Car Boost

Download mod

Finally, if you need that extra push for your car, here is a boost mod that simply allows you to make your vehicles run faster. It can be extremely useful during any chase, when you really need to get rid of your tail as quickly as possible.

If you have any other suggestions concerning Mafia 3 mods, share them in the comments section.

Manual Transmission

Download mod

Another thing that devs should have included in the game is the manual transmission… but there is none. So, the mod creator Budzilla decided to write a script of his own to add that realistic element to car driving in Mafia 3.

With the help of this mod you can switch between four gears using the 1, 2, 3, 4 numpad keys and a 0 for reverse. The enabling and disabling of the manual transmission is activated by the '+' and '–' keys respectively.

No Rear View Mirror / Speedometer

Download mod

This mod fixes one little annoyance that many players have been complaining about since the release of the game. It really takes you out of the chase, when suddenly a rear view mirror appears in the top part of the screen, which for some reason cannot be disabled in the game settings.

Thus the gamers took the problem in their own hands and crafted this amazing little script to turn both the mirror and the speedometer off. And yes, there are two separate scripts for each of these modules.

Bullet Time

Download mod

This mod is not just your fancy slow bullet visual effect, although it does look cool. It gives you a direct advantage during the shoot outs, when you really need to slow down time for just a moment to have a more precise aim.

It is very similar to the slow bullet effect from the famous Max Payne series of games. So, if you enjoy using this trick in your gameplay, then give it a shot (pun intended).

Teleport Between Districts

Download mod

Unfortunately, except using your vehicles, there is no other way of quickly moving around the districts in Mafia 3. So, when you get tired of looking at the same backgrounds, then you should install the TBD mod for fast teleportation between districts.

It is really easy to use -- after you install the script just press the corresponding keys on your keyboard to teleport Lincoln Clay to any of the 10 districts in the game. Here are the key bindings:

\n
• 3 - Frisco Fields
\n
• 4 - Pointe Verdun
\n
• 5 - Tickfaw Harbour
\n
• 6 - French Ward
\n
• 7 – Downtown
\n
• 8 - Barclay Mills
\n
• 9 - Delray Hollow
\n
• 0 - River Row
\n
• n – Southdowns
\n
• m - Bayou Fantom
\n

Note: These won’t work on your numpad, as the creator of the mod didn’t want his mod to interfere with the rest of the mods in this selection that mostly use the numpad keys.

Although Mafia 3 has been severely criticized for all kinds of gaming sins, a community of devoted fans has emerged and decided to make the game better through their own custom modifications.

Apart from purely cosmetic mods, such as Vintage Reshades and various car parts, there are some really important ones that can actually improve your gameplay experience on a technical level.

So, if you’re willing to give Mafia 3 another chance, here are five mods that can make this game really worthy of your time.

Note: all these mods will not run unless you pre-install the Mafia 3 ScriptHook (download here), which serves as the running component of all mods for Mafia 3. When you install it, you will then be able to use all mods mentioned.

Many things can be said about Mafia 3, and unsurprisingly, many things (both negative and positive) have been said. Players have had an opportunity to slam it for being a total bug-fest, or praise it for taking risks and introducing a new and fresh approach to the Mafia series.

One thing can be said with certainty – Mafia 3 does not appeal to everybody. Many expected another Italian-driven mafia story, but received something completely different. The new developer, Hangar 13, took a U-turn on what the previous studio had built with the first two games.

Like it or not, Mafia 3 clearly reflects modern times while being set in the late 60s. This is a sign that 2K Games wants to expand on the brand name that is Mafia by changing everything, and maybe even base the next installment in the present times. But for now, let’s focus on Mafia 3 and how it manages to break the mold.

Vengeance as the pivot point of the story

The game’s protagonist, Lincoln Clay, is here for one purpose – to lay his vengeance upon everyone who killed his foster family. He wants to find and kill all the mafia bosses, their underbosses, their thugs, dirty cops, and everyone who dares to stand on his way to build his own crime family.

