Mafia 3 trailer: four reasons why it could be better than Grand Theft Auto V

The Mafia 3 trailer has just been unveiled – and it's looking like it could be the most definitive gangster experience to ever make it to the world of games.

In fact, on this latest evidence, Grand Theft Auto should start to feel worried – is the crown of crime games about to be snatched?

Here are four reasons why Mafia 3 could out-do Grand Theft Auto:

1) Treading new ground with the story

For the first time in the series, Mafia 3 will see players take control of a bi-racial hero called Lincoln Clay.

Set in a fictional New Orleans in 1968, Vietnam war vet Clay returns home to find the black mob in tatters after being overrun by the Italians. The plot sees him team up with other gangs in a bid to reclaim the city, one district at a time.

It's a bold move setting the game in a period rife with racial tension – so expect plenty of controversial scenes.

Mafia 3 also features a dynamic storyline that changes as a result of player action, with your choices causing the story to branch off in a different direction - leading to further consequences and different content. As a result, multiple endings seem highly likely.

2) The little touches

GTA V was no doubt a good looking game, especially on PCs able to run it at 4K resolution, but Mafia 2 wasn't far behind.

Although the PlayStation 3 version suffered some technical short-comings – such as a lack of 3D grass and no pools of blood forming under dead bodies, it was still one of the best-looking open-world titles of the last generation.

However, it was the little details that helped it stand out from the crowd. A genius touch was snow forming on the cars, accumulating on the bonnet and roof when left outside in a snow storm. Upon getting in and driving, the snow would gradually melt as the chassis warmed up.

Cutscenes, too, were mostly rendered using the in-game engine - meaning that characters would wear the outfits you'd chosen them to put on, and cars showed damage and scratches.

This time round, one particularly cool inclusion in the ability to wiretap certain districts, allowing Lincoln to gain intelligence on enemy locations to help plan attacks. This is essential as missions can be tackled in different ways – from sneaking in, to all-out attacks – a far cry from the somewhat on-the-rails missions in Rockstar's masterpiece.

3) Dark and violent

Grand Theft Auto has its dark moments, but its artistic style and humour veers more towards the cartoon than the hyper realistic.

Mafia games, on the other hand, lean towards the latter – and Mafia 3 looks to be no exception.

Some moments in the previous game were genuinely shocking to watch, with a machete-centric scene often cited as one of the most shocking moments in video game history.

Mafia 3 will also allow players to interrogate, free or kill some enemies, letting the player develop their own moral code – something that didn't feature in Grand Theft Auto V, aside from the infamous torture scene.

4) Drive time

Mafia 3 features a new physics-based driving engine – helping to capture the essence of every vehicle.

While shooting and driving felt disjointed and clumsy in the last game, Lincoln is able to fire out the windows with a semi-auto targeting system. And just like the last game, tyres can be punctured and enemies gunned down through the windscreen.