Mafia III

The game is made in the genre of action adventure with a third person view. The protagonist this time is Lincoln Clay (Lincoln J. Clay), and the scene is New Bordeaux, whose prototype was New Orleans and its environs of the sample of the 60s and 70s of the XX century . The player will be able to move around the area using cars, as well as boats - for the first time in the series. The city in Mafia III consists of different areas. There is a suburban area and underground tunnels. New Bordeaux differs markedly from its prototype, New Orleans.

In Mafia III , as in previous games in the series, emphasis is placed on the storyline, but there will be more opportunities for free play than in the first and second parts. One of the important elements of the game is the subordination of enemy territories. An important role in the gameplay is played by lieutenants - representatives of friendly groups of Lincoln, who can help the main character - for example, to provide fire support or buy back from the police. In exchange, they need to carry out tasks and provide control over the territories of interest. If one is deprived of one of his lieutenants, ignoring his interests, then the lieutenant will go to war against Lincoln. The game takes place around a single passage of missions. The developers abandoned the multiplayer for the game.

The developers of Hangar 13 made a number of changes to the game, added new elements that were not in the games of the Mafia series. Mafia III has become a full-fledged game in the open world. Now you can perform side quests, participate in street races, as well as capture the institution of the enemy. The game automatically changes the time of day and the weather. As in the previous game, it is possible to improve cars, as well as receive prizes for participating in races. An important role in the game is played by chases. In the chase, the player can shoot from the car directly at the enemy. This function is implemented using the system of "smart aiming".

The narration is in the style of documentary films . In 2016, FBI agent Jonathan Maguire reveals the details of his own investigation into the events of 1968 in the city of New Bordeaux, when Lincoln Clay, in revenge, challenged the criminal empire of Sal Marcano. Also included in the narrative are revelations of Father James, the abbot of a Catholic orphanage where Lincoln grew up, and a recording of a meeting of the intelligence committee of the US Senate in 1971, where John Donovan testifies about his participation in Clay's affairs ...

Lincoln Clay was born in 1945 in New Bordeaux, Louisiana . His mother was a Dominican, his father is unknown ^[2] . The mother abandoned her son when he was two years old, and Lincoln grew up in St. Michel’s shelter under the care of Father James, a priest. In 1958, the shelter was closed, and the fate of Clay, like most dark-skinned orphans, was sealed - a crime. Lincoln gets into the so-called black mafia, located in the Delray-Hollow area and headed by Sam Robinson. Over time, the black mafia becomes a real family for Lincoln, Sam becomes a father, and the son of Sam Ellis becomes a brother. At the same time, Lincoln is making friends with Irish Danny Burke and Italian Georgie Marcano, son of Marc Marcano.

In 1966, Lincoln Clay volunteered in the US Army and participated in the Vietnam War . There he meets a CIA agent named John Donovan, with whom they soon became good friends. For his valor in Vietnam, Lincoln received several state awards, but the horrors of war left an indelible mark on his character, making him more calm, tougher and more resolute.

Story Development

In early 1968, Lincoln Clay returns from the war in New Bordeaux. He was going to stay in the city for a short time and see his relatives, after which he left to work at the Californian shipyard. But he soon learns that the black mafia is undergoing regular attacks by the Haitian gang, and Sam owed a large amount of money to the Italians. Lincoln decides to help his foster father.

Together with Ellis, the birth son of Sam, Lincoln eliminates the leader of the Haitians Baku, after which he meets with Sal Markano, the don of the Italian mafia, which the black mafia owes. Sal offers Lincoln to lead his group instead of Sammy, but he refuses. In order to pay off debt, Lincoln is involved in the robbery of the federal treasury - a joint operation of several criminal groups in New Bordeaux, including the black mafia. February 27, during the celebration of Mardi Gras , the robbery was successfully committed. Lincoln Clay and his friends, Georgie Marcano, Ellis Robinson and Danny Burke, took part in it. After the robbery, the black mafia gathered at Sammy's Bar to celebrate a successful business. Meanwhile, Sal Marcano decides to take all the profits for himself. Together with his son Georgie and other Italian gangsters, he kills everyone in the bar, including Sammy, Ellis and the rest of the black mafia. Danny Burke was also killed and Lincoln Clay was badly injured. After the betrayal, Markano's family sets fire to the bar. Fortunately for Lincoln, Father James passed by the bar, who saved him from death.

After eliminating the black mafia, Sela Marcano’s criminal family took full control of New Bordeaux. Each area was actually controlled by Sal’s allies. Also, his criminal group had huge connections in political circles. Sal Marcano was determined to build a casino in New Bordeaux to legalize his business.

