Doesn't anybody else find that statement to directly contradict their other statements when they have said how much they've focused on the narrative and story because they recognize that those were key elements of the original games? It's supposed to be an "epic" story set over a number of years where a few different key events are playable "levels".

This series is slowly loosing its benchmarks, one by one, and it seems it will just keep escalating for every game that comes out. Realistic driving is gone in favour of 70's action movie style stunt driving. Weapons and combat. Recoil seems to barely be present, clips /magazines have turned into a simple bullet counter, even more so than in Mafia II, and now we have execution style attacks a la The Godfather games.

I also understand that cops and wanted levels are seriously dumbed down. I remember watching the GDC 09 presentation of Mafia II where Gun Licenses were hinted at and they also introduced the change clothes / change plates wanted mechanic and also that if cops didn't magically know where you were, if they lost sight of you, you could lose them. These were all new concepts introduced in Mafia II, now some of those didn't make it into the final version of the game as we all now, and some were slightly dumbed down to be more accessible (I guess?). But I think that not going back to basics (so to speak) and not keeping true to the original game is a mistake. Sure the original game was challenging, but that is what made it fun and immersive. I think that there is an opportunity to expand upon the mechanics and concepts that the first game brought to the table by using the technology and knowledge that exists now, but they keep fucking up. Trying to bring in the Grand Theft Auto / San Andreas gamers.