Kinda Funny Gamescast: Mafia: The Old Country Review – Detailed Summary

Release Date: August 13, 2025

Hosts:

• Snowbike Mike
• Barrett Courtney
• Roger

1. Introduction and Opening Remarks

The episode kicks off with the hosts engaging in their characteristic banter. Snowbike Mike welcomes listeners and compliments Barrett Courtney, setting a light-hearted tone for the discussion.

Notable Quote:

• Snowbike Mike (00:08): "What the heck is going on? Everybody? Welcome in to today's Kinda Funny Gamescast..."

2. Fantasy Critic Check-In and Trade Scheme

Before diving into the main topic, the hosts discuss a behind-the-scenes scheme involving a potential trade related to Final Fantasy Tactics. This segment showcases their camaraderie and humor, highlighting the playful dynamics between the hosts.

Notable Quote:

• Snowbike Mike (01:33): "To kick off today's kind of funny games cast, we'll just do a quick fantasy critic check in because Mike and Roger had a scheme."

3. Housekeeping and Announcements

Snowbike Mike provides updates on upcoming shows, special streams, and promotions. He announces the delay of Crimson Desert until 2026 and teases a movie watch-along event featuring Ice Cube's War of the Worlds.

Notable Quote:

• Snowbike Mike (08:36): "We are an 11 person small business all about live talk shows... Crimson Desert being delayed until 2026."

4. Introduction to Mafia: The Old Country

The hosts introduce the primary topic of the episode: a comprehensive review of Mafia: The Old Country. They provide essential details about the game's development, release, and current reception.

Podcast Information:

• Title: Mafia: The Old Country
• Developer: Hangar 13
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Release Date: August 8, 2025
• Metacritic Score: 75
• Reviews: IGN (7/10), GameSpot (6/10), VGChartz (4/5)

Notable Quote:

• Snowbike Mike (10:28): "Topic of the show, Mafia the Old country. Review from Kind of funny."

5. Initial Gameplay Experience and Platform Performance

The hosts share their initial experiences with the game, discussing the platforms they played on and the performance aspects such as graphics and frame rates.

Notable Quotes:

• Barrett Courtney (11:16): "I don't even know. Probably like 10, 11 hours."
• Roger (12:11): "I was also on PlayStation 5. That's really good quality mode, honestly."

6. In-Depth Reviews and Critiques

Barrett Courtney’s Analysis

Barrett provides a detailed critique, highlighting the game's formulaic nature and lack of innovation. He appreciates the visual fidelity and nostalgic elements but finds the gameplay repetitive and uninspired.

Notable Quotes:

• Barrett Courtney (13:25): "Mafia the Old country is an uninspired and kind of just bland entry for the Mafia franchise."
• Barrett Courtney (19:35): "I can recommend it to anybody out there if this game is on sale or if you have that $50 that's burning a hole in your pocket..."

Roger’s Insights

Roger echoes Barrett’s sentiments, emphasizing the lackluster storytelling and repetitive gameplay mechanics. He compares the game unfavorably to previous entries and expresses disappointment in the studio's regression to outdated design philosophies.

Notable Quotes:

• Roger (16:33): "Because I... was really hoping for something truly inspired in terms of storytelling and character like they were with Mafia three."
• Roger (24:14): "I don't know if you want to keep on the gameplay of it all, but I want to end up talking. Do you have more about the game?"

Snowbike Mike’s Perspective

Snowbike Mike offers a contrasting view by assigning a lower score to the game despite recognizing its visual strengths. He criticizes the mission structure and lack of engaging gameplay, ultimately deeming it a "bad video game" that he cannot fully endorse.

Notable Quotes:

• Snowbike Mike (20:07): "Mafia the Old country is a 3 out of 10. Bad video game."
• Snowbike Mike (50:00): "And you're like, oh, well, he's not a super die. He's just... he's the landlord. Essentially."

7. Discussion on Specific Game Elements

Knife Fights

The hosts discuss the repetitive nature of knife fights in the game, appreciating the initial mechanics but criticizing the lack of variety and brutality in execution.

Notable Quotes:

• Barrett Courtney (28:58): "I'm gonna shoot some bail to the knife fights because even though there's a lot of them and it is the same thing over and over, I think they're kind of cute."
• Snowbike Mike (31:12): "They all go the same way. We have parrying, dodging, stabbing, stabbing..."

Open World vs. Linear Structure

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the game's open-world presentation juxtaposed with a highly linear mission structure. The hosts express frustration over the lack of meaningful exploration and incentives to engage with the game world.

Notable Quotes:

• Snowbike Mike (35:12): "You can click on the map and you zoom out. You're like, wow, this is big... but everything is so linear."
• Roger (37:12): "I think it's odd to see again, a lot of the structure of this game is mafia one in terms of that 2002 very watered down GTA clone like game."

Story and Character Development

The hosts critique the game's storytelling, finding it predictable and lacking depth. They compare it unfavorably to previous Mafia titles and other narrative-driven games, lamenting the absence of compelling character arcs and engaging plot twists.

Notable Quotes:

• Barrett Courtney (46:28): "The forbidden love stuff. I'm a sucker for these stories of like, oh, man, she's the most generic."
• Roger (47:57): "I felt that was such an incredible way to do something different for a series that is a bit more, you know, on the safe side of telling stories."

8. Final Ratings and Recommendations

The hosts conclude their reviews by assigning scores and offering final thoughts. While Barrett rates the game a 6.5 out of 10, acknowledging its enjoyable aspects, both Snowbike Mike and Roger mark it lower, emphasizing the game's shortcomings.

Notable Quotes:

• Barrett Courtney (59:10): "I give it a 6.5. Yeah. But it's all valid."
• Snowbike Mike (59:44): "This is a bad video game that I will love and think about and laugh and giggle about. But at the core of it all, unfortunately this was not a fun game to get through."

9. Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with the hosts reiterating their final opinions and encouraging listeners to engage with the conversation around the game.

Notable Quote:

• Snowbike Mike (60:07): "But yeah, tracing you guys on it all, you have sweat. Well, I gave it a bad out of 10, which is unfortunately a 3, 4. We should really rework that."

Conclusion

In this episode of Kinda Funny Gamescast, the hosts provide a thorough and candid review of Mafia: The Old Country. While acknowledging the game's strong visual presentation and nostalgic elements, they collectively criticize its repetitive gameplay, uninspired story, and lack of meaningful open-world engagement. Their detailed discussion offers listeners a balanced perspective, highlighting both the game's strengths and significant shortcomings.