Mafia 3 Review

I feel the need to say that Mafia 3 is different. When I say different, I mean if you had an expectation based off previous games or what's on the market, then you will be disappointed.  In Mafia 3, developers did not shy away from controversy of Post Vietnam 1968 such as resentment for war veterans, communism, and racism.

Story
The story centers around Lincoln Clay a former decorated black ops soldier.   The story isn't full of revenge like some game reviewers mentioned.  Mafia 3's story is more about social commentary that you can see in the main campaign or overhear from NPCs roaming the streets and forest of New Bordeaux.  One thing I like about each mission is before you wack a captain, Capo or General, you can overhear conversations about world events such as Dr. Martin Luther King or President Kennedy's assassination, slice of life events NPC share with their gang, or even stories about your reputation among the syndicates and crime lords. There is a sense of connection and how everyone or thing has a place in this world.

Family
Make no mistake this is not a kids game! Mafia 3 earned its Mature 18 rating.  There are graphic sex scenes, prostitution, racketeering, drug use, human trafficking, collectible playboys and nude paintings that capture all that we image on what being part of a crime family is like.  Playing off how everything is connected, I wanted to touch base with how you build a crime family in the game. There is a familiar open-world free roaming and consequence of choices gameplay that Grand Thief Auto fans will appreciate.

Once the act of betrayal was committed in the first mission of the game, Lincoln Clay is hell bent on revenge and taking over the southern Mafia of Louisiana.  In Lincoln's quest to make a wrong a right, he has an ally in a high place known as John Donovan.  John is CIA agent that worked with the J. Edgar Hoover administration to create a lot of chaos domestic and internationally.  John helps Lincoln by supplying him with information on who is on the hit list as well as allies that are needed to maintain control of New Bordeaux.

As Lincoln dives into the crime world, he makes a three powerful friends, Cassandra, Burke, and Vito that will aid him.  His 3 friends later become his lieutenants that help Lincoln run the territory he seizes as he takes over the city.  Each lieutenant has a perk that you can use to help in your journey to take over the family.

Calling in favors
As you build your crime empire, you can gain perks from each Capo you are on good terms with known as calling in favors.  Favors vary from:
Tapping phones lines to know who rats on you
Backup in a gunfight
Deliver and deposit cash
Refills or order new weapons
Reduce police rating/heat

Don't Betray Your Allies
Some sub-bosses perks/favors are better than others such as calling off the heat or calling for a crew to help you in a fight, so stacking those perks will be beneficial but have the cost of losing allies. There is a way to keep everyone happy and territory assigned fairly, but when you get greedy or snub your nose at one sub-boss problems will happen.  If you streamline your workflow with perks and territory assignments to one lieutenants, then your other two sub-bosses/lieutenants will get mad and try to put a hit out on you. Once you go to war with a sub-boss you lose all the perks you had and you're on your own with who you picked.

Graphics
Developers really checked all the boxes that GTA created with an open world infrastructure. Driving around and exploring New Bourdeaux took me to places I never seen in video games such as diverse downtown bathing houses, swamps filled with gators and river boat casinos.  Being from that areas myself, I thought developers were spot on with the local color.

Combat
If you're a high volume gun battle Call of Duty player, then Mafia 3 is not the game for you.  There is a standard array weapons such as high powered rifles and ammo, but the most useful strategy is drawing from Lincoln's black ops background and being stealthy.  Sometimes you can save yourself a long battle by scouting the area, whistling when enemies are close and stabbing them.  The cover system is familiar but functional.  When the cover system doesn't glitch out it is perfect for achieving objectives.  That being said, sometimes you will experience oops moments that will you exposed and vulnerable.  Luckily, the AI in the game lack a sense of self preservation or team work, so you can think on your feet and get the job done.

Overall
Like I said early, Mafia 3 is its own game and it's not like anything else on the market.  I will give the game some props for addressing social injustice issues from 1968 that were left unresolved and escalated into 2016.  The game went there, and it made you look at America for the first time as a developing nation that gets more done when we diversify and work together.  I give Mafia 3 a 9/10.  It's not perfect, but I feel it is a step in the right direction for story, combat, and graphics.

Fallout 4 Automatron DLC - Brainscratching Mechanist Lore

Fallout 4: Automatron is really fun and worth a try if you're into modifications.  It's all about following a quest line revolved around raider/scientist wars with Modified robot guardians.  You meet a new robot companion named Ada, and she is smart but a smartass as well.

Ada will ask for you help in her quest for revenge and journey to solve mysteries her deceased friends could not accomplish in their lifetime.  General Atomics robobrains had unhinged programming results with gave robots personality and will to survive as through they were human brains in robots bodies. The story is unique, and it evolves as you progress in the quest.  The answer to my prayers for Fallout were solved with the option to have a Robot War!  My new hobby in the game is hunting every robot enemy and looting its parts to empower my monster robot guardian. #salvage

I cannot stress this more, Modifying Ada is your main objective.  Be sure to upgrade your science and armor perks before you try this DLC. You can try to speed through the DLC quest line if you have a high level, but you will really miss the point of the Automatron DLC all together. 

