LTTP: I'm somehow enjoying playing Mafia 3. It's crazy.

[psychedelic]

This game had so much potential. The gunplay and stealth really isn't that good, the combat encounters are very poor, but this is one of those instances for me where I've somehow managed to overlook the most prevalent aspects of gameplay in favor of the better things that come in small doses.

The graphics are frankly amazing. The cutscenes are really well-directed, and the story isn't half bad. I really like the narrative direction and how it feels like you're playing through a gangster movie.

The user score on metacritic is 5/10. I think its easily understandable why that is, but at the same time, I'm having fun playing it in spite of how bad it is. What kept me interested for the most part was really just driving around and listening to the radio.

Also, I'm constantly walking into rackets and sniping the mob boss from a distance before getting in my vehicle and escaping, avoiding other enemies in the process. it's so ridiculous, I think the developers completely overlooked how frequently this can be done.

But it's... fun?! I mean, after a long time, I feel like I'm not taking a game seriously and laughing at its design flaws but also finding pleasure in using my silenced pistol and the sniper rifle.

With some more time in the oven, I'm sure the game would have been much, much better. The general gameplay loop of essentially redoing the same missions definitely could have been better.

In short, it's a stupid game which should have been better. *sigh*

 

[@TheFriendlyBro]

I wish I could enjoy it.

A couple of hours into my playthrough, a mission got bugged and I couldn't progress. Even after restarting my playthrough.

Guess my Steam copy is just cursed.

 

[LonestarZues]

Game didn't click for me at launch, but came back to it after all the dlc's were out and really enjoyed it.

 

[psychedelic]

I wish I could enjoy it.

A couple of hours into my playthrough, a mission got bugged and I couldn't progress. Even after restarting my playthrough.

Guess my Steam copy is just cursed.

Click to shrink...

That's a shame. I'm aware of the bugs too and have encountered some myself, but I'm playing on PS4.

 

[bixente]

I really enjoyed it too. Understand the game's flaws, still liked it.

 

[newmoneytrash]

it's truly crazy that you would enjoy playing an incredibly fun game

 

[Braag]

I thought the story was good and the character performances were amazing.
The gunplay was fun, the graphics ranged from great to poor depending on the time of day and your location.
But my main gripe like most other people was the repetitive gameplay loop.

 

[Bovandy]

I really enjoyed my time with it. It's certainly not perfect but I really liked the documentary style of the story.

One of my biggest issues with it was that there were times when the cutscene wouldn't always have the main character in the outfit I had dressed him in. That seems like pretty rudimentary stuff these days.

 

[psychedelic]

it's truly crazy that you would enjoy playing an incredibly fun game

Click to shrink...

Maybe I need to accept fully that it's an incredibly fun game lol

 

[bixente]

The repetitive nature of the gameplay didn't overly bother me, weirdly enough. I knew it was a design flaw, but I couldn't stop playing until I finished the story.

 

[bonch00ski]

The story and setting are definitely what pushed me through finishing it and I'm glad I did.

 

[Nida]

I enjoyed it quite a bit. Some of the missions are pretty samey, and there's the whole taking over districts thing which is repetitive. But it's a good podcast game after you hear all the soundtrack.

 

[Buff Beefbroth]

It's a good game.

Story is great, gunplay is actually excellent, biggest real issues are mostly technical and some repetition.

 

[The Mango Sentinel]

I personally enjoyed the gunplay and thought the game was really fun and wondered why most people didn't like it....then I kept playing....and it got boring as fuck. Really fun 10 hours at first though.

Maybe if I go back I can have another 10 hours of fun and then take a break and do it again a few months later and finish the shit. The story was actually compelling.

 

[Jawmuncher]

It's a good game with awesome combat & a great story. It just overstays its welcome since it drags on the open world gameplay and needing to "take over" the map.

I personally enjoyed the gunplay and thought the game was really fun and wondered why most people didn't like it....then I kept playing....and it got boring as fuck. Really fun 10 hours at first though.

Maybe if I go back I have another 10 hours of fun and then take a break and so it again a few months later and finish the shit. The story was actually compelling.

Click to shrink...

This is like exactly what I did lol. Played a lot at once, stopped for a bit. Then came back and finished it.

 

[terminaljeremy]

I really enjoyed it. I got the GOTY edition for next to nothing and split up the slightly-repetetive main missions with the dlc stuff and honestly, I had a blast.

 

[Mathieran]

It has a really strong opening, but once it opened up it couldn't keep my attention. I actually kinda wish this game had been more linear.

 

[dedhead54]

I enjoyed it, despite the repetitive nature of the missions. And I enjoyed the DLC quite a bit. I could see myself playing it again and enjoying it, honestly.

 

[Whistler]

The game would have been amazing if it were more linear. The repeated racket missions and the GODAWFUL fusebox mechanic suck the gun out of it.

But all the characters, the writing, the music was great. When you get shot in the head and "Paint it Black" starts up it whips. And Donovan, and his ending, is absolutely insane in the best way.

 

[BoxManLocke]

The game was super buggy at launch and they fucked up the Pro support as well, which might explain such a low user score.

Such awesome narrative and great gunplay deserved better than this shitty mission design. What a shame.

 

[Khanimus]

I mean it's structurally repetitive, but the story carries so much weight.

 

[Deleted member 56752]

The story, VA work, graphics, and music are all superb. The game design is awful.

 

[Cookie]

Wow, I've been playing it for the first time tonight too. I've been having a blast, I'm not super far in yet. I think I've completed the first section but I've been loving it so much. The attention to detail of the time period, the music, the story are all being knocked out of the park. It's like watching a movie. They did a great job with it.

 

[Deleted member 224]

People thought the graphics were good? Mafia 3 easily has some of the worst LoD/draw distance settings in a current gen open world game. Anything that's even remotely far from the player looks like a rough ps2 game.

 

[Cookie]

People thought the graphics were good? Mafia 3 easily has some of the worst LoD/draw distance settings in a current gen open world game. Anything that's even remotely far from the player looks like a rough ps2 game.

Click to shrink...

It looks excellent on PC, easily as good as anything else I've played from the past couple of years.

 

[dreamfall]

Nah, you're not crazy! It's one of my favorite games of the entire generation. Sure, it's got all the horrible Ubi open world hallmarks, but the combat mechanics, the driving physics and the beautiful back drop of New Bordeaux kept me replaying the game for years. It's also my favorite game to hop into to drive around and listen to that insane soundtrack. Lincoln Clay was such an awesome lead - and Donovan was perfection!

I really feel if 2K gave Hangar 13 some more time to craft what they wanted, it would've been one of the best third person open world games ever. Their DLC chapters are so fucking wonderful - and it's why I've got hope they can pull off the Mafia 1 Remake. I hope they do it!

 

[psychedelic]

I'm frankly surprised to see many people enjoyed it. I remember reading a lot of negative impressions about the game, and the game's presence on YouTube mostly amounted to the glitches that it was known for.

That said, I'm sure I would have doubted myself less about enjoying the game if my poor perception of it hadn't been formed prematurely. That, or I simply missed out on the time when people started saying good things about the game. Either way, I'm glad I came to the realization that the game isn't really that bad lol. Yes, it's actually really good.

 

[Kupo Kupopo]

one of my top dozen games of the generation. easily as excellent a story & cast of characters as any other. really loved it...

 

[endlessflood]

The Definitive Edition (lol) patch removed PS4 Pro and Xbox 1x support.

If they decide to add that back in then I might try playing the game.

 

[Deleted member 18407]

I loved this game. It's one of the few games I've managed to 100% twice. The gameplay loop just completely clicked with me. There was something satisfying about the repetition in each new area that completely worked for me. The story being great really helped out too.

My biggest gripe with the game was how empty the city felt. I wish there would've been more to do in the city or maybe have the city a bit smaller so the drives weren't so long but otherwise I loved it. That soundtrack is so killer too.

 

[EggmaniMN]

The intro of the game is one of the strongest I can think of this generation.

But yes beyond that the entire game is well-acted, looks good, the setting is great and the gameplay is functional. It plays generally better than GTA5 honestly. Whether or not the mission structure feels tedious to you or not is the question. I was fine with it.

If they ever actually fix the console versions again I'd probably play it again.

 

[LAM09]

Aside from the repetitive missions, I enjoy it quite a bit and the DLC's.

 

[AgentOtaku]

The Definitive Edition (lol) patch removed PS4 Pro and Xbox 1x support.

If they decide to add that back in then I might try playing the game.

Click to shrink...

Ditto

 

[FairFight]

Ditto

Click to shrink...

Ditto to your ditto. It has potential but I refuse to play it without its enhancements. The accidental removal is just an absolute joke.

 

[Mesoian]

Imagine if the Mafia games were as tightly cut and planned as the new wolfenstein games.

I hate that they're open world, they're some of the most boring, sparsely populated games I've ever played with some of the most compelling stories.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

The combat is way better than its contemporaries though

 

[endlessflood]

Ditto to your ditto. It has potential but I refuse to play it without its enhancements. The accidental removal is just an absolute joke.

Click to shrink...

I'd love to know what the story is. How do you 'accidentally' remove mid-gen console support on two completely separate platforms?

It's also been what, four weeks since they broke it?

 

[Deleted member 224]

It looks excellent on PC, easily as good as anything else I've played from the past couple of years.

Click to shrink...

Maybe with maxed settings. The aggressive draw distance culling was crazy distracting on PS4 pro. The swamp area outside of the city was atrocious. 2D trees and muddy ground textures 50 or so yards away from the player.

 

[endlessflood]

The aggressive draw distance culling was crazy distracting on PS4 pro. The swamp area outside of the city was atrocious. 2D trees and muddy ground textures 50 or so yards away from the player.

Click to shrink...

Did you try it since the Definitive Edition patch (4 weeks ago), or before?

 

[Cess007]

Played it thanks to PS Plus, and while the missions get insanely repetitive. I thoroughly enjoyed the game.

It also has an amazing soundtrack, Lincon is such a good character and boy if I didn't wanted some Donovan DLC by the end.

 

[Marvie]

Mafia 3 was pretty fun. Had its issues but I still enjoyed playing through it.

 

[Tom Glass]

I didn't finished it yet but, yeah, this game is really good! Unfortunately it's also really bad but, what's most important, you're having fun while playing it. Great story and beautiful graphics!

 

[AwesomeSauce]

I really enjoyed this game when it came out.

I actually just finished a run through of the DLC since it became free to owners and i really dug all of them and they are absolutely worth playing.

If the main game had more well crafted segments like the DLC it probably would've reviewed better IMO. And playing through it recently was cathartic. The first DLC Faster, Baby! feels really relevant now.

 

[golem]

The game seemed really intriguing till i hit a massive bug a few hours in that halted my progress dead. Decided it wasnt worth replaying those hours to risk hitting that bug again so I dropped it.

 

[NikkiNailZ]

Also, I'm constantly walking into rackets and sniping the mob boss from a distance before getting in my vehicle and escaping, avoiding other enemies in the process. it's so ridiculous, I think the developers completely overlooked how frequently this can be done.

But it's... fun?! I mean, after a long time, I feel like I'm not taking a game seriously and laughing at its design flaws but also finding pleasure in using my silenced pistol and the sniper rifle.

Click to shrink...

This is actually why i really liked Mafia 3. The game gives you total freedom in completing these missions, so setting up a long range sniper kill with a getaway car is totally possible. In similar games, this stuff is always scripted and you have to do what the game wants you to do (Rockstar games are main offenders of doing this). For me, it really helped in making the open world believable and feeling real.

I don't agree with you on the gunplay though, it's amazing. Shooting the guns feels heavy like it should and the damage they do on enemies is brutal. For me it felt really satisfying and was one of the reasons i finished the game and it didn't feel bloated to me at all.

 

[SRTtoZ]

It's not a bad game, it's just repetitive.

 

[Nabs]

It's a good game, there's nothing crazy about enjoying it.

 

[SJRB]

I mean, stabbing [racist] assholes in the neck with a bowie knife is pretty entertaining, I'll give it that.

It's a perfect "turn off your brain and just play" game. Especially because the AI is so easily cheesed you feel like a god most of the time, which is not by design but certainly adds to the enjoyment.

 

[dgrdsv]

It's a good game with great story and cutscenes and almost perfect musical score.

It's a drag in gameplay though as cleaning up the districts is just plain boring and repetitive and you can't avoid this since it's needed to progress the story.

 

[Bishop89]

I gave up coz no fast travel. Very stupid decision by the devs.
Constantly driving from one side of the map to the other is not fun. It's extremely tedious.

The actual combat was great though