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Sometimes a great story can't save a game...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: January 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a continuation of the original Max Payne story, the film noir (or comic film noir) tale of a hard-bitten investigator with a taste for shooting his opponents. In the course of the first tale, Max loses his family, his job, and his self-respect. Now, in this episode, Payne confronts his own ghosts as he gets caught up in a gang conflict, crooked cops, and a hard fall for the woman who helped ruin his life.

The game unfolds using short cut-scenes and comic book style illustrations to provide the narrative. From a purely artistic viewpoint, the game deserves high grades. The settings are highly detailed, including a grotesque funhouse and a Washington manor house among other settings. Levels are maze-like and sometimes the clues are subtle. Not so subtle is the script, which has a style somewhere between Mickey Spillane and a sledgehammer. Payne's narration is bitter, full of the knowledge that everything must die.

The initial reception of this game was only slightly less than ecstatic. I'm not normally a fan of pure shooters, but I decided that this one was one to try out. What I discovered is that the PS2 implementation (I can't speak for the PC or Xbox versions) left a lot to be desired. Control over the characters is quirky at best. The player has no useful control over Payne's jumping ability - getting Payne to jump out a window to a small ledge just below it results in a low of reloading and cursing. Turns are extremely slow, resulting in all kinds of maneuvers to avoid having to turn when in a full battle.

The end result is that the game failed to capture my full attention - there never came that magic moment when I lost consciousness of the controller. It was the enemy, not the geek trying to unload an AK-47 at me. I just finished playing Prince of Persia, so I was acutely aware of what a game could do, and The Fall of Max Payne simply fell too short of the target. Hopefully, this is the result of a poor port of the game from the PC version. For those that don't have PC's to play on, I would wait a bit for the price to drop.

Stylishly Honorable to the Action Platform

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 14
Date: December 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is merely an expectation that the PS2 will undoubtedly astound gamers as the PC version has done to me.

I was foreign to the world of Max Payne. Because I was not exposed to the frenzy of the detective's game back in 2001, I felt nonchalant towards the coming sequel. Now that I have experienced the sequel, I must profess that I have been stunned, then mesmerized, and all the more thrilled to have this game land on my laptop. Max Payne 2: The fall of Max Payne is a barrage of devilish quality saturating all through the game and then some. From the gutsy gameplay to the direction of the story, this game falls into a certain pizzazz of stylish coolness.

I can crack the code as to why the first game ignited a stir. An action game has never felt so empowered to be reckoned as the high octave blast that is Max Payne 2. Playing as a pessimistic detective, you must blaze through he dark, gritty streets of New York city. The story alone is topnotch suspense bundled with extraordinary twists and turns that'll have you gasping throughout your day. Driven by the story, the game's focal highlight is the gameplay's Bullet Time implementation. Heck, Max Payne is one of those games that is truly augmented by the graphics and sheer physics of the environment. With eye-candy in every so direction, it's a joy to shoot baddies with a multitude of weapons. Further adding to the bountiful fun, is the Havok engine which has the environment fully interactive. There's also rag-doll effects where spectacular combat scenes are distilled in slow-motion scenes and the best part is your in control. The gist of Max Payne 2 is the more baddies you gun down, the faster Payne is in a slow-motioned surrounding. With the environment flinging all over the screen and the slow motion of the game setting in, it's a delight to control this gem again and again.

Payne romps through New York City at its absolute darkest. As you go guns-a-blazing, you'll notice the graphical powerhouse. Each nook and cranny in the game is a stellar high point. What hit's the stride even more is the detailed photo realistic textures and the maw-gaping lighting effects. Like the story, the graphics stand on its own. A spectacular soundtrack kicks in to add to the already fascinating atmosphere. There are plenty of compulsive tracks, but the best part of the audio derives from the firefights where the signature sound of Payne's heart gallops as enemy gunfire sounds distorted. Plus, the voiceovers are good and suit the personality of Payne. The gritty comic book scenes heavily attribute to the overall atmosphere of the astounding game. You can easily tell that the makers of the game, have put sweat and effort into this wet-dream-come-true production.

