Vito may be a gangster, but his heart’s in the right place. After his father dies and his mother is left struggling to pay the bills, he takes a few odd jobs with certain…connected people. He’s kind of like The Sopranos’ Christopher Moltisanti — except without the extreme narcissism and drug habit.

Such is the foundation for Mafia II, the long-(loooooong)-in-the-works sequel to the 1930s mob tragedy that pulled off big-city gameplay way back when nobody outside of Rockstar North could. An Xbox port arrived in 2004, but it showed up with bullet holes in its pinstriped suit.

This time around, Mafia spans the decade of the 1950s, is set in a fictional Manhattan-esque metropolis, and follows Vito and pal Joe through their mob lives. And though it’s set in a huge, open city, “We’re not making a sandbox game,” claims producer Denby Grace. “Ultimately, [it’s] about a strong, linear narrative.”

Sure, you’ll do plenty of driving around — we saw both casual cruising and a car chase in action — but really, it’s all about the story. In fact, we’re told the script is 700 pages long! Based on our demo mission, which was peppered with a slew of short cutscenes, we’re inclined to believe them.

Arriving at the Empire Arms hotel, Vito and Joe leave young and jittery getaway driver Marty in their car and head inside, intent on reaching a meeting room on one of the upper floors where a mob boss is set to have a gathering. It’s here that a “message” can be “sent” (that’s murder in mob-speak).

Slipping into maintenance workers’ uniforms in the basement, Vito and Joe sneak up the elevators, walk into the Mafioso-filled room, and lay wires that are actually leads for the bomb. Moving up to the roof — where they’re greeted by two mobsters spitting over the side who must be gunned down — they take the window-cleaner lift down to the floor where the meeting is. Rigging the explosives, they begin to move up and out of the way, but the bomb triggers prematurely, killing many guys but not their target. As Vito and Joe enter through the blown-out windows, a firefight ensues, showing off the incredible destruction 2K Czech’s game engine allows. Bullets do as much damage to the surrounding environment as they do to people, breaking glass, shredding furniture, and puncturing paintings.

Vito and Joe’s new goal is merely to survive, as they become the targets, chased out of the hotel by the rival family. Reaching their getaway car, they find Marty executed. They escape after a thrilling driving sequence, and then the word of the day becomes “escalation.” Between Vito’s failed hit and your rivals’ murder of Marty, one thing is certain: more mobsters are going to die. Is it bad that we’re excited about that?