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"Mafia Vs GTA:Vice City, More Linear or More Freedom."

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Tue 03/12/02 at 17:53
Regular
Posts: 787
About a month ago, I was eagerly awaiting the release of GTA Vice City as I'm sure many other people were, and I think that as the hype kept building up about it, it needed to be a good game, so that it did not disappoint, and I don't think it did.
After looking at GTA 1 and 2, I'd not thought of the GTA series as being good games, (I mean top view graphics, which weren't that good and stealing a few cars) and I had not thought about getting GTA: Vice City, but after borrowing my friend's GTA 3 on the PS2, I couldn't wait for the release.
However one game that I hadn't heard of was Mafia. I noticed it when walking in to a GAME the cover drew my attention, and I read the back. It looked an ok game, another one of those violent beat 'em ups. But after reading reviews it sounded like a great game. So the next time I went into GAME I looked for it and it was on sale for £19.99 so I immediately bought it.
After playing it for many hours I found that Mafia is very under-rated and is almost as good as GTA: Vice City. The main complaints I’ve heard about Mafia was that it was too linear. So what do gamers prefer, more linear games or games with more freedom? Although the obvious answer surely is more freedom is wanted, but this sometimes makes it less realistic, but I believe both are just as fun. For example, in Mafia you have to learn how to steal different cars, by picking the locks, and these are shown to you by very good cut-scenes. Surely this is more realistic than just getting straight into a car, I mean I know it’s the 80’s but surely people would think to lock their cars in a city as corrupt as Vice City. But then again you can get any vehicle you want so really they both cancel themselves out.
But you would think that a more linear game would perhaps have a better plot. Mafia has a fantastic plot, although a motor race bang in the middle of two gangster scenes is a bit extreme, but then you look at GTA and the plot isn’t too bad at all for a game with a lot of freedom.
Both games have many different vehicles and guns to choose from, and have some very difficult, original and fun missions. So I personally cannot decide which is the better game.
I do think that more freedom is better in game but I think having a linear plot, although there are only certain ways you can complete a mission, still has its advantages and can often be more fun as I think Mafia proves.

What do prefer, Mafia or GTA:Vice City, Freedom or Linear?

Thanks for reading.

Colourless
Tue 03/12/02 at 19:13
Regular
"bit of a brain"
Posts: 18,933
Mafia wins hands down. I'd choose a good plot and well structured missions over freedom and boredom anyday.
Tue 03/12/02 at 18:56
Regular
"Colourless"
Posts: 4,345
I agree that there are a lot more things to do on GTA: VC even if you don't want to do missions, having not had GTA that long or had any of the previous versions, i am not great at the game and am still exploring everything you can do in the game. But Mafia's still good, perhaps not as good as GTA but I've had it longer so I'm sure it will even out.

Thanks for replying
Tue 03/12/02 at 18:33
"High polygon count"
Posts: 15,624
I had Mafia, and played it through to completion.

It's a great game, even though it is linear. The missions are great, and there are lots of nice touches. But over all, it's not a patch on GTA3 or Vice City.

In the GTA games, there's a lot to do besides the main missions. In Mafia, once you completed the main game, there was precious little else to do. I sold it on eBay a week after completing it. But on GTA3, although I've completed the main game, there are *still* plenty of fun things to do, and I'm still playing it - as well as Vice City. The GTA games just have so much more to do - that's why, for me personally, they're the best of their kind.
Tue 03/12/02 at 17:53
Regular
"Colourless"
Posts: 4,345
About a month ago, I was eagerly awaiting the release of GTA Vice City as I'm sure many other people were, and I think that as the hype kept building up about it, it needed to be a good game, so that it did not disappoint, and I don't think it did.
After looking at GTA 1 and 2, I'd not thought of the GTA series as being good games, (I mean top view graphics, which weren't that good and stealing a few cars) and I had not thought about getting GTA: Vice City, but after borrowing my friend's GTA 3 on the PS2, I couldn't wait for the release.
However one game that I hadn't heard of was Mafia. I noticed it when walking in to a GAME the cover drew my attention, and I read the back. It looked an ok game, another one of those violent beat 'em ups. But after reading reviews it sounded like a great game. So the next time I went into GAME I looked for it and it was on sale for £19.99 so I immediately bought it.
After playing it for many hours I found that Mafia is very under-rated and is almost as good as GTA: Vice City. The main complaints I’ve heard about Mafia was that it was too linear. So what do gamers prefer, more linear games or games with more freedom? Although the obvious answer surely is more freedom is wanted, but this sometimes makes it less realistic, but I believe both are just as fun. For example, in Mafia you have to learn how to steal different cars, by picking the locks, and these are shown to you by very good cut-scenes. Surely this is more realistic than just getting straight into a car, I mean I know it’s the 80’s but surely people would think to lock their cars in a city as corrupt as Vice City. But then again you can get any vehicle you want so really they both cancel themselves out.
But you would think that a more linear game would perhaps have a better plot. Mafia has a fantastic plot, although a motor race bang in the middle of two gangster scenes is a bit extreme, but then you look at GTA and the plot isn’t too bad at all for a game with a lot of freedom.
Both games have many different vehicles and guns to choose from, and have some very difficult, original and fun missions. So I personally cannot decide which is the better game.
I do think that more freedom is better in game but I think having a linear plot, although there are only certain ways you can complete a mission, still has its advantages and can often be more fun as I think Mafia proves.

What do prefer, Mafia or GTA:Vice City, Freedom or Linear?

Thanks for reading.

Colourless

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