Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox)

MAX PAYNE 2 bills itself as a "film noir love story." Twisted by a world of corruption, Max is a cop who doesn't really have anyone to trust, even himself. Max finds himself in a hospital, badly wounded and hallucinating about things of the recent past --primarily fixated on his obsession with Mona, the femme fatale of the game. Much of the plot is revealed in comic-book style cut scenes with voiceovers narrating the text.

Even with some attention to a storyline, much of the game is about the fancy shooting. Max Payne 2, along with a multitude of recent games, offers a slow-motion option, which puts you at an advantage against your foes, and makes for some "cool" looking shooting moves.

Although definitely not for kids, Max Payne 2 is a step above most first-person shooting games. The story is dark and intriguing, almost like a novel, with a richer plot than most first-person shooters. Nonetheless, with a wide collection of guns, and the now almost ubiquitous slow-motion shooting, the game is a shooter at heart.

Other considerations include the mature sexual themes and the level of strong language. There isn't any nudity, but several audio segments sound like they are lifted from a porn movie. In a new twist on "media integration," some of the ads and shows on fake TVs are linked to elements within the game, including some ads for a phone sex line and a "late-night" porn show. The glorification of violence, sexual content and profanity provides little chance for kids to compare and contrast "morality," but does offer yet another chance to "empty another clip."