Have you ever been watching a disturbingly violent and grotesque movie and thought to yourself, “this is awful, I can’t believe I’m watching this?” And have you ever, at the same time, been thinking somewhere in the back of your head, “this is so cool?” For all of you sickos answering yes to that question, this game is for you. Headlined with gratuitous violence and raunchy, over-the-top humor, “Postal 2” is the controversial sequel to the worldwide hit.

In the spirit of censorship, the PC game’s grand entrance did not come without a fight. According to developer’s Running With Scissors website, “Postal 2” has been banned in more than 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, which ironically brought us the infamous Grand Theft Auto series. In addition, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut condemned “Postal 2” by placing the game a rank above Marilyn Manson and Calvin Klein ads in a list of “The Three Worst Things in America.”

Even the U.S. Post Office had its panties in a bunch over the release of the game. Its D.C.-based law firm filed a suit against Running With Scissors, claiming they have no right to trademark the word “postal” for use in a video game. Even several independent retailers are refusing to put “Postal 2” on their shelves.

Wisely, in response to the irate public and angered organizations, Vince Desi, the game’s chief designer, draws attention to the game’s tag line. It reads, “It’s only as violent as you are.” He couldn’t have said it better.

The beauty of the gameplay lies in its open-ended nature. In spite of all the killings, maiming, and explosions that can be achieved throughout the game, surprisingly one can complete the objectives in the vast, non-linear game world virtually bloodshed-free. You play as “Postal Dude,” a cranky, irritated young man who must complete various routine tasks that his “Bitch” (the actual name of the character) instructs him to do. Along the way, you encounter partially interactive characters with whom you can converse or choose to kill – it’s all up to you. In essence, one can play as a pacifist or an “ultra-violent dude.”

Despite boasting the use of Unreal’s renowned Warfare Engine, the graphics and physics model are mediocre at best, with sporadic moments of well-conceived visual effects and settings. The most impressive of these effects is the “rag-doll” model used for the game’s populace. Unlike most games where death is scripted and unvaried, the corpses in “Postal 2” respond realistically to kicks, bullets and explosions in a manner similar to a rag doll.

Also, the in-game sound follows well with the disturbing nature of the gameplay. With almost no music and seemingly non-stop shrills of death, pain and cars blowing up, “Postal 2” pushes the limit. The voice acting is crude, but at the same time humorous in some perverse way.

And even though the game isn’t aspiring to win any Oscars, the designers should have put more effort into creating at least semi-realistic dialogues. You will often find yourself baffled when talking to characters as they tend to say the same thing over and over, and often times make absolutely no sense with random outbursts of meaningless gibber.

And unlike most games’ unsegmented environment, expect to spend half your time twiddling your thumbs waiting for sections of the game world to load.

But what the game lacks in superficial qualities, it makes up for in sheer entertainment. In today’s modern gaming society where flashy graphics sell copies, creating fun games has become somewhat of a lost art form. If anything positive can come out of this game it is that it breaks from the norm of recent game titles and places enjoyment over everything else. That is, if you happen to enjoy incinerating helpless marching bands (you sick, sick people). And if you happen to get bored of the pre-made levels, the game includes Unreal’s illustrious level editor where you can set up and incinerate your very own, user-made marching band.

There are plenty of surprises in store too, including – and I don’t want to give them all away – Gary Coleman’s cameo appearance (and he is bad-ass!).

Still, a steep price tag of $49.95 should make you think twice about purchasing this game. The novelty of pointless violence wears off much quicker than the $50 investment would lead you to believe. So if you’re the kind of person who laughed when Bambi’s mom got shot, or cheered when DiCaprio finally froze on that stupid piece of ice in “Titanic,” I highly recommend this game. Otherwise, buyer beware.

But don’t take it from me. Running with Scissors wants you to remember, “It’s always funny until someone gets hurt…and then it’s absolutely friggin’ hysterical!”