Folks rooting around in the recent release of Mafia III‘s Definitive Edition have found part of Berlin, a level scrap likely from a cancelled espionage game. Supposedly a project Hangar 13 started after Mafia 3, the game known as Rhapsody was never announced but whispers have leaked out before. Now here’s a rough outline of Berlin, which might be the most we’ll ever see of Rhapsody. That’s a nice little find, though it’s less nice that some players are reporting the Def Ed has brought new technical problems too.

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A real pretty remake of Mafia is coming on August 28, 2K announced today. After accidentally blowing the surprise last week, they’ve now made Mafia: Definitive Edition official. As well as remaking the 2002 wiseguy ’em up, they’ve given the less-good 2010 sequel Mafia II a less-dramatic remastering, which is due to launch today as a free update. And Mafia III is getting its DLC thrown in for free. Together, they call this Mafia: Trilogy.

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Don’t ya love a teaser trailer for an announcement that’s also a trailer for a game that’s coming out in three months? Classic. 2K have put up a new Mafia trailer today to announce that they’ll make a real announcement next week. At least part of the reveal looks to be a remake of the original gangster ’em up Mafia game, according to a Microsoft Store page that’s already floating around.

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Mafia

is back online. Two years after its last post, longer still since the last piece of Mafia III DLC came and went, the open-world crime ’em up’s Twitter account has poked the hornet’s nest by tweeting out one word earlier today. Are they teasing a sequel? Lining up for a remaster? Or is this just a quiet love of familial bonds from an online brand? Right now, it’s anyone’s guess.

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Hanger 13 gave the world open-ended crime caper Mafia III, a game that is at once a formulaic GTA-style action game, and an impressive slice of the American South in the 1960s (with a few fictionalised elements letting the team interpret New Orleans a little more loosely). It seemed to do pretty well sales-wise but today the chances of a Hanger 13-developed follow-up appear dim. The studio has been hit with substantial layoffs.

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After five years of not being sold for download anywhere (and long being out-of-print on disc), the first Mafia has returned to sale. GOG this week dredged the digital bay, hauled the crime ’em up out, and chipped off its concrete boots to re-release it DRM-free. This version has an edited soundtrack with the licensed music removed, mind. Presumably music licenses expiring is what got the game pulled from sale back in 2012. I’ve not played Mafia since ooh it was on CD, so I am tempted to see how it feels 15 years after it came out – and after two sequels of varying quality and direction. (more…)

Bundle Stars is offering up some rather nice discounts on a big batch of 2K Games’ finest wares this week, with up to 80% off some selected titles from the XCOM, Borderlands, Civilization and Bioshock series, among others.

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Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time.>

I was put off from playing Mafia 3 [official site] by John’s thorough review, which told tales of bugs, bad AI, repetitive mission design and more design flaws. But then a few people I respect kept praising it, for its supposedly exciting combat and its more-ish missions. I finally gave it a try a few weeks ago. (more…)

A kooky cult is now causing trouble in Mafia III [official site] with Sign of the Times, the third of its three big story DLCs. I’m told the Ensanglante are a blood-worshipping cult into drugs and human sacrifice, which sounds like a wild time. Sadly, Lincoln Clay is out to shut them down, investigating their crime scenes using new detective skills then, I imagine, shooting their faces off. The DLC also lets Lincoln rebuild his murdered dad’s bar, which is sweet. Given that Mafia III has gone down poorly, I’d expect this to be the last bit of it. (more…)

A demo for Mafia 3 [official site] has arrived, letting all and sundry in to poke around a Nu Orleans. John’s Wot I Think praised the city and was none too pleased with most of the rest so hey, I’ll welcome a demo to have a look myself.

The first paid story DLC is out today too, for folks who’ve already bought in. Faster, Baby! will send players into a small town to deal with a corrupt sheriff. Antics ensue. … [visit site to read more]