Mafia III (2016)

It had potential

The story was really promising at the beginning of the game, but I feel like they didn't explore its potential. I was really excited with the "political" view that they inserted, but it was lost between other non so relevant things. I felt a huge downgrade between this game and the previous ones. Mafia 1 and Mafia 2 were 5/5 for me which are true masterpieces! Unfortunatly i couldn't keep playing, it kept looking the same. Although I have to point that the DLC "Faster, Baby!" was really nice with a really nice story arch.

Made a video review with more details, link if you are interested: shorturl.at/knJO9

My review praised mafia lll for it's unique game world location and gameplay functionality, but after sinking over double the hours played at the time of the review I now feel that I can comment further on the game.

After racking up a considerable amount of hours in mafia lll at the time of this update I can't help but feel a bit tired of the games approach to mission structure gameplay. My statement still holds that the gameplay mechanics (shooting, melee, driving) are still fun BUT I didn't quite realise how repetitive the missions would be. Shooting enemies will always be fun in Mafia lll, but whether it be side missions, main missions, or even smaller side activities, they're all the exact same thing; go to a location within the map, eliminate bad guys.

Doing this repetitively has made me lose track of where I am in the story. Am I near the end now? Half way through? I have no environmental feedback from the other characters in the game as to whether or not I am nearing the end of my journey. At the start of the game you're instantly drawn into the story of betrayal, but this narrative seems lost amongst the hack and slash nature of the gameplay. The decision to assign districts to your allies involves no real emotional thought as the decisions are boiled down to which ally will give you the best statistical advantage.

World building moments that crop up within the game seem to be glanced over which is a real shame, enemies repeat the same dialogue, they all walk the same, allies never talk to you or contact you outside of main mission dialogue, and overall there is a real disconnect between the players character and the world around them in terms of interaction.

I thought I'd raise these points as I praised the game so much in my initial review. Luckily I still play the game extremely casually and have just been enjoying the shooting and driving. It is also worth noting that there have been some memorable main missions during the game such as a hotel sequence, and a street parade sequence.

↪ Mafia III (19 hours and 15 minutes)

↪ Mafia III: Faster, Baby! (1 hour)

↪ Mafia III: Stones Unturned (1 hour and 30 minutes)

                                                   Stuff

The game itself is quite repetitive, putting you more into that run and capture kind of thing. If you played at least Mafia 2, you will understand what I mean by that. The two DLCs that I completed were a lot of fun though. On-point with action implemented, how Mafia III should have been. No grinding with capturing rackets almost 24/7.

It could have been A LOT better, the story was strong with the cutscenes keeping you interested in the destruction of the mob that you want to take your revenge on. Not a bad game, not a good game. It's decent. It does not compare at all with Mafia 2 as I said earlier.

Mafia III was a disappointing affair to say the very least. I was a huge fan of Mafia II when I originally played something like five years ago. I was entrenched in my love of film trodding me down the paths of Scorsese and gangster films. Mafia II sounded like an amazing game to me and it was and while I am afraid to replay it (I don't see it likely that it holds up) it is near and dear to my heart and one of my favorite games I've ever played.

I was rightfully hyped for Mafia III. Learning about the cast of characters and the setting for the new game from 2K was strange to me, needless to say. Look, I won't beat around the bush. An African-American mobster? Okay. So maybe organized crime about African-Americans a la San Andreas...? I thought. Of course, I eventually learned that Mafia III flips the populations obsession of the Italian Mafia on our heads and presents a game about destroying the syndicate we so dearly "loved".

After playing, I find it to be a fun concept based on that perspective. Hangar 13 slaps you in the face and shouts, "WHY DO YOU PEOPLE LOVE THIS SLIME BALLS SO MUCH!". The story follows Lincoln Clay, a recent Vietnam vet, making his way and earning some money after coming home to only be back stabbed and nearly murdered by his crime partners in the Marcano family. His closest friends are slaughtered before his very eyes. It's symbolic of how a common person can be fucked by the Mafia. You are supposed to relate to Lincoln (you could be in his shoes after all) and prove to you the evil of the Mafia.

And that's where the game fails. The narrative and characters are subpar. Mafia II hooked us in with the highly loveable characters of Joe Barbaro and Vito Scaletta. Mafia III lacks any great character development. I found myself bored with every character who plays a role in this story, except a couple, who I will get to later. The game even relies on bringing back multiple Mafia II characters because they know that they need to fill the void in their new, vapid characters.