The first game has been known to be very short, and the second one follows suit. Under the circumstances, its honest to say that fans of this game will not go out aching. This game is really something, but does leave the gamer wanting much more. Aside from that quibble, the stunning action warrants a purchase. Max Payne 2: the Fall of Max Payne is stylishly honorable to the action gaming platform.

An under-rated shooter!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: January 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was surprised by all the negative reviews of this game. I found it very good. About the only games I enjoy are shooting games, and if you like shooters, I recommend this title highly for one simple reason. Within the game, when you shoot the bad guys, they respond as though they have really been shot. Their movements are ever-changing and very lifelike. I thought the story was very interesting and involving. I also love Hit Man 2, to give you an idea of what I like, but I like this game better. True, Hit Man 2 has better backgrounds and more weapons, but Max feels more like actual shooting.

An interesting idea, but not good enough

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: February 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As much fun as running in slow mo, and diving while firing with cinematic flourish, can be, Max Payne 2 is, quite frankly, an exercise in frustration. The game has numerous good points, but in the end, those good points are weighed down by what can be a rather plodding, frustrating and monotonous game.

To give Max Payne 2 its due, there are positives that need to be mentioned. The environments are amazingly detailed, and Max is able to interact with most of it (though after a few times, turning on and off a water faucet loses its charm). Additionally, the game makes use of audio cues, providing another level of realism. The enemies are difficult, with good aim and a penchant for dodging and surprising Max. And, the game features a number of slow motion action options, including so called "Bullet Time" which not only gives Max an edge but can provide for some visually interesting sequences. Visual effects are without a doubt this game's forte.

Visual effects though, can only go so far before a player asks for more, and it is at this point at which Max Payne's defeciencies become obvious. While the environments are beautiful, they are in the end repititive. There is none of the free movement available in Grand Theft Auto. If Max is placed in a building, then you're stuck in that building. In the end, the environments seem to blend together. Additionally, the levels themselves are often the same. Max is asked to do the same type of activity repeatedly.

The second major problem is actually two problems interlinked. It is at time very difficult to figure out exactly what Max is suppoused to do. At times, cues as to the correct course of action are unavailable, and players can find themselves trapped in certain levels, with no way to advance. While some players may enjoy the challenge, the agravation of having to reload one's game repeatedly is accentuated by exceptionally long load times, often upwards of 15-25 seconds. When you're having trouble getting through a paticular level, having to wait that long repeatedly is annoying. Additionally, the game has no ability to reload to the beginning of a level. Indeed, if you die without having saved your game for several levels, you are doomed to go back to the last point at which you saved, regardless if that maybe one, two, or several levels before your current location.

Finally, at least for me, the tone of Max Payne was a problem. This game is listed as a film noire experience, but even film noire had a certain degree of levity. While there are certain elements of humour, on the whole I found the tone of Max Payne to be so dark as to be depressing. It strongly effected my enjoyment of the game.

Overall, visually interesting, but once you get past the looks, there is little there.

Severely disappointing port to the PS2

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The PC version of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne managed to improve on the first game in some areas and was vastly enjoyable overall, however this Playstation 2 port of the game is severely disappointing. A noticibly terrible frame rate, blurry textures, missing sound effects, an even worse save system, and ridiculously long loading times plague what could have been a stellar game. The storyline, plot twists, and even the once mediocre graphic novel-esque cut scenes are the game's few saving graces, along with the run 'n gun bullet time action that was so enjoyable in the first game, but in the end Max Payne 2's flaws outweigh it's strengths. It's a shame more time wasn't taken to make Max Payne 2 something as memorable as the first game; I really wanted to like this game despite it's flaws, but they're just too much. All in all, Max Payne 2 is still worth a rental for fans who dug the original, but don't expect anything at all great from it.

