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fun game? yep. perfect? nope.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

max payne 2 is basically like the first max payne, but a little better.. the games are fun while the action lasts. the problem is, the action is CONSTANTLY interrupted with the the story line. while this is touted as a GOOD thing, really it's not.. the dialogue is pretty cool, but at the same time rather corny. max payne loves to go on and on and on with metaphors. the plot is also impossibly hard to follow. in the first game, mona sax dies. in max payne 2, she's alive. huh? in max payne 1, somewhere he falls in love with mona sax, but the story never says how or why. hell, maybe max payne 2 is set before the first game, for all i know. i can't follow this convoluted story, but i enjoy the dialogue for the most part. there's just too much of it.

the action, humor, and cool little details in the environment is where max payne truly shines. using "bullet time" (slow motion) is a fun innovative feature (before the inferior F.E.A.R. ripped it off) - also it's much more fun in a third person shooter like this than in a first person shooter like F.E.A.R. there is only one significant problem with bullet time (a carryover from max payne 1 that they really should have fixed) - when you use the "shootdodge" button, bullet time stops after you fall to the ground and get back up. a big problem when you have 4 guys shooting you at full speed from point blank range. i'm amazed they didn't fix this problem. i tried to use the "bullet time combo" with my caps lock button to fix this, but the button doesn't do anything different. oh well. nonetheless, max payne 2 is a fun game like the original, just too repetitive and bogged down by an overly complicated story line. it's a bit boring after playing through max payne 1, as it's more of the same, waiting for storylines to finish so you can get to the action.

another problem is the weapons. like max payne 1, you get a sawed-off shotgun that doesn't have any real advantage over the pump action shotgun. also like max payne 1, you get a ton of pistol ammo that you will never use, because it's completely pointless using pistols when you have far superior weapons. i love the cool high powered weapons, but what's the point of having inferior weapons if you never get to use them? the last problem is having to constantly save, and at least max payne 2 seems like an easier game with more painkillers, so you don't have to worry as much about getting blown away and playing the same part over again.

A really good game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I played the original Max Payne a long time ago. I enjoyed the gameplay, and the plot was decent, but I really didn't think enough of it to look for a sequel. When looking for a new game to play, Max Payne 2 came up, and I decided based off of the original that #2 would probably be worth its $9 pricetag.

That turned out to be an understatement. Max Payne 2 is one of the best PC games out there.

GAMEPLAY

The game is a 3rd person shooter that works really really well. Max controls great, and the bullet time is fun to play with. The Bullet time has been revamped so its available more often in this one (which makes the game a little easier), but also makes it a little more fun.

The ragdoll physics go just a little bit over the top, but only just a little. It's a nice treat when enemies are knocked back by the force of your shots, tumbling off balconies and such. Sometimes it ends up with humerous/cinematic events like shooting someone with a shotgun, having their body fly back 3 feet through an open window, hit a scaffolding on one side to use the wood planks to catapult the paint cans up in the air which land on top of the corpse just after it hits the ground. It's an added bonus when it happens in slow motion.

While it's nothing new, Max has a satisfying array of weaponry for every occasion: dual pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, a sniper rifle, etc. The molotov cocktails are fun as well.

The game can probably be beaten in about 8 hours of gameplay, but is fun enough in both gameplay and story to make a second and third run pretty good as well.

THE SOUND / GRAPHICS

The graphics on the game are pretty good and can even run well on lower end machines (by today's standards). People move lifelike (with the exception of when they're dead...but you wouldn't move lifelike then I suppose...). Facial expressions are well done and expressive. The environments look lived in, and are appropriately dark and gritty.

The voice acting is superb. There's not a single poorly done voice that I noticed, and Max's voiceovers are terrific if you like detective-style noire.

I did have some difficulty with the sound though. I did some research and found I was far from the only one, but Rockstar Games appears to be ignoring the problem. Some of the ingame dialogue will come in extremely soft, something to do with the center sound channel in stereo. I turned the subtitles on to not miss the dialogue, but because the voice acting is so good it's a shame to have to miss some of it.

