Customer Reviews

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Max Payne exploded onto the scene in 2001 with innovative gameplay using the 'Bullet-time' special effect that made 1999's hit 'The Matrix' so amazing. Incorporating that effect strategically into gameplay was unquestionably difficult, but it was done so well that Max Payne became an instant classic with its noir, indie-movie style story told through 'Graphic Novel' interface, which is basically comic book inspired images with real actors and some great voice-overs. Max Payne 2 retains all those features and more in this new and excellent installment.

Gone is Max Payne's infamous 'scrunchie face' or 'constipation face' from the original. He also talks in metaphors alot less than he used to. All characters have been completely redesigned and are more life-like than ever, with fully animated facial features. The new AI system allows some people to fight along side you, which can really help in a jam. Since the AI is good, you won't find yourself on the receiving end of your computer allies' gunfire too often. As you progress, the enemy AI adapts to your tactics, which keeps you on your toes.

Bullet-Time is better than ever, and the death scenes in this game never cease to entertain. Many people complain to no end about the 'ragdoll physics' on the bodies, which basically means that the dead bodies flail into extreme positions, like a ragdoll stunt double would in a movie. While these physics can be a bit silly (and at times glitchy), I personally think they make for some very entertaining death scenes. At some points, when you defeat a crucial enemy or the last enemy in the area, the camera will pan around in slow-motion and show you the death. Since the ragdoll physics apply to many other objects, watching your dead enemies fall into a pile of 2x4's, sending them flying all over the place, is very entertaining.

The story in this game is just as good, if not better than the first game. The new, haunting soundtrack is also excellent and sets the mood of the game perfectly. Voice-acting even seems to be vastly improved over the first game, even though the first game had great voice acting to begin with. The characters all have their own distinct personalities, and the game was just a blast to play.

The game isn't short, but you could probably rip through it in about 8-12 hours of actual gameplay. Alternate gameplay modes open up when you beat the game, adding replay value. Overall, Max Payne 2 is an excellent game that is well worth the money. The action-packed and dramatic gameplay sequences, great story-telling and music will keep you glued to your screen until the very end. Definitely a sequel that lives up to and even surpasses the original.

In 2001, Rockstar Games released MAX PAYNE, an instant hit that raised the bar for video gaming excellence (which was done two more times by Rockstar with GRAND THEFT AUTO III and GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY). Now, with MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE, they have once more raised the bar. Video gaming has reached a whole new level, beyond the primitive shoot 'em up games of the early 80's; with MAX PAYNE 2, they are now works of art.

STORY: Fresh from his adventures in the original game, NYPD detective Max Payne once again ventures into the darkest regions of the New York underworld when his old flame, Mona Sax, returns. Throw Sax in with problems at work, a murder attempt on one of Max's "friends", and a cleaning company with guns, and you've got a serious problem on your hands.

GAMEPLAY: [9/10] Very, very fun. Just as successful in letting out your anger as GTA III or the original MAX PAYNE. Movement is strong and graceful, even as the dead bodies fly; fans of the original game will jump with joy when they discover "Bullet Time" (the bullet dodging seen in films like THE MATRIX and those of Johh Woo) is still here.

DESIGN: [9/10] The sets in which the game take place are excellent. They perfectly capture the feeling of murkiness associated with the underworld. Dark, dank, and very unpleasant.

GRAPHICS: [9.5/10] Excellent. Hardly any problem at all. The figures are great and lifelike, Rockstar's best design yet. I didn't have any problems whatsoever. Nearly flawless.

SOUND: [8/10] Very good. You might wish for some more power or realism in the gunshots and explosions every once in a while, but the overall sound is very satisfying.

LENGTH: [8/10] The game's a little short, and those of you excellent gamers out there will get so hooked you might finish it before the day ends.

DIFFICULTY: [8/10] Some levels are fun and very enjoyable, others are wall-punchingly hard. (Is that a new one - "wall-punchingly"?)

OVERALL: [9/10] An extraodinary game. Think of it is as a modern day "Casablanca" meets "Goodfellas" meets "A Better Tomorrow". In fact, MAX PAYNE 2 is more of an interactive film than a video game. Movie buffs will love it, and gamers will cherish it. One of Rockstar's best yet.

Max Payne 2 is easily one of the most entertaining and visually beautiful games of 2003. With a combination of a non-linear story, vast visuals, a wide array of weapons for gameplay, and one of the greatest in game features-bullet time-this is easily a must by. Let's rate it.

Graphice: The graphics in Max Payne 2 ar wonderful and beautifully put together. The charcaters are no longer scaned giving them a real-life look but rather graphically created which at first dissapointed me but I soon came to love them. Though unless you have some of the latest softwar you will need to set the standerds for gameplay on low setting: this does not take away from the overall game as it is still sound on the lowest of settings.

