The Heir of a Great Classic
Days after its release, without copies of advance access to the press, much has been what has transpired about Mafia III . To all this we must add the abundant previous coverage, such as its advance in April, the first impressions in the Gamescon in August, the second contact in September and, finally, the analysis in progress this week. That is the reason why in this final analysis we will not talk about the characters, the history, the objectives or the scenarios, details that can be consulted in the successive pages of this text .. This final analysis therefore focuses in the valuation of Mafia III, of the product that Hangar 13 and 2K offer us.
The initial approach of the new heir sandbox of City of Lost Heavenwhen we began to know details of the development of this third installment almost two years ago, it could not be more promising: They start from having the license of a saga that, in its debut, becomes practically a cult game, a kind of alternative it would be, darker and grimmer, the best-selling GTA. In the second you lose freshness, you try to adapt to the current sandbox without leaving your heritage, but it is still maintained as a remarkable game thanks to its history, the charisma of its characters and good dose of action.
Now Mafia III is planned in an impeccable way, starting with a script with a level of production rarely seen in a video game. A way to tell the story simply perfect, with a storyline maintained and conducted by several characters over time, contemporary both to the protagonist and to us, who are both current viewers of his narrative and active part in the moment of occur. The characters are deepened, developed, their plot portion is granted and the player empathizes with them and their motivations. On the other hand, the best temporal and physical location is sought; the New Orleans of 1968, to all lights another great success, for the convulso of the years and that originates one of the plots of which it is not possible to be escaped.
History, at a high level
Critics and suggestions that the community makes from the two previous installments -sandbox too compressed and directed- are accepted and a real open world is chosen, with secondary missions, collectables, Steam
achievements , several endings, among 25 and 30 hours of play and a fun ride at last, which invites you to tour a huge stage, with an extraordinary
effort to represent the essence of New Orleans; from the colonial mansions and the French district, to the fishing shanties of the Mississippi delta.
It is accepted the challenge of making an adult game, another great success, dealing with issues such as racism, present in a powerful way throughout the plot, together with prostitution, heroin, pornography and a corruption that covers everything; politics, commerce,
the police and, ultimately, the values of a whole society at that time. In addition, the game is endowed with a formative load of appreciation,
illustrating the player on a historical stage that not many have lived but always agree to remember, including historical information ranging
from the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Luther King to the counteroffensive in Vietnam , going through the anticommunist “witch hunt” or the launch of Apollo VII.
To give it the sound that marked that era, 2K invests a huge amount of money in music licenses, making it one of the best soundtracks, not originals, of a videogame, at the same level as the epic radio stations from GTA City, San Andreas, GTA IV Ballad of Gay Tony or the same GTA V.
In the same way, the collaboration with Playboy is maintained and the aerographs of Alberto Vargas are added. In addition, a large investment in actors is made to capture movements and excellent work with facial movements. Separate chapter deserves
the interpretations. In English, its original version, is at the height of the best, impeccable. In Spanish it does not detract either, with a very good localization
work that goes beyond the interpretations, reaching to double each and every one of the conversations that can be heard through the streets of New Bordeaux or through its radio devices.
Finally, there is a powerful preparation work for the launch, with information campaigns full of trailers to publicize the title and present it with its best virtues.
We know Lincoln, we see impressive executions, escapes from the police, shootings with various weapons, “muscle cars” in the French quarter and some boats sailing the Mississippi, steam boats burning, Vito Scaletta, the Ku Klux Klan … Everything points to a triple A, a title with serious options to be the 2016 game, but …
… but the game itself is not up to scratch . Mafia III shows such serious deficiencies that practically spoil a raw material with which a masterpiece could have been made.
