REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

1
1871
REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

The Mafia series has seen various hiatuses between games, with eight years between the first two and six between the second and third. It has now been four years since the third entry, but 2K Games is set to remake the first game as part of a new release known as Mafia Trilogy. While that version is not out for a few more months, they lately released the remastered Mafia II along with including the already existing Mafia III that is now known in the collection as Mafia III: Definitive Edition. 3.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

When Mafia III was first released, there was surely some debate about the change in setting. While the previous two games had the old Italian mafia akin to Scarface and The Sopranos, Mafia III was taking an unconventional route by introducing an African American hero that is not part of the old mob seen in the first few games. Instead, Lincoln Clay is a veteran that has just returned to the fictional New Bordeaux that is based on New Orleans from Vietnam and agrees to support some family and friends with the Haitian mob that have come knocking. Soon after he attempts to work out debt to the Italian mafia that his surrogate dad has accrued. This ends up going very badly and leaves Lincoln wanting vengeance against mob boss Sal Marcano and his mafia family. This leads Lincoln to have to gather a unique crew of various partners to help take them down, which is the primary focus for most of the game.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

Story

The story is mainly carried by the astonishingly captivating Lincoln Clay and the other characters around him, with a substantial story surrounding them. Mafia III: Definitive Edition was not scared to tackle much more deep and dark themes than in the history, which still holds up well now four years later from the original release. While it is a different style than the first two games, the story is very much worth experiencing here and maybe the best of the trilogy in that area.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

Where Mafia III suffers most though is the very unoriginal game structure as you play through Lincoln’s story in a once again large sandbox open-world experience. The original city of New Bordeaux this time around is larger than both of the first two games combined, but that kind of is a hindrance in some ways as you’re consistently having to drive across the map for new missions. New Bordeaux itself is split up into nine different districts across nine chapters, each of which has a story mission that is split up for you to complete. The nature of these missions though is where the game struggles.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

Gameplay

The gameplay itself is nothing to write home about either, albeit a little more refined here. One of the somewhat frustrating elements of the previous game was that you had to press A to leave cover every time, but now you can move much more freely when trying to move between cover or be stealthy. You have the option to adjust aim assist to the level you prefer, which can make the game a bit too easy. There are plenty of guns to choose from here though, with the ability to set them to a wheel and choose between them.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

Compared to its predecessors, Mafia III has a major edge in the visuals department. The recent Mafia II: Definitive Edition was more polished visually, but there is still no real comparison between it and Mafia III. Mafia III: Definitive Edition looks great all around, with the character models and environments looking much more realistic. The performance on Xbox One was pretty solid most of the time, with some slowdown here and there when too much was happening on screen. Thankfully, the character movement, in general, felt much more natural than in the prior games.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

While Mafia III: Definitive Edition is supposed to be the same game with a new name and all DLC included, somehow Hangar 13 completely messed up one aspect of this game in the included update. Mafia III was given Xbox One X and PS4 Pro support after the release of the game, which added HDR and 4K support to the game to make it look even better. In what is a baffling mistake, somehow this latest update has completely removed this support, now giving you no way to use 4K on consoles.

REVIEW : Mafia III: Definitive Edition (XBOX One)

Mafia III: Definitive Edition somehow managed to improve in one way by including all of the prior DLC, while also taking multiple steps backwards by somehow removing support for Xbox One X, even as a mistake. The story of Lincoln Clay is still enthralling and handles some very dark themes quite well, but the lifeless open-world structure found in Mafia III: Definitive Edition hinders what could have been the best game in the trilogy.

REVIEW : Ultracore (PS4)

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Conclusion
7
Previous articleDevour The CARRION Launch Trailer
Next articleNinjala Reveals Season 2 Content Details and August 26 Launch, Upcoming DLC, and New In-Game Event
review-mafia-iii-definitive-edition-xbox-oneWhile not anywhere near as glitch ridden as the Mafia II remaster, Mafia III: Definitive Edition adds nothing more than the previously released DLC along with the very strange removal of Xbox One X support that was added to the original release after launch. Lincoln Clay’s story is still well worth experiencing a first time, but there is no real reason to venture back to New Bordeaux with this latest release as part of the Mafia Trilogy.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here