Battle Japanese Yakuza as Mafia Wars goes East

We were mightily impressed by Digital Chocolate's last mobster game, Scarlotti's Mafia Wars 2, so news that it's soon to be followed up had us throwing horse-heads around with gay abandon.

Mafia Wars Yakuza is a departure though, taking the series East to Japan, where a host of gangster clans are duffing each other up to win control of the cities.

You're pitched into the heat of the action, armed only with a sharp sword and... what's this, guns? Yes, these are mobsters, not ninjas, so big guns are very much part of the gameplay.

The Story mode sees you playing Kenichi 'White Dragon' Kuroshi, taking on waves of enemies and some huge end-of-level bosses.

Don't think this is just Mafia Wars with Japanese backdrops though. Digital Chocolate has overhauled the gameplay to provide more hectic action, rather than the occasionally pedestrian 'shoot someone, wander for a bit, shoot someone else' gameplay of previous versions.

There's also a Tower Of Destiny mode, which offers, we're promised, almost endless gameplay (that is waves and waves of enemies until either you die, or your phone's battery does).

Mafia Wars Yakuza comes out in October, so click "Track It!" to receive a bloody reminder when we review it. Well, an email.