kosmasp

No pun intended - I had no idea what I was watching. Well it was a secret movie screening (sneak preview) so there is that. But even if I had known ... I was not aware of the movie itself. And boy did it catch me by surprise. One of the main characters could totally be a villain/stalker) ... it's a fine line and he plays terrifically - more maybe later on that.

The island (very well photographed and filmed) is quite the location - there doesn't seem much to do there - and not just our main character is surprised he is supposed to play a gig there ... but hey, it's easy money ... right? Well maybe not that easy ... there will be obstacles. Mostly mental ones to be honest. And stuff from the past too.

If you find yourself to shed a tear or two - do not worry! It just means you are human - especially the very talkative character ... when he just is silent and listens ... not happening often ... the best comedic moments come from his naivete ... peanut butter in a cup is amazing ... as is rice for ... well not cooking purposes.

The acting as I mentioned is phenomenal, the script really tight ... even when it seems to be a bit annoying one way or the other ... the movie and the characters (read actors) manage to win you over! A feel good movie - about an artist that doesn't exist - he could and I assume similar stories have happened .. but that doesn't matter as long as the end result is so amazing.

Merrily merrily merrily ... gently down the stream. Or something along those lines - no pun intended and I obviously know the song has different lyrics. Still felt it made sense. Especially considering the constellation here and the relationship the two main characters have. It's not entirely out of the realm of ... things that seem unlikely ... yet they don't seem to be a perfect fit either.

Well we all know where this is going to end up. So it is not so much where we are getting at, but the journey there (be it the boat that floats or other means of (love) transportation) ... the actors do a decent enough job - especially if you are into romantic comedies.

No pun intended - the game makes it clear that it may offend players, but it wanted to stay true to the timeline. To what was going on back then - and yes we are talking about discrimination or rather racism to call it by its name).

All that said, it is a bit much that not even one cop has different feelings towards Lincoln (the main character). Actually you could argue that is by affiliation ... but then, how does the heist inciting incident (big part of the story or what gets it rolling) any sense? In other words: do not overthink it.

Same goes for many repetitive tasks. If you are not out to get achievements or trophies, you may not care for those, which I think may make you enjoy the game more than if you did. Especially because so many years after the game was released (the original one even older) ... and yet it still is riddled with bugs. The biggest one being you not getting a trophy because the game crashes on you.

Now you may get lucky and it does not happen to you ... but I doubt you will be able to do it in 2 playthroughs ... I wish you all the best with that and I mean it. Can be frustrating and I know what I am talking about.

There are quite a few upgrades, but also changes that do not really improve the game from the previous one (Mafia II) ... we will get to see two characters from that movie. One of which you are even able to decide their fate for them ... funny to say the least to have them come back. And a really nice surprise - I liked it.

There are perks to win for people and districts - but you also have to be wary when it comes to the police ... and for the first time here: witnesses ... they can be fun at first, but quite annoying as time passes by. You will get a chance to "block" them with one of the perks - same is true with the police chases ... but again you may have issues with that.

The story is well told, I liked the mechanisms of the fighting or mostly shooting. In the second Mafia game you had your cousin a lot on your side. That was helpful at times - even more so when you played the game on higher difficulty. The thing that you don't have here (trophy/achievement wise): collecting ... that was quite harrowing in the previous game. And a waste of time ... here you can collect stuff, but you don't have to.

Great video sequences that further the story - and the very first big boss ... well the location (theme park) is something to behold on. It almost makes everything that comes after it feel small (though the boat is another highlight for sure).

This could have been so much better - as it is, those playing just for the fun of it, will have the most out of the game - still looking forward to the fourth mafia game coming out this year!