The cardinal rule for great video game characters is that they have to be relatable in some way. They don’t necessarily need to be sympathetic or even noble, just identifiable enough that the player will feel okay sticking with them for the length of their journey. We should want to root for them to achieve whatever it is they are setting out to accomplish.
Simple. Easy peasy.
There are a lot of game development studios doing a decent job at this. Some manage to go above and beyond, creating iconic characters that we grow to love — characters we’ll all miss once they’ve ridden off into the virtual sunset.
Unfortunately, based on the few hours I’ve played of Hangar 13’s Mafia 3, Lincoln Clay is a bit of a dick.
I get it, this guy was in Nam, and he grew up in the vicious American South in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He’s a street smart tough guy with a chip on his shoulder and a penchant for not taking any shit or giving any fucks.
But in the opening moments of the game, we see him brazenly litter, tossing a beer bottle wantonly into the street and causing glass shards to be strewn about. He consumed the contents of this bottle openly in public, no less.
Now, I’m all for assholes in games — Grand Theft Auto V anyone? But there is a limit to the types of shenanigans I will stomach. Litter is not one of them
So I’m sorry, Lincoln Clay, that your gang was murdered in cold blood (although really, that bloodshed could’ve probably been avoided). That sucks. But nonchalantly creating a public hazard for motorists and passersby — instead of utilizing one of the city’s public trash receptacles — is simply inexcusable. This is an offense I will not merrily abide.
Sorry, Lincoln Clay, you’re on notice.