CHARACTERS / STORY

This is where the game truely shines, and this is where the unexpected suprise came from. The story is simply great. Max is already a well developed character. He is more than just a macho, gun toting maniac like most games. You sympathize with him, and you're on his side. His voiceovers reveal his inner thoughts, his guilt, his conscience, his humanity. The other major characters are equally well done and complex.

The story is well done to with twists and turns and excellent pacing. It's a very mature game, though by mature I don't mean blood and boobies, I just mean complex themes and moral ambiguity... many shades of grey instead of strictly good and bad. Its dark and gritty without being rediculously so. It makes some good use of symbolism, but not in a heavy-handed manner and is overall a very satisfyinh tale from start to finish.

OVERALL
This is a great game for fans of action and old black & white detective stories. I'm glad I decided to pick this game up, and I recomend it to anyone else who has $10 and a little time to spare.

Much improved over the original, I played it twice!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I didn't get on with the original Max Payne. The AI was off. I would open a door and the bad guys were firing before I had chance to move, and they never missed... The "bullet time" feature was the only way out of this impossible dilema.

Max Payne 2 seems to have cured this problem. The AI is much improved with believable and challenging bad guys and an immersive story that carries you along. The graphics are not state of the art but plenty good enough to keep you engaged and there is a variety of puzzles to solve and twists in the plot to navigate.

The addition of the female co-star was a delightful edition, especially as you get to play both characters for a while. This was a clever plot device. The nightmare sequences are still present and are still a little superfluous, but not so frsstrating as they were in the original.

Although the track through the game is essentially linear it does not feel that way. There is a space to it that leaves you wondering and some secrets to be had if you look carefully.

I still don't like the use of "asprin" to cure gunshot wounds, but its always going to be unrealistic to get shot 100 times yet still reach the end. I prefer the Quake 4 device of having medics that travel with you, there to fix you as long as you keep them alive.

Overall its a good if not spectacular example of the genre, one for every enthusiastic game players collection.

Time for an honest review of Max Payne 2

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 12
Date: March 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Folks, it's time to take an honest look at whether or not Max Payne 2 is really worth it. While this game has been hyped despite poor sales as admitted by Take Two CEO Jeff Lapin, I thought I'd step in and give an honest review of this game. Yes, this game is somewhat better than the first but only because of the enhancement in graphics. If some of the levels in Max Payne 2 look familiar, it is because they were the same as the ones in the first Max Payne only a bit more enhanced. Like the first game, there's no multiplayer and as soon as the game ends, the fun is lost to the point that you have nothing to gain by trying the harder skill levels since they're easy right after the first couple of levels since it's the same number of enemies and you only have to hit them in the face and in the case of Max Payne 2 let them blow themselves up or knock each other out. However, what's worse is that unlike the first Max Payne where there's a little refreshment after coming back, the second game leaves no room for getting a refreshing look after say a few months and that's where the lack of replayability comes in. Also, the hardware requirements for Max Payne 2 are not justified since it's the same as the first Max Payne. You'll notice it once you try and compare both Max Payne 1 and 2 on a machine that has more than enough requirements for Max Payne 2. I hate to be a tough grader but this game could have been a bigger improvement rather than a rehash from the first.

I don't see what the big problem is

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: October 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First of all these people who keep complaining about how hard games obviously don't like challenges. I admit the game was really hard, but thats what made it fun. Max Payne 2 is part action part love story. Graphic wise, Max Payne 2 is so far one of the best looking games i've ever seen. Very high res. Very good plot, a lot of twists go on in the story that completly make you feel different about the story in the first game. And the swearing im not going to complain about because im mature enough to hear the F word a few times. Plus you get new weapons and plus you get to play as Mona Sax as well. The secondary characters AI is a big imporvement. Some downfalls that the game was too short and loading time is kind of long as well. Overall they put a lot into this game, a very good love-action story, kind of like a movie, had twists and turns, graphics improved a lot, enemies deaths more detailed, bullettime effects as well. If your looking for a good action game, this is a great one.

