Mafia 3 Reviews
Mafia III is an enjoyable and fun game, even if you don't have to expect the splendor of GTA V, the insanity of Saints Row IV or the great locations of Far Cry 4.
Review in Italian | Read full review
When the missions come together, they can be thrillingly indulgent. More often than not, though, they stick to a basic pattern: infiltrate a building, carefully pick off the guys with the sentry signs above their heads to prevent calls for reinforcements, and kill your way to your goal.
Like the era it paints, Mafia III feels like a relic. It's dated, has obvious flaws, and doesn't hold up particularly well when compared to a lot of modern works. Most damning, it's rarely in tune with itself, often contradicting itself in big ways. It's tough to not feel like Lincoln Clay deserved better than this.
Mafia III is a game with a great plot, great characters, and great setting, but it's hamstrung by the repetitive nature of its mission structure. Having to go through the same tasks in each territory means a sense of fatigue enters quickly, and there isn't much in the way of distractions within New Bordeaux to break things up. The pieces of a great game are all here, but they just don't quite fit together.
Mafia 3 seems to be a great game that was rushed to meet deadlines. Whether this decision was based on meeting quarterly expectations for parent company Take-Two or if it was due to the development budget running out, this game would've greatly benefited from a couple more months in development. Sadly, it's paid the price for its rush to market with a noticeable lack of polish across gameplay and presentation.
A horrible waste of a strong narrative, whose politically-charged storytelling is squandered on a dull and horrendously repetitive GTA clone.
The worst that can be said of Mafia III is that it's tolerable. This is also the best that can be said. A perfectly sufficient game that does nothing unique with a unique setting, providing instead hours upon hours of predictable, uniform material. Likeable enough, but nowhere near as gripping as it should have been.
While Mafia III is not a game-changing entry, it is a genuine attempt to tell an entertaining story. It's too bad that technical and graphical issues get in the way of progress on occasion, and a few gameplay mechanics cause the game to quickly boil down to the same handful of mission types, which means to get to the next chapter of the main story takes some monotony. Still, for fans of America's deep South, the 1960's, or good storytelling, Mafia III is worth your time and money.
Hanger 13 weaves a fascinating tale of crime and revenge in a racist Southern town, but what happens between dramatic moments is repetitive and dull
Mafia 3 is a game with some brilliant ideas, but the execution falls flat. It's a huge shame, because the opening hours are full of promise, but it loses its way as soon as it embraces its open-world design. [OpenCritic note: This review scores Mafia 3 at 2/5 stars. Because Kirk McKeand has already published other scored reviews for Mafia 3, the score has not been recorded]
Excellent script, great voice acting and convincing animations bring the game to life – but they can't redeem the terminal repetitiveness of the gameplay
Although the missions are repetitive, the gameplay itself is amazingly fun.
Mafia 3 is the definition of a mixed bag. At times it is a great experience with a compelling story, interesting characters and an exciting world to discover. But after a few hours the game falls into a repetitive grind with the same type of mission over and over again. It is still an okay game, but it could have been so much more.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
It was a risky gamble to tackle such an incendiary era of US history, but Mafia III handles it much better than an open world crime game has any right to. It masterfully hits the target in terms of its characters, story, and setting, lulling you into a misplaced belief you're playing something really special. Unfortunately, once the grind of taking over territory kicks in, and the lack of originality in much of its mission design is laid bare, it almost completely ruins the experience.
Mafia III is one of the best stories in a video game I have played this year, heck I would go as far as to say this generation. It is wrapped around some pretty standard and repetitive open world game design though, which does do it a disservice. Still, the locales and world resonate with me, and the story kept me coming back for more, and that speaks volumes.
The city of New Bordeaux, from the 18th-century landmarks of the French Quarter to the damp swamps and open plains of the Bayou, is lovingly crafted and gorgeous to explore, while its attempts to show racism in all its raw ugliness is commendable. Yet unfortunately none of this is enough to make up for its myriad issues that just stop it being much fun. In a year of brilliant games, Mafia 3 is one of 2016's biggest disappointments.
Even the strongest of stories can't save Mafia III from falling prey to genre conventions, and too many at that.
If anything, I think the game is worth checking out for the story alone. It's unfortunate that the gameplay is so much of a slog that some players may not think the story is worth the trouble. However, if you have the time, the extra coin, and love mob stories, this tale has a satisfying end.
Mafia III is a flawed game at times, but an equalling captivating one in others. It's repetitive gameplay loops and standard mechanics hide an engrossing tale grounded by top of the class performances. It's a tale that pays off in closing, if only just barely.