[CSM. HB J-DOGG]

QUOTE (killabud @ Monday, Jul 16 2012, 17:08)

QUOTE (niko bellic half brother @ Monday, Jul 16 2012, 16:15) And to the guy saying the mafia arn't as powerful as they're made out: have you ever heard of a gentleman by the name of Carlo Gambino? Gambino was the head of one of the five families of NY. He had the authority to shut down New Yorks harbour - if he so wished. Now if that isn't power, I'm not sure what is. the mafia has no where near the same influence NOW of days...they haven't been "in power" in awhile

They may still have some politcal influence but so do all the other gangs. Like he said they dont have near the influence that they once had. What some dont understand is that these street gangs are nation wide and are merely the lower members of a Larger organization. I respect the mob body of work but they are not a national organization. They have hardly any influence in any where outside of NY NJ, and LV and some Chi town. The Mob ruled out of fear the problem is people are not as afraid of them any more. I live in the south and no one down here is afraid of the mob nor there weaponry here, Why because in the South every body has guns lol. So I dont see them playing a major role in a L.A. based game.

This post has been edited by CSM. HB J-DOGG on Monday, Jul 16 2012, 21:21

[Official General]

QUOTE (niko bellic half brother @ Monday, Jul 16 2012, 16:15)

People keep saying sh*t like "it's LA, there's no mafia in LA". Well maybe this could be the point of the story. The protag moves to Los Santos, starts getting back into crime, and begins creating a family to take control of the city, taking on gangbangers and rival cartels. I personally would love this scenario, as playing as some ghetto gangsta again would really boil my piss. Sorry, but I can't stand all this "yo yo yo homie, let's go pop a cap in your ass" sh*t. I used to like it when I was younger, but as the years have passed, I simply can't take it seriously. And to the guy saying the mafia arn't as powerful as they're made out: have you ever heard of a gentleman by the name of Carlo Gambino? Gambino was the head of one of the five families of NY. He had the authority to shut down New Yorks harbour - if he so wished. Now if that isn't power, I'm not sure what is.

@ niko bellic half brother

Your post clearly shows that you are misguided and misinformed on this subject. But I'll agree with Jim Jones, it sure was funny to read.

Your idea for GTA V about a Mafioso moving into Los Santos (Los Angeles) and creating a crime family to take over the city's underworld ? Yes, it can be done, but in my eyes it just would not make sense, it would feel so out of place and unrealistic. Okay, so realism does not essentially have to dictate a video game's story/theme, but lets face it - GTA games have always heavily been based upon and inspired by real-life criminal underworlds in real-life cities. I cannot see Rockstar completely veering away from their normal practice of realism-inspired ideas, just to give credence to a predominantly Mafia storyline or theme in V. Rockstar generally tend to stick to realism for most part when it comes to depictions of crime and gangs in GTA, so no your idea in my view just will not look or feel right.

I'm sorry, but in GTA, it is not about what you like or don't like. This is about what crime groups are suited to the game and its theme. For a game set in Los Santos (LA) it is more than likely gonna significantly feature street gangs more than the Mafia. If it's not the case, I will be very surprised.

People say the Italian-American Mafia are not as powerful anymore because it is true. You mentioned Carlo Gambino ? Ha ha! His time was way back in the 1960s and 1970s, he's been dead since 1977. A lot has changed since 1977, A LOT. You are talking about a long-gone, golden era of when the Mafia was very powerful, in fact, so much so that they were just as powerful as the U.S. government. Now, that is just not the case, and it's been that way for a few decades now - the Mafia has been hit badly by most of its top members being convicted and imprisoned, it has been surpassed in many illegal activities by other crime groups, especially in drugs, and it has lost control of many of its traditional territories. Most of all, no one is afraid of them anymore. Do you really think a Mafia boss like Carlo Gambino could really shut down New York's harbour now ? Not a chance in hell. The Mafia still have some power, political influence and control in parts of the U.S., but its nothing compared to what they used to have.

My friend, the Mafia's decline in power began in the late 1980s and we are now in 2012.

