14 Most Polarising Video Games Of The Decade (So Far)
11. Mafia III
What Works?
Once upon a time, I claimed Mafia III was the best open-world game in years, and it's a rationale easy to tap back into, thanks to Hangar 13's fantastically gory immediate combat, tactile stealth infiltration and immaculately-rendered world.
Make no mistake, Mafia III feels like an era-appropriate spiritual sequel to San Andreas we never got, seeing Rockstar's behemoth GTA franchise go into more modern - and therefore less iconic - time periods.
On top of all that, you've got a Punisher-esque revenge tale full of escapist fantasy. Lincoln Clay is a walking tornado of skull-smashing and shotgun shells, and just pointing him in any direction is a wonderfully empowering experience.
What Doesn't?
Repetition.
Clearly down to some sort of production schedule-strangling, the majority of Mafia III's open world activities would actually come in later DLC, as the base game included main missions, collectible-tracking and plenty of outpost-conquering - but that's it.
Once you'd beaten one borough, you'd beaten them all, and when this was a sequel to one of the deepest and most character-driven games in existence, reducing intricate plotwork and game mechanics to "shoot all the bad guys" just couldn't hold up.