That’s quite the departure
A new 2K-released video about Mafia III details the developers’ intentions with regard to driving. The very first words are “In Mafia III, we’re trying to achieve something we’re calling ‘Hollywood action driving.'” The direction is crystal clear.
That cinematic bent has the player-controlled vehicle weaving in and out of traffic, drifting around corners — all the cool stuff that cool stunt drivers do. Steve McQueen is the benchmark for this sort of thing, so it’s not surprising to hear the developers cite his films as a feeling they want to capture.
But, as neat as all this is, none of it’s really Mafia. For example, Mafia II was heavily predicated on driving around old, heavy cars in an orderly and responsible way. It made sense because a traffic violation would be the dumbest reason to get busted with a body in your trunk. Hell, that game even had a speed limiter so players couldn’t drive too fast.
So, this video showing cars recklessly flying around corners, well, it doesn’t feel like what this series is about. It looks exciting and it looks like a bunch of other games. It doesn’t look like Mafia.
