Mafia 3 Reviews
Mafia 3 is a game of real gravitas in terms of its story, which tackles some serious subject matter. However, the efforts and intentions of Hangar 13 here are let down by repetitive gameplay, a lack of side missions, and some embarrassing glitches that sadly leave the whole experience lacking.
Frigid racism, heated mob violence, and tepid gameplay make for an interesting, but fairly mediocre, entry in the Mafia series.
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.
Mafia 3 is a great step forward for storytelling in games that is dragged down by its consistently unpolished and poorly executed mechanics.
Mafia 3 will divide the audience; it's forced to live halfway between the technical problems and the excellence of a truly overwhelming narrative.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mafia 3 is a title that should be tried to the end to be appreciated. The story of Lincoln Clay is worth to be played, because too often the narrative plot is put aside in favor of high resolution textures and stunning special effects.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mafia 3 is the biggest disappointment of the year. It's a game with masses of potential, but unfortunately that potential is wasted on by-the-numbers open-world game 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]
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.
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.
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.
Even the strongest of stories can't save Mafia III from falling prey to genre conventions, and too many at that.
An enthralling open-world crime drama tarnished only by a few largely inoffensive bugs, Mafia 3 succeeds in delivering an involving story with great shooting and stealth gameplay. Repetitive missions and a lack of polish mar the experience, but you'll still have a ton of fun playing Mafia 3.
Mafia III is consistently inconsistent. An engrossing and mature narrative told between repetitive and boring missions, satisfying gun play against moronic AI enemies all taking place in a beautifully designed city that's ruined with shitty lighting effects.
I would say it's best to enjoy this game as a slow burn. It's presented as a documentary and I think it's best to be enjoyed as a documentary series where you take control of the action and play for a few hours here and there. The message that it has to say about blackness, revenge, and racial tension in America is a nice change of pace from the bloated landscape of other open-world games, and a vital one in 2016.
It wouldn't be surprising for Mafia III to emerge as the AAA game with the best story of 2016 as Lincoln Clay's revenge tale, and its wonderful documentary-style presentation, are engrossing from beginning to end, with a host of unique characters that make New Bordeaux feel unlike anywhere else in video games.
If it weren't for the astounding number of glitches and lack of mission variety, this would be my game of they year. The story is captivating, the world is immersive (yet lacking content), and the gameplay is nearly flawless.
Mafia III's ambitions are large and its narrative vital, but ultimately this satisfying revenge yarn is hampered by dated mechanics and progression systems that belong in a 2007 GTA knock-off.
Mafia III is a case study in why open world does not always make things better. What begins as something really tight and interesting quickly spirals away from that strong core and ultimately ends up as little more than yet another sandbox game this generation.
Mafia III is an engaging narrative with a sadly incomplete system, padded out by repetitive missions and tiresome collectables.
While it could have used some better side quests and maybe a bit more graphical polish, Mafia III's narratives is one of my favorites in 2016 so far.