This post has been edited by Official General on Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 02:10

[CSM. HB J-DOGG]

QUOTE (Official General @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 01:55)

QUOTE (niko bellic half brother @ Monday, Jul 16 2012, 16:15) People keep saying sh*t like "it's LA, there's no mafia in LA". Well maybe this could be the point of the story. The protag moves to Los Santos, starts getting back into crime, and begins creating a family to take control of the city, taking on gangbangers and rival cartels. I personally would love this scenario, as playing as some ghetto gangsta again would really boil my piss. Sorry, but I can't stand all this "yo yo yo homie, let's go pop a cap in your ass" sh*t. I used to like it when I was younger, but as the years have passed, I simply can't take it seriously. And to the guy saying the mafia arn't as powerful as they're made out: have you ever heard of a gentleman by the name of Carlo Gambino? Gambino was the head of one of the five families of NY. He had the authority to shut down New Yorks harbour - if he so wished. Now if that isn't power, I'm not sure what is. @ niko bellic half brother Your post clearly shows that you are misguided and misinformed on this subject. But I'll agree with Jim Jones, it sure was funny to read. Your idea for GTA V about a Mafioso moving into Los Santos (Los Angeles) and creating a crime family to take over the city's underworld ? Yes, it can be done, but in my eyes it just would not make sense, it would feel so out of place and unrealistic. Okay, so realism does not essentially have to dictate a video game's story/theme, but lets face it - GTA games have always heavily been based upon and inspired by real-life criminal underworlds in real-life cities. I cannot see Rockstar completely veering away from their normal practice of realism-inspired ideas, just to give credence to a predominantly Mafia storyline or theme in V. Rockstar generally tend to stick to realism for most part when it comes to depictions of crime and gangs in GTA, so no your idea in my view just will not look or feel right. I'm sorry, but in GTA, it is not about what you like or don't like. This is about what crime groups are suited to the game and its theme. For a game set in Los Santos (LA) it is more than likely gonna significantly feature street gangs more than the Mafia. If it's not the case, I will be very surprised. People say the Italian-American Mafia are not as powerful anymore because it is true. You mentioned Carlo Gambino ? Ha ha! His time was way back in the 1960s and 1970s, he's been dead since 1977. A lot has changed since 1977, A LOT. You are talking about a long-gone, golden era of when the Mafia was very powerful, in fact, so much so that they were just as powerful as the U.S. government. Now, that is just not the case, and it's been that way for a few decades now - the Mafia has been hit badly by most of its top members being convicted and imprisoned, it has been surpassed in many illegal activities by other crime groups, especially in drugs, and it has lost control of many of its traditional territories. Most of all, no one is afraid of them anymore. Do you really think a Mafia boss like Carlo Gambino could really shut down New York's harbour now ? Not a chance in hell. The Mafia still have some power, political influence and control in parts of the U.S., but its nothing compared to what they used to have. My friend, the Mafia's decline in power began in the late 1980s and we are now in 2012.

lol @official General preach and its funny who they lost power to. You can hate on street gangs and street organizations all you want but they have the power right now. Hey official what was the name of that Guy that started an organization that the mafia had to start buying from . His product was called Blue Magic. Even though I know his name Im just trying to prove a point and what year was that.

[TheSaprani]

I guessing by the supposed character (Man in suit) may have some involvement in the Mafia

[smizz11790]

The Mafia's decline began when cocaine started to take off in the 80 's and their refusal to deal with any type of work outside of money laundering, illegal gambling, and blackmailing of politicians and business owners.

OT: I can see the main character in GTA V working with the mafia at some point with helping getting some power in Los Santos working out deals with the cartel or whatnot.

[SL1DE]

QUOTE (theworldfamous @ Sunday, Jul 15 2012, 19:52)

Yeah.. I don't know if there's a serious mafia presence in LA, but at least for tradition's sake. And I really want to meet some hollywood-mafia hustlers as well, a bit like Get Shorty. That would make for a couple of good missions.

There are mafioso in LA. The mafia are everywhere.