Sound: The sound in the game matches perfectly for all of the happenings around you. From opening closets and doors to shooting a Desert Eagel through glass it matches perfectly. The same goes with the character voices.

Story: The story in the Max Payne series is anything but linear. It does not flow in order as a normal game would but rather takes you on one path a few days before, then your partners path, then what is happening right now, then back to the gameplay. Do you see what I mean. The story it self is very sound though some might be turned down by the on going love-hate relationship. The story has twists, turns, betrayls, murder, love, friendship, and, who could forget, a gun.

Gameplay: The gameplay is were Max Payne gets its glory. Between the endless onslaught of your enemy. The massive arsenal that you carry which, I believe, is over 15 including Gernades, Machine guns, Dual-Pistols, and Automatic Shotguns. Oh, and one more thing, did I mention that you can go Matrix-style and freeze time so that Max can fire bullets quicker and dog them as well?

The Good:
-A wonderful story.
-Beautiful graphices.
-A top-of-the-line bullet time system.

The Bad:
-Game/story is too short.
-Might not be able to get the best gameplay with an old computer.
-Can become a little tricky in some parts in the game without a little bit of practice and luck.

The Ugly:
-Once again, too short of a story in my mind.

Overall:
-Graphics: 8/10
-Sound: 9/10
-Story: 8/10
-Gameplay: 9/10

Being a big fan of the original "Max Payne" (for playstation2) - I decided that I didn't want to wait for the console version of this new game so I decided to pick it up for the PC. What a fantastic decision.

Max Payne 2 is a wonderful combination of shoot'em up action, a convincing storyline, and oustanding graphics on a very stable engine. This game is constant fun. Bullet time is better than ever and the weapon selection is superb. Plenty of bad guys to kill and plenty of difficulty options for the more experienced gamers. There is also a nice variety in the gameplay by switching characters, going from close quarter battles to open field sniper battles and so on...

One of my favorite things about this game is how well it runs. I have a 1.7ghz Athlon, 768 SDram, 64 DDR Geforce 4 MX 440 and the game runs flawlessly. Ready to go out of the package. Some people have said that the game is too short, well I can't comment on that because I'm not through it yet, I'm on Part III.

In conclusion, if you like games that are heavy on action, heavy on storyline and are fun as hell, than you've found your game.

"The Final Countdown"
GRAPHICS: 9/10
GAMEPLAY: 9/10
STORYLINE: 8/10
SOUND: 9/10

OVERALL: 4.5 Stars / 5
Go Get this game!!!!!

I'm sad that this game was so fantastic, got good critical reviews, and yet noone bought it.

The reason noone bought it, in my opinion, was that it wasn't stupid enough to get word of mouth with your average moronic teenager; it was too subtle and too clever; and the humor went over their heads.

The game was made by Remedy in Europe, where adolescents still have brains.

The graphics are fantastic. The levels are fun. The voice acting is top-notch. The plot is self-consciously beyond cheesy film-noir; it's postmodern, in a way. It's that that the kids didn't get.

If you've played it: how can forget the funhouse? Wow! Or as Mona in the building rushing to save Max?

Man this was/is a good game.

What a super game. Best thing in the bargain bin.

I hope they don't dumb-down MP3 to make sure they have lots of sales, but I sure bet they will.

No, I don't know what that term means, but considering it's been used in both games, and it sounds cool aside, why not?

I loved the first game with its gritty, gunslinging, crime-noir approach to gaming, but this time around, Remedy knocked it clear outta the park. They managed to keep all the good parts of the original, and they completely fixed up everything I didn't care for.

For instance--bullet time now refills itself automatically. You can't imagine how much difference that makes when you're facing down a building full of Russian gangsters. Another thing--Max doesn't look like he's fighting a constipation-induced migraine anymore while wondering "What smells in here?" That weird look on his face always ruined it for me in the first one. Now, he kinda looks like Bruce Campbell, but believe me, that's a major improvement.

The story's more twisted than a corkscrew factory, to use the game's vernacular. It starts with one murder, then escalates into assassination attempts, corrupt cops, gang wars, wild shootouts, rampant property destruction, and borderline psychotic nightmares. Take a crime noir movie, mix in a murder mystery, add a dash of police drama, then marinate the whole thing in adrenaline and grit, and you get the general idea.

Max himself is fueled by equal parts survivor's guilt, duty, determination, rage, justice, willpower, and more than a little attraction to Mona Sax. You feel for this guy, make no mistake. Even if you didn't know what happened to this poor guy the first time around, you'd sympathize with him by the time the credits roll at the end.

Mona Sax? Now THAT'S a woman. In the words of Vladimir Lem, she's a stone fox. She's also the kind of hot little number Angelina Jolie's tried AND FAILED to be in at least three movies. She's pretty handy with a gun, too, or at least as handy as you are--because you get to PLAY as her in a couple of missions, which I thought was a very nice touch.

Several characters from the first game return this time around--Jim Bravura, Vladimir Lem, Vinnie Gognitti, even Alfred Woden--but now, everything's changed. You won't know who your friends or your enemies are anymore. And the sole new character, Valerie Winterson, Max's partner...well. She brings all kinds of baggage. In fact, she's one of the central characters in the story.

Did I think this game was a little short? Well, okay, a little. But considering that's the only complaint I have about it, so what?

Can't wait for Max Payne 3, personally. I'm wondering how they can improve on this one, and besides, I want to know what kind of moral purgatory Max gets put through next.

The Max Payne series will be always remembered as the game series that forever revolutionized gaming. With cinematic cutscenes, brilliant graphics and a realistic physics engine, Max Payne 2 capitalizes on the success that characterized its prequel. The new and improved bullet time lets you get into larger firefights, new weapons make gunfights more entertaining and also bring in an element of strategy into the game.

What steals the show is the storyline though. Although it could be called more compact that the original storyline, the new plot is darker, more engaging and has more twists than one could imagine.

Max Payne 2 lets yop play in Max's dreams, and also as Mona Sax, which refreshes the gameplay somewhat. Enemy AI is more advanced, and they can damage you as much as you can damage them.

All in all, Max Payne 2 is one of the finest action games ever made, one that actually makes you able to feel the anguish of the protaginst; it is a must buy for all gamers.

I being a fan of the first Max payne, because of its storyline and gameplay, was not disappointed by the sequel. Although there was nothing new to the game, I still found it quite fun. I enjoyed the dark storyline and settings. Not to mention that the bullettime feature was somewhat improved. And even though this game is single-minded (running through every level mowing down countless numbers of mobsters), the compelling story and intense firefights compensated for this.
However, Max Payne 2 has little replay value. In my opinion Rockstar copped out when it came to adding replay value. All they did was include an alternate ending which can be unlocked by beating the game on the hardest setting. Pretty much you play the exact same game again to get 5 minutes of difference in the end. What really made me mad was that my friend found the alternate ending on kazaa by typing in "Max Payne 2 alternate ending". He got to see it in two minutes, while I spent five hours replaying the game to get the alternate ending.
Although the game provided good entertainment for a limited amount of time, it isin't worth spending $50 on. Especially since it is short and has no replay value. Either borrow it from a friend or rent it.

Before reviewing this game I'd like to start with the only thing I didn't like. The game is just too short. Took me a couple of afternoons and a saturday to finish it.

That being said I must say that it was quite a great game. And despite being so short it will be worth playing it again and again.

If you've played Max payne before you will immediately fit in with the game. The improvements aren't much. The graphics are somewhat improved but, in my personal view, they're not much of a leap forward from the previous max payne although the textures in particular have been much improved. But the best aspect of the game is that it has the whole package, that is great sound, gameplay, graphics and story. After several years of only having "shoot 'em up" games one gets rather tired. Great graphics can dazzle the eye but at the end of the day what I'm looking for in a game is sheer enterntainment value (I'm looking at you Unreal 2!). But this game is much more than shooting. Sometimes you have to do some exploring and other times think about what to do. The story is quite nice as well....specially with the "addition" of Mona Sax (Move aside Lara Croft! This is one "lovely" lady). One of the things I like the most are those missions where Mona has to protect Max and that in which Max has to protect a guy from the mob who got dressed up in a cartoon character suit with a bomb (abolutely hilarious by the way). Of course, all that which was great about the first game is present in this sequel.

So conclusion. A great game but unfortunately too short. But don't let that drive you away from this game. It's short but quite fulfiling.....Max Payne 3....please come soon!

A footnote. If you haven't played the first Max Payne I recommend you do so. Not only is it also a great game (and quite cheap nowadays) but you won't understand much of the story of Max Payne 2 unless you've played the first one.

Everyone says this game is so short. People complain because its only 8 hours of game play. Well Ive been playing for weeks and I still havent finished it. Maybe its the way that I play. The game is so engaging that I love to play every combat scene over and over until I get it perfect. Then I save and go a little further. It usually takes 4-5 times going through each area to get everything right.

People who complain about the length of this game are like people who complain about the small portions of food at a 5 star restaurant. Its quality, not quantity, folx. Max Payne 2 is not like McDonalds. Take smaller bites and savor the experience.