Mafia II

With a narrative focus similar to, say, Uncharted, missions tend to be scripted in a way that doesn't spoil the flow. But while it's fair to say that most of us have done pretty much everything in the game a thousand times over, this mechanical familiarly doesn't spoil the overall enjoyment one bit. Mafia II seems destined to succeed for a few key reasons.

Firstly, there's an acute intent to design the game to be fun, and to veer away from irritating the player. It's a game that feels like it's meant to be both interesting and fun at every turn. When you're just ambling around the streets on foot there's always something intriguing going on, always something to catch your eye. It's a great choice for the gaming tourist who just likes to suck in the atmosphere, whether you're in-mission or just ambling around trying on some new threads.

Crucially, there's a great sense of pace that makes the story feel like a reward, and a welcome break from the intensity of the action. The narrative genuinely adds to the sense of progression without becoming overbearing or wallowing in faux grandiosity. Despite the reported 700-page script, cut-scenes never seem to outstay their welcome. Missions don't sprawl, meander, or focus on one thing for too long. Mafia II may not end up being a 60 hour epic but it'll be all the better for it. 2K Czech keeps things concise, and pulls every trick to keep you playing on.

For detail-minded folk, the things that really endear you to a game like this are often the little things, like the advertising hoardings, the architecture and the endless tiny period touches that really suck you into the world. To add to this ambient authenticity, over 100 licensed songs from the era make their way into the game, including iconic post-war songs from legends like Muddy Waters, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin and a long list of stars.

The keen eared among you, though, will notice that many of the songs featured (notably Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran) didn't even come out until years after the game's '45-'55 setting. Hearing about "the great rock 'n' roll sound" while you're driving around in 1951 is enough to warp the space-time continuum of popular music itself, and is bound to irk the music historians among us.

If you can bring yourself to rise above such levels of pedantry, Mafia II promises to finally deliver on the rich promise of the original. With an involving narrative married to tightly scripted action, there's an intensity that marks it out as something very special indeed. Whether the full package will be as good as the preview build suggests remains to be seen, but I wouldn't bet against it.