I concur, but the third was quite enjoyable after putting some hours into it - it's a real struggle to call it a "Mafia" game mind, but I did enjoy it - and the head shots were brutal! Not Soldier of Fortune brutal, but some of the most gory for a while - it certainly made gunplay fun.
I didn't quite put enough hours into it, just couldn't get into it due to its technical problems and as you said it's hard to call it a Mafia game. The first one, though, I absolutely adore, an amazing game.