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Bullet Ballet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When the original Max Payne hit PC users in 2001, it was generally considered a success. Bullet Time in videogames was still a shiny new concept and the unexpectedly over-the-top "film noir" style kept fans shooting away, despite complaints that, really, you were just doing the same thing over and over.

To a lot of people, however, Max Payne was a game that was far more than the sum of it's parts. Many people (myself included) fell in love with the gritty, absurdly heavy style of the game. Those that didn't really "get it" complained about Max's constant use of insanely overwrought metaphors, ever-present gloom, and ridiculous storyline, but everyone who was able to see it as the campy homage that it was had a blast.

When part 2 was announced, I was thrilled. Max Payne is a series that lends itself pretty well to a sequel because, really, you don't have to change much about the game mechanics. They're pretty simple, and they work fine. It had already come to light that there were going to be no fundamental changes beyond some minor tweaks to Bullet Time and a completely different plot, so it sounded good to me.

And, upon playing through the game in one sitting, that's exactly what I got.

What this means is, if you liked the first Max Payne, you'll like the second one, if you didn't, you won't. Easy as that. Gameplay is IDENTICAL. There are a few alterations to some of Max's moves and skills (i.e. There are now deeper levels of Bullet Time, attained by winning gunfights while under the effects of slo-mo) and a few new weapons (An AK-47 and a somewhat impossible dual-Desert Eagle approach) but that's it.

The really marked improvements over the first game in the gameplay/technical regard are the graphics, which are gorgeous (and Max no longer looks horribly constipated), and the physics engine, which now means Max can bump into and knock over things.

The biggest change, though, is the level design, which is absolutely outstanding. The Fun House stage gets special mention for sheer brilliance in showing what can be done within the game engine if you're creative enough, and thankfully the more annoying stages from the first game (namely, Max's fever dreams) have been completely redone to be much more playable.

Plot wise, this game has me with some mixed feelings. The story is much tighter this time around, and both it and the rest of the game feel toned down from the slightly insane events of the first game. Depending on what you actually thought of the first game, this can be seen as either a good or bad thing.

For example, while the game has kept the much-beloved "graphic novel" storytelling, Max's own personal narration on things (read: some of the most ridiculous metaphors ever recorded) has been mostly dropped in favor of dialouge. There's no massive snowstorm this time around to act as a parallel to Max's own battle, and neither killer designer drugs, evil corporations, shadowy secret societies, or the occult play a role in the story. Instead we have the less fantastic but more solid plot concerning gangsters, lovers, assassins, and lots and lots (and lots) of bullets.

Again, this garners mixed feelings. If you liked Max Payne 1 but thought it was just a little too warped in the story department, then part 2 will be dead-on for you. Personally, I slightly prefer the story from part 1, but there's no denying that Max Payne 2 is the better game in all other regards, and it's not such a radical departure that it feels weird. This is still Max Payne, and the game developers were well aware of this, make no mistake.

On a final note, someone on the Dev. Team also figured "Hey, since the game is M-rated, why have we been censoring the curse words, anyway?" It's a good question, and one I was asking myself during Max Payne 1. I don't think that games should be loaded with curse words just for the fun of it, but when I have a mob foot soldier calling me a "freakin' cop" repeatedly, I almost feel more insulted than if he'd just let fly with the F-word. I mean, Max Payne (either of them) make no bones about the fact that they're adult games, and they're already violent enough that kids should be nowhere near them, so maybe we could actually let our mafia bullet-sponges let out a blue word or two?

Max Payne 2 does just that, and thank God. In the same way that The Sopranos does, Max Payne 2 lets it all hang without actually drawing attention to it, and the result is dialouge that sounds a lot less, well, video game-y.

So, bottom line, Max Payne 2 is an outstanding game in it's field, which is straight-up, heavily stylized action. It's about as long as the first game, has better graphics, has MUCH better level design, and is really everything fans of the series could have asked for. PC and Xbox versions are near-identical, so go with whichever is more comfortable, and get ready for a Max Payne love story.