Amazing game!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne 2 is harder than the original, but this game is even better than the first. It has a really good story. The gameplay is awsome, and the graphics look really good. Plus there are mods you can get to make the game like The Matrix. You should get this game

Great game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: December 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Although the gameplay itself hasn't changed much from the original Max Payne, that really isn't a problem, since the original game was also a winner. Bullet time has changed for the better, mainly because it is more than just a neat bit of programming. The way it is implemented makes it a necessity, which I thought was lacking in the original. The story is also great, though sometimes the unending "lines" that Max pulls out can get a little old or seem a little canned. Music is amazing as well, the credits song is a nice addition and ends the game very well. I am just glad to see a game that has everything pretty much right on the mark. Music, graphics, engine and story are all very good and the length is something I liked as well. There isn't any need to stretch out a game any longer than the story calls for, think about it, how would the story flow if the programmers decided that Max needed to just fight his way through one more building for no other than just to shoot stuff. There are plenty of game options for shooting people simply to shoot people, and if all you want is to shoot people, play the game again. The story was deep for a 10 - 15 hour game, stretch it out to 30 and its bland and redundant. I'd recommend playing the game.

What Just Happened??!??

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: October 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Gameplay for this game is impressive, good physics modeling with excellent graphics. The story line is compelling, well written, and the scripted bits are well done.

I finished this game in less than 6 hours - so I am a bit disappointed by the length of play. $50 is a little steep for this short of gameplay. I do not see a replay value in this game as well, so be forwarned.

It's fun while it lasts, it doesn't last long.

The saga of Max Payne is here...With new twists

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This time instead of doing section of section ill do Pros and Cons (not like my other reviews)

==-Pros:
-Deep play sequal
-Great story like the original
-Bullet Matrix Timming stop thingy (Bullet Time Mode)
-MOD tools to create levels
==-Cons:
-Instead of thinking you just run and sh0ot. (The AIS arent good enough)
-Shorter

Great Game...but isn't there more?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is definitely one of the best shooter games I have played in a while. It surpasses the original in many ways and lived up to my somewhat lofty expectations in nearly all areas. However, it was not without its share of problems.

Graphics: The graphics and visual effects in this game are absolutely astounding. The weapons, muzzle flashes, characters, environments, explosions, and vehicles (though to a lesser degree there) all look beautiful. The "ragdoll" effect given to the dead bodies and the ability to knock over and interact with almost everything in Max's environment also add to the realism and intensity. 10/10

Sound: The audio in this title is also very good. I am fortunate enough to have a surround sound audio setup for my computer and the 3D audio worked great. I have played extensively on systems with only two speakers or headphones as well and the game sounds just as amazing. There are a few spots where the audio became just a bit fuzzy and in addition, Max's internal dialog during gameplay wasn't very loud over my center channel - often being drowned out by the ambient noise or gunfire (the latter being much more understandable than the former). 8/10

Gameplay: This is where, in my opinion, the game suffered. The technical aspects of gameplay (i.e. moving around, shooting, interacting with Max's environment, basically playing the game) were flawlessly executed. However, while I wasn't expecting a storyline of Tolkien-esque depth and complexity, you don't really need to watch any of the cutscenes or read any of the story boards to know what is going to happen next. It can be summed up very simply: "You go to X location where there are more cleaners and/or mafia goons. You have to take them all out without dying - sometimes with Max and sometimes with Mona." There is no variation on gameplay, without even the cliche "stealth" level that usually involves merely switching to silenced weapons before mowing down legions of foes. The length of the game was also an issue with me. I got it home and three and a half hours later I sat watching the end credits and scratching my head, wondering where the rest of my $50 went. 5.5/10

Still, this was most definitely one of the best games I've played recently and is a worthy addition to anyone's collection. I loved every one of the tens of minutes it took me to finish it but I now find myself wondering how much EB will be willing to give me for a trade-in...

Overall...
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 8/10
Gameplay: 5.5/10

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