Let’s talk about how excited I am for this game.
First off, the driving. It looks heavy, and there’s a ton of momentum when picking up speed. The differences in speed between sports cars and simple vehicles is immediately apparent. Driving is huge for me in an open world game (I still think GTA IV’s driving is the best that’s ever been done), and if this can improve upon of Mafia II’s engine in the right ways, I’ll be over the moon. I wish the damage models definitely looked better, but the impact of crashes appears awesome.
The grass of Frisco Fields, the racism, the police responses – the difficulty of navigating through certain districts will allow for some amazing emergent gameplay regarding racism in richer, Whiter neighborhoods. Racism as a big theme doesn’t seem to be the least bit avoided – cops harassing you heavily in certain areas, tailing you, trespassing in white stores causing them to shut down- this blows my mind. It’s a nice touch that you can rob store fronts too, but with witnesses calling police, it’s apparent that utilizing skills like calling in wire taps or disabling phones will offer some great quiet crime sprees.
The sprint and combat takedowns are as brutal – the TPS shooting mechanics look heavy and responsive. Animations between, walking, moving into cover, sliding over cars – this looks like some of the best shooting mechanics in the open world genre. Mixing it with stealth encounters will allow you play how you want- quietly lockpicking to get to the back of slaughterhouse or going in guns blazing, there’s a ton of replay value. Stealth takedowns from cover are gloriously animated, the interrogations also look to provide some cool exploration opportunities. The combat looks frenzied and dynamic – I can’t wait to call in a hit squad and have all out wars in the streets of New Bordeaux. The Manhunt-esque takedowns pull no punches, knives directly to the face, curb-stomping brutality – there were no concessions.
The rain storms are so beautifully serene. Freely roaming, the neons really pop out beautifully in the French Ward. Hiring, choosing lieutenants to run the districts with mob boss retaliations will allow for some awesome emergent street war. With mobile weapons dealers that allow for specific upgrades on each gun based on perks you’ve received from your lieutenants, everyone can play it how they want. There are even confirmed safehouses in districts to deposit earnings, which makes the risk and reward of wreaking havoc necessary – you’ve got to deposit your money before you lose it in death.
The structure and density of each district of the map also will probably provide a good cadence in balancing gameplay side activities and major missions. Getting mob bosses out of hiding through assassinations, interrogations, target tailing, property destruction, all the while depleting the economy to lure out the boss seems like a great city takeover mechanic. The theme of rackets dominating different pieces of each district also feels like a necessary way to split up the map. I just hope that each location and chance encounter is unique for each district, and that there are many approaches that give you the freedom to take it over as you please. This also means that the major mob boss story missions probably provide the deeper, more cinematic missions (Uncle Lou gameplay demo), and I hope each of these are like the best moments of Mafia I & II.
Character nuance in the story is so necessary, and the structure of how the story is being presented gives me hope. A lot of the commentary on these new gameplay videos suggest that the villains are evil, but written with enough sincerity that they feel likable. The facial animations are also pretty astounding, and that’ll be necessary to deliver the story in convincing fashion.
I haven’t even touched on the atmosphere – which is what I’m most excited about. The night rain storms, the gorgeous orange sunset glow, the alligators lurking in the swamp, everything. The Smith Thunderbolt being back, be still my beating heart.
I think it’s time for an avatar change, this time for good. I want this game to everything, and I think they’ve really structured it in a way that allows for enough density in the open world to make sense in the narrative. I just hope that the story is well written, and that their use of the turbulent '60s and Civil Rights era isn’t dealt with superficially – but I have high hopes!
LOOKING FOR REVENGE.