked the look of that game. I watched the first couple of chapters on Youtube and really got into it

The MGS series also looks like it could be quite interesting as well ( Ive only really played the early ones on the Playstation 1 lol )

McGee

08-17-2010, 05:58 PM

My next system purchase will be a PS3, because that system has some awesome exclusives on it (such as Heavy Rain) -- I really liked the look of that game. I watched the first couple of chapters on Youtube and really got into it

The MGS series also looks like it could be quite interesting as well ( Ive only really played the early ones on the Playstation 1 lol )

Uncharted 2. One of the best games of all time. Literally feels like your in this action movie. Great, great game:)

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:58 PM

Did you play Metro 2033?

Been meaning to check that one out. My PC is too crap to run it, but will get for the xbox for sure (one day)

Yerolo

08-17-2010, 05:59 PM

Uncharted 2. One of the best games of all time. Literally feels like your in this action movie. Great, great game:)

Yep another one I really want to play....looks like a modern day Indiana Jones

McGee

08-17-2010, 06:00 PM

Been meaning to check that one out. My PC is too crap to run it, but will get for the xbox for sure (one day)

Defintley recemmond that. One of the more "uniquer experiences" this year. There are also some great moments as well....Driving in a mine cart, in this litten tunnel, with your friend peddelling, and then you see behind you, the lights are turning off, bit by bit.

Great game.;)

McGee

08-17-2010, 06:01 PM

Yep another one I really want to play....looks like a modern day Indiana Jones

It IS a modern day Indian Jones. Honestly, there's no experience like it. It's like the GOD of all linear, cinematic games.

I also heard God of War 3 wasn't to shabby either;)

Gamba

08-17-2010, 06:13 PM

Well all PS3 user went went "OH NOEZ!!! TEH GRASS! WE NEED TEH GRASS!!!!11ONE111ELLEVEN!!!" so...

Back in my day, the only grass you would get was the pixilated kind. Saw no one complaining then:rolleyes:

Lol McGee, those complaining about the grass weren't even alive back then... :rolleyes: