Five things to look forward to in Mafia III

The production team behind the upcoming Mafia III have surprised everyone with details of the latest instalment in their crime franchise. In a move that goes agains many of the conventions and archetypal elements you would expect to find in a mob game, Hangar 13 have this time chosen to explore an African American as the lead protagonist who goes by the name of Lincoln Clay. Here are list of the top five things to look forward to in Mafia III:

 

1) A more compelling storyline

Whilst the rags to riches storyline of struggles surrounding Vito Scaletta in Mafia II was strong, albeit a little short, Mafia III promises a great deal more in the way of narrative. Similarly to Vito at the beginning of Mafia II, Mafia III kicks off with Lincoln Clay returning home to New Orleans after serving in the army. For his whole life, Lincoln has longed for a sense of family and he eventually finds what he has been looking for in his adopted family. However, through his adopted family, the Vietnam veteran soon becomes entangled in the city’s black mob and finds himself burdened with the unenviable task of taking out leader of the Italian mob, Sal Marcano, once and for all. As if all that wasn’t enough, Mafia III takes you back to 1968 amongst the aftermath of the Vietnam war, major assassinations and the Civil Rights Movement, which obviously is a hugely significant point of interest as you progress through the storyline from the viewpoint of a black man.

 

2) Gameplay enhancements and improvements

 

Mafia III remains faithful to its roots as a third person open world cover shooter in the mould of the Grand Theft Auto series. Lincoln is extremely physical and is able to call upon his training as a soldier and use these skills to his advantage on the streets. This opens up a range of possible melee attacks that you will be able to unleash upon mobsters in close-quarters conflict. Driving mechanics have also been upgraded which allow the player to use vehicles as a weapon as you wreak havoc upon the city of New Orleans trying to dismantle the Italian mob.

 

 

 3) The return of Vito Scaletta

 

Although the storyline in Mafia III differs in so many different aspects to the previous two Mafia games, Hangar 13 wanted to make sure the new instalment remained within the existing universe and so this paved the way for the second coming of the slick and methodical protagonist from Mafia II. Lincoln can hire a much older Vito and work with him as well as a few other new characters throughout the course of the story. These new additions are referred to in the game as lieutenants and comprise of an Irish gang member, a Haitian crime lord and of course Vito. All three characters are each from very different backgrounds, but can be recruited by Lincoln to achieve their common goal of taking down Sal Marcano. As your dominance grows within the city, each of your lieutenants will provide a service that will aid you as you complete missions such as being able to jump into the nearest telephone box and get your buddy to call off the cops. 

4) New and plentiful interrogation techniques

 

Every time you interrogate someone in Mafia III, Lincoln will learn a new nugget of information relating to network of organised crime in the city. This can be achieved in several different ways. For instance, if you want to stay old school and simply beat the information out of whatever low-life drug dealer you find, you can. Alternatively, Lincoln has the ability to psych out the target in order to make them talk by driving like a mad man through the bustling streets. Squeezing information out of gangsters in this way will lead to you uncovering different strategies for going about missions. For instance, you may discover that a particular drug den has multiple entrances and attacking by boat could help you catch the gang members inside by surprise.

 

 

 

5) The extensive, incredibly detailed environment

 

One of the biggest criticisms of Mafia II was that despite it being an open-world game, at times it had the feel of being linear and restrictive. In Mafia III, Hangar 13 has tried to change this by creating a super-dense world overflowing with criminal activity and life. As you discover new areas of the city of New Orleans, along the way you will come across a wealth of side-missions as well as the giant scale of diversity that can be found in the ecosystem. Mafia III will have everything from the iconic Bourbon Street and affluent neighbourhoods, to the much poorer sections of the city, all contributing to a thoroughly engaging and varied environment.