Back in the 50's and 60's the music industry was controlled by the mafia. Have you ever heard of Bobby Fuller? He was an up and coming artist who was brutally murdered back in 1966, even though it was obviously a murder, the cops were trying to hide it and were saying it was suicide which it obviously wasn't. How could anyone tie themselves to the back of their car and drag themselves along and then afterwards soak themselves in gasoline and die in their mothers car? His death will always be a conspiracy, which suggests the mafia done it for insurance money, because if anything happened to him, they got over $1,000,000 in 1966 money, which is probably $10,000,000 in todays money... The mafia probably still do have control over that stuff today, but you don't really hear about musicians being murdered these days.

Also the mafia are the bosses of gangs around the world, they own everything, they make loads of cash. If you get into a mafia family, you've made it to the top.

A game about making money wouldn't be complete if it was just ghetto hustlers or like just lower class gangs and people.

I'd rather play as a classy guy and make loads of cash.

[CSM. HB J-DOGG]

QUOTE (SL1DE @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 05:19)

QUOTE (theworldfamous @ Sunday, Jul 15 2012, 19:52) Yeah.. I don't know if there's a serious mafia presence in LA, but at least for tradition's sake. And I really want to meet some hollywood-mafia hustlers as well, a bit like Get Shorty. That would make for a couple of good missions. There are mafioso in LA. The mafia are everywhere. Back in the 50's and 60's the music industry was controlled by the mafia. Have you ever heard of Bobby Fuller? He was an up and coming artist who was brutally murdered back in 1966, even though it was obviously a murder, the cops were trying to hide it and were saying it was suicide which it obviously wasn't. How could anyone tie themselves to the back of their car and drag themselves along and then afterwards soak themselves in gasoline and die in their mothers car? His death will always be a conspiracy, which suggests the mafia done it for insurance money, because if anything happened to him, they got over $1,000,000 in 1966 money, which is probably $10,000,000 in todays money... The mafia probably still do have control over that stuff today, but you don't really hear about musicians being murdered these days. Also the mafia are the bosses of gangs around the world, they own everything, they make loads of cash. If you get into a mafia family, you've made it to the top. A game about making money wouldn't be complete if it was just ghetto hustlers or like just lower class gangs and people. I'd rather play as a classy guy and make loads of cash.

You are funny you have no clue about american Gangs nor the mafia over here and 10 million in the 60-80 was alot of money but Frank Lucus was making 300,000,000 in the 70-80 in fact the mafia started to buy from him. Larry Hoover have you ever heard of him He started the GDs in chicago cough cough so called mob territory His worth was over 200,000,000 that was the early 70-present. What about Craig petties King Pin from here in Memphis he Started off as a GD and became a King Pin with the Mexican Cartel . Like Official said they dont have the power they once had . They rulled off fear the problem now is no one is scared of them . They didnt stop making guns when they made the mobs man. The street organizations cant be stopped off the fact that they have Numbers and they have a underated organizational structure. The Guys at the Top of the Street organization are just as classy.

This post has been edited by CSM. HB J-DOGG on Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 05:37

[Chukkles]

I don't really know, but is there any heavy mafia presence in LA?

They came into SA because of Vegas and there was also Triads. Now I can believe the Triads would be in LA but not really Italian Mafia.

[CSM. HB J-DOGG]

QUOTE (Chukkles @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 05:32)

I don't really know, but is there any heavy mafia presence in LA? They came into SA because of Vegas and there was also Triads. Now I can believe the Triads would be in LA but not really Italian Mafia.

They have very little power LA is ran more by the Cartels and Street Organizations.

[Official General]

QUOTE (SL1DE @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 05:19)

QUOTE (theworldfamous @ Sunday, Jul 15 2012, 19:52) Yeah.. I don't know if there's a serious mafia presence in LA, but at least for tradition's sake. And I really want to meet some hollywood-mafia hustlers as well, a bit like Get Shorty. That would make for a couple of good missions. There are mafioso in LA. The mafia are everywhere. Back in the 50's and 60's the music industry was controlled by the mafia. Have you ever heard of Bobby Fuller? He was an up and coming artist who was brutally murdered back in 1966, even though it was obviously a murder, the cops were trying to hide it and were saying it was suicide which it obviously wasn't. How could anyone tie themselves to the back of their car and drag themselves along and then afterwards soak themselves in gasoline and die in their mothers car? His death will always be a conspiracy, which suggests the mafia done it for insurance money, because if anything happened to him, they got over $1,000,000 in 1966 money, which is probably $10,000,000 in todays money... The mafia probably still do have control over that stuff today, but you don't really hear about musicians being murdered these days. Also the mafia are the bosses of gangs around the world, they own everything, they make loads of cash. If you get into a mafia family, you've made it to the top. A game about making money wouldn't be complete if it was just ghetto hustlers or like just lower class gangs and people. I'd rather play as a classy guy and make loads of cash.

