User Reviews (1 - 11 of 125)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Not a FPS [First-Person-Shooter] at all...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: July 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is a Third-Person-Shooter. As in a movie, you are looking over the

shoulder of the hero. You are not THE hero. If that's what you're

into then the game is fine, but if you're like me and want to BE the

hero, then avoid this game.

As with other similar games such as 'Stranglehold', product descriptions

leave out this aspect, an unforgiveable omission.

Some great new features but not altogether better than the first

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

To begin with, Max Payne 2 has some great features, including extended bullet time, being able to play as both Max and Mona, and more/better quality in-game storyplay (you see the story in video format as well as the comic format more so than in the first one). Playing as Mona is also really fun because you get to try out certain weapons more, such as the Dragunov. Many of the levels involve a lot more than shooting up everything and are much larger and dynamic than the levels in the first game. One of my favorite chapters in this game is called "Mob War" where Max is flung in the midst of a war between the Mafia and the Russian Mob in a street block of run down tenements (and yes, they do shoot at each other when they aren't shooting at you). When you have beaten the game you also unlock these really cool and fun "Dead Man Walking" scenarios, basically they are certain game areas where enemies respawn and you have to survive as long as you can, and the game keeps your best record time.

I personally liked the first Max Payne much better than this one for many reasons. First of all, the guns in the first one have a much better "feel" (for lack of a better word) to them; at least the berettas, ingrams and the pump action shotgun all have better sounds, fire faster, and actually look better (some people might disagree due to realism, but it's just my opinion). Second, the storyline in the second game pales in comparison to the first. While you get to see a lot more of the characters, the storyline in the first game is a little easier to follow and has more of an mystery to it, in the second you pretty much know whodunnit or can at least make a good guess fairly early into the game. There is also a more diverse pick of enemies (yes, because I like to be able to kill lots of different kinds of people) ranging from bank robbers to mafioso to corrupt cops to gothy club bodyguards. You also get A LOT more monologue from Max in MP2... and as has been said before, the empty metaphors get a little monotonous and aren't as good as his lines in the first (Seriously, how can you beat "And me, I made out like Chow Yun Fat" as a lead to a great shootup?). Also, I just have to say it, Vlad has such a horrible voice in MP2; in the first game he actually has a Russian accent, but in the second he sounds like a bad Dracula impersonation: "Maaax dearest of all my friends... I vont to suck your blood!"
One other thing to consider, in MP2 there are only two bosses, including the finale. While again this may make the game a little easier and realistic than the first game (I mean really, who can still stand after having two ingrams unloaded into them), it kind of takes away from the meat of the game.

I'm not trying to rag on MP2, I liked playing it a lot. I'm just trying to stand up for the first game, especially for those of you who haven't played either. In terms of storyline and weapons I feel that MP1 is superior, but MP2 definitely has great features, and definitely improved a lot of the gameplay features.

Bring on the pain

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Awesome story line, brings it to a close. Its too bad that there isnt another one after this. the most fun i have had playng a 3rd person shooter.

Good game, better than #1

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: May 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Good action game that is very difficult. I myself am a Bond game person, but this game was very fun for me either way.

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.

Great Sequel!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne 2 has all of the gameplay qualities that made the original Max Payne great. It also has improved graphics and some very interesting levels (like the funhouse).

AHHHH! MOBSTERS! AND RUSSIANS! AND BAD COPS! AND THEME PARKS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. It doesnt deviate too much. The graphics are updated, there's a couple new guns, blah blah blah.
The Dead man walking levels are pretty cool and a good addition to the game. At the price that the game is now, if you're into action games, it's well worth buying.

Max Payne 2 Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Game is essentially an add-on to Max Payne 1, which I also own. Payne 2 is much shorter than Payne 1. Pretty much the same weapons (except adding AK-47), bad guys, AI, graphics, slo-mo effect, etc. as in Payne 1. Utterances by bad guys were much more clever and entertaining in Payne 1, not so in Payne 2. Also, the environments, slo-mo death scene of baddies, and story line were more interesting in Payne 1. Thank goodness I only paid around $9 for the game. If you liked Payne 1, then Payne 2 is a short extension of it and you'll enjoy it somewhat.

Worth every penny

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When the first Max Payne came out several years ago, it was a leap. It was the reason that I bought a PC instead of an expensive console. At the time, you couldn't get a better shooter on the PC. Times change however, and so did Max Payne. By in large, for the better. The graphics are better. Much smoother. The first game had a real comic book feel to it. Max Payne 2, while still having the storyboards, seems to be more like a movie. I thought the gameplay had everything, and more, that the first Max Payne did. More weapons, better graphics, more dark, and a long complicated storyline. The relationship between Mona Sax, and Mr. Payne, ends up distracting from the game unfortunatly. It makes for some cheesy cutscenes. The voice acting, and dialog are painful at times. It's ok for a game like this to have some vulgarities in it, but the half baked voice overs make them hard to listen to. Overall, this game had me booting up many, many times, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions