In the world of platform characters, Microsoft's Blinx was a momentary blip on the radar. Although the company had some cool ideas, the finished product didn't live up to expectations, resulting in a lot of disappointed gamers. However, the developers have listened to the complaints and crafted a sequel that thus far looks amazing. Enter Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space.

With Blinx 2, the phrase, "The more things change, the more they stay the same" really applies. Sure, there's a ton of new additions (Which I'll get to momentarily.), but the game's basics are intact. You can still play as Blinx, the fuzzy feline with the ability to manipulate time to his advantage, as well as suck up items with the Sweeper.

This time around, Blinx and his squad of cats are on a mission to defeat evil time monsters and their rivals, the pig gang, all the while trying to figure out why time is disappearing. It's a much more interesting idea than the original's, and it actually made me interested to find out how it all ends up.

Surrounding the solid gameplay mechanics and the story, Microsoft is adding a host of new improvements that should keep things interesting. For starters, you can customize the character you want to be, so you can pick a cat and change its color as well as clothing. Over 25 different characteristics can be adjusted in 100 different ways! Also, the Sweeper is much faster, so expect to suck up items at warp speeds, and you can auto-lock by pressing the left trigger, which comes in handy when trying to hit elevated targets. And if you thought the crystals were a pain in the first game, it may please you to hear that in Blinx 2, they can be collected in any order. Lastly, the game features an operator that occasionally pops up and provides hints, so getting lost shouldn't be a problem.

While all of these features are cool, the most interesting is the ability to play the game as the pigs. The levels take on a Splinter Cell tone, as you must sneak by well-armed cats in order to achieve a goal. The sneaky porkers can morph and control space, so it's possible to trap enemies with bottomless pits and transport past them using warp holes. Of course, when you're not altering space, you can still slide along walls and duck under trip wires. It's a neat gameplay addition that should give the game extended replay value and appease those of you looking to run-and-gun with Blinx or employ stealth tactics and slow the action down.

In addition to the single-player, Blinx 2 features multiplay. You can play through the story with a friend in co-op mode, as well as complete various two-player challenges. However, if you'd rather blow each other to smithereens, there's also a four-player battle mode.

Finally, if you thought the first Blinx looked good, you'll be pleased to know that the sequel is just as pretty. While Microsoft hasn't improved much, subtle changes with little things such as lighting go a long way into making it appear that Blinx 2 has been given a new coat of paint.

Ultimately, Blinx 2 is looking like what the first should've been, a fun adventure full of options and varied gameplay to keep us coming back for more. Set to release this November, Blinx 2 may be the title that really gets this franchise rolling, and may very well become the "cat's meow" of its respective genre.