I hate pre order incentives, I think they're a cheap ploy to gain guaranteed sales, and most if not all amount to useless add ons or items that have no real impact on gameplay.
Of course, they can't, as a company cannot alienate late adopters by giving something genuinely game changing to preorders so it usually amount to weapon skins, car paint jobs and the like so that exclusivity amounts to nothing but something cosmetic. I was saddened to see it included in Mafia 3, I preordered the game because I enjoyed the prequels, I preordered because the gameplay I had seen and my experience of similar games told me this was something I'd enjoy. I wished I hadn't preordered, because the game is single player and there is no urgency to play other than gaming being a passion of mine. I mostly wished I hadn't preordered because I wish this practice to stop but mistakes were made...
I digress, I'm a sucker for a revenge story, The Punisher is my favourite comic book hero(anti-hero?) I love revenge films very much, most recently the fantastic John Wick and Denzel Washington led The Equalizer.
As such I was immediately sold on protagonist Lincoln Clay and his singular mission of revenge. The game is good looking, attention to world detail is great, the game is a reimagining of 1968 New Orleans dubbed 'New Bordeaux' and the world feels genuine and thriving, which is shame as overall I've so far found the game to be dull and lacklustre.
I don't write reviews, I just offer my opinion, it's all I have. My personal problem is one of comparison. It's a gangster themed open world game and I can't help but compare it serial Megalodon of gaming Grand Theft Auto and yes, that was a 'Shark Card' pun!
Grand Theft Auto V came out for last gen (PS3 and Xbox 360) in 2013 and Mafia 3 just doesn't stand up next to it. It's not awful by any standard but the combat just feels dull. Stealth is a big change in the game, Lincoln can crouch to be less noticeable referred to in game as 'stalking' which means I've been doing it wrong for years... While partaking in said stalking, Clay can take out enemies with quick one button press kills that are brutal, visceral and quite frankly delightful for about an hour before they become tiresome and they do become tiresome. I've never been one for stealth, I've always been the guy who buys the first LMG available and goes Rambo: First Blood but I've been leaning on it almost exclusively in my play through. Anytime it's an option it's just far less of a hassle to just stalk through an objective taking out the goons immediately in front and not bothering with the others and getting to my target. The more I play the more I just want it over with.
In Grand Theft Auto it wasn't always about the destination it was about enjoying the ride where as in Mafia I just want to kill the bastard who wronged me and move on, Clay's got some grieving to do.
To be fair to the game it feels like a sequel to Mafia 2 and not just because Vito Scaletta returns but because it feels aged and the shooting is merely functional. Non of the weapons really pack the oomph I'm looking for. Like most open world games when you scrutinise each facet they seem inadequate but you forgive them for the sheer scope of options available to you, it's usually more the sum of it parts you're happy with but it's 2016, that's not a get out anymore.
The driving is arcade like and is the best it's ever felt because of it and a lot of the muscle cars from the era are suitably recreated and feel cool to drive but overall I feel like a schmuck for buying in to the hype. I'm having Watch Dogs 1 flashbacks... Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the game it just didn't grab me like I though it would, it doesn't feel 'next gen', New Bordeaux doesn't feel new, but I am bored though(yeah, I went there!), it feels empty and an opportunity lost or a weekend rental if that's still a thing? I miss you Blockbuster!
I also encountered a few glitches, such as cars not starting in missions where they were the specific vehicle you needed to drive which in 2016 for a triple A game is disappointing, I can see why publisher 2K Games didn't want the reviews out pre-release and why I definitely shouldn't have preordered, there's sadly just not a lot to do in the world that's enjoyable. I get that it's a story of revenge and Lincoln is unlikely to fancy bowling with his cousin but there's just not enough variety. Every couple of blocks you drive, little enemy blips will show up on the map and when you approach them you usually find 2 rednecks harassing an innocent person of colour which although period accurate it feels pointless to rescue them more than once. You gain nothing from it in game, you don't get a cutscene or a thank you and if you drive around the block and come back, the 2 guys you just dealt with are back harassing the exact same NPC who ran off in the exact same point. It just feels unfinished, good job there's a lot of other titles around the corner before the year's out, because Mafia 3 won't hold me for long.
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