But there is more to this revenge story – it’s the era of racial discrimination that fuels Lincoln’s desire to take everything under his control even more. The 60s were some of the most vibrant years of the 20th century, and it is not surprising that developers went for this particular time period.

The developers really managed to deliver the feeling of the main character’s anger and hate towards both cops and mafia.

The City of New Bordeaux, where the events take place, is not your typical bleak open world city (think Watch Dogs), but a setting where every district has its own atmosphere and unique graphic design.

Mafia 3 doesn’t let you warm up in your seat, but starts heating up the story from the very beginning -- and one event quickly comes after the other in an intense succession. The only time when you can take a breath is during cutscenes that introduce new characters and places.

Decision making and the variety of playstyles

What is truly great about Mafia 3 is that it gives you several choices on how to finish each mission. If you like to be loud, then grab those guns and get everything smashing. If you prefer doing things quietly, then no problem...there are lots of opportunities to be stealthy, especially when there is a swamp nearby where you can hide all the bodies.

Yes, there is no multiplayer in the game, but Mafia 3 doesn’t even need it, as Lincoln Clay will never be alone -- he has three reliable partners who will come at any time when he needs them. However, it’s not as simple as it seems, as you need to choose how exactly you want to develop your relationships with all three of them. Otherwise, things will get nasty really quickly.

If you can’t handle some situations on your own, you can always call up your partners to help you out. But again, if you want them to give you a hand, you need to be generous and give away the parts of the city that you’ve taken under your control.

Gameplay mechanics and issues with AI

In the game you do your typical shooter things: go there, talk to this guy, then kill that one, and so on. But when it comes to more elaborate missions, like seizing buildings, then this is where it gets really fun. Every structure has at least one secret entrance -- and if you need to snipe your way in, then you will always find a couple of good spots around.

Concerning collectibles, everything is fairly simple here. You need to wire tap junction boxes all over the city to reveal the hidden spots on the map with magazines, communist propaganda, paintings, etc. The only annoyance is that every single item is located behind a locked door that requires some lock-picking skills that always eat up some of your time.

Driving simulation in Mafia 3 isn’t bad either, although it has always been a matter of taste. The developers call their system “Hollywood Driving,” and it was designed to resemble the feeling of the old cars of the 60s -- which were clunky to say the least.

Unfortunately, artificial intelligence in Mafia 3 needs some serious reconfigurations. The enemies at times either do nothing during the shootouts or do something so dumb that simply doesn’t correspond to the situation. However, the death scenes look really neat and it is at least fun shooting them down.

Optimization, graphics and sound design

When the game first got released, there were problems with the 30 FPS lock that drove many PC users crazy. But to be honest, this is not such a big problem to start with -- and more than that, the patch fixing this bug has been released just a few days later.

However, some other bugs are still present, and a few other graphical issues that need to be addressed as well. For example, the lighting in Mafia 3 always makes the game look oversaturated and gives it a slightly unpleasant hue. When you enter the buildings, it’s all fine -- but outside, especially during daytime, it may become a bit annoying.

What is truly great about Mafia 3 is that it gives you several choices on how to finish each mission.

On the other hand, everything else looks fantastic, and the physics in the game really delivers on its promises. The developers managed to create a new destructibility system, which adds another layer of spectacle to all the crashes and explosions.

The best part about the sound in Mafia 3 is the soundtrack, which includes over a hundred carefully selected tunes from the 60s. It’s not just about rock’n’roll, but everything from soul and country to jazz and blues. Some songs are so good that you intentionally don’t want to leave your car and finish listening before continuing with the mission.

The voice acting is as good as it can be, represented by people like Alex Hernandez from Hemlock Grove, Erica Tazel from Justified, Leith M. Burke from Killzone 3, and many others.

Conclusion

Mafia 3 has been compared to other open world titles many times, especially GTA 5. But in all honesty, Mafia 3 is a much more serious type of game. The developers really managed to deliver the feeling of the main character’s anger and hate towards both cops and the mafia.

Lincoln Clay is by no means a hero in the classical sense, but he is the one who reflects the social injustices of his time, which makes Mafia 3 more realistic than any other game of the same caliber.

