As we come to a close for the year of 2015, we can look back at some great open world games that have been released. There’s the new Need For Speed, Just Cause 3, and Batman Arkham City just to name a few. These were all fun open world games to play and we can’t forget about some of the other open world games that have had great content added to them which include Grand Theft Auto V and The Crew. What can we expect though as we go forward into 2016? Will there be a new Grand Theft Auto game or are there other free roaming games that haven’t been revealed yet? The good news is, I know of one such game on its way in the coming year!

There are some good open world games coming out next year, but one I want to focus on in particular is Mafia 3. Now I’ve never actually played the series before. The Mafia series does have an interesting concept, but things I heard about the open world in the series and the lack of things to do in it has generally kept me away from the series. This all looks set to change with Mafia 3 set to hit the PS4 in 2016. Now one of the things that really got my attention of Mafia 3 is where the game takes place. The setting is in the southern city of New Orleans and if you know me, I love that city and have always considered it my second home since so much of my family live there.

It makes me happy to hear that a game will take place in New Orleans. What makes Mafia 3 unique too though is that not only does it take place in this city, the time period will be different. Instead of being modern day New Orleans, the game itself will take place in the 1960s, during the height of the Vietnam War and the heavy thrust of the Civil Rights movement. That’s also the time that the Italian Mafia had a very heavy presence in New Orleans. Now from what I have seen from the screenshots, New Orleans looks very authentic and definitely fits the time period as many of the skyscrapers in its downtown area present today are not there at that specific time yet. The French Quarter though definitely looks exactly as it should and you can go into buildings there such as restaurants, clubs, bars, etc…the stuff that the French Quarter is known for.

I don’t know a whole lot about the character yet in the game that you’ll be in control of, but from what I have been hearing, he is a Vietnam vet who is battle hardened and has once been in the mob himself. Good to know as it seems he’ll be able to handle himself very well when it comes time to battle with the Mafia in this game.

Over at IGN, they have a twelve minute video showcasing some of the gameplay and other things you’ll be experiencing once this game is released. From what I have seen in the video, the open world experience looks very authentic and the city is full of people as well which is what I like as I would be very concerned if the Big Easy looked empty in this game. The mafia and other criminal elements in the game also look very challenging as well and if you really antagonize them in the game, the developer said they will most certainly do anything to try and find you.

Well check out the video and let me know what your thoughts are on this upcoming game. I am definitely curious to see how big their version of New Orleans is in the game. I wonder if you can go across the Mississippi River via ferry or across the bridge by the downtown area to Algiers Point and the other suburbs and cities of that time and area. The Superdome wasn’t there yet, but I also wonder if you can drive to Lake Ponchatrain. Will the Huey P. Long bridge be there? Can you walk through the Garden District? These are things we will just have to wait and see once this game is released. I’ve been hearing that Mafia 3 will be released in either the first or second quarter of 2016 though no official release date has been given. Definitely check back here as I will have more Mafia 3 updates as they come out!