God, how I love this game! For me, it was a real wake-up call to play the first Red Faction on PS2. I tried to love TimeSplitters but just wasn't feeling the depth I wanted. At this point, based on a sequel of each game hitting stores, you're wondering which way to jump. I personally think Red Faction II is much more compelling as a whole product, but most serious FPS fans will end up with both games on the shelf at home.

It's interesting that the graphics are only modestly improved over the first game, although different options for viewing your surroundings are available and lighting seems more dynamic. I suspect everything is running more smoothly, if only based on the demands of 4-Player, split-screen Deathmatch. Even in Single Player, I think Red Faction II has way more happening on screen than its predecessor. The action right from the beginning is frantic as hell, and when you get to a point where you can settle down and breathe, you'll notice how nice everything looks. More interesting use of vehicles and the scenery you'll take in as you pilot or rail-gun through a level is awesome. The dialogue through the game matches the visuals point for point, with incidental sound and enemy chatter that helps drive the story in a big way and immerse you in the game. Lots of creative sound design, killer weapon effects and pounding music takes things right over the top on a nice stereo system. But, as any audiophile will tell you, the PS2 falls short in its ability to really produce dynamic sound or any kind of real surround-sound.

Jumping into Red Faction II feels like picking up where the last game left off. The history of the mines and the revolt on Mars led to a smuggled bit of technology on Earth that allowed for the creation of 'super soldiers.' You step into the shoes of the man who eventually gave the nano-technology to Chancellor Sopot, leader of the new Republic of the Commonwealth. And as The Who said, 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.' Sopot decided he didn't trust his hyper-soldiers and ordered them all eliminated. You and 5 others escape the carnage and now are coming for Sopot, working with a rebel group known as Red Faction to assassinate the Chancellor. Instead of being an indentured miner who reluctantly takes up arms and becomes a hero, Red Faction II goes a little deeper to put you in the shoes of a fallen hero, fighting for his life against strong odds.

As with the first game, story is everything. Each little segment of the game plays out as scripted and you're far from a casual participant. Alias, the character you portray, has to cooperate with his team members, covering them during gun fights and supporting them when needed. Neatly done, the squad members are far from dumb AI bots. Each will realistically support you and provide cover or get you through tricky areas. Each member has a unique talent and will be instrumental in accomplishing mission objectives. It's not so much that you have any direct control over your team, but having them as part of the action is awesome. And, those special qualities each member possesses really come out in the Multiplayer modes. With a seriously upgraded Multiplayer offering, Red Faction II goes toe to toe with any of the FPS games on console right now in trying to offer the best of both worlds. I think it's clear that surpassing Unreal or Quake at the arena-style FPS is going to be damn near impossible, and nothing seems likely to dethrone Deus Ex as the FPS with the deepest and most engaging storyline. But, at a midpoint between insanely good action and great story, Red Faction II does a really nice job.

6 Multiplayer modes including Arena, Capture the Flag and the expected Deathmatch stand alongside Bagman and Regime Mode. Bagman is just a pickup mode, and gives 'left him holding the bag,' new meaning. Regime is locked in the beginning, just one of the many earned options. Bots can be set up and saved in Red Faction II, customized to perfection and turned loose on the Multiplayer arena. Profiles for players can also be saved individually, allowing you to take advantage of specials you unlock while playing. This goes for Single Player mode also, and special actions called 'Heroics' can earn you one of three endings. Echos of Deus Ex there, eh? The experience put together is a great one for gamers who want quick and hard action, but does a lot for folks like me who respond better when there's some depth or story driving all the insanity.

I mentioned this felt like it was picking up where the last game left off, and I think that creates some problems in the challenge level you'll find initially. Weapons are explained in the manual and a help system walks you through some of the more difficult areas, but enemies are fast and strong and take a lot of skill to knock down. For those who beat the first game, and have maybe played an FPS or 2 in the last year, Red Faction II, will still feel like a decent challenge. No attempt seems to have been made to cut back and make this sequel easy and approachable for novice gamers. It's a bad thing from one perspective, but as someone who loves playing a good FPS even against some strong odds, the challenge is welcome. If you're easily squashed and haven't had luck finding a game that offers a gradual learning curve in this genre, try Deus Ex or the first Red Faction game.

The highlight in this category would have to be the support for keyboard and mouse! You are now able to fully customize the controls, use the DUALSHOCK if you like or bust out the USB mouse and keyboard and set things up as you like them. The availability of more vehicles is great, along with the fact that the levels you play through in vehicles are much more substantial than in the first game. I like the inventory control options, like the toggle option for putting new weapons you pick up in your hands versus in your inventory. A neat feature in this category lets you pick the order of priority you'd like to give weapons, affecting how they appear when you cycle through your inventory/armory. Also, incendiary weapons like grenades can be left off the list entirely so you don't get them mixed up with the others. Perhaps the neatest control feature - and it's a small one - is that when you grab two guns you fire them by pressing L1 and R1, each button controlling one gun. In the event that you're really trying to cause some damage, you can cut loose with a steady stream from 2 Uzis, or pick enemies off with one gun while you reload the other. The realism added by this control scheme is the biggest payoff, really. With single weapons, L1 is often mapped to a secondary attack, like the grenade-launcher/rifle combo weapon. And yes, the rail driver is back, taking advantage of the awesome GeoMod game engine. If you're just approaching Red Faction for the first time, you'll be thrilled by the fact that walls are destructible. Find yourself stuck at a dead-end? Make yourself a wall. Troubled by that locked door and no time to make yourself a key? Blow it down. A simple hint system that can be turned on or off helps to introduce features like this to newcomers.

Singing all the praises of Red Faction II would take me days. For my money, if you only have the time to play one game in this genre right now, Red Faction II is the one. For the combination of story, solid control and great graphics, it stands head and shoulders above its competition. The difficulty in Single Player can sometimes be daunting, but if you could hang through the first game, you'll have no problem seeing the credits roll this time around. And you'll feel damn good when they do roll. Factor in the multiplayer action, and this game just gets better. But don't take my word for it; go buy yourself a copy and join the revolution.