Mafia 3 live-action trailer builds "the legend of Lincoln Clay"

I really liked the E3 trailer that 2K released in June in support of Mafia 3 , the upcoming tale of revenge and other unpleasantries set in the fictional New Orleans analog of New Bordeaux.

, the upcoming tale of revenge and other unpleasantries set in the fictional New Orleans analog of New Bordeaux. The live-action trailer released today is a very different sort of beast, less about the game than about the “legend of Lincoln Clay,” but I'll go out on a limb here and say it's every bit as good.

Live-action teasers are a tricky business, because they're pure PR. There are no graphics to see or gameplay to wonder about; at best, you get a bit of background that explains a little about why things are the way they are in whatever game it is you happen to be playing. And so it is here: This video is all about the spirit of the game, and of life in late-60s New Orleans as filtered through the lens of popular media.

But—bearing all that in mind—it works. So even if Mafia 3 falls short of the mark (and based on April hands-on, I'd say there's reason to be optimistic), we'll always have the trailers. Mafia 3 is set for release on October 7.