Rating

A

Specific Ratings

GameplayB
GraphicsA+
Learning CurveA+
Replay ValueC
SoundA+

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • GREAT graphics
  • Cut scenes like the first game
  • Bullet time
  • Auto configuring difficulty -- I like this
  • Falling objects show good physics
  • The love interest!
  • Less "maze work" than first game
Cons
  • You'll need a powerful graphics card !
  • No free exploring environment

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PC)

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Summary

A worthy successor to the original and the story is good too. The game is possibly a bit short, but every bit is enjoyable. A nice presentation case, too. There is "blood" and strong language - but I'm over 18.

Description

MAX PAYNE 2 is an intense, fast-paced action game based in an urban environment. It is, as the title suggests, the eagerly awaited successor to the original Max Payne, which made a lot of gamers sit up and take notice because of it's immersive environment, graphical splendor, and gameplay.

The STYLE of the game can best be described as "film noir". It's dark, broody , hard-bitten, and has a voiceover reminiscent of a Raymond Chandler novel ("The broad was loaded", etc.). Our character is once again the anguished figure of Max (possibly a hint of Mad Max) who is a renegade cop that still feels the effects of personal tragedy in the first game to the extent of being quite suicidal and depressed for much of the game. This no doubt, explains much of the carnage that occurs and Max's reckless behavior bears a similarity to another Mel Gibson role - the crazy cop in the Lethal Weapon movies. Graphic novel style updates are a clever way of moving the plot along and are in keeping with the game style. This is a very well thought out design.

The VIEW is in the 3rd person and this has a number of advantages: one can access the attack strategy of the enemies more clearly....and there are waves of them at times. One can marvel at the wonderful graphic touches - lighting, detailed textures, rich environment of everyday objects -these can be kicked around and picked up. The game's killer touch - the "bullet time" slow motion effect (see the Matrix) - can best be appreciated in this view. There is also an interesting "bullet cam" effect to be had using the sniper rifle. In fact, this is the only action game that I, personally, enjoy in this view mainly because of the slo-mo effect. I'm mainly a fan of first person shooters like Half-Life. It's also in this view that the clever physics of the game engine can be seen. You can throw boxes down stairs and they'll bounce realistically, as will your dead enemies. If you blast an enemy with a shotgun, he'll be flung back scattering chairs, tables, and documents.

The STORY is engaging and, of course, involves conspiracy, betrayal, tragedy, and romance. A female assassin, called Mona Sax (is that some kind of anagram?) makes a reappearance from the first game and provides the love interest. She also helps as a sidekick during some fight scenes and the game designers have included some sections where you switch to her character view for a while and can see Max doing his stuff in the distance. At times, you have to cover him while he negotiates dangerous ground. I've seen this effect used before in another game, Codename Outbreak, it's an interesting teamplay trick. It also gives you a "deja vu" effect as you work your way through a level that Max has destroyed earlier (while you were guiding him). The storytelling device of starting off the plot at a later stage and allowing the character to "relive" the events up to that date is used - another Hollywood stunt.

The OPTIONS of self-adjusting difficulty level (the game senses if you are getting killed too often and subtly eases off the enemy AI to help you) is a great idea and keeps things moving forward. The gore level can also be regulated to suit your taste. The replay value wasn't great for me - the main motivation is, once you have played it through, you can unlock higher difficulty modes (for all the hard men!).

The game seems to have dropped in price early in it's sales life - I don't know why - it deserve full price status. I'd be worried that the wonderful design team might deem that there's no value in continuing the series - don't let this happen. If you like shooters, buy it for your collection.

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