There isn’t much left to say about this excellent game. In spite of the early technical bugs, if you really appreciate a good story (with multiple endings) in a well-structured open world, then Mafia 3 is a game you will enjoy from beginning to the end.

Pros:

• Fantastic story with many memorable characters.

• The cutscenes are top notch both graphically and soundwise.

• Huge open world city of New Bordeaux with hundreds of unique locations.

• An ability to choose your playstyle, whether stealth or shoot-em-up, depending on the mission.

• Interactions between the main protagonist and his three partners.

• The return of Vito Scaletta from Mafia 2.

• The soundtrack!!!

• Free companion mobile app - Mafia 3: Rivals.

Cons:

• Lots and lots of technical issues that need to be patched as soon as possible.

• AI is so stupid at times that you just want to run through the mission without even touching anybody… but you can’t.

• Some side missions may get boring really fast, as they are all quite samey.

This game was reviewed using a retail copy of Mafia 3.

Mafia 3 is finally available after a series of long but inevitable delays. As a result, the community gets more and more negative about the game, which was strongly anticipated by a lot of people. It looks like every new gameplay video on YouTube is now followed by a whole army of naysayers and hateful commentators.

They don’t like the gameplay, they don’t like how it looks, they don’t like the story (which hasn’t been fully revealed yet), and so on and so forth. It’s not a secret anymore that Mafia 3 will be a completely different type of game than the previous two installments. So instead of looking into the past, we should all focus on the present.

The developers consciously made a choice to create a totally different game, likely because they knew that by making another clone of Mafia 2, they would face an even bigger problem than they have now – being blamed for having no fresh ideas. So, let’s take a look at why making Mafia 3 different was the right choice by Hangar 13, and hopefully, prove all the haters wrong.

A new kind of anti-hero

The developers didn’t want to tell the story from the point of view of another Italian American, so they went with a completely different kind of anti-hero – a Vietnam War veteran. More than that, he is an Afro-American who lives in the late 60s – an era when America suffered from some strong racial discrimination.

His name is Lincoln Clay. He fought in the war and after returning home, he realizes that nothing really changed. The Italian mafia sadistically kills his foster family, and all this fuels his hate even more. As a result, we have a hero with a strong sense of revenge -- and there couldn’t be a better set up for the new game than this.

Haters like to say that the revenge story is as old as the world itself, and so is the story of a young guy who tries to make it in the mafia business. But this time we have a story that is more than just a quest for revenge – it’s the inner conflict and the social injustices that blend together to serve the story in a good way. And there is nothing better for a good story than a solid conflict. So in the end it all makes sense.

The City of New Bordeaux

Games with open worlds are becoming more and more popular these days, but the old fans of Mafia cannot stand the decision to bring the that aspect of gameplay to Mafia 3. However, it is important to mention that New Bordeaux is a really well-designed city with hundreds of locations that have their own peculiarities, which you can visit at any point in the game.

You can talk to people on the streets and hear different dialogues that may reveal new and interesting facts about the events in the game. The developers also included a number of unique events that happen in different parts of the city. Some of them will influence the progression of the main campaign with different choices and outcomes.

Lincoln’s partners also have their own agenda, and you need to be careful when talking to them just as much as with the game’s main antagonist, Sal Marcano. If you make the wrong decisions, your newly acquired friends may quickly turn into enemies and vice versa. This entails many different endings of for truly great story.

There are problems, but there is no need for hate

Many streamers who gained access to Mafia 3 prior to release managed to give the game a bad rep with their ignorant comments. Their audiences quickly jumped on the bandwagon and wrote thousands of strongly negative comments about a game that they hadn't even played yet.

The main argument here is that the game doesn’t feel like the old Mafia, but strongly resembles GTA. Of course, there are some similarities, but the story is completely different -- and it alone makes Mafia 3 a unique kind of experience.

On the other hand, some criticism about the game does make sense, such as an atrociously bad AI. Unfortunately, it does need to be improved, as at times enemies behave inadequately and it can get frustrating really quickly.

