The Hotline Miami franchise is widely recognized for its over-the-top violence, neon-tinged aesthetic and driving '80s-inspired electronic soundtrack. In many ways, parallels can be drawn between the series and the 2011 film Drive. As such, it seems like a logical next step for the series to make its way into the world of film. With Hotline Miami 2 on its way, that dream has finally become a wonderfully horrific reality with the release of a live-action short film.

Taking place one year after the violent mob-related killings that rocked Miami, Florida in Hotline Miami, the short entitled "Do You Like to Hurt People" gives fans of the series a visceral and intense look at its trademark violence and aesthetic. While the games manage to portray this violence and intensity extremely effectively, the move to live action serves to amp this up even more.

Directed by James Shaughnessy and released by Machinima Prime, the short carries on the top-notch quality found in the past Machinima Prime short for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Like that short, "Do You Like to Hurt People" manages to effectively capture the tone and feeling of its subject matter while complementing it and building upon it.

Hotline Miami Live Action Short

In particular, the transition to an overhead view in the short is sure to bring about neon-soaked nightmares for fans of the series. Thanks to well-planned choreography, the action sequences come together with all the frenetic energy you'd expect from Hotline's gameplay. Adding to this chaotic tone, Shelby Cinca's musical score has a dirty, underground 80s vibe that will leave you yearning for a nighttime car ride.

With adaptations of games often leaving a bad taste in fans' mouths, recent shorts focused on popular titles have done a great job of changing that perception. Should filmmakers crack the creation of short-form video content, one can only hope that this will aid in the eventual transition to quality feature length films.

Considering the recent news that Hotline Miami 2 may be delayed into early 2015, this is the perfect treat to series fans. With a level editor coming in this second iteration, it's looking to be a significant improvement over the already-impressive first title (check out our review). Until then though, Hotline Miami fans will have to find solace in the over-the-top violence of Machinima's latest.

What did you think of "Do You Like to Hurt People?" Would you be interested in seeing a feature adaptation of Hotline Miami?

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is targeting a release in late 2014 / early 2015 for PC, PS4, PS3 and Vita.

Follow Ryan on Twitter @ThatRyanB.

Source: Machinima