《Mafia III: Definitive Edition》登陆Xbox Series X|S，已购Xbox One版用户可免费升级

A new $40 Xbox Series X game is free for some users. This also applies to Xbox Series S users, but not Xbox One users. The game in question is a 2016 Xbox One game. Anyone who previously purchased this open-world crime action game on Xbox One will get this new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S version for free. This new Xbox Series X version comes with a plethora of new upgrades and improvements, and comes a whole 10 years later, so the fact that it comes with a free upgrade is surprising. Most developers and publishers would at least charge an upgrade fee, if not waive the upgrade path altogether.

In addition to offering one of the best RPGs of all time for 85% off, the Microsoft Store has free downloads for the new Mafia III: Definitive Edition for anyone who purchased an Xbox One copy over the last decade. This new version of the 2016 game comes with improved framerate, overhauled mission progression, better NPCs and companions in terms of behaviour and scripting, improved checkpoints, upgraded draw distance, general improvements to all of the lighting in the game, and an overall more stable and smoother experience. The new release isn’t being billed as a remaster, but it’s close to this. And as the name implies, as well, it comes with all the DLC for the game. This is noteworthy because even if you didn’t own the DLC with your Xbox One version, you are getting this DLC for free.

An Underrated Open-World GTA-Like Game

When Mafia III was released back in 2016, it did so to a Metacritic range of 62 to 68. This isn’t great, and compared to its predecessors, it’s simply not as good. Further, it struggles with carving out an identity within the series, partially because of the time and setting of the game being at odds with what the Mafia series is. That said, what really ruined its launch and hindered its score was its substantial technical issues and bugs, almost all of which have been fixed and worked out. To this end, this Metacritic range isn’t very reflective of its quality, which is why it has a much more respectable 4/5 stars on the Xbox Store. Further, there’s a reason it’s being re-released 10 years later, and that’s because it was actually quite popular and sold well.

Last year, developer Hangar 13 — who debuted with the release of Mafia III — released Mafia: The Old Country, which also struggled. As a Mafia fan, if you don’t have your fix as a result, it’s worth revisiting this game in its new form. Its open-world design isn’t great. It’s dated. And its mission design isn’t great either; however, it has a good story, bolstered by strong performances and some great scenes.

Those who do decide to check it out on Xbox Series X should expect about 20 to 40 hours on average, depending on how much side content is experienced. Completionists, meanwhile, will need more like 50 hours with the open-world game. And none of these figures include DLC.