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Every bit as good as the original, and more!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 41 / 43
Date: October 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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.

Max Payne 2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 30 / 37
Date: October 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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

One hell of a game; a landmark

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 22
Date: March 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

ONE OF THE *B E S T* GAMES EVER!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: December 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you liked the first one, you will LOVE this one!

One of the most atmospheric and immersive TPS ever made!!

A story riveting like a noir graphic novel; a sexy sidekick; a heart-breaking story of loss and revenge.

Corruption to the highest levels come head to head with a skewed honor code. Blade Runner meets James Ellroy - and you get to be the dark and moody anti-hero.

Convenient controls, good AI, true physics, smart camera, realistic weapons,great voice-acting!

BUY THIS GAME! You Will Love It Too!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Simply Outstanding

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: October 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

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!!!!!

A beautiful Epic of a Game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: January 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne 2 is a different breed of game. it even steps away from the roots of its predecessor. Max Payne 2 is an overly violent game with everything a great story of film noir and love should have. It has blood, love, and sex. The story is really quite beautiful Of course, max Payne 2 has everything a great game should have.
Max Payne 2 starts where Max Payne ended. Of course, the story strays, and Mona Sax now plays a much larger role in the game. Max continues his struggle to find his puruers and his family's killers, all the while betraying the NYPD and following a trail of love left by the luscious Mona Sax.
Max Payne 2 updates everything that made the first game so wonderful. It still incorporates bullet time, but incorporates new control functions, new characters, and much improved graphics and sound. The graphics in Max Payne 2 are beautiful. The environments look wonderful, but the character models are simply beautiful. Of course, like any other high-end game, Max Payne 2 offers a much better experience to high-end computers. Mine is three years old, and it still functioned up to the highest standards. I put everything to the highest level and had very little slowdown.
Max Payne has been updated as a character as well. He now has better facial expressions and doesn't just look like he has severe constipation. His character is much more heartfelt and has more emotions as well.
Max Payne is dark and gritty, and plays out like a beautiful film noir story with guns and deep love. It is a beautiful game, and has very few faults. The only complaint I have is that it is terribly short, but other than that, the game is close to perfection. I advise any fan of dark, gritty, beautiful tales and games to check out this miracle of a video game.

Max is back and better than ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: July 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

What a terrific game. Excellent graphics, solid sound, great story, and great characters.

You lead Max through his next mystery through many levesl of very intense and very difficult action.

On a routine check of a warehouse, shots are fired. As Max investigates, he comes across a cleaning company whose only cleaning is cleaning people out of their weapons. A woman from his past he thought dead (I believe she is from the first Max game) is very much alive. There are many players dealing in weapons. Max doesn't know who to trust. Not his co-workers, friends, and this woman. As the story gets deeper and deeper, you reveal the mystery and solve a few other things from your past. All of this leads up to a few surprises and very challenging final battle.

Bullet time is back and there are a few new moves that happen when you activate this. It's very cool seeing the bullets whizzing by you. There are quite a few new weapons and many levels that give you hours of game play plus you have some very strange levels as Max battles his innerself.

And once you beat the Detective level (which is pretty hard itself), you open up the other play options like beating the levels before the time runs out and a deathmatch type gameplay where you try to stay alive as long as possible. The longer you stay alive the more bad guys show up to kill you. Every kill adds 2seconds to your score and saves your best times on 5 or 6 different levels. Plus you have even tougher gameplay levels where the enemies skills are even better. WHEW!

This all adds up to a great game that you will not regret playing.

Not for the stupid. A super game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

Just when you thought it could'nt get any better...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 21
Date: November 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

!!!Crrrraaaaaaaack!!! (lightning strikes).
The dark ambience of NY city. That pit in your stomach... the feeling that something will go wrong. This game, like its predecesssor attack your mind as well as challenge your moves.

Unlike many other games, higher difficulty does not mean more enemies... but much smarter enemies. Enemies that taunt you when they dodge your bullets... laugh in your face. The music just gets to you. I mean, I just can't stop humming it. My wife hates the game. I am just at the PC hacking away at it. I keep humming the MP2 tune. My moods were governed by the game... somehow you feel what Maxie ol boy is going through. That really got on her nerves. The ingame music is just too good though (even she had to admit... he he he).

Dream sequences (which I found to be most disturbing in MP1) are not as disturbing this time round. Alas!
The game too is not as short as I have read in reviews. Maybe that's because I look inside every single filing cabinet or drawer in the room. Or maybe my gameplay just plain sucks.

The cut scenes are amazing, not just in graphics... but in content as well. They actually carry on from the action. Like the same guy could slump in the cut sequence or fall off a legde, depending upon how you kill him. I have also tried detonating a grenade just before a scene, and sure enough it was there. The graphics and the environment are just too good.
The attention to detail is mind boggling. Even locations which you won't actually be able to access in normal gameplay, but will only view from a distance (unless you know cheat codes he he he) are complete inside and outside!!!

Mona is an absolutely fabulous super chick. Her voice is so cool and when she walks, she could just burn my monitor.

People, let me tell you, its worth playing the hard boiled level .. all the way. Believe me, things are different. (Don't be mislead by the word easiest, its only relative).

Although it was said people won't go through walls, I did have a couple of instances when the head went through. But the movement of the bodies as they fall (rag-doll effect) after being shot is almost too real. The game is also "linear triggered". Meaning that you have to do a certain action in order to enable the next sequence, so there is no free path to achieve the final objective. But who's complaining!!! Just gives me more baddies to kill !!!!
Also, with the Max Payne Editor Tools, now you can create your own levels.... but this may be too much of a daunting task if you do not have some real games programming and design experience. Its a bit overwhelming.

You have to go get this game. Buy it ... rent it ... borrow it... whatever.... if not for anything, for the love of MONA SAX !!!!!!

Dear Lord

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 26
Date: September 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

One of the most outstanding games I've ever played. The graphics engine is revamped, and the new bullet time 2.0 is AWESOME. The plot is way better than Max Payne 1, even though Max Payne 1 was revolutionary in it's time. The plot is much more part of the game, rather than just running around and wacking the bad guys. This was also true in MP1, plot driven action is taken to the next level in this latest incarnation.

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