This time we have a story that is more than just a quest for revenge – it’s the inner conflict and the social injustices that blend together.

Other complaints are just plain ridiculous, such as people not liking the car explosions because they look unrealistic. It is alright if you don’t like the driving simulation, which is basically the same as in Watch Dogs, but saying that you don’t like explosions is a bit too much.

When addressing the issue of the story, many old fans dislike the fact that this new Mafia doesn’t continue the narrative of the previous games. The thing is that it does, but indirectly. For example, we can see the protagonist of Mafia 2, named Vito, coming back in Mafia 3. So, there are enough hints on the past titles in the new game to satisfy those needs, as well.

But other than that, there is no need for such strong hate that becomes a trend nowadays in the gaming community. Let go of the negativity and try to focus on the positive sides of the game, because it is full of them. But if you still don’t like it at all, then just go do something else – something that you really enjoy.

What do you think about all the hate that Mafia 3 receives lately? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

It has just been over twelve hours since the launch of the long-awaited Hangar 13 title Mafia 3. Already PC users have taken to the Steam Store Page and forums to express their anger at the game's many issues.

The coming of the storm

Earlier this week, IGN made an announcement that 2K Games, publisher of Mafia 3 refused to give the site a review copy of the game. This immediately raised suspicion, with gaming sites and gamers alike. The last time a publisher refused to give review copies was Bethesda with DOOM back in May.

Upon release, DOOM's PC version had more than its fair share of issues. Mafia 3 appears to be going through the same affair. Already gamers are expressing their anger, along with listing the many issues they have with the game. Many are claiming it to be a careless and bad console port.

What are the issues?

The most common issue that everyone is upset about is the frame rate being locked to 30 FPS. That, however, is only one of many issues PC users are experiencing. Others include:

• Awkward controls for PC
• Low detailed textures
• Long texture loading time
• Low view distance
• Blurry graphics
• Freezing
• Game crashing
• Poor graphical options
• Game stuttering

It is no surprise that PC users are angry. Many have long anticipated this game's release. It is currently Steam's top seller -- and with a price tag of €49.99, anyone would be upset.

An average day in the life of a PC gamer

Anyone who plays new AAA releases on PC knows exactly how the community feels. Bad PC launches for AAA titles seems to be becoming a norm at this point. This year alone, games like DOOM, Homefront, and XCOM 2 to a lesser extent, all released in unacceptable states on PC.

Already 2K has made an announcement, claiming the team is working on fixing the issues as soon as possible. As to how long this will take, is unknown. If the previous titles are anything to go by, the community could be looking at several weeks before it is fixed.

Did you buy Mafia 3? What problems are you experiencing with the game? If it's playable for you, do you think it deserves all the negativity? Let me know in the comments below!

Hangar 13's long-awaited title Mafia 3 is scheduled for release next week. Mafia 3 is a third-person action-adventure game. It is the third installment in the Mafia series. It is published by 2K Games and scheduled for release October 7th.

What is Mafia 3?

The game is set in 1968 in the city of New Bordeaux, a fictional recreation of New Orleans. You take on the role of Lincoln Clay. Clay is an orphan and a Vietnam veteran. After being discharged from the military, he is inducted into the black mob.

After his first assignment, the mob is ambushed and he is left for dead. After recovering from his wounds, he sets out to rebuild the mob and get revenge on those who nearly killed him. On their quest, players will have to interrogate enemies and capture locations from the Italian mob. The game will also feature a cover system, stealth tactics, and a backup mechanic.

What are Mafia 3's features?

Mafia 3 has a number of interesting features including:

• New Bordeaux, a re-imagined 1968 New Orleans - A vast, diverse and seedy open world ruled by the mob and corrupt officials and richly detailed with the sights, sounds and emotionally-charged social atmosphere of the era.
• An unintended and lethal anti-hero - Be Lincoln Clay, an orphan and Vietnam veteran hell bent on revenge against the Italian Mafia for the brutal slaughter of the black mob, the closest thing to family he’s ever had.
• Revenge your way - Choose your own personal play-style, from brute force and blazing guns to stalk-and-kill tactics as you use Lincoln’s military training and gathered intel to tear down the Italian Mafia.
• A new family on the ashes of the old - Build a new criminal empire in your own unique way by deciding which of your lieutenants you reward, and which you betray.

