The shift away from the Italian mob and the choice to tackle a difficult period in American history was a bold, subversive move—especially for a series with such an established, passionate fan base—and in that sense I have a lot of respect for Hangar 13. I refused to leave, of course, wanting to test the limits of the game, and he made a dash for the phone. The game absolutely nails it in the soundtrack and atmosphere -- New Bordeaux is a solid doppleganger of New Orleans -- but it fails to explore much beyond the all-too-familiar trappings of tired open-world action and driving games. When this was first introduced I enjoyed it. Clay survives an attempt on his life and embarks on a single-minded quest for vengeance, which involves conquering New Bordeaux district by district until he has enough power and influence to dethrone Italian mob boss Sal Marcano. And if you enter a ‘whites only’ establishment like a bar or restaurant, the owner will angrily confront you and call the police if you refuse to leave. It tells its story well, with smart writing and some superb characterisation that elevate its simple revenge plot. But just four hours into it, I knew exactly what I was getting. The PC port is pretty bad too. Honestly, if the rackets were a side mission in another game you’d ignore them. User Rating: 3 | Mafia III (Deluxe Edition) PC. But it’s also a real shame that such a unique and fresh setting goes to waste. Call an Irish hit squad for assistance during a raid, or call your Consigliere to pick up your precious money and stash it in your safe so you don’t lose it when you die. Then when you’ve caused enough trouble, the boss will be lured out of hiding, giving you a chance to kill him and incorporate his business into your burgeoning criminal empire. It has none of the charm of Mafia II, which at least told its tropey mob story with some personality and enthusiasm. Developer Hangar 13 successfully captures the distorted soul of the 1960s and places us in the rugged boots of Lincoln Clay – a bi-racial orphan and Vietnam veteran recently returned home to the Big Easy inspired city of New Bordeaux. And when you capture a territory you choose which of the three gets to run it, which can cause conflicts within the group. You will receive a verification email shortly. It suffers from a serious lack of diversity in mission types. Even the city of New Bordeaux – with its fantastic period details, great soundtrack and some gorgeous, rainy night-time views – can’t offset the fact that Mafia III’s central activities don’t change throughout its lengthy runtime. Cassandra is the leader of the Haitian mob, Burke is the head of the Irish mob, and Vito – the slick-haired protagonist from Mafia 2 – is a high ranking member of the Italian mob who’s now been put on a hitlist. © CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Updated: 20 Oct 2020 6:03 pm. Pegi 18; tested on PC; also available on PS4. Mafia III Collector's Edition (PlayStation 4), Mafia III Deluxe Edition - Microsoft Xbox One. Flat textures, weird daytime lighting, muddy sky boxes and some ugly “pop-in” moments make for a really jarring mix of good and bad throughout, while visual glitches are an issue on both PS4 and PC. Ultimately, however, it never capitalises on its open world potential, instead succumbing to an almost constant lull of tediously unimaginative repetition that makes for a boring and dated open-world shooter. The best HDMI cable for PC gaming in 2020, The best UPS battery backup for PC gaming in 2020, The best microphone for streaming, gaming, and podcasting, Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods – Part One review. Mafia II was criticised by many for being too linear, but I’d take that over this aimless parade of dull any day. It feels like they should be, but the game is actually built around them. It's easy to draw comparisons to Grand Theft Auto V -- and I'd even argue the shooting action is better in Mafia III -- but GTA's wealth of diverse missions is sadly missing here. The rackets aren’t side missions you can dip in and out of at your leisure. The city itself is a straight-faced homage to New Orleans, not an exaggerated Grand Theft Auto-style parody. And the aggressive colour grading—an attempt to create a vintage ‘60s aesthetic—is way too overpowering. Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors. Mafia III, pitched as a gritty revenge tale by California-based developer Hangar 13, follows the story of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam veteran who returns from the war to find his hometown of New Bordeaux being run by mobsters. An excellent script, great voice acting and convincing facial animations bring the game’s lavish cutscenes to life, and the faux documentary cuttings create the sense that the game’s events are historical recounts than fictional escapades. Excellent script, great voice acting and convincing animations bring the game to life – but they can’t redeem the terminal repetitiveness of the gameplay, Last modified on Thu 16 Apr 2020 14.29 BST. Mafia III is incredibly stylish, with great acting, soundtrack and setting. Mafia III review: how can a super stylish 1960s shooter be this boring? Apple should probably charge more than $399, It's the perfect iPhone SE rival in every way but one. An unexpected betrayal is when Mafia III begins to lose its way, and the promise of those early hours fades. In fact, Mafia III barely feels like it’s part of the same series, despite the presence of Vito Scaletta as one of Clay’s partners in crime. Family matters. Mafia III Honest review. Visit our corporate site. In order to do this, he recruits several associates across the city to bring down Marcano’s henchman, his rackets and eventually the man himself. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Lincoln Clay returns from Vietnam in 1968, only to find himself fighting another war on the streets of New Bordeaux, Louisiana. He’s the archetypal Henry Hill protagonist; a likeable, loyal young guy who you root for despite his penchant for murder, torture and other reprehensible hobbies. The slick presentation, impressive facial animation, and solid voice performances fail to disguise the fact that this is a wholly unoriginal and joyless revenge story. Please refresh the page and try again. Mafia III Review 4. The first 90 minutes of the game are great. Its brand of action and gun play is as entertaining as it is brutal. Racial slurs are used with abandon, frequently aimed at Clay.