When the first Mafia game came out, it pushed technology and graphical quality in an open-world game to the absolute limit. It provided immersion into the world it set out to create better than most games — period. The sequel to Mafia is poised for an astounding repeat of the successes of the first game.

I was able to spend a good half hour with a playable Xbox 360 demo, and I was blown away by the rich experience it provided. First, I started in what I assume was my character’s home. The detail in this interior environment alone is impressive. The home felt lived in. There were several food items in the fridge I could choose to eat and even an interactive period Playboy sitting on my counter. After taking in the carefully crafted interiors, I walked my character out the front door. Instantly, I was drawn into the game world with full immersion.

Mafia II takes place in a fantasy late 1940s American city. The atmosphere of that period was perfectly replicated using period cars and popular colors of the time. Bright pink and deep greens of the cars going by help set the tone and provide plenty of eye candy. The ambient nonplayer characters were animated so realistically that I felt I was walking through a thriving neighborhood.

I walked my character to his garage, where apparently all of his collected cars will be stored. This is maintained by having a separate interface for choosing a particular car. Then I set off for the mission. Driving was a delight and a challenge. The control of the car had a realistic feeling to it but is in no way a driving simulation. Having that bit of a challenge made it very rewarding when I would pull off a successful drift around a corner without destroying my vehicle. However, if you do destroy your car, there is now the ability to get out and repair the engine by pressing and holding a button. On the other hand, you could just bash the window in of another car then hotwire it.

After I saw my fill of the gorgeous Empire City, I hit up the mission marker and start the action part of the demo. Right at the start of the mission, I was manning a window-mounted machinegun and mowing down bad guys on the street. The recoil, sound effects and bullet holes in the car make the machinegun feel extremely powerful. After clearing the street, my character — along with a couple of other Mobster types — made our way into a building. The banter along the way is clever and gives a feeling of spontaneity. I quickly discovered that my character’s hit points are fairly realistic. I was only able to take two or three well-placed shots. I picked up a shotgun from a dead baddie, and that weapon kicks like a mule! The animation throwing me back a bit made wielding the shotgun a lot of fun.

This building turned out to be a liquor factory of some sort. Being that I was surrounding by highly flammable alcohol, the place quickly turned into an inferno after some genius threw a Molotov cocktail at me and missed by a long shot. The lighting and level design of this area was brilliant. Upstairs, I run into an unfamiliar character during a cutscene, and of course, he ends up being shot. The voice acting and performance animation is believable and top-notch.

After escaping the burning building, I evaded the scene of the crime and was chased by the coppers. They cornered me with a road block on a bridge, a seemingly impassable situation. Then the demo faded to black, and I was left wondering the outcome. The production values on this game push technology, art, storyline and gameplay to the absolute peak of what is available today. I cannot wait to begin immersing myself in Empire City and the story of the Mob’s struggle during this time period. Fortunately, I won’t have to wait long as Mafia II is set to release on multiple platforms on Aug. 24 of this year.