10 Video Games That Punish You For Exploring

While the original release of Mafia was dismissed by many as yet another me-too Grand Theft Auto clone with a period skin-job, it really wasn't that at all.

This is perhaps best exemplified by the game's insistence that the player conduct themselves in an orderly fashion outside of missions, to the extent that exceeding the speed limit while driving around the city of Lost Heaven will soon enough get you in trouble with the cops.

Hell, even running a red light will put you massively at odds with the po-po, ensuring a greater sense of "realism" compared to GTA, where the cops don't bat an eye until you've creamed at least a couple of people with your car.

Though Mafia's recent Definitive Edition included more granular options to control the cops' aggressiveness, the original game's traffic flow was so aggressively governed by speed limits that there was even an option to activate a speed limiter, ensuring players couldn't accidentally exceed the speed limit.

It's all very novel in theory and great for those who love to idly cruise, but it also made getting around Lost Heaven an absolute sluggish chore, in turn making it far less appealing to actually soak in the city's sights.