A violent, bullet-riddled, hard-boiled love story, but is there really any other kind?

Great Sequel

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was a little nervous about purchasing this game considering some of the complaints I've heard. Fortunately I found none of the complaints to be true and ended up loving this game more than the origional. The main knock that I heard was that the game was too short. Rather I found myself satisfied with the game length. It was neither too short, yet the story wasn't drug out to annoying lengths.

The graphics look great and I was impressed with your ability to interact with the environment. Most objects are movable and after a heavy gun battle, the room looks like you'd expect it. Blood on the walls, bullet holes everywhere, chairs and bottles knocked over. Graphically I noticed very few glitches...maybe 3 throughout the entire game.

The graphic novel style is still here and some people found that a bit annoying. This unique way of storytelling was used in the origional to save money and evidently it worked well enough that they've decided to stick with it. My only problem with it is that sometimes this slows the game down. It's nice to have a little breather after a difficult level and watch as the story advances, but sometimes the break was way too long. The story can get a little cheesy, but this is something I've come to expect from Max Payne.

One thing I noticed is that the weapon selection is exactly the same as the first one. While there are quite a few guns to choose from, there could have been a few additions just to keep things interesting.

Overall this is a great sequel and well worth the money, especially if you enjoyed the first game.

"...looking down in the grave of your lover"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Never has there been a crime game saga like that of "Max Payne". It has revolutionized it's genre of gaming. "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne" is a mesmerizing follow up to the original. The first one set the standard and this second chapter followed the original very well. Once again the game has a breath- taking storyline filled with stunning visuals of brutal and mesmerizing action. This time we guide Max through the web of controversy revolving around his love interest Mona Sax. At the climax we see her perspective as we have the chance to guide her through the adventure as our battered hero is fighting for his life. The game holds your intrigue throughout and delivers a heart pounding climax at the end. After completing the detective mode you then test your endurance in 4 more intense perspectives of the crime epic of Mr. Payne. This one is an original along with its predecessor. The "Max Payne" saga will go down as one of the greatest and most influential games in video game history.

metal gear sloid 2(sons of liberty) ps2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 66
Date: October 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

if you like spy games you will like mgs2, it has a interactive storyline and alot of movies , snake is at it again and he has to infiltrate a tanker photograph the new metal gear and get out before being spotted ....end of story right???? a new player comes in where snake left off.... say hello to raiden, you gotta save the president disarm c4 and go against metal gears and basically save the world i give it a mike rating of 5-out of 5

MP2 is AWESOME- BUY IT TODAY

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: December 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Awesome sequel to a great game. Bullet-time has a new spin that will amaze you. You must see it. Everyone will imitate this game just like the 1st one. Graphics are truly awesome ( especially on Xbox ). Music and sound effects will emerse you into this game for hours. Don't believe the nonsense about it being too short or easy. If it's easy for you, then raise the difficulty level to your standards. The cut scenes are shorter from the 1st one, so the action is less interrupted and makes the game much smoother to play. Please Buy This Game. You won't be disappointed.

Nearly Perfect, Nearly Breathtaking, Completely Max

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Now that i have played this film noir love story, i can understand why so many people compared it to enter the matrix. It's ten times better. Matrix fans will have fun with the bullet time perfection, but max payne fans will appreciate everythign else. It is important that you know the first game story in order to fully understand the second though. The graphics are gorgeous, just one look at Mona Sax and her twin desert eagles and i tihnk you'll agree with me. The story-line is thick and twisting with dead ends here and there followed by an alternate route blocked by bravado and scum just waiting to eat your rapid deadly lead bullets. Ten minutes into this game it does get a little to difficult for those first timers but if you stick with it it gets ten times better and equally harder as the story unfolds. Nothign is as it seams in the world of max payne, when the sky is blue, the ground is red, and when your clips are empty, the danger is closer then ever. MAx is back and better then ever. Deffinately not a flick for the kids though, blood, gore and plenty of profanity. Stilll worthy of classic reference, this one should go down in xbox history as one fo the best action games ever put out by rockstar or any other gamign company for that matter. It's Max alright, yet it remains unique.

