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November 2023’s PlayStation Plus Essential Games Announced

Gabriel Stanford-Reisinger 0 Comments

PlayStation has unveiled November’s lineup of free games for PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers next week.

Mafia II: Definitive Edition (PS4)

Kicking things off, we have Mafia II: Definitive Edition. Step back into the shoes of Vito Scaletta and explore Empire Bay in glorious HD, with all the DLC fixings.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers (PS4)

Hop online in Dragon Ball: The Breakers. Control one of seven ordinary citizens tasked with escaping the Raider before it’s too late.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PS5, PS4)

Want to step back into the Aliens universe? Aliens: Fireteam Elite has you covered. Build up your own Marine, choose your weapon, abilities, and all that fun jazz before playing with up to two other players — or AIs — and fend off the ravenous foes that scurry your way.

All three of these games will be available to download on November 7. In the meantime, you can still snag last month’s games — The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22, and Weird West — by November 6.

What do you think? Do any of these games pique your interest? Let us know below!

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Mafia II: Definitive Edition Addresses PS4 Performance Issues

Gabriel Stanford-Reisinger 0 Comments
Mafia II: Definitive Edition

2K Games has released a patch fixing many problems plaguing Mafia II: Definitive Edition. Teased back in May and released that same month, the definitive edition of the PS3 third-person mafia sim found itself with a few problems. Namely, performance issues and a trophy not unlocking.

In its recent patch notes, the devs have addressed these concerns. Here are the full patch notes related to the PS4 and PS4 Pro:

  • Addressed a reported concern that the 2K Account icon was sometimes getting stuck on the screen
  • [PS4] Improved game performance on PlayStation®4 consoles
  • [PS4] Addressed a reported concern that the “Enforcer” trophy would sometimes not unlock on PS4
  • Addressed reported concerns related to game audio
  • Addressed reported concerns related to refining gameplay

They also improved the graphics and issued bug fixes for Mafia III: Definitive Edition.

What do you think of the latest update to Mafia II: Definitive Edition?

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Jimmy Gets His Revenge In New Mafia II DLC Pack

Ben-Dutka 22 Comments

It's all about respect and revenge in the world of Mafia II …and Jimmy desperately needs his revenge.

Today, 2K Games has announced the second piece of downloadable content for their recently released mob drama: it's called "Jimmy's Vendetta" and it'll be available for $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points on September 7. Featuring a grand total of 30 new quests in Empire Bay, "Vendetta" "will take players into an alternate perspective of the mob through the eyes of Jimmy, the guy the other guys call when they need to finish the job." Thing is, you might have to clean up other people's messes as you go, so it's not all about you. New quests will be unlocked as you push through and objectives can range from straight-up assassination to car chases and explosive firefights. You can snag points by power sliding in a vehicle and head shots and as anyone already familiar with the game knows, those points can be important. Mafia II isn't the greatest game of the year, but it certainly boasts a great atmosphere and style, and if you really get into the well-paced drama, your entertainment is assured.

Even so, we get the feeling that more people are still interested in Red Dead Redemption DLC.

Related Game(s): Mafia II

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Pachter: Mafia II Ailing, RDR Can Still Help Take-Two

Ben-Dutka 30 Comments

Delays aren't usually a good thing, especially when one of your bigger titles may not perform as well as expected.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter spoke to Gamasutra concerning Take-Two's financial situation, and he guesses that Mafia II won't help the company's bottom line. Thankfully, Red Dead Redemption continues to sell like mad, which should help to balance things out a little. Said Pachter:

"Mafia II’s average Metacritic score of 74 is well below expectations, and consumer interest appears to be waning, as the game’s position has dropped in many best-seller lists in its first week. With six years in development, we believe the game is unlikely to achieve profitability."

Take-Two is well known for their teams that utilize long development cycles, and while that often pays off, it may not with Mafia II . It did for RDR but analysts usually suggest that Take-Two could benefit from shorter design cycles, and not quite so many delays. Pachter notes both L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 , both of which have been hit with delays in 2010.

"It is important to note that both games have been in development for longer than five years, making their break-even hurdles significantly higher than a typical game.

With longer development cycles, Take-Two has a profitability threshold higher than its peers," says the analyst. "We believe that the company must focus on streamlining its development process and providing better visibility on future game releases."

Well, Take-Two should be just fine, now that they have a solid new money-making series to go along with Grand Theft Auto . Altering between RDR and GTA year in and year out wouldn't be a bad plan, provided the level of quality didn't drop.

Related Game(s): Mafia II

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Location Guide For All 50 Of Mafia II’s Playboy Bunnies

Ben-Dutka 53 Comments

Well, if you want the full Mafia II experience, you'll just have to nab all 50 Playboy magazines. Pretty sure you get a Trophy for it. Or maybe not…who cares?

Anyway, it might prove difficult to find all 50 centerfolds in the big, expansive world provided by 2K Games. And that's why a very helpful guide exists to point you in the right direction: it shows you where each Playboy bunny is hiding, and specifically, which bunny is hiding where. Yes, we've gone over this before…it's entirely uncensored so you needn't concern yourself with bothersome black bars or fuzzy dots. At the same time, you also need to recognize the time period for Mafia II ; you won't be seeing current centerfolds like the one pictured here. No, you'll be seeing bunnies posing in the fashion of the time, which makes perfect sense. But remember, there is a pretty robust adventure to be experienced in the game, so please don't waste too much time gathering up nudie pictures…you've got the Internet for that. We know there are some completionists out there, though, so such a guide could be very handy.

We'll have our Mafia II review for you very soon. By the way, that there is my PS3 wallpaper. Well, not exactly that picture, but certainly the same chick; you likely know who she is…

Related Game(s): Mafia II

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2K Responds To Claims That Mafia II PS3 Is Graphically Inferior

John-Shepard 141 Comments

Although the dark days of frequent inferior ports on the PlayStation 3 are behind us, every once in a while, a multiplatform effort falls a little short on Sony's machine.

The latest appears to be Mafia II . Although supposedly optimized for each of the three major platforms – PS3, Xbox 360, and PC – reports of lesser visual polish and detail in the PS3 version have begun to surface. Multiple sources are saying both the PC and 360 versions look better in terms of clarity and ambient effects, and such complaints haven't gone unnoticed by 2K. If you check the publisher's forums , it seems a PR spokesperson has responded with the following post:

"When designing Mafia II, we optimized for each of the three different systems the game would run on to make sure the core experience was the best it could be. Because of this, there are some differences from one platform to the next. In terms of the PS3 version, I wanted to clarify a couple points you have been asking about: There will not be highly detailed grass or large pools of blood, the cloth movement is less noticeable than, for example, the PC version, and the visual fidelity in the demo is generally representative of what you’ll see in the full game.

Our aim is to make a cohesive and immersive experience and optimize the game for each platform so that it could run its best. And while there are some differences between each version, I’m sure you’ll find that the core gameplay and the heart of Mafia II remains no matter whether you play on PS3, 360, or PC."

That's a fair explanation but we do have one question: if we consider that the PS3 is superior in terms of technical capability and raw power (at least in comparison to the 360), how can an "optimized" version of a multiplatform game come up lacking in so many areas? 2K typically produces multiplatform titles that are indeed pretty darn similar on all platforms so perhaps the real explanation is this: Mafia was a series originally designed for PC, which translates easier to the 360's architecture. Guess it's that simple.

We'll take a look at the PS3 version when it arrives at our doorstep. Graphics aren't everything, so if the gameplay manages to be engrossing, we'll still recommend it. If not…oh well.

Related Game(s): Mafia II

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