So there i was, injured and low on ammo. The warehouse was huge and my every move echoed the sound, amplified it. I knew there were a few bad guys around the corner of the stack of pallets and I knew i was pretty much screwed. Double Berettas in my hands i take a deep breath before crouching and launching myself sideways into what could possibly be the last seconds of my life. It's like the next few moments were in slow motion. I took them by surprise, letting off volley after volley of shots hitting them in the shoulders, legs, and chest and as soon as the first one went down, i trained my sights on the next two. These went down just as easy as the first. It was almost as if i could see the bullets travel to their soft, fleshy destination. I took a deep breath and stood up, knowing that this is just the beginning. It's going to be a long day.

Following on from the stylish and immensely successful first game, Max Payne 2 drops you right in the action from the word go. Filling you in on the details between the last game and this, you wake up on a hospital gurney, blood soaked and confused. The story is told in the same way as last time; cool comic strip overlays with nicely acted voiceovers and it carries the story well. The story is also progressed by other characters in-game. You'll be walking through a level, come up to a door and hear voices. If you take the time to stop and listen, you'll be able to extract vital information this way before deciding that the next course of action is hot lead to the head. While subtle, it's used in great effect to make the world a much more vibrant place.

The now ubiquitous bullet time is back but no where else is it refined and used so well as the game that started it all into he mainstream. A quick tap of the button and everything slows down. The sound is deadened the beating of your heart is the main sound emanating from the speakers. Dodging bullets and making the bad guys dead has never been as easy or fun as it feels now. You can also perform a quick 'bullet dive' where the bullet time lasts for as long as you are in the air. Perfect for those stylish moves from behind a crate of round a corner.

You'll see familiar faces along the way such as Alfred Woden, Vladimir Lem and Chief Bravura. Not to mention Mona Sax who plays a pivotal role in this game, you'll have to play to find out what this is exactly but you do get to take control of her at some point along the way and all I’ll say is that it is a very very cool distraction to the main core. What?! If you want to know that bad, get the game! The characterisation shows how far we are coming in terms of storytelling in action games, while it may be a little cheesy and based on film noir detective flicks, the execution of the whole package is a huge step in the right direction.

The major element of gameplay that has been added for this sequel is good old real world physics. Well, not exactly real world but fun physics nonetheless. You can walk into a room, throw chairs around, kick cans to the other side of the room, shoot objects and see how they react; it's a fantastic addition which works better the more you play the game. You see, the more you play, the less you realise the physics reacting around you as it feels more and more as it should feel. Stick with me here. You'll be using this to your advantage at points in the game when you don't have to think about the properties of the objects around you.

Graphically the game is much improved over the first. Textures are sharper; animation is smoother and the details on characters faces just looks stunning. The slow motion movements look incredible, especially when you're treated to a small cut scene showing the bad guy being thrown back into a pile of boxes or shelves by the power and amount of bullets you put in him. This is one of those games which are just as fun to watch someone play as it is to play yourself. Weapon effects and fire are a notable improvement on the last game, it may sound like a small thing to report on but all the little improvements and refinements culminate in a great looking game.

The sound in Max Payne 2 is just as stylish as the rest of the game. Gunshots are satisfyingly explosive and the ambient sound effects all add to the mix. As said before, the vice acting is well above par (developers take note - if you want to add depth and immersiveness pay for a good storyline and decent voice actors!). Also those of us lucky enough to have a 5.1 setup will get the best out of the game. It really does sound fantastic with all the sounds swirling around you as you emerge out of a frantic bullet time moment back to real time. Overall, bar a few chuggy moments where there is a LOT of sound coming from multiple sources, the sound really is excellent.

If you're looking for a game to play for the next few months, you may be in for a slight letdown. I finished this game in around 10-11 hours, you will probably do better! I actually feel this is the perfect length for this type of game. If it drags on for 20+ hours the gameplay would get repetitive and the storyline bloated with extraneous information and confusing dragged out subplots. Once the game is completed, you can alter the difficulty level to your choosing and get a little extra gameplay time out of the game.

To sum Max Payne 2 up, it would be more of the best bits of the first game with some great new additions. Fans of the first game will lap this one up and it may even tempt some of those who didn't quite feel at home with the previous title. Once again, it has raised the bar with what we expect from third person action games and that can only be a good thing. Come on, developers, the challenge has been set.