At the Game Developers Conference 2010 in San Franciso, I got to try the Xbox 360 version of Mafia II from 2K Games. The level I played was about 60 percent into the game, so I didn’t have the luxury of playing a tutorial, learning the ropes or knowing the backstory from playing the beginning of the game. And since I hadn’t played the original Mafia, I must confess I wasn’t exactly good at what I was doing. Despite my lack of skill, though, the bit of Mafia II that I got to play was rather enjoyable.

In Mafia II, you play as Vito, who has returned from World War II and is trying to make a name for himself with the Mob on the streets of Empire Bay. The game takes place between 1945 and 1955. You play in on open-ended map with about 50 available vehicles, weapons from the original game and new ones from WWII, and licensed music from the time period.

During the bit I played, I started in Joe’s place. Joe is a friend of Vito and is also trying to become a made man. I like to explore my surroundings in games, so I started by checking out the apartment. The graphics were easy on the eyes and seemed to fit the era well, and I found I could interact quite a bit with my environment. I like checking the contents of refrigerators in real life, so I did the same in the game. I took the liberty of grabbing myself a virtual beer out of the virtual fridge and drinking it before doing anything else. Once I got Vito changed into some clothes, I headed into the world.

Luckily, there was someone going around helping us with the game, and he told me to head to the garage to find a car. Cars in Mafia II handle differently depending on the car. I chose one that seemed decent enough and started driving to my destination, which was plainly shown on the map. I was quite pleased with the map and the fact that it showed me where I needed to go very clearly. I hate getting lost. Getting lost wasn’t my problem, though. I quickly discovered that I was a serious danger — to myself and others — when driving in Mafia II.

Granted, this was a level further into the game, and if I started from the beginning, I’d have gone through a tutorial and done much better. However, for the time being, I had only my mediocre skills. I kept hitting other cars and driving on sidewalks. I was told (but didn’t see) that some cars in the game will randomly get in accidents without your intervention. It’s good to know I’m not the only one dealing damage.

Hitting other cars and driving like a maniac may not be an issue in many games, but in Mafia II, there’s a police system. And although cops were dialed down for the demo, I still managed to find them everywhere. And hit their police cruisers with my car. I hit so many cars and various objects that I ended up restarting my mission. And then I proceeded to hit another cop car. Sheesh. I didn’t feel like restarting the mission yet another time, so I just fled the scene and eventually got away. One thing I did notice quickly was that any damage I did to my car stuck. In Mafia II, your cars will be damaged. You’ll also be able to fix them, though, and upgrade them.

I finally made it to my destination. I was rewarded with a cutscene that looked remarkably like gameplay. It’s been said that the developers created cutscenes with the game engine in real-time, and I liked that cutscenes didn’t take away from the flow of the game. In this particular cutscene, a truck was set on fire, which resulted in me being chased a bit.

After awhile playing Mafia II, I finally got better at driving. It became easier to maneuver the car, and I discovered that I could set the car to obey the speed limit, which helped to keep the cops off my back a bit. Eventually, I got to a gun battle.

And what a battle it was. This gunfight was long and arduous. I’m guessing it’s because it is toward the end of the game. I like shooter games, so I was excited to get to some gunplay. I was told that this particular fight was made a bit easier for the demo, and that was fine with me. It still wasn’t that easy. In Mafia II, during gunfights, you have to take cover. If you don’t, you’ll die. Quickly. I did. But, after the one death, I learned and started taking cover as I took out bad guys and moved forward. I picked up and used various weapons and killed as many members of the rival gang as possible. As I did so, my own men cheered and commented on my excellent marksmanship (even if I did take five shots to kill someone). It was quite satisfying shooting the enemy and pushing them steadily back, but I hope that the final version of Mafia II will let me play shorter fights earlier in the game. I’m sure it will.

Mafia II is rated M. The M rating is definitely warranted; besides the Mob storyline with crime and killing and craziness, you’ll also be able to find 50 Playboy magazines from the era hidden throughout the game. There’s still some polish and finish that needs to be done with Mafia II, but if you liked the first Mafia and want to experience what it’s like to rise in the ranks of the Mob, Mafia II hits stores Aug. 27.