Just as a disclaimer, I never played the original Mafia 1, so I can't comment on how good/bad this remake is. Standing on its own, I'd probably recommend this to any fan of narrative-driven crime dramas. The protagonist, Tommy Angelo, is likeable and has a good voice actor. It's also nice to see a well-realized virtual city set in the 1930s, as opposed to the multitude of modern settings. With that being said, this is a game I'd consider "semi-open world." You can free roam, but there's very little to do outside of the main story missions. I was fine with this, but it might be a turn-off to some folks. Shooting mechanics are extremely basic, and the voice acting is pretty uneven. I thought the actors for Tommy and Don Morello gave solid performances, while Paulie's VA was lackluster and even cartoonish at times. Buy this only if you think you'd be interested in the story and can push through some unremarkable third-person shooting sections. It's an enjoyable ride at times, but it's one you've definitely been on before.
Most of the negative reviews on here I agree with. This is easily the worst story and RPG Bethesda's ever put out. The fans (myself included) are right to be disappointed, especially as the first Fallout game I completed was Fallout: New Vegas. I'll start with the positives to get them out of the way - Fallout 4 has my favorite combat mechanics of any Bethesda game. Enemies actually take cover (gasp!) and throw grenades. Guns have some decent sound design and animations. In addition, I really like the crafting system they've implemented. And despite the jank, I really love the settlement building mechanic. Creating towns in a first-person, post-apocalyptic environment is one of the things I've done to relax after getting home from work. While I never liked Fallout 3's main story, Bethesda's previous entry at least had a handful of meaningful role-playing opportunities. Due to having a voiced protagonist in this game, Bethesda limited themselves to perhaps the worst Bioware-esque dialogue wheel I've ever seen. The player seemingly has four choices, but in most cases conversations railroad you into one, singular choice. Side missions, especially the radiant quests, are almost always bland and uninteresting. The "looter shooter" portion is only engaging if you're a weirdo like me, who actually enjoys using junk to build your ramshackle settlements. And despite how Todd Howard advertised it, the settlement building mechanic is required to progress through the main story. While it fails to do anything great in one category, these disparate elements - looting and shooting, settlement building, crafting, and roleplaying - all come together for an engaging experience. Just understanding what you're getting yourself into. This is not a true successor to New Vegas, or even 3. It feels as much of a spinoff as Fallout 76. Which is a shame - especially considering there won't be another mainline entry in a decade or so.
