So when the false notes hit in my test drive, they are pretty glaring. Why am I rewarded with classic Playboy pin-ups for completing a mission? Thumb up for the period color, I suppose, but it's a little unnecessary. The dialog seems to be more appropriate for HBO than a Sinatra era bunch of wiseguys, but maybe there was just as much casual vulgarity in the 1940s as there is in the 2000s. It still sounds weird. Smashing up period cars is a great pleasure, but these boats seem remarkably durable and functional after smashing through some lightposts.

The big question is whether this Family story can rise above the pseudo-Godfather cheese that gamers have come to expect from mafia themed games. After a while they all start to blur together. Minor player rises to power within organized crime, beating people to death along the way. We know little of the story details in Mafia 2, but they promise more small scale mayhem instead of bloody mass shootouts. 2k has already promised hours of cutscenes (be still my heart) but the game will stand or fall based on how invested you are in the actions you perform. We'll have more on Mafia 2 as its development continues.