This week is a big one for video games as Microsoft releases their latest exclusive, Gears of War 4. Last Friday Mafia III launched as well, offering an open world tale of organized crime and vengeance. Naturally, that means players have a difficult choice on their hands. Do they go with the New Bordeaux crime family, or do they pick up the fight against alien monstrosities trying to destroy your home?
It can be tough to choose, especially when money is tight, so allow us to help you make this critical decision so you can get the game that’s perfect for you, and not have to wonder what could’ve been. While both games harbor plenty of differences, there are a few main points you should consider.
Story
Mafia III is a game, in case you couldn’t tell, about organized crime. You play as Lincoln Clay, a bi-racial war veteran who has to deal with betrayal amidst the racial tension and hatred of a 1960’s New Orleans. Players get the opportunity to build their very own crime family from the ground up after the Black Mob is wiped out by those thought allies. You’ll explore themes of vengeance, anger, and redemption as you seize districts and split them among your underbosses.
Gears of War 4 is decidedly different. Instead of fighting monsters who are the same species as you, you’re going against the Swarm, a Locust-like species of aliens who are kidnapping entire human colonies as they try to take over the planet. You’ll step into the COG boots of JD Fenix, son of the original trilogy’s lead protagonist, Marcus. As you seek out the loved ones of your team and try to thwart the invasion, you’ll have to use everything you got while dealing with harsh weather and death around every corner.
Mafia goes for a more realistic, crime-drama sort of feel, having you fight other humans in a fictionalized New Orleans. Gears of War 4 is definitely offering a more sci-fi action feel with its huge weapons and vicious aliens.
Gameplay
If you’ve played a Gears of War game before, then there are no major surprises in the latest entry. This is some of the best third-person, cover-based shooting you can get your hands on. You’ll use larger than usual weapons and vicious up-close attacks, if you’re into slicing through aliens with lots of blood splatter. The overall game is much more linear than that of Mafia III as well, although there are moments where you’ll be provided a bit of exploration within a mission. Still, this is a game perfect for those who like to play through a straightforward, well though out story.
Mafia III is open-world, meaning you’ll have a lot of exploration to do as well as many different side activities. You’ll be involved with taking over districts and divvying them up between your underbosses. You’ll also find a lot of collectibles scattered around the world while traveling to story missions, rather than having them follow a strict order. The actual gameplay is a basic cover-based, third-person shooter. You won’t get anything on the level of Gears of War 4 in terms of mechanics, but it’s more than sufficient to help get you through the action as you avoid witnesses, run from police, and put down enemies.
When it comes to gameplay, you really need to decide whether or not you want an open-world game or not.
Multiplayer
If you’re looking for a multiplayer experience, you unfortunately have only one choice between these two major releases. Gears of War 4 offers both competitive play, so you can test your skills against other players around the world on PC and Xbox One, as well as Horde 3.0, which is a co-op mode that pits you against waves of increasingly difficult enemies. If you don’t think that’s enough human interaction, you can also play through the campaign with a friend.
Mafia III is more focused on Lincoln Clay’s story and the development of New Bordeaux. That doesn’t leave much room for friends, or even enemies, to join in on the action.
So Which is For You?
While both Mafia III and Gears of War 4 are essentially third-person shooters, they are vastly different games to choose from. On the one hand you have a sci-fi action game that provides a linear story and tons of multiplayer action for those who like to play with friends. On the other, you have an open-world game full of serious tones, scattered objectives, and no room for online play. The lack of multiplayer isn’t a bad thing (unless you’re specifically looking for that), as Mafia III’s single player experience is more than worthwhile on its own, offering dozens of hours of gameplay.
In the end, it comes down to personal preference. Sci-fi or more realistic, linear or open-world, single player or multiplayer? Both games are certainly worth your time and attention, but for now, these are the main divides to choose between.
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