Forums > Game Forums > Main storyline ending
Daniel Saner (3503) on 1/27/2011 6:51 PM · Permalink · Report
I read a lot of comments in reviews and player forums before I played the game myself, about how it's ending was disappointing. The vox populi seems to have been that one felt "cheated" after completing the storyline, that it was obviously left unfinished or in a cliffhanger, for the sake of selling DLC or sequels to continue it.
Now that I finished the game myself, I don't really understand. To me, it was perfectly well implied what happened in the end. Of course you can always add to the end of a story, but I was really not left with any questions that begged answering. It seems to me that many people are simply never going to be satisfied unless there is an explicit death scene or "happily ever after" for each character that played a part. I think the ending of Mafia II is a good example for how the story as it is told actually answers all your questions if you just watch what's happening on screen, and allow yourself to draw your own conclusions, rather than just wait for a character or a voiceover to spell it all out.
I don't know what the creators could have changed about, or added after, the ending as presented that wouldn't have made it worse than it is. In my opinion, it doesn't really achieve the same level of "flow" that its own predecessor's ending had, but given the story that the writers wanted to tell, making the finale any more explicit would have, in my opinion, felt superfluous and made it much less elegant than it is.
It's just one of several popular criticisms of the game that I don't really understand, like the lack of a free ride mode when really all you have to do is load an old chapter of the game and ignore the given mission.
So, what did you think about the game's ending? Did you like it, or were you left unsatisfied? And why?
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 1/27/2011 6:59 PM · Permalink · Report
I absolutely agree with you.
I loved the ending, and I also didn't understand all those complaints. To me, the ending was the logical conclusion to the narrative. And I also liked it how they let the player draw his own conclusions.
Indra was here (20755) on 1/27/2011 7:02 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Daniel Saner wrote--]The vox populi seems to have been that one felt "cheated" after completing the storyline, that it was obviously left unfinished or in a cliffhanger, for the sake of selling DLC or sequels to continue it. [/Q --end Daniel Saner wrote--] Aye. Can't take any story-driven game seriously these days. Even the story fanbois are to embarrassed to admit how lousy their fanboism is now, when DLCs are involved.
Personally all writers that like to give cliffhanger story (and think that it's genius) after hours and hours of frustrated gaming really should be shot, strung up, and be run over by a buick (not necessarily in that order). :p
Well, I'm still pissed with Witcher. :p
<hr />Anyways, haven't played either. Would it be alright to play Mafia 2 without playing Mafia 1? Or start from the beginning?
Daniel Saner (3503) on 1/28/2011 2:16 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Indra was here wrote--]Aye. Can't take any story-driven game seriously these days. Even the story fanbois are to embarrassed to admit how lousy their fanboism is now, when DLCs are involved.[/Q --end Indra was here wrote--]
I know exactly what you mean, but the criticism does in my opinion really not apply to Mafia II. As far as I'm concerned, the story is wrapped up nicely. Even if they had planned all along to produce a sequel, judging by Mafia II's ending I don't think that they intended to continue its story. Many people have said that they felt the ending was left deliberately open so as to lure players into buying DLCs and sequels that would flesh out the details. I, on the other hand, would think that any DLC or sequel that would continue Mafia II's main story would feel tacked on. It's really okay and well rounded-out the way it is.
Haven't played The Witcher yet, but I picked it up during this year's Steam holiday sale, so I'm curious :-)
Also during the Steam sale I have picked up, despite my intentions not to support this kind of content, the two "actual" DLC (vs. the overpriced and rather pointless car/outfit packs) that were released for Mafia II when they were about 80% off, and they confirm my standpoint on the game. They add new elements - one has a more free-form GTA-style gameplay with a story completely unrelated to the main game, and the other lets you play a certain timespan from the original storyline from a different character's viewpoint. Neither make me feel like the game was sold to me in parts. They're just non-essential little add-ons for those who liked the game, but not playing the DLC does not negatively impact your experience of the main game.
[Q --start Indra was here wrote--]Anyways, haven't played either. Would it be alright to play Mafia 2 without playing Mafia 1? Or start from the beginning?[/Q --end Indra was here wrote--]
You should play the first one as well, but simply because it is a great game. The games' plots, characters and stories are unrelated. Mafia II contains a handful of in-dialogue allusions to the first one, but nothing that impacts the story.
Indra was here (20755) on 1/28/2011 3:09 PM · Permalink · Report
Well, might as well download both and see what the fuss is all about. I do hope the old graphics of sorts don't putt me off in Mafia 1. I'm still upset that I couldn't enjoy Planetscape: Tormet since my eyes couldn't handle the now old graphics.
Though in the mean time, just finished downloading Max Payne 2 and see what the fuss is all about, since the its predecessor was well worth the fuss.
Lain Crowley (6629) on 1/27/2011 11:14 PM · Permalink · Report
Are the complaints about the ending of the 'But what happened to Mr. Pink?' kind?
Daniel Saner (3503) on 1/28/2011 2:25 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Lain Crowley wrote--]Are the complaints about the ending of the 'But what happened to Mr. Pink?' kind? [/Q --end Lain Crowley wrote--]
Pretty much. I think in Reservoir Dogs though, if you listen carefully you know explicitly what happened to him? There aren't any hints of the sort in Mafia II's ending, I believe, but it's not a big leap to conclude what the final moments were meant to imply.