Nobody said there was no Mafiosi in Los Angeles - there probably is, but what I and most others on here are saying is that the Mafia have very little presence, control or influence in LA.

Again, we are not talk about the past eras, we are talking about now. Wow one musician was murdered, how scary. I don't wanna hear about the Mafia's glory days in the past. F**k the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s, we are talking about present-day times, and right now, the Mafia is much less powerful than it was back then. It is a fact, it is not a matter of you or anyone else choosing to believe otherwise.

In the 1980s, the Colombian and Cuban cocaine cartels in Miami and South Florida were making more money in a short space of time than the Mafia could ever dream of. Guess what ? The Mafia did not even get at least a small piece of all that lucrative action. The Mexican drug cartels basically control nearly up to 80 per cent of all cocaine and drugs coming into the United States and they make billions of dollars yearly, they have a seemingly unlimited amount of manpower with so much guns - their best gunmen even get military-style training. Try telling the Mexican drug cartels that the Mafia controls them - watch them blow you away at point-blank range in your face with a rocket launcher. In short, the Mafia are not the bosses of gangs around the world, and they do not own everything - maybe in a fantasy world that exists inside your head, but not in real-life.

My understanding of a classy person is certainly not someone who kills people, steals, robs and cheats. But I'm guessing you believe the Mafia is classy because you think they all wear smart, dark suits with sunshades and ride around in limousines. I can tell you're just a guy who gets his information about organized crime by watching too many Hollywood movies.

This post has been edited by Official General on Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:30

[Miamivicecity]

Sort of off topic, but before GTA V was announced one theme I had hope for was the mafia in 1960s LV. I hope R* do it one day as apart from the Mafia series the mafia has never really been shown in its hey day.

1960s LV would be fantastic IMO.

This post has been edited by Miamivicecity on Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:11

[Official General]

QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:08)

Sort of off topic, but before GTA V was announced one theme I had hope for was the mafia in 1960s LV. I hope R* do it one day as apart from the Mafia series the mafia has never really been shown in its hey day. 1960s LV would be fantastic IMO.

Well that void was filled by Mafia II, that was the general idea. Whether or not it did it very well, is another matter, that is a conclusion subject to reviews and personal opinions. Because Mafia II has already covered this area, I just can't see Rockstar taking GTA back to the 1960s.

[Miamivicecity]

QUOTE (Official General @ Wednesday, Jul 18 2012, 00:20)

QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:08) Sort of off topic, but before GTA V was announced one theme I had hope for was the mafia in 1960s LV. I hope R* do it one day as apart from the Mafia series the mafia has never really been shown in its hey day. 1960s LV would be fantastic IMO. Well that void was filled by Mafia II, that was the general idea. Whether or not it did it very well, is another matter, that is a conclusion subject to reviews and personal opinions. Because Mafia II has already covered this area, I just can't see Rockstar taking GTA back to the 1960s.

I'd just love to see it in a Vegas setting. One of my favourite mafia themed films is Casino.

If not for GTA a new I.P would be acceptable.

[Official General]

QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:27)

QUOTE (Official General @ Wednesday, Jul 18 2012, 00:20) QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:08) Sort of off topic, but before GTA V was announced one theme I had hope for was the mafia in 1960s LV. I hope R* do it one day as apart from the Mafia series the mafia has never really been shown in its hey day. 1960s LV would be fantastic IMO. Well that void was filled by Mafia II, that was the general idea. Whether or not it did it very well, is another matter, that is a conclusion subject to reviews and personal opinions. Because Mafia II has already covered this area, I just can't see Rockstar taking GTA back to the 1960s. I'd just love to see it in a Vegas setting. One of my favourite mafia themed films is Casino. If not for GTA a new I.P would be acceptable.

