Video Game Review: Mafia III - The tough guy is back!

Mafia is a game that has a very passionate fan base mdash the series has built its loyalty through solid storytelling The latest Mafia III starts off with equal oomph You play Lincoln Clay a Vietnam war veteran who has just returned home to New Bordeaux Louisiana a take on New Orleans after his stint in the special forces This scenario is a shift from the last two Mafia games which focused on the Italian mobThe first few hours are mostly spent in setting the premise The actual gameplay during this time is limited and you will wonder if the game will ever let you explore the open world However once it does you are going to wish for the heavy story mode to kick in againNew Bordeaux is a fantastic place Its huge and there are lots of parts that pay homage to New Orleans There is racism too because itrsquos the 1960s For example there are whiteonly establishments If you trespass the owner will warn you with some racial slurs and call the cops if you refuse People use the Nword a lot and talk about how black people are lazy All in all it gives a sense of the open racism that the community faced in the 1960s That said the subject we feel was handled in a very bold and appropriate mannerThe music in the game too only brings legitimacy to the experience of the era It has everything from Rolling Stones The Animals Johnny Cash Aretha Franklin and Jimi Hendrix The vehicles your primary source of music are not so much fun to drive They feel like they are mostly floatingCinematic wonderThe story starts off well mdash your adopted family thatrsquos part of the black mob is in trouble and they need your help to get out of it The storytelling is done in a cinematic interviewflashback method Itrsquos fun and feels like you are part of a movie Most of the cinematics take a backseat once there is an attempt on Lincolnrsquos life He decides to go on a revenge spree by taking the entire town away from the Italian mob Thatrsquos when things get badThe game is divided into districts and you have to help your lieutenants take them over by conquering rackets With the object of killing boss Sal Marcano you have to take over every illegal activity he is into by forceWeak repetitive storyWhile all of this sounds great on paper it could seem repetitive during gameplay This feeling of boredom is partly due to Hangar 13rsquos decision to use the same locations and mission types over and over again with enemies taking over the same positions as the last time We fail to understand the decisionmaking process that led to this considering the town of New Bordeaux is huge This is a big reason for the gamersquos failure to deliver on the story it so enthusiastically started The second reason is that enemy AI is laughable if you can even call it that The gun play is not as satisfying either we preferred oneonone fist combats and knife play Graphically the game looks good the animation and cut scenes are beautiful as long as you can ignore the beady eyesOverall it is playable But is it a legitimate heir to the Mafia name mdash not so much It feels like a standalone This feels like GTArsquos notsogreat cousin the one that everyone talks about in whispers because they are so ashamed of themMafia IIIRating 255Developer Hangar 13Publisher 2k GamesPlatform PC SteamPrice 2499Video link httpswwwyoutubecom watchvTNiHOpHbCzM