Almost as great as the first!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Pros: Great guns, great graphics, great sound, great level design, and easy to pick up, play, and save games.
Cons: Only half as good as the first game (But that's still a great game!). Story is rough and the dream sequences are just a break in the action and not as good as the blood trail levels in the first one.

Other than that, there's not much to complain about in this game. Some gamers may think it's too easy, but the harder levels are unlocked after you do the first run through, which is fine by me. What the game lacks in AI, it more than makes up in quantity of action packed levels with tons of bad guys to shoot at. Game was very addictive and I had a hard time putting the controller down. Even for a violent game, this was the perfect early x-mas present.

GREAT (so far)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: November 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I only played a demo of this game so I cant be an accurate judge, but what i played, I loved. The controls are very much the same fluid controls from the first so there isn't much of a breaking in period there. The graphics? can't improve much on perfection. They DID do good on improving that however (and they got rid on Max's stupid smirk). I looks fluid and stunning as before. The story however is just plain COOL. It's got that same back and forth film noir style and i played for only 5 mins and was already starting the to feel the pull. Plus, they added the bullet time combos, so instead of only diving, you got Max spinning with guns drawn firing a two different enemys and it looks INSANE. So get this game. What the hell, you deserve it...

A Complete Mess

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: February 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

What do you do in Max Payne 2? You walk from room to room shooting enemies in slow-motion dives. Oh yeah, and there's a competent story and some cool dream levels thrown into the mix. Now I'm all for mindless shooting (Especially when the enemy AI is as good as it is here) but a number of serious flaws suck the fun right out of this PC port.

1. Load times- Around 45 seconds everytime you start a new level or die and have to respawn. And you will die often, so even though you can save at any time, it's annoying when you hit a difficult section of the game. Picture this: Die, wait 45 seconds to reload level, die within two seconds again, wait another 45 seconds, repeat ten times. Aggravating, to say the least.

2. Save System- Completely f-ed up, it never, ever saves automatically, and saving manually is one of the most tedious processes I've ever encountered in a video game. Since you should save alot, this is not a good thing.

3. Framerate- It's never smooth, even in a small room with no enemies, and during heated firefights it slows down to around 5 fps, absolutely no exaggeration there. In these moments you just move the analog stick and hold down the fire button, and the game's auto-aim feature that makes all your flying bullets somehow hit an enemy, no matter how off you are, does the rest.

4. Graphics- This game looks like crap. Everything is too dark, textures are pixelated like mad, and it just isn't up to par with even first generation PS2 titles.

5. Audio- Skips alot.

6. Other problems- Game freezes for a few seconds whenever transitioning to a cutscene, switching weapons requires you to take your thumb off the analog stick, leaving you vulnerable if you run out of ammo in the midst of a shoot out and need to equip a different weapon.

Basically everything good about the PC version is either ruined or missing altogether in this barely playable port. This game is a trainwreck, stay away, it costs about the same as a roll of toilet paper for a reason. Best used as a coaster for your icy beverage. I give it a...

4/10

Amazing Graphics

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I noticed alot of the reviews left on here complain about choppyness. I do not see how you can grade a game just because your computer is to slow to run it. Rockstar Games has spent alot of time creating extremely detailed enviroments, where just about anything is a useable object. Cut scenes and cinematics have also been placed throughout the game to present an indepth and often funny story line. The textures and graphic designs are amazing, along with a few new weapon upgrades. Just like the first Max Payne, this game is VERY addicting and I strongly recommend those who appreciate extremely detailed enviroments to purchase this game.

Don't Buy It - Rent It Instead

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Short game. Finished it in 2 days. Takes forever to load and save the games. What were the developers thinking? Last chapter was difficult (took me about ten or so tries) - may be too difficult for some without cheat codes (did not find any online). Overall, it's a fun game, but don't waste your money on it. Rent it at Blockbuster instead.

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