the moment to moment of the game - pounding beats, hyper-violence, video nasty grime - still absolutely kicks ass, but this game suffers a little for its lack of focus in compared to the original. that even extends to the level design, where everything is huger than it was before and you spend a lot of time getting blown away by enemies you can't see.

the plot is much more ambitious than the original game and i really like some of the individual moments. it's got that claustrophobic feel of encroaching violence, ready to explode at any moment, while still being fundamentally an exploitation flick thriller.

i could rate this lower, because playing it is a frustrating experience, but the truth is that if you put enough stuff i like in a game i'll forgive you for some weird flaws or frustrations. and this game has a lot of stuff i like in it!