While the word Mafia might sound a bit triggering for normal people, it definitely is different for the video game lovers. The Mafia series of the action-adventure video game have been widely applauded and the third installation of the series is one the way.
The Mafia III is the third part to the Mafia series and is developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K games. The plot of the game revolves around Lincoln Clay who is an orphan and a Vietnam War veteran. The game is mainly about building a possible clan to procure a new crime and then henceforth confront the Italian mob.
While it is a common happening that the publishers launch a pre-release copy for the advance reviews, the developers for Mafia III are not doing the same. The publishers of the game straight away refused any publication of review copy and said that all the copies would be launched on the said date of release.
It is not on a daily happening for games to be set around back in time and encircling the underpinnings of the American society. The Mafia III inset around a 1968 timeslot and focuses on the rich and varied history alongside the troubled past that happened in the United States.
The entire plot of the game is set in the time when America was undergoing several socio-political upheavals. Not just that, the time frame of the plot depicts the time Martin Luther King was assassinated for his fights for the equality of the black people.
The game focuses on the heist that the protagonist Lincoln Clay undergoes. The character is portrayed as a member of the black mob and is also a war veteran from the Vietnam. The game also features a place named as New Bordeaux which is a re-imagined version of New Orleans.
The game further proceeds with the betrayal that Lincoln faces from the Mafia Boss Sal Marcano which leads to a turn of events. Lincoln eventually forms a mob of his own for taking revenge from the former mob and to gradually take over the city.
One of the best boons of the game is the setting and the backdrop of it. When the lead writer at Hangar 13, Bill Harms was asked about the setting, he clarified the reason for choosing New Orleans was its history with the Italian mafia.
He further exclaimed that the inspiration for the antagonist of the game. According to him, Sal Marcano came from a mobster named Carlos Marcello who was known to have been in America back in the 1960s.
A lot of research was put into making the setting for the game and for making the entire thing accurately. The crew at the developmental sector of the game were send out to New Orleans to bring back a detailed report with pictures of the place. Even to match up with the 1968 timeframe, there was a lot of consultation involved with the old newspapers and photographs.
While maintaining originality is important, being creative is a far more important factor when it comes to video games and the settings. The video game is set up around the outline of New Orleans but with a few more advanced variations to the city.
There has been an addition of several hills and even subterranean canals which are contradictory for the original layout of New Orleans.
Each district in the game has been allotted with its distinct criminal rackets. Like, the French ward of the area specialises in crimes that include drugs and prostitution. The River Row part of the game concerns the Department of smuggling and extortion of organised labors.