10 Incredible Characters Wasted In Terrible Video Games

Mafia III released as a glitchy, practically unplayable disaster. After numerous patches, it isn't a bad game. But it is way too generic for its anything-but-generic protagonist, Lincoln Clay.

Clay is a veteran returning home from the Vietnam War. Shortly after reuniting with his former, modest criminal outfit, they're (unsurprisingly) used and betrayed by the Marcano crime family. The only survivor of that treason, Lincoln uses the unique, violent skills he perfected as a covert special forces operative to take the mob down one big hit at a time and unite the various minority communities into a kind of criminal federation.

It's an approach to this kind of game protagonist we haven't seen before. Clay is a man on a mission, stalking prey, inciting insurgence, and using psychological tactics to intimidate his enemies.

Unfortunately, that feeling only lasts for the first few hours of the game before it turns into just another repetitive open world grind. Even as a criminal mastermind, Clay is still jacking cars and robbing stores personally. So nothing you do feels tied to the character outside of cut-scenes.

Hopefully we see the series return to Lincoln and do him justice.