FEEL THE 'PAYNE'.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio Staff Writer

The original ``Max Payne'' introduced fans to the tormented mind of Detective Max Payne, one of the few antiheroes that no one really wants to be like. It was a game that offered players a peek into a man's personal Hades, a place rife with guns, nightmares and the shrieks of a murdered wife and baby.

The first game let you in. And now, ``Max Payne 2'' gives you the grand tour.

Instead of an overhauled control scheme or a heaping load of new visual gimmicks, this sequel focuses on character, using all of the elements of the game to create a story that draws you into a fictional depression - but finds a way to make it entertaining.

All of the changes are subtle and are meant to convey the feeling that poor Max's demons have gotten stronger.

Let's start with the Max Payne theme music. Gone are the timid piano key strikes in the first game. Now we have the bolder sounds of a wailing cello, transforming the theme from something sad into a legitimate day- darkener.

Then we have the story, which starts with Max waking up in a hospital. The game immediately plunges you into the first of many dream sequences, which are the best part of the game. Voices ranging from simple conversational excerpts to the gasps of a woman echo and dart in from every possible angle (especially nerve-racking with surround sound). Visually, anyone who has ever had a dream can relate to the blurred scenery and how you seem to swim slowly from one place to the next. Hallways are stretched to impossible lengths, and Max will run into pitch-black areas more than once.

Few games appreciate the true nature of nightmares the way this one does - Max's stuff won't scare you to death, but it will make you think, ``Dude, this guy is messed up. Glad I'm not him.''

The game's exploits in the real world have a ton of entertainment value as well.

The general game-play remains the same. The signature ``bullet time'' feature returns, which means plenty of the slow-motion gunplay that fans grew to love in the first chapter. The only thing new with this is that Max now does a Chow Yun-Fat-inspired spin when he reloads.

Max also has a new playable pal, Mona Sax. Fans will remember Mona from the first game - in which she apparently died. She's alive and shooting here, which means more issues for Max. The game gives the two characters overlapping tasks: At one point, Mona will have to cover Max with a sniper rifle while he tries to infiltrate a building. She also gets to jump into a burning structure and rescue our hero from the flames.

Adding splendid atmosphere to Mona's missions are Max's voice-overs. They pile on the pressure, especially when you hear Max say stuff like, ``For the first time in a long while ... I didn't wish to die.'' While playing as Mona, you hear this line while scrambling to find a place to cover Max, who is pinned down by gun-toting bad guys who will eventually take him out if you're not fast enough. It's a chilling moment.

There is also plenty of nonchilling humor in the game. No matter where you are, someone always leaves the TV on, and the mock shows are hilarious. Fans will remember ``Lords and Ladies,'' but also get treated to a ``Shaft'' parody as well as ``Address Unknown,'' which is loosely based on the first ``Max Payne.''

Some of the missions themselves are funny. One mission has Max fending off gunmen trying to kill a mobster dressed in a giant costume of a cartoon character. Hearing the words ``Get me the (expletive) out of here!'' from someone with big, squeaky shoes adds some silliness to an otherwise gloomy tale.

Fans also get to hear the conversations between dwelling gunmen that cover everything from someone's date last night to the finer points of ``Address Unknown.''

The main problem I see with the game is the same one lots of people had with the last one - its length. Lots of people thought the first installment was way too short. I didn't find ``Max Payne 2'' to be much longer. At the same time, I didn't feel that more was needed. Max Payne's world isn't the kind of place where you need to spend a lot of time. It carries all the joy of a morgue, but it's also one of the more captivating stories you'll find on any system.

And as far as length goes, there's an old show-biz adage: Leave 'em wanting more.

MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE - Three and one half stars

Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox.

Price: $49.99.

Rated: M for Mature.

In a nutshell: The world of Max Payne and his resurrected pal Mona may be depressing, but be prepared for some of the best storytelling and game-play available.

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