The game is looking to bring players into a 1968 world full of crime and corruption. As to how you go about your revenge is entirely up to you but one thing is for sure, the Italian Mafia are not going to know what hit them.

Enter a world of crime and corruption

Mafia 3 is aiming to give players an opposite perspective to that of L.A Noire. L.A Noire allowed players to take on the role of a police officer attempting to do justice in a city run by criminals and corrupt politicians. In Mafia 3 players are thrown into a similar world but from the perspective of a criminal. It certainly is looking to being an interesting title.

Mafia 3 is scheduled for release October 7th on PC, Mac, Xbox One and PS4.

The successor to the acclaimed Mafia 2 is finally going to be released this year, and it looks like it's going to be an even better game than its predecessor. Mafia 3 is being developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games, for XBox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Mac.

Release date, pricing and pre-order

With no official release date yet available, the only thing we know is to expect a 2016 release. However, considering 2K Gaming's release pattern, a fall release is very likely.

When it gets to pricing though, things get slightly complicated. 2K is offering the physical pre-order for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC at $59.99. Amazon.com also offers the game at the same price.

However, the 2K European store offers the Xbox One and PS4 versions at €69.99, and the PC version at €49,99, which is quite a bit cheaper. Amazon UK also offers the console version at £43.99, and the PC version at  £28.00 - with Prime delivery. Other digital stores have similar offers for the physical pre-order. (Don't forget certain retailers have extra shipping costs)

As for digital pre-orders, Steam has a page for Mafia 3, which should mean they would also offer a pre-order or at the very least a digital purchase when the release date is available. 

The background story

Mafia 3 continues in the footsteps of its predecessor, as a third-person action open world game. The game is based on New Orleans in 1968, and follows Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam war veteran who is looking to take revenge on the Italian Mob. As an orphan, Clay never knew a family until he joined the Armed Forces. Following the war, he rejoins the "Black Mob", but after their brutal slaughter by the Italian Mob, he forms his own organization with only one goal in mind; the destruction of the Italian Mafia in New Orleans

Vito's return

An amazing aspect for veteran Mafia fans, is the return of Vito Scaletta - Mafia 2's protagonist - as one of Clay's lieutenants. Likely upset about the fate of his friend Joe, he will certainly play a great part in the game, and add quite a bit of immersion between the Mafia 2 and 3. 

image courtesy of SliderV2

Realistic combat

Something Hangar 13 have taken pride in, is their new realistic combat system. According to the creative director, Haden Blackman, they put extra thought on ensuring Clay looks, walks and talks like a soldier. This includes anything from his posture and shooting stances, to the fact that he can shoot with both hands or has exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills.

 A feature that seems to have gotten a great deal of love, is the cover function; it looks like a big improvement from the combat style of Mafia 2, adding different avenues of approach to each firefight. You also get the ability to fire out of cover without exposing yourself, which is a welcome addition.

Body shots are also fully effective in this game; instead of simply spraying your targets with bullets, you could cripple them by shooting their legs, and go in for an execution style takedown.

Mafia 3 also offers some amazing looking takedowns and kill combos, which you unlock as you progress within the game. These range from repeatedly stabbing a mobster out of nowhere, to Assassin Creed style stealth kills from cover or behind objects. Or if you're more of a brute force badass, you can just hammer someone to death with your shotgun.

Finally, driving combat (that is apparently an actual thing) is very much evident in Mafia 3; you can shoot in every direction whilst driving (even behind you - I know, amazing!!), destroy cars by using the PIT maneuver, and even jump out of your car right before it smashes into other cars or even people!

While on the topic of driving, the game allows for some serious driving, whilst providing cool features like ramps to jump off of, Police chases and even some roadblocks, giving it a real Need for Speed vibe at times.

