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[WRITE-IN] Firelink Episode #79 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-08-14 17:10:29
Imported:
2026-06

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Content

This week on Firelink we're gonna be talking about Mafia: The Old Country. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table, and critics and players have a lot of differing opinions about that.

Send in your thoughts, questions, or topics you'd be interested in us discussing! We won't have time to read and discuss everything, and please keep posts topical, safe for work and not huge walls of text.Submissions close at 6 PM CT on Thursday, August 14th.

Files

Is a "Good Enough" Game Good Enough Anymore? | Firelink Podcast

This week on Firelink, Marty, KC, and Nick chat about Mafia: The Old Country, and whether a game that's "good enough" is good enough for folks in 2025. Keep up to date on the standings of our Firelink Fantasy Critic Draft -- https://www.fantasycritic.games/league/6093c943-c06e-4f44-8206-157e410d7914/2025 If you dig the podcast, considering supporting us over at Patreon -- https://www.patreon.com/SecondWindGroup Check out our excellent selection of merch over at our DFTBA store -- https://store.dftba.com/collections/second-wind Snag yourself an Adventure is Nigh! plushie over at Shark Robot -- https://sharkrobot.com/collections/second-wind

Comments

Rob Paul

As someone with a young kid and not much free time anymore, I find it harder and harder to play games that are "good enough" anymore. There are so many games that, at the rate that I play new games, I don't have to play anything but 9s and 10s. Even doing that, there's more games that I want to play than I have time to.

Th3P4tM4n

It seems to me that with a more modest budget and price point, a game like this can be divisive without it being detrimental to the studio. It's a good sign for studios being willing to make games that aren't meant to be for everyone.

Andres Solorzano

Is this gonna be one of those conversations where people champion "not all games need to be great" cause that shits kinda tired. What is "Value" in a game mean to y'all?

Cameron Ehteshami

How much of the discussion about value in games do you think is driven by more limited purchasing power in an economy with a growing wealth gap?

OhItsWren

Do you think it is better for a game to try to do something new to push their genre forward or to find one thing that they can do really well?

Steady Goblin Wood

With the amount of games being made middling games will become more and more prominent. It's not about being good enough, it's about finding people with the time to play them.

fungus finder

Felt a little like the Godfather, but I don't enjoy the Godfather so... It was just kind of bland!

Far Too Many Frogs

I've started looking at video games that do one thing really well, and that's satisfied me more than the absolute deluge of games that try to do everything simultaneously. To me, searching lower on the metaphorical shelf feels worth it.

Space_Pope_253

It's a perfectly fine 7/10. Predicable, well trod storyline. Serviceable stealth, gunplay, and driving. Graphics and design are excellent, though PC performance leaves a bit to be desired. All in all I've enjoyed my time with it, and appreciate that it's not too long.

Dour Dodger Esquire

Mafia should’ve taken a page out of the playbook Jack hates and done the isekai dart board. Would’ve been a different game if Enzo was beheading the Umamusume “horses”

Mattia Gagliardi

I didn't play the new one but I always perceived Mafia like the eurojank version of a GTA game, and I mean it in the best way possible. I feel sometimes it gets criticised for not being like the other open world games while I don't think it's hangar 13 intention to begin with, focusing more on the main character story rather than the exploration. This is also why Mafia 3 is considered lackluster compared to the others since they tried to chase the usual open world trends rather than focusing on the story, which is fine imo. Also I believe that in Italy the series gets more appreciation compared to the rest of the world, or at least this is based on my experience. Especially in the new one the Sicilian dub is really getting high praise over here, both from sicilians but also from other Italians.

Inverse Skies

I played visions of mana earlier this year which was the very definition of a middling, average game. Whilst I’m not unhappy I played it, when you’re fitting in games in what little time you have between work and kids you do have to be reasonably discerning in your choices.

TooManySpreadsheets

Same -- I am also too busy to spend my free time on middling games, especially in a year with so many great ones and a backlog that I need to get through someday this decade. I'm much more willing to try something that takes a big swing for something new or unusual, even if it ends up as a miss. At least then I'm surprised by something, and I can appreciate that there was a big idea at work.

Blackmage

Evening though it's "good" across many criterion, Mafia still has a unique flavor that younger gamers should at least get to taste. I really enjoyed Mafia 2 for it's flavor, but I still have the means to play it and I am happy the series is staying relevant to maybe push boundaries in the future (maybe Mafia flavored legally distinct and elevated Nemesis system?) What "good" games do you think may be just hanging around, but have untapped potential? Also Marty, it may be obtuse and really stupid that you cant swim up or down, but Blitzball is a fantastic strategy minigame (not a sport minigame) and I will die on that hill!

bluemage27034

Mainly aimed at Marty since I watched him stream it, do you think your opinion of the game would have changed on a harder difficulty? I watched someone play on normal and they soured some while having to grind late game combat out. Also, I fully mean this judgement free. I ain't got time for hard video games on normal.