Mafia III (PC, PS4, One)

[Error]

Just finished it. Which character late in the game were you talking about? Sal's fat fuck brother?

I found the game to be very satisfying. It's like Inglorious Basterds only better, because it's not shit and because I had "direct" involvement in what was happening. That mission where you have to kill fuck i can't remember his name, the respectable one who you burn alive on a cross at a Klan rally was very nearly the definition of a perfect level for me. Sneak in, climb the monument behind the stage, rain grenades down on the KKK, watch them all die. That was done so well. The game felt like it took inspiration from movies like Shaft too. Even one of the costumes screamed Bad Ass Mother Fucker. So that was permanently worn.

The language continued to bother me, and some of the stereotypes for the characters were pretty fucking high on the list of WTF, but it's over and done with now.

It's a shame that this under-performed or whatever happened. It deserved better. Ironically just like Mafia 2.

[Andrew]

Just finished it. Which character late in the game were you talking about? Sal's fat fuck brother?

I found the game to be very satisfying. It's like Inglorious Basterds only better, because it's not shit and because I had "direct" involvement in what was happening. That mission where you have to kill fuck i can't remember his name, the respectable one who you burn alive on a cross at a Klan rally was very nearly the definition of a perfect level for me. Sneak in, climb the monument behind the stage, rain grenades down on the KKK, watch them all die. That was done so well. The game felt like it took inspiration from movies like Shaft too. Even one of the costumes screamed Bad Ass Mother Fucker. So that was permanently worn.

The language continued to bother me, and some of the stereotypes for the characters were pretty fucking high on the list of WTF, but it's over and done with now.

It's a shame that this under-performed or whatever happened. It deserved better. Ironically just like Mafia 2.

He was a walk-on late in the game, sounded like Jesus from The Big Lebowski. Gets hired to chase you down and kill you, fails, exit stage left. "You must be the [racial slur]. I like to kill [racial slur]s." It just seemed hilariously over the top and unnecessary (both the dialog and his presence in the game).

The level you mentioned was my favorite as well. Savage, vivid, perfectly executed. Overall, at the risk of sounding like Trump, I think it was a fantastic game, and it was treated very unfairly by the media.

[Error]

Oh him. Ya I agree. The mission where he attacks you is a real pain in the ass too.

I hope just like Mafia II this game gets a second life on Steam but I doubt it sadly.

[gamevet]

I got the impression from the media reviews that the big issue with the game was the repetitive missions, which were a big letdown.

Angry Joe (let the hate begin) brought up some very valid points about what is broken with this game.

[Error]

If there's one person on this earth who should appreciate doing shit over and over it's Angry Joe, since he's apparently made a career out of doing the exact same rant every fucking video. He's not wrong about doing the same mission over and over, but each location was different enough that I was able to approach things differently much of the time. The game really picked up for me once I unlocked the silenced pistol. Once I was able to stealth my way through missions if I wanted it became a matter of doing some missions quiet and some missions loud.

What hurt the game for me was the inability to deploy more than one piece of C4 at a time, and not being able to make carbombs. There were missions at the docks where you had to destroy some boats. I would have loved to just swim up to them and plant C4 and boom. But instead I had to go loud.

Is it the best game? No. But it's a solid game.

[Son of Bryce]

Great impressions! I'd like to see what this game is about at some point.

[Andrew]

Error's pretty spot on. It's no GotY and I had my share of complaints--I whistle from behind a doorway, enemy nonchalantly saunters over to said doorway which is clogged with the corpses of five of his buddies but hey no big deal, BOOM blade to the neck, wash rinse repeat. And let's not overlook the act of clearing out a warehouse, getting a notification that the ward boss has shown up in the area, and having to clear out the exact warehouse in order to get to him. Sure, like most games, there are things that could have been better.

But to knock a sandbox game for being repetitive is like criticizing the ocean for being wet. Even the revered Red Dead Redemption falls into this trap. But we look past it if the sandbox is engrossing enough. Mafia III does this very well. Brilliant jazzy southern rock licensed soundtrack. Interesting characters living in a world that feels authentic. Vintage Playboys galore. It has flaws, but it's very well done on the whole.