Truly an open world game

There are other interesting features, like eavesdropping on dynamic conversations between criminals, interrogating targets by stealing their car and 'driving like a madman', and being able to find secret hideouts and mob bases by gathering this information, all within the open world environment and at your choosing.

It also has some resemblances to Godfather 2, in the sense that you can destroy mob hideouts, steal things to fund your organization, or simply take over rackets and add to your criminal empire's reach.

While the exact PC visual specifications are available yet, the game still looks very crisp, and certainly fits the open world feel the developers are going for.

Immerse yourself in a vast, diverse and seedy open world ruled by the mob and corrupt officials and richly detailed with the sights, sounds and emotionally charged social atmosphere of one of the most turbulent years in American history.

This game is all about choice

One of the most interesting changes to the franchise is the level of choice you will get with each mission. Rather than simply spraying hordes of enemies with your arsenal of weapons, you now also have the option for stealthier methods. 

Choose your own personal play-style, from brute force and blazing guns to stalk-and-kill tactics as you use Lincoln’s military training and gathered intel to tear down the Mafia. 

These changes give you the choice to lurk in the shadows and await your prey;

Or take a more 'direct' approach (basically shooting everyone in the face) :

Clay's lieutenants also seem to play an important role in the story, with each likely supporting a different form of gameplay and playstyle. Currently, you can assign them the rackets and hideouts you take over, with each decision influencing your gameplay and their relationship with you in a different way.

Rebuild a new criminal empire in your own unique way by deciding which of your lieutenants you reward, and which you betray…

Added to this, is the fact that the game offers multiple endings. While it isn't exactly clear how different these may actually be, it certainly adds to the level of choice the game provides, while offering a good reason for multiple play-throughs. 

 As for guns, you'll be glad to hear that you can still pick guns up from dead enemies, which certainly adds an interesting edge to your fighting style. There are also some cool looking grenades and explosives in the game, although the extent of their availability isn't very clear. Along those lines, you can use grenade launchers to explode cars!

Revenge is a dish best served cold hard

With Clay's vendetta playing an integral role in the story of Mafia 3, it is no surprise that the game's teaser is based on him brutally murdering someone.

Other bonuses and not-so-bonuses

Multi-language support

A pretty big bonus is the game's full language support for English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, as well as limited support for a variety of other languages including Russian, Chinese, Korean and Polish.

Not just another politically correct game

A cool fact some of you might know, is the fact that Mafia 2 was the record-holder for the highest use of profanity in a video game, even being ranked as such on the Guinness Book of World Records. While it is unclear if Mafia 3 attempted to regain that title, they do certainly feature quite a bit of swearing. 

While on the topic, since Clay is actually mixed race, you also get some interesting racial interactions with different individuals, especially cops. It's always good to see developers not shying away from reality in a video game.

No Multiplayer

Sadly, the game doesn't offer any form of multiplayer - not even a co-op mode. Now, while this was likely not a surprise for most, it is still somewhat disappointing to see, especially considering the game's hefty selling price. While on that topic, the game will likely follow in the footsteps of Mafia 2, and provide some cool DLCs (likely for free) to add to your experience.

So what do you think? Are you excited about the game? Are you willing to buy it as soon as it comes out, or wait to make sure its a great game before forking over the hefty asking price? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

2K announced a new development studio under their wing. It's called Hangar 13, and is being led by Haden Blackman, former producer and writer for LucasArts games. The headquarters is located in San Francisco Bay and they are currently working on an undisclosed AAA title.

Blackman's career started at LucasArts Entertainment, where he wrote for several games. He later worked on the Star Wars games such as Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed as franchise director and senior executive producer. In 2012, his independent game development company, Fearless Studios, was bought out by Kabam.

In addition to his work in the game industry, Blackman has also worked on comics. His time at LucasArts gave him the experience with writing Star Wars for Dark Horse. He also won a GLAAD Media Award for his work on DC Comics' Batwoman and Marvel's Elektra.

To learn more about Hangar 13 games and keep track of the status of their new games, check out their website.