Lincoln was passed away by his father, James, and after a while came to his senses. He teams up with Army friend John Donovan and plans revenge on Sala Marcano. Lincoln does not want just to take revenge on him - he decided to take away from him everything that is dear to him. Clay manages to create an alliance of several criminal groups headed by people who in one way or another want to end the rule of the Marcano family. Among them, Thomas Burke - the father of the late Danny, Vito Scaletta, who was rescued by Lincoln from the people of Sal, and Cassandra, who led her gang after the death of Bucky and who wants to expand its influence in New Bordeaux. As a result, this motley union challenges the Marcano family.

Lincoln Clay and his allies manage to eliminate the lieutenants of the Markano family one by one, gradually appropriating their business. For a relatively short period, the Clay Syndicate captures all the main areas of the city, distributing them between Scaletta, Burke and Cassandra gangs. In the event that Lincoln deprives one of his lieutenants of territory, the lieutenant will betray Lincoln and oppose him.

Following this, the city’s criminal bosses and politicians collaborating with the Markano family were killed. Among those killed were the brothers Sel Lou and Tommy Marcano. Sal Marcano’s attempts to get money through drug trafficking and government support were also thwarted. Deprived of the main sources of income and allies, the Markano family was on the verge of collapse. Lincoln overtook Sal in the penthouse of an unfinished casino, having previously killed his son Georgie. Devastated Sal does not resist Lincoln, talking about his life, fears and transgressions. He regrets nothing, hinting that Lincoln is not very different from him. After which, Sal Marcano perishes, either at the hands of Lincoln Clay, or as a result of suicide .

After leaving the casino, Lincoln is surrounded by Italian gangsters. These are representatives of the Commission headed by Leo Galante who arrived from Empire Bay. He claims that the Italian mafia of the United States is not going to avenge Marcano, and offers cooperation. Twenty years ago, Sal Marcano paid off the Commission’s oversight by giving a fifth of his profits to them. Leo believes that Lincoln, taking power in the city, will not violate this treaty. In turn, the Commission will not go into the business of Clay. Galante wishes Lincoln good luck, after which he leaves the city.

Lincoln comes to father James and Donovan and states that Markano is finished, and that he takes his place in the criminal world. Father James is horrified by these words, and he is trying to dissuade Lincoln from his intentions. He recalls Clay's plans to leave the city and the desire to start a new life. John Donovan is configured differently - he believes that it is Lincoln who should govern the city, otherwise the next Sal Marcano will appear in New Bordeaux sooner or later.

Endings

The game has three main endings, one of which is to be chosen by the player.

Leave the city

Lincoln listens to Father James and leaves New Bordeaux for California . Since then, its trail breaks off. In 1971, Agent Maguire tracked down Lincoln at one of California's shipyards , but he disappeared before the FBI arrived. However, Agent Maguire continued the search. In the late 70s, he had decided that Lincoln Clay was already dead by that moment. Nevertheless, many eyewitnesses continue to claim that they saw him in different parts of the United States and the world. According to the father of James, Lincoln really worked at the shipyard and was even going to marry. But for some reason he lost everything and left California. Since then, he has regularly changed his place of residence, visiting Alaska, New York, South America and even Vietnam. The priest is still receiving letters from Lincoln.

After the disappearance of Lincoln Clay, power in New Bordeaux will be taken by his most influential lieutenant - the one to whom Lincoln gave the most territory and business during the game.

• If the criminal power in the city captures Vito Scaletta, then he decides to finish the Sel Marcano case and finish building the casino. In two years, he will build one more, and New Bordeaux will become known as the "southern Las Vegas ." Soon the city was covered with a wave of beautification: hotels, stadiums and a congress center were being built. But Agent Maguire recalls that all this is built on the bloody money that Clay and his allies took from Marcano's family. And even in 2016, the elderly Vito continues to rule, looking at his own city from the former mansion of Marcano.
• In the event that Thomas Burke begins to rule the city, the city will be flooded with cheap alcohol. Burke by that time had already earned liver cancer , and he had no more than six months to live. But in Mexico, he has a liver transplant and rules the city for another sixteen years. Thomas Burke has become one of the richest people in the southern United States. He also buys a seat in the city council and seeks to rename New Bordeaux to Bourbon City. In addition to alcohol, the city becomes the largest drug selling place in the country, which leads to conflict with Cubans. In 1984, Burke died in a shootout with them, and a new wave of crime swept the city.
• When Cassandra seizes power, none of the US criminal groups recognize its influence. Subsequently, the Commission , Colombians and other gangs declared war on her. But they underestimated Cassandra, resulting in the death of many reputable members of the mafia. Then the state intervenes. The governor declares martial law in the city, but Kassandra kills him, thereby finally establishing his authority. The city stops state funding, closes schools and utilities. After some time, a powerful hurricane hit the city, which destroys most of the city. As a result, most of the inhabitants left New Bordeaux, and it turned into a ghost town . Cassandra has not been seen since.

