Mafia II shoots stuff up

It's an obvious parallel, but games giant 2K owns Rockstar who make GTA, and this is a Godfather game in all but expensive licence. So Mafia II = GTA meets The Godfather. But that's no bad thing: both are brands of considerable artistic weight and this sequel to 2002's smash hit's a no brainer.

So welcome to forties and fifties America, and the burgeoning crime empire of Vito Scaletta in Empire Bay – a kind of San Francisco/New York/Chicago hybrid. Vito grows his influence and infamy via the usual route of joining a crime family and taking missions requiring driving to a venue, shooting shit up and killing folks. But it all looks very tastily done, and should be a strong contender for your Christmas readies. On the expected PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 formats.