New Orleans will get the video game treatment when Mafia III drops on October 7. The new action-adventure game–which will be available on computer, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One–is set in a reimagined version of New Orleans circa 1968.
Screenshot from Mafia III’s first gameplay trailer.
Like countless video games before it, Mafia III will not take place in a carbon copy of the location that inspired its setting. Rather, the action will go down in New Bordeaux, a Crescent City knock off that includes neighborhoods like French Ward, Bayou Fantom and Pointe Verdun, along with landmarks like General’s Circle (complete with sign-wielding protesters if the game’s trailer is any indication).
Mafia III’s website describes New Bordeaux as “a vast, diverse and seedy open world ruled by the mob and corrupt officials,” so perhaps it’s a more realistic depiction than most would be happy to admit. The site also notes that the game’s story will follow Lincoln Clay, “an orphan and Vietnam veteran hell bent on revenge against the Italian Mafia for the brutal slaughter of the black mob, the closest thing to family he’s ever had.”
What do you think about the portrayal of New Orleans in Mafia III? Take a look at the first gameplay trailer, which focuses on the various districts of New Bourdeaux, below to get a taste of what’s in store:
And for some lagniappe, here’s a look at Mafia III’s second gameplay trailer, which utilizes a soundtrack of The Meters’ “Cissy Strut”:
