Mafia 3

Let me start by saying that Mafia III is a damn fine game. The problem a game like this has is that it always has to live up to whatever the most recent Grand Theft Auto game is and that is such a hard act for any game to follow. I for one, really enjoyed what they did with Mafia III and feel that it is well worth a playthrough.

Welcome To New Bordeaux

The real star of Mafia III for me is the story. I was fully invested and was legit shocked and surprised at some of the stuff that went down here. The game is set in New Bordeaux all the way back in 1968, this is a fictional city, but it is clearly based on New Orleans. I love the setting and the character you play as Lincoln is a dude, I really wanted to see get his justice.

Lincoln has returned home from the Vietnam war and his home town is not doing so well. I really do not want to give spoilers as it is a great tale of revenge, but let me just say that you are basically going up against the Italian mafia to make them pay for doing something to you that you just will not let slide!

Super Slick

The presentation of Mafia III is something that I really like. One thing that can take me out of a game these days is lip-synching and I think they have done a great job here. The sound design, in particular, is great and I would go as far as to say that this game has one of the best and most fitting soundtracks of any open-world “gangster” style game I have played.

Shoot Or Sneak?

As you have probably figured out the gameplay of the game is that of an open-world 3rd person action/shooter style game. What I really like about this game though is that you are really free to tackle the game any way you want. You can sneak around if you like and call in help and try to be as discreet and get your hands as dirty as little as possible. Or you can play it like I do and just throw caution to the wind and take on missions all guns blazing.

Lots To See And Do

While I think that the story is truly fantastic in Mafia III and that the many different missions that the game offers in regards to the story are good. The side content is kind of lacking. I am not saying there is not a lot to do in terms of side missions. It is just that the side missions are no all that interesting and get pretty old, pretty fast. They all have the same kind of thing going on. Find this, kill them, protect that and so on.

I know that Mafia III is a game that got a bit of a mixed reception when it was first released, but I have had a lot of fun with it. Do not go into this expecting the same kind of open-world experience you are going to get with GTA. Instead, go into it with the mindset that this is a very well-made story-driven game and you will be in for a great time.

Final Score: 8/10

Pros:

• I loved Lincoln as a character
• The setting of New Bordeaux is really cool
• The soundtrack for the game is perfect
• I like running and gunning as well as the cover shooting
• The story is very well written and interesting

Cons:

• The side content is not all that interesting
• It has been known to crash for some people