Some Racket: Mafia 3 Trailer Explores Criminal Ecology
Racket-ready
I've watched The Sopranos from start to finish four times - partly because I'm a bit sad, and partly because it's a great TV show. Now, I know nothing about organised crime beyond what I've gleaned from documentaries and popular culture, but part of what draws me back to David Chase's seminal work is that it's believable, even if it's otherwise sugar-coated or occasionally Hollywood-ised.
What's struck me so far about Mafia 3 [official site] is that it too is believable, and the latest trailer gives a brief glimpse at the research that's gone into crafting its criminal underworld, rackets and missions, and also how they all tie together.
Adam was pleased with how Mafia 3 handled itself back at Gamescom last year, and I must say I was pretty sold after seeing the last trailer - New Bordeaux looks rather stunning. The latest developer-led short explores how organised crime, missions and rackets function within its mobster sandbox. Observe:
While the likes of GTA operate a similar do-this-mission-unlock-the-next-type structure, the way in which Mafia 3 poses this format at least sounds more cohesive. From what producer Denby Grace notes up there, it sounds to me like extra missions are your reward for being inquisitive, not just as a means to keep the plot marching forward. This seems particularly true if all missions are all tied to a common, central narrative - in this instance criminal rackets.
Time will tell if Mafia 3 offers quite as much freedom and nuance as I not-so-secretly hope it will, but in any event, I'm impressed with the attention to detail 2K Czech and Hanger 13 are showing nevertheless. Here's design director Matthias Worch on the game's ties to real life:
"We've put a lot of work into actually modelling the way the mafia operates and how it kind of seeps into the foundations of the city. There are bosses who are running different parts of the city and they all have specialties, they have these big front businesses that they're using to launder money for whatever illicit things that they need to do."
Mafia 3 is due for release on October 7, 2016.