Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide Review
Know every secret of New Bordeaux with the Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide
What is it about organized crime that is so intriguing? I don’t know how to describe it or put it into words, but playing Mafia III does a great job capturing it. I don’t know if you know, but becoming a crime lord of even a small city takes an excruciating amount of effort and there is a crazy amount of detail to consider. Luckily all real danger is removed when playing Mafia III and the Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Guide wraps up all the details in a nice little package and makes it easily digestible.
This is the first Mafia game I have ever played, and I did not realize how large the world was, in scale and mechanics of the game. It is in the same realm of GTA with some advantages and disadvantages. The layout of the Prima Mafia III guide is brilliantly designed to give the players the basics, as well as the weapon and vehicle info, before going into any part of the game. It doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but when you have to choose what car to use to save your life, you find that quick browse in the beginning really helps save you a few respawns down the line. It’s also really nice to know which car is more durable if you’re like me and like to collide into other vehicles.
The story section of the guide is thorough. Every mission, sub-mission, prereq, objective, collectible, and anything else you can think of and not think of is covered. Which is what is expected and what Prima has always done well. However, it feels almost as if they did to good of a job this time. This is likely more user error than anything, but I found the guide often gave me to much information on the story and I was unable to be surprised most of the time. This is a very subjective point of view, and considering the layout of the guide, it is my fault for reading too much of the guide as I played. It’s a good or bad thing depending on the person. I think because I never played any of the previous games I used to guide to frequently early on instead of using it as a reference. So that’s something to keep in mind when using the guide.
The best part of the guide and my most frequent use of any Prima guide is using it to find the collectibles. The maps are perfectly marked, and each mark has the perfect description that is quick and to the point. This saves countless hours and allows players to get back into the core game and enjoy it without that nagging feeling of leaving something incomplete. If you also have the compulsion to collect everything, there is no other resource better than Prima guide to collectibles. Videos may be more thorough but take longer. Forums might be free but are generally poorly written. Especially for Mafia III and games of this nature, Prima guides are where it’s at-erm, shows you where the collectibles are at.
Being the collector’s edition, this guide is hardbound and contains an extra accompaniment of a 14-month calendar. The calendar features art from the game. While the art is gorgeous, I do not feel the calendar really compliments the game or adds much extra to the guide. The Gears of War 4 Collector’s edition came with COG tags, those really represent the franchise and appeal to fans of the series. A calendar just doesn’t have the same je ne sais quoi. So unless you are an extreme die-hard fan, really like hard bound books, or a calendar collector, I don’t think the Collector’s Edition is much of a step-up from the standard edition guide.
The Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide is an incredibly thorough and in-depth strategy guide. I really liked the layout of the guide, as I later learned the practical purpose for it. Being able to cherry pick the weapons and vehicles through their stats did save a lot of headaches and respawns. Also, collectible hunting is always much more pleasant with a visual map with accurate and easy to understand descriptions. The story guide is incredibly thorough which is great but be warned to not read too deeply into it as it can easily take away any element of surprise. My experience of spoiling the game was more user error than anything, but there is something about the way it is written or the type of game that made it much easier to delve deep into than it was in other strategy guides. Lastly, the sort of scrapbook-esque final pages of the book was a really nice touch. The Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide is another great accompaniment that I highly recommend for players who want to get everything in the game and out of it.
Prima Mafia III Collector's Edition Strategy Guide
- Stars
The Verdict
The Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide is an incredibly thorough and in-depth strategy guide. I really liked the layout of the guide, as I later learned the practical purpose for it. Being able to cherry pick the weapons and vehicles through their stats did save a lot of headaches and respawns. Also, collectible hunting is always much more pleasant with a visual map with accurate and easy to understand descriptions. The story guide is incredibly thorough which is great but be warned to not read too deeply into it as it can easily take away any element of surprise. My experience of spoiling the game was more user error than anything, but there is something about the way it is written or the type of game that made it much easier to delve deep into than it was in other strategy guides. Lastly, the sort of scrapbook-esque final pages of the book was a really nice touch. The Prima Mafia III Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide is another great accompaniment that I highly recommend for players who want to get everything in the game and out of it.