As was the case with its predecessor, Shank 2's cartoony visual style is immediately striking. It's essentially an interactive motion comic that is rich with color and personality. It was the best part of Shank, and it is also the best part of this sequel. Indeed, it is difficult to fault this game's graphics from any perspective; it's technically sound and artistically impressive. One of my gripes with the original game's visuals has been addressed: this is a much more violent game than the original. Blood sprays are much more prevalent, and the addition of dismemberments and gruesome finishing moves make Shank 2 a more animalistic experience than the game that came before it. Apart from the increased level of violence, Shank 2's visuals take an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach. And, well, Shank's visuals were most definitely not broken.

Shank 2 takes a good number of cues from the last installment, and that includes the sound. The bluesy guitar licks are back, complete with vengeance motif. The voice acting isn't great in terms of drama. Shank 2 takes place somewhere definitively South of the border, but you wouldn't know it from all the American accents. Thankfully, the sound effects combine with screams of pain to help elicit a Pavlovian response from the player.

Shank 2 opens up on a bus traveling in an unknown South American country that is controlled by an oppressive government. The militia stops the bus, robs the driver, and slaps Shank's booze out of his hand. Big mistake. No more than fifteen seconds later, you're carving and perforating these goons with your shanks and throwing knives. Eventually, Shank finds out that a longtime friend has been kidnapped by the militia. Shank 2's story manages to be even less comprehensible than that of the first game, which is a real shame; the worst part is that you're never given the proper motivation to deal painful death to nearly every person that appears on the screen.

Shank 2 plays almost exactly identically to Shank. It's still a two-dimensional side-scrolling action/platformer with a heavy emphasis on action. Shank has a good number of weapons to use, and he even has a few new tricks up his sleeve. The combat is improved, and is generally as varied as it was in Shank, but it still feels too button-mashy and haphazard. I suppose it has to be this way when the game throws so many enemies at once in your direction. It's less of a subtle art than it is a chaotic orgy of death. Some players will completely eat this up, but others will still note the lack of depth.

There's a new addition called Survival Mode. Yes, it deals with waves of enemies, but there's an added catch. It takes place in a trap-laden arena that features three supply stations. Your objective is to defend these supply stations from enemies. This can be tricky; some of them are simply out to kill you while the bombers are out to destroy the stations themselves. If a bomber plants a bomb, you have a short time to defuse it. The money you earn by killing enemies can be used to purchase consumables, weapons, and reinforcements. This mode doesn't address any of the combat shortcomings, but it's certainly fun.

Remember, Shank 2 has an awful lot in common with its older brother. That includes the difficulty level. The two difficulty levels are pretty much aptly-named, but most of the challenge comes from figuring out how to deal with so many enemies at a time. Strength in numbers is again the mantra of your foe; if you can isolate them, you stand a better chance of surviving. However, there are score-based rewards for taking out several at once. Certain environmental triggers (an exploding car, a mechanical press, etc.) can be used in your favor, as long as you know where to attack and where to position yourself.

Shank 2, like Shank, is a short game. There are eight levels, each of which go by quickly. It moves very quickly and doesn't take time to breathe, which means you'll be through it in no time. Unless you want to tackle the missions again on the harder difficulty, you probably won't want to return to Shank 2.

Quick attacks, heavy attacks, projectile attacks, grappling attacks, pouncing attacks. Just about everything that Shank was known for makes a return for Shank 2. So much, in fact, that sometimes you might fool yourself into thinking you're playing some lesser-known levels from the first game. As mentioned before though, there are a few improvements to the combat system that are well worth noting.

The most obvious of these improvements is the counterattack. Once you've sufficiently worn down an enemy, you can wait for him/her to launch an attack. Provided it's the right kind of attack, a "!" will appear over the enemy's head. Pressing the grab button (Right Trigger) will have Shank turn the enemy's weapon against them for a quick and brutal kill. There isn't much depth to this mechanic, but the option is certainly nice.

Another improvement is in the evasive maneuver. Dodging in Shank was a pain in the ass and usually didn't help much. Shank doesn't exactly fly across the screen this time around, but at least his dodges aren't a measly three feet. And it's all as easy as flicking the Right Analog Stick.

Shank 2 is a better game than Shank, but not by a whole lot. It's still very much an example of style over substance and doesn't offer enough depth for average action fans to really sink their teeth into. Combine that with the general brevity of the experience and we're still left with a game that is difficult to recommend to everyone.