A True Masterpiece on all levels

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When Max Payne first came out in 2001, I was blown away. The voice-acting, action sequences, bullet-time, incredible story, along with a great cast of characters. In Max Payne 2, everything is better or improved. One thing that made this game so great was its story. Torn between right and wrong, love and hate, not to mention a dark tragic past, is a great background to set the story. This is perhaps one of the best games ever made on any system. I have this game for the computer. I reccomend that you buy it for pc. You can download cool mods,etc. In addition, the ending you could see coming frim a mile away. However, the ending is great but very sad. After the last scene, the song "late goodbye" plays which fits in with the theme of the game. Never have I played a game that contains so much emotion and violence. PARENTS!! THIS IS GAME IS NOT FOR YOUNG KIDS. This is a game that is truly hard to top. The only bad thing was that it is short. The story alone is a good reason to buy the game, not to mention bullet-time. The story unfolds like a movie, which makes for an incredible gaming experience.IF YOU DONT HAVE IT ALREADY, BUY IT. Now i am waiting for max payne 3 to come out and raise the standards for action games again.

Holy Guacamole!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is spectacular! It has no flaws. The first game limited you, and, no offense to the designers, had the most hideous facial graphics ever! In Max Payne 2, he has great facial graphics. The game is more like a movie, it has calm scenes that may be in the NYPD offices and apartments to The Cleaners (Hence the name) and The Fun House (Hence the name again).

~~*Good*~~
~ Sounds
~ Graphics
~ Story
~ Difficulty
~ Intensity
~ Menu Scenes
~ Comicagraphy
~ Inside Reality
~ Violence
~ Bloody

~~*Cons*~~
~ NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 of the greatest games ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Now listen i'm tired of hearing about all of the insults and rips on this game. For starters Max Payne will put his foot straight up vercetti's ass. This game should be made into a movie it's just that great. It still has the great graphics and yeah the graphics are great sorry if you people can't get the d**k out of your eye to see that. And one of the greatest things ever the slow motion diving that every other game keeps copying off of but still won't be as great. People seriously i'm going to be dead straight with you this game is awesome! Now Max Payne 2 still has the same great dark and suspensefulness that it had in the first one. Don't get me wrong i know you've been hearing it's shorter than the first but still packs the same great punch!! It's 1 of the best games ever any REAL gamer would know that!!! Buy it if you don't have it i swear you won't be dissapointed.

noir. Full of noir. Noir-tastic.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you played Max Payne, and I'd highly recommend you do before MP2, you'll find MP2 to be just about as good a continuation of the first game as you could want.

I'd recommend playing Max Payne first, simply because many of the same characters make appearances in MP2, and the development of their characters is, in many cases, a continuation from their appearances in the first game.

From a gameplay perspective, Max Payne 2 is more of a continuation of Max Payne than a really "new" game. Bullet Time has been improved, and becomes a more interesting experience in itself than the relatively simplistic shoot-dodging of the first game. You'll also play as characters other than Max, which normally would be really disorienting, but fits within the structure of the game.

I've heard some people complain about the revisiting of environments throughout the game - you'll come back to the same locations several times - but it doesn't feel "lazy" to me. Every time you revisit an area, either it has changed, or your perspective of it has. The areas are never the same twice through, and as a result, it feels more like an evolving place, than a series of "levels".

There's not really a whole lot of other "noir" games out there, and though the over-noir atmosphere may be a turn-off for some, it's one of the things I love most about the series. Max Payne 2 is an excellent shooter, with an excellent story, oozing with atmosphere. Great stuff.

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