Only World War II (and, to a certain extent, fears of a zombie apocalypse) outruns the Mob when it comes to saturation in popular culture. After the Godfather films (excluding the third) and its countless imitators, the Sopranos took over, and we’ve pretty much been gobbling up whatever bits of Mob-mania we can get our hands on.

Except, it seems, in games.

Personally, I enjoyed the first Godfather game, but it didn’t really blow me away. (It should be pointed out that the GTA series are themselves Mob games, but they are done in such a way to seem totally divorced from a ‘typical’ Italian mafia story).

So, enter Mafia II, the sequel to the well-received 2002 game. How does it stack up?

Respectfully.

Mafia II tells the story of Vito Scaletta, a World War II vet, injured in Italy, who’s ‘assisted’ in ditching the Army in 1945 by longtime friend and mobster Joe. From there on, Vito embarks on a conflicted quest for cash while also trying to keep his family protected.

What Mafia does best, here, is story and character. The game is deeply engrossing, sometimes surprisingly emotional, and at times it feels more like you’re playing through a tight, smart film than a game (in a good way).

Wonderfully, these are not goofy Italian stereotypes. They are all, in their own way, upstanding, interesting characters. In fact, I think this was the first time I really noticed the emotion playing across a video game character’s face as he spoke or acted on the screen.

Which is very, very good, because these are the guys (and some gals) you’re going to watch play out brutal, violent set pieces. They need to seem human (and well-acted) for the story to have any impact at all.

The set pieces themselves are great. The action is not over-the-top so much as seeming huge and intense.

The game runs into problems when you’re not partaking in a massive shootout or chase, though, as repetitive, mundane tasks will quickly leave you sighing.

Mafia II, while taking place in a remarkably detailed world, is not a sandbox game — which I initially mistook it for myself. Instead, it’s an extremely linear piece of storytelling. (There are a few achievements / trophies scattered about for some random non-quest things, like helping a woman fix her car). This in and of itself is not bad, since it’s a terrific story, but the underused Empire City is … well, seriously underused.

You can ignore exploring because, there are no secrets and no side missions. Yes, yes, there are some silly things like jacking cars and taking them to the scrapyard to sell. Or you can go buy a new suit. But that’s about it. The only actual activity for you to embark on is the main story.

Again, this in and of itself is not bad, but it feels strangely tragic that a game spanning from 1945-1951 in the belly of a massive, bustling metropolis has nothing for you other than the story missions.

PS3 gamers, at least, have DLC already ready for them. And 360 owners will have it soon.

Mafia II does certain things extremely well. The characters, the action, the voice acting and the story are pitch perfect. It does these things so well, in fact, that complaining about extras on the side seems a bit like whining.

Final Grade: B+

Mafia II is rated M for Mature and is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.