Edit together

Lincoln gathers his lieutenants and announces the fall of Sal Marcano. He also notes that this is their common merit, and offers further cooperation. As a result, the influence of the criminal empire of Lincoln Clay covers almost all the southern US states - from Florida to North Carolina . At the same time, methods of making a profit are no different from Marcano's business - drugs, smuggling and weapons. Receiving a huge profit, Lincoln is engaged in the development of the city and charity, which creates an impeccable reputation for it. For this reason, Agent Maguire decided to tell all the details of 1968 in order to show everyone the real Lincoln Clay.

Edit one

Gathering all his lieutenants, Lincoln kills them, and then sits in a mined car. A powerful explosion occurs, in which Lincoln dies. So it was not possible to find out who laid the bomb in the car. Father James claims he did it. Moreover, the priest does not regret his action, since Lincoln, having killed his partners, became no better than Sal Marcano.

Scene after titles

Regardless of the chosen ending, a record of the session in the US Senate of 1971 will be shown again after the final titles, where the interrogation of John Donovan continues. John claims that the Marcano family was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy . He also accuses Senator Blake, who led the meeting, with Marcano. Subsequently, he kills him right in front of the cameras, claiming that such a fate will befall everyone who is involved in the assassination of the president.

On July 28, 2015, the first screenshot and the announcement of the upcoming news were posted on the website of the publisher of 2K Games , the official website and twitter account of the game .

August 5 at Gamescom 2015 was shown a trailer ^[3] and gameplay ^[4] . Above the new part of the studio worked Hangar 13. The game was developed on an upgraded version of the engine, Illusion Engine .

The game was released on October 7, 2016 on Microsoft Windows , Xbox One and PlayStation 4 . In the early days of the release, there were problems with optimizing the game. In particular, on the PC versions of the game a limit of 30 frames per second was set , which caused outrage of the players ^[5] . In the following days, the developers released several major patches that correct the flaws.

Downloadable Content

On September 3, 2016 at PAX West, the Hangar 13 team spoke about the future of the game. The company plans to release several small free DLCs , expanding the modernization of machines and adding new weapons and clothing for Lincoln.

Also were announced major paid additions. Owners of Deluxe Editions or Collector's Edition will receive them for free. Declared at least three such additions ^[6] :

• Faster, Baby! : A racing addition in which Lincoln needs to deal with the corrupt sheriff of one of the districts.
• Sign of the Times : Mysterious ritual murders are taking place in New Bordeaux; Father James asked Lincoln to find out what the matter was.
• Stones Unturned : Lincoln teams up with CIA agent John Donovan to put an end to the vendetta that began in the jungles of Vietnam.

The soundtrack of Mafia III includes 101 tracks, most of which are licensed hits of the late 60s of the XX century - among them The Animals , The Rolling Stones , Iron Butterfly and other famous performers of those years. As in the previous game of the series, there are three radio stations in Mafia III , which cover a large number of genres - from country to soul and rock music ^[7] .

In addition to the licensed music, the original soundtrack “Mafia III Original Game Score” by Jess Harlin and Jim Bonnie was recorded especially for the game. The album was released on August 22, 2016 and consists of 26 instrumental compositions written in blues style. This music sounds mainly during cut-scenes and when performing missions ^[8] .

The game Mafia III received mixed estimates of game resources. The PC version received a score of 59.96% on GameRankings and 62 points out of 100 possible on Metacritic ^{[9] [12]} . The PlayStation 4 version received a score of 67.16% on GameRankings and 68 points out of 100 possible on Metacritic ^{[10] [13]} . The Xbox One version received a score of 64.85% on GameRankings and 67 points out of 100 possible on Metacritic ^{[11] [14]} .

Marty Plum from IGN praised the game for “a fantastic plot and characters,” but also noted that the game’s impression was spoiled by the “familiar boring gameplay with repetitive actions in an open world” ^[20] .

A more rigorous opinion was Sam White, a reviewer of The Guardian , who put the game 2 points out of 5. He noted that “an excellent script, excellent sound and realistic animation enliven the game, but all this does not compensate for the extreme monotony of the gameplay. [...] superficial components of a good game: great script, acting, directing and style. But the basis of game mechanics is hopelessly outdated and made without a bit of imagination ” ^[23] .

• - the official website of Mafia III