Me and you both, Casino is pretty much my favorite Mafia movie of all time, I love that movie. A LV dlc could be done for GTA V, it's a plausible.

[Degrees]

I don't mind the Russian Mafia returning if there are any in LA. But really bored of the Italian one being in every game even SA had them at the end of it.

[B_Live]

I want to see the Yakuza and Triads play a big role in GTA V. Also the Angels Of Death and a latino outlaw mc similar to the Mongols should play a big part considering this game is set in California and these guys control the meth trade/arms dealing.

[CSM. HB J-DOGG]

QUOTE (B_Live @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:59)

I want to see the Yakuza and Triads play a big role in GTA V. Also the Angels Of Death and a latino outlaw mc similar to the Mongols should play a big part considering this game is set in California and these guys control the meth trade/arms dealing.

I dont know about the Yakuza and the meth trade but know some asians had a major nation wide Hydroponic weed drug bust that occured with them having restaurants as fronts from Memphis to Cali.

[Soccermad21]

I hope that there is a Cosa Nostra presence in this game. I know that LA doesn't have a major mafia presence, but it still has some, just small. I was thinking that you may have to do some missions for them, in which they are trying to raise through the underworld in Los Santos, and you try to help them for part of the game, something similar to helping the Pegorinos try and raise through the ranks in GTA IV.

[Official General]

QUOTE (CSM. HB J-DOGG @ Wednesday, Jul 18 2012, 02:57)

QUOTE (B_Live @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:59) I want to see the Yakuza and Triads play a big role in GTA V.  Also the Angels Of Death and a latino outlaw mc similar to the Mongols should play a big part considering this game is set in California and these guys control the meth trade/arms dealing. I dont know about the Yakuza and the meth trade but know some asians had a major nation wide Hydroponic weed drug bust that occured with them having restaurants as fronts from Memphis to Cali.

I don't think the Yakuza are that big a deal in Los Angeles. LA does have a Little Tokyo district in real-life, so it's very plausible that some Yakuza do exist there - but they must be very small in numbers and they do not appear to be of any major significance in the city's criminal underworld. There are some Triads in LA, but most of the Asian crime groups in LA are more street-gang based, and made up of American-born guys of Asian origin (Chinese, Korean Cambodian).

Outlaw biker gangs would make perfect sense to be GTA V, they are definitely very prominent in Southern California.

@ Soccermad21

I don't seeing the Mafia or Cosa Nostra in GTA V, but I would very much prefer that they would play a very small role. It's just not realistic to see the Mafia play a bigger role because they have too small a presence or influence in LA.

[CSM. HB J-DOGG]

QUOTE (Official General @ Wednesday, Jul 18 2012, 12:55)

QUOTE (CSM. HB J-DOGG @ Wednesday, Jul 18 2012, 02:57) QUOTE (B_Live @ Tuesday, Jul 17 2012, 13:59) I want to see the Yakuza and Triads play a big role in GTA V.  Also the Angels Of Death and a latino outlaw mc similar to the Mongols should play a big part considering this game is set in California and these guys control the meth trade/arms dealing. I dont know about the Yakuza and the meth trade but know some asians had a major nation wide Hydroponic weed drug bust that occured with them having restaurants as fronts from Memphis to Cali. I don't think the Yakuza are that big a deal in Los Angeles. LA does have a Little Tokyo district in real-life, so it's very plausible that some Yakuza do exist there - but they must be very small in numbers and they do not appear to be of any major significance in the city's criminal underworld. There are some Triads in LA, but most of the Asian crime groups in LA are more street-gang based, and made up of American-born guys of Asian origin (Chinese, Korean Cambodian). Outlaw biker gangs would make perfect sense to be GTA V, they are definitely very prominent in Southern California. @ Soccermad21 I don't seeing the Mafia or Cosa Nostra in GTA V, but I would very much prefer that they would play a very small role. It's just not realistic to see the Mafia play a bigger role because they have too small a presence or influence in LA.

I would much rather have a L.S guy start his own organization.