Color me foolish, but I didn't clock what Mafia: The Old Country's trailer was revealing until its title card was superimposed in massive letters over Sicily. In hindsight, all of that fancy artwork, ominous talk of family, and knives-stabbed-in-desks should have rung a bell – especially considering we've known Mafia 4 has been in development for a few years – but nope. Nothing. Niente. Don't get me wrong: it may have caught me unawares, but out of everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live, this surprise has been the greatest of all.
Since watching The Old Country's reveal, I've sunk hours into yet another Mafia 2 playthrough. The 2010 game holds up remarkably well – it's an immersive period piece set in the '40s and '50s, built around a pulpy mob drama – and despite its barest-of-bones open-world, its New York City-inspired setting feels far larger than it actually is. It's a far cry from its hyper-bloated follow-up Mafia 3, which I didn't click with nearly as much as it lost a great deal of its character with open-world shenanigans. In fact, I'm hoping The Old Country is anything but developer Hangar 13's last stint in the series – and from the little we've heard so far, that seems to be exactly what's on the way.
