10 Incredible Open-Worlds WASTED On Disappointing Video Games

7. New Bordeaux - Mafia III

Mafia III could have been something special. All the cards were lined up: you had a great protagonist in Lincoln Clay, an emotionally affecting plot, a brilliant socio-political climate to mine and, of course, a lifelike world to explore in New Bordeaux. Unfortunately, while all of those features can be appreciated in isolation, the repetitive mission design the game is lumped with completely stops you appreciating the sequel as a full package.

Essentially a stand in for New Orleans, New Bordeaux provided a great dichotomy between the city streets and the nearby swampland (which were, of course, full of alligators that could handily dispose of bodies for you). However, it was the vintage 1970s setting that made it something special, with period-authentic architecture and iconography littering the map to give it such a distinct, unique look and atmosphere.

It's not part of the open world, but the pitch-perfect soundtrack didn't hurt the developers' vision of this excellent period setting either.