Especially as they don’t even use the full breadth of the city layout properly, as multiple different missions take place in the same place – only adding further to the sense of déjà vu. But while the licensing lawyers have certainly done their job it’s the game’s mission designers that have let the side down. Not least thanks to the superb soundtrack. And while most video games are pretty awful at historical settings from the recent past, the ‘60s atmosphere is hugely convincing. To stay with the positives a moment longer, New Bordeaux is a fairly well designed open world area, made more interesting because a city like New Orleans is so different from a virtual New York or Los Angeles. This in turn impacts both the story and grants you special gameplay perks unique to each lieutenant. Apart from Clay himself the most interesting players are your three underbosses, who you have to constantly keep on side in order to ensure they remain loyal. Not only is the game fearless in how it portrays the period but the characters are impressively nuanced, with a very good script that manages to avoid being preachy and still gets its points across with scathing clarity. The game pulls few punches when illustrating the appalling racism of the time, from the attitude of the police, to dirty looks from ordinary white people on the street, to the fact that main character Lincoln Clay simply isn’t allowed in many shops or buildings – or at least not via the front door.

Considering how desperate most video games are to avoid any kind of controversy involving race, sex, politics, or religion (violence, of course, is always completely fine) ‘60s America is an extremely bold setting to explore.

Fast travel mafia 3