If you have Curie and Codsworth, then you can modify them as well with the robotics parts you salvage from your defeated foes.  Be sure to get the supply line perk to access your inventory because the robot parts are heavy in weight and you will waste a lot of time transferring your loot.  This DLC is all about robotics modifications.  

Lore - The Mechanist

What's interesting here is the mention of the Mechanist, and how he's made out to be the villain. As everyone knows, he made his first appearance in Fallout 3, having a rivalry with the AntAgonizer.

Basically, the description raises a lot of questions. For one, he was sold off at the ripe age of 15 to a caravan merchant and settled down in the Canterbury Commons a few years after, so how did he end up in Boston? Perhaps he got on another caravan and traveled between games.

The other noodle-scratcher here is why is he a villain? After all, he did become the Mechanist to protect the town against the AntAgonizer. However, there's a slim chance that he just had a change of heart, or maybe this is a completely different Mechanist.

Lastly, the Mechanist is in The Superhuman Gambit quest in Fallout 3, and in that scenario, he asks the player to take on the role of a superhero in the guise of the Awesome-Claw, Super Humongous, Shadow Bite or Brilliant Shadow. Could the Automatron DLC have something along those lines as well?

Achievements

1. Robot Hunter

2. The Most Toys

3. Headhunting

4. Mechanical Menace

5. Restoring Order

If these names make it through the drawing board, then they fit right in with the "Robots, Robots and More Robots!" description of Automatron.

The requirements to complete these achievements have also confirmed at least three quests: Headhunting, Mechanical Menace and Restoring Order. Needless to say, the deeds that they're referring to are fairly straightforward.

As for The Most Toys and Robot Hunter, they can be accomplished by building 10 robot mods and unlocking 10 robot mods respectively.

Conclusion

It's not rocket science as some of my peers like to say, but it's $10 and fun.  I enjoyed playing this DLC, and if you are a fan of robot builds or Fallout, then you will enjoy this new addition as well. I score Fallout 4: Automatron a 10 out 10 for me.  I cannot stress how much fun I had with this new addition to the fold.  I can't wait to see what new dynamics the next DLC, Wasteland Workshop will add to Fallout 4.

Fallout 4- Best Perks Tips in the Game Ever!

Well let's try something new.  Instead of doing a mass upload of game reviews, I am going to focus on one game and give a real detailed evaluation or analysis of what I like and dislike about the game. Also, i will give away Easter Eggs you may miss and tips that will help you early on.

This time, I will blog about one of my favorite game series Fallout.  After nearly half a decade, the real Fallout 4 is released.  I know some think Fallout New Vegas was the Fallout 4, but no it was not. New Vegas is an expansion of Fallout 3 with the same storyline/timeline happening on the west coast.
Fallout is more of a prequel, that happens 200 years after the actual war that caused the wasteland we know so well.  This time you can choose to be a former military man or woman with a new born son named Shaun.  After the nuclear fallout happens, your family takes safety in fallout shelter.

I'm not too far in the story, so i can't speak about everything. Instead of surviving in the fallout shelter, you get frozen an time capsule.  This was a change of pace and very suspicious to me from the start.  At some point in timeline, you awaken to find your spouse getting murdered and Shaun kidnapped by an institute scientist and mercenary named Kellogg.  Looking for Shaun and getting revenge for the murder of your spouse are what starts your journey in the new fallout wasteland.

Like every Fallout game, you will encounter raiders, mutated animals, and needy NPC's that want to give you missions they can't do themself for some reason, lol.  The missions are purpose driven with a build around what features they want to show you what the game has to offer.

Bethesda capitalized on the survival crafting trend, and they created a pioneering crafting challenge for you operating base. In earlier Fallout games, you would carry around a bunch of junk and sell it for a few dollars.  Now...for the first time in Fallout, everything in the game is useful.  You can break down spoons, boxes, radios, etc...in order to modify weapon or armor, and craft furniture, power options, buildings.

The best perks to get between level 1-10 that will help you survive and take advantage of the game:

1.Scrapper - Waste not, want not! You can salvage uncommon components like screws, aluminum, and copper when scrapping weapons and armor,
2. Local Leader - As the ruler everyone turns to, you are able to establish supply lines between your workshop settlements., You can build stores and workstations at workshop settlements
3. Medic - Is there a doctor in the house? Stimpaks restore 40% of lost Health, and RadAway removes 40% of radiation.
4. Hacker - Knowledge of cutting-edge computer encryption allows you to hack Advanced terminals
5. Locksmith - Your nimble fingers allow you to pick advanced locks.