10 Terrible Video Games With Awesome Openings
2. Mafia III
2K Games’ Mafia series is a sorely underrated take on the criminal action-adventure genre where new titles only come along every so often. The first game in particular built on what had made Grand Theft Auto III great and made something truly special in and of itself.
Mafia III has the distinction of having one of the most interesting and unique openings to a game perhaps ever. Many people talk about cinematic but to give its set-up a sense of realism Mafia III goes full documentary.
We cut between a travel ad for New Bordeaux and the damages that its criminal underbelly have wrought. A retired priest and a former soldier give the audience their accounts on Lincoln Clay; his family, his upbringing and his service.
The facial capture and performance are immediately enrapturing. The writing builds up a wonderful air of mystique about the setting and the player character before the game even begins. It’s exceptionally clever.
Mafia III was praised for its direction, story-telling and voice acting but this promise was eaten alive by terrible performance and disappointing, boring gameplay. With a franchise with such a track record as this, and with an opening this imaginative, you cannot afford to waste it on tired gameplay mechanics.