History YMMV / MafiaIII

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: The game is rather repetitive and tedious when it comes to acquiring territory and it doesn't really take advantage of the open world game style it introduced to the series, but the premise and the story is just enough to maintain enough interest in seeing what's gonna happen next.

** [[PompousPoliticalPundit Remy Duvall]] is a BlueBlood of New Bordeaux, and the host of its widely popular "Native Son" radio broadcast. On the air, he presents himself with a [[SouthernGentleman folksy, gentlemanly demeanor]] while he espouses White, Christian values. In private, he's the militant leader of the Southern Union, a White supremacist group, and in league with the Marcano Crime Family. Under his leadership, Duvall's group beats and murders Blacks, helps the Marcanos in their PCP operation, and, vilest of all, [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil sells Blacks into slavery]] for wealthy Whites, a crime that disgusts even other mobsters. After Lincoln Clay dismantles his operations, Duvall gathers his followers with the intention of leading a manhunt for Lincoln, which involves marching them to Delray Hollow and burning it to the ground in revenge. Though Duvall claims to love his city and want to protect it, he's ultimately a self-serving hypocrite who thinks the city belongs to him and only cares about Christian Whites, and he's even willing to harm them through his drug dealing and criminal activities if [[ItsAllAboutMe it will benefit himself]].

** [[SmallTownTyrant Ritchie Doucet]], the leader of the Dixie Mafia, is [[EstablishingCharacterMoment first shown]] participating in the betrayal and destruction of the Black Mob, where he personally stabs Ellis, [[PlayerCharacter Lincoln Clay]]'s adoptive younger brother, to death. As a reward for his help, Doucet is given control over Delray Hollow by [[BigBad Sal Marcano]], and starts running heroin and prostitution rackets. His prostitution racket is revealed to be comprised of Black women whom he's had abducted, addicted to heroin, then forced into [[SexSlave sexual slavery]] to service White patrons.

** Is Donovan helping Lincoln because they're BloodBrothers or because of his quest to [[spoiler: find Jack Kennedy's killer? Also, did Donovan find out that Sal Marcno killed JFK with the government's help before or after he helped Lincoln kill Sal?]] While unlikely, [[spoiler: is he also just AxCrazy and a ConspiracyTheorist who came up with this on his own?]]

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** TheKlan actually has a large presence in Louisiana despite the state's large Catholic population. Indeed, Grand Wizard David Duke would form his branch and base it there. That was in the 1970s rather than Sixties, though. So, the Southern Union is not remotely out of place.
** "Sundown Towns" where black folk would be assaulted and killed for no other crime than being black were a real phenomenon. It became a race against time as they would be subject to violence the moment that it was night. Many of these towns' violence were enforced by local law enforcement. Sheriff Beaumont is, horrifyingly, TruthInTelevision.

** Immediately after the announcement, fan opinion were divided about the protagonist and the setting. While some see it as an interesting new take, with potential especially lying in playing as a black man during one of the most racially tense periods in American history, others think it is too much of a change of genre and want the classical Mafia setting back.

** The Baron Saturday theme park is one of the most racist things ever created with a cariactured Black cartoon Baron Samedi spouting off horribly inaccurate facts about the Vodou religion. The line crossing happens that the level is about Lincoln hunting down and murdering white supremecists holed up there and lynching their leader. Afterward, the radio mentions the park failed due to being unpopular with Black groups. Gee, really?

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some of the people who decry that the theme of racism has no place in a ''Mafia'' game forgot that the last game had many characters expressing horrifyingly racist behaviors, including slurs and whatnot.

** Sammy and Ellis are genuinely well liked characters that have an enjoyable easy-going relationship with Lincoln Clay. [[spoiler: Both are executed in the very beginning of the game to justify Lincoln's RoaringRampageOfRevenge.]]

* EvilIsSexy: Bonnie Harless is a beautiful but insane villainess. She oozes sex and GranolaGirl CloserToEarth-ness while being a racist psychopath.

* AcceptableTargets: The game makes TheKlan, Confederate apologists, and Southern racists the target for much of Lincoln's wrath. This has ticked off a very large number of them. This, of course, makes the game even more popular with those who have a dislike for them.

** ''Faster, Baby!'' {{DLC}}: [[DirtyCop Sheriff Walter "Slim" Beaumont]], the vicious, ruthless and racist sheriff of Sinclair Parish who seeks to [[SmallTownTyrant maintain power]] and to make sure the town has an all-White influence, does so by murdering Black citizens after sundown. Beaumont also works with the Southern Union, letting them loose on Sinclair Parish, using additional murder and intimidation to keep its citizens in check. When a movement starts to expose his crimes and bring him to justice, he murders Ezekiel Dandridge, and steals the written testimonies gathered against him. By the time Lincoln and Roxy arrive in Sinclair Parish, Beaumont is already targeting the citizens that are testifying against him. When Lincoln and Roxy put a stop to his plans, he has Lincoln abducted and prepares to leave him to the Southern Union, taking the time to gloat to him.

** TheMafia actually had a major presence in New Orleans from the 19th century to 1993. It reached its heyday under Carlos Marcello (the inspiration for [[BigBad Sal Marcano]]). While not having had as big a media presence as the New York Crime families, it was one of the largest and most powerful mafia families in the world with over 300 made men and 3000 criminal associates. Sal Marcano's ridiculously large organization is actually just historically accurate.

** An early one comes up in-universe with Lincoln Clay thinking of his adoptive father Sammie as a shrewd businessman, honorable man, and pillar of the community. Cassandra, by contrast, considers him a weak brownoser who was nothing more than Sal Marcano's puppet.

* UnfortunateImplications:
** The game's handling of racism has been questioned due to the fact that it is a story about the treatment of race in the 1960s that deals with PoliceBrutality, institutionalized racism, economic disparity. However, this is coupled with the fact that it is a WideOpenSandbox shooter that primarily deals with crime as well as territory acquisition. The power fantasy and criminal nature of the protagonist undermining the anti-racism themes. [[https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/13/13263008/mafia-3-racism-shooter-opinion The Verge discusses it here.]]
** Zig-zagged at best; During private preview events gaming press were shown a tool Lincoln Clay can use against enemies, a Voodoo doll. As an object based in stereotypical images of Voodoo and conjuring Black tribal savage imagery, it's not a good look. The devs tried to work around this by explaining that Lincoln is a psychological warfare specialist and while he doesn't believe in Voodoo, the Italian mobsters he's fighting are superstitious enough to react to a Voodoo doll fearfully. [[http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/the-giant-beastcast-episode-64/1600-1693/ While discussing their respective preview events]] Vice Gaming's EIC Austin Walker--who is Black--thought the justification was still pretty flimsy and problematic while Italian-American Vinny Caravella of [[Podcast/GiantBomb Giant Bomb]] summed up having the explanation told to him during his previewing as "they pulled back that punch and elbowed me right in the face." [[AuthorsSavingThrow Notably, this object shows up nowhere in the game.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** After being criticized for being violent and power-hungry in the previous game, Vito is far less aggressive and greedy in this game. He's the most loyal of Lincoln's bosses, only getting angry if he's screwed over, and [[spoiler:if the city is left to him, he's the only boss who ends up finding success.]]
** When the game first came out, the game was criticized for its repetitive nature and lack of alternate activities. The ''Definitive Edition'' added the DLC alongside alternate costumes, racing, and vehicle customization that dramatically improved the variety of the experience.