A game narrative has failed its purpose when it fails to convince me to side with the protagonist. Yes, they could have made it a solid, conflicting tale to make you wonder if Lincoln is a justified killer... but it doesn't ask you to hardly at all. Enter Father James. The Lawful Good role who urges Lincoln Clay to seek redemption and feign vengeance. He was the one character in the story who I enjoyed and sympathized with when Lincoln continuously failed to meet the Padre's expectations. His calls to Lincoln don't latch onto the player. He feels like a nuisance when you have to sit through cutscenes of him begging Lincoln to stop while Lincoln never contemplates his deeds. No one was redeeming in this story except for the Father and he himself was a poorly portrayed character.

The meat and bones of the game, undeniably, is the gameplay. A more advanced version of the Mafia II system. Built on third-person, cover-based shooting. But now there's upgrades and lots more weapons. The customization was a good change of pace; something that was blatantly missing from Mafia II.

The gun play is excellent, definitely some of the best in a third-person shooter currently on the market. Combining stealth mechanics with your silent pistol, taking out enemies with headshots, is highly satisfying. On the flip side, pulling out a machine gun or assault rifle and mowing down leagues of enemies makes you feel dominant and powerful which is something that the game genuinely convinced me on. Lincoln Clay is a former special ops soldier who was excellent at his craft. It doesn't explain one's invincibility, but it made some background and realism to why and how the game approaches an uber-skilled (the character's skill, not the player), Hitman-esque, combat style.

At any approach, you can go loud and fight your enemies head on, but the game shines in the stealth mechanics. I am personally always incredibly satisfied by sneaking in the darkness, hiding behind corners, and silently taking down my opponents. Mafia III brilliantly played this out in a comfortable fashion that, while will get repetitive eventually, is a fun time.

The player starts to really take advantage of the game. You start to learn the ins and outs of a successful mission by perfectly making your way through a map without any alerts. The maps change enough that the missions are entertaining every time. For example, the bath house mission was one of the funnest in the game. There three or four (if not more) different ways to enter the facility and a wide variety of paths to take to get to your destination within. It's such a pleasure unwrapping the maps and taking down your foe.

The core idea of the game is immensely repetitive. The basic story is going down a bloody path of vengeance by taking down Don Marcano's crime family by tearing down his various rackets and taking them for yourself. Whether it's a drug, sex, guns, or shipping racket, the missions are all very similar. Ask a contact for a tip, get a handful of guys to interrogate, and then freely do mini-missions of either stealing stashed money or assassinating some crime boss. The structure of the missions are the same, but I found the gameplay and maps refreshing enough to enjoy my time and not get worn out. You can feel Hangar 13 at least trying to make the game fresh. For example, when you go after the sex/porn racket, you sneak around an orgy or tackle a private club with chock full of bizarre easter eggs and goofy characters. It's the small things that count. There is real care in this game. Many have displayed the phenomenal mission where you silently approach a Southern Family (equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan) cross burning and your only option is to unload on the racist scumbags. Enthralling set pieces like that are what make the game worth coming back for.

A common criticism of Mafia II was the utter lack of an open-world. You could freely drive around and waste time but never with an objective. Mafia III has side missions provided by your underbosses that are similarly repetitive like the main missions but are a breath of fresh air from the storyline. The Playboy collectibles (arguably one of the best and more rewarding collectibles I can think of in video games) make a return. On top of that are Communist propaganda posters, and different magazine collectibles. I felt comfortable in the world of New Bordeaux so am currently going around and collecting each and every one. For some reason the Mafia series convinced me to do so.

One reason I enjoy driving around for hours for collectibles in Mafia III is the awesome driving mechanics. It has the rip and roar feeling of 1960's muscles cars when you're driving the right vehicle while pedestrian vehicles handle very comfortable and realistically without being a pain the neck. I'm not good at describing driving in games but it's probably my favorite driving in an open world game that I can think of.

While Mafia II pulled me in with the awesome characters and story, Mafia III didn't continue the legacy but brought me some great action and gunplay. It wasn't the longest game, just long enough, and when I played it, I was having fun. And I'd always argue if a game is fun, then the story always comes second.