Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

"Fans of the previous game will acquire another dose of Max Payne greatness, but newcomers may wish to rent first."

The gaming world went into Bullet-Time as the first Max Payne game arrived onto the PlayStation 2 back in 2001 and many were hooked on the in-depth Action that Max Payne brought to the table. With his slick voice, cool looks and bad-ass character, Max Payne became quite a well-known game character. 2 years later, Take-Two released another Max Payne game, being called Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. How well does the 2nd game in the series game draw? Is it a success just like the previous was? All will be answered in my review of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.

Graphics
Well, let's be honest, the graphics in Max Payne 2 aren't something to drool over, but they're not meant to be. MP2 focuses on Gameplay and giving the player one of the most thrilling Action experiences of a lifetime, and that's what it does. The game is let down slightly by the badly performed textures and environments, but the graphics resemble those of the first game very well and no one complained about MP1's graphical features. It's simply guaranteed that you won't focus on the graphics, as you'll be drooling over the Action that MP2 develops and how well it keeps you focused on the shoot-outs. Even though they may look a bit out-dated, you shouldn't rely on all of those graphic junkies. MP2 isn't pretty, but hell, is it meant to be? Of course not. Won't put you off the action.

Sound/Audio
As you may know, Max Payne is a game which includes quite a lot of dialogue and speeches, which are performed by some brilliant voice-actors. Most, if not all of the voice-actors from the previous game are all included in Max Payne 2, which is a sigh of relief. The current voice-actor for Max Payne really works well with the whole character, and I hope it stays that way aswell. There are not just the characters and people that speak, no no, you may wish to turn a Television on at one point, and you can sit back and listen to a show while disposing of all your enemies. Some are funny, and well, some are quite not. Great dialogue endorsed into the game.

Putting the speeches aside, there are quite a few cool-sounding music clips in the game, but seeing as you'll be so attracted to the action parts, you won't really pay much attention. The violin piece of music from the first game (if I remember correctly) is still in the game and fits the whole dark-Action story of Max Payne really well. There is the other occasional piece of music that will pop up in the game at times, and fits the whole scenario well. For example, if you're invading someone's base and shooting everyone in sight, fast-paced music will play while you're doing this. It's really done quite swiftly.

The sound of your machine gun blaring out and shooting the enemy until he flies back and bangs into a bunch of boxes is simply refreshing and makes you want to come back for more and more. This is the Max Payne goodyness I was talking about. The sounds in the game are really performed quite excellently.

Gameplay
Where the Max Payne series really shines. It's all about the Action parts that it possesses, and it's way refreshing. The levels are big and full of bad guys to dispose of, and any fan of flat-out Action games will just be so addicted to the game that you could play it all day.

The controls seem complicated at first glance, but when you get used to them, you won't be confused at all. Even though it can be really irritating if you're jumping from a high platform to another high platform with a risk of death and you will occasionally miss, the controls are great. They resemble the controls of the first game extremely well, so if you are a veteran of the series you won't have a problem, but newcomers may take a little while to get the hang of things. Not a big problem, though.

As I've said multiple times, fans of the Action will need any Max Payne game in their collection, and Max Payne 2 still focuses on the fantastic Action bits that its previous game did, which is good news. The Gameplay elements haven't really been tweaked at all, which I know fans of the first game will be pleased about. The Bullet-Time and slow motion is all there, and the wide-variety of guns to choose from adds to the great Max Payne mix. The first game was all about Gameplay, and Max Payne 2 is no different.

Story
A film-noir love story. His life in ruins, Max Payne finds himself back on the NYPD. During a murder investigation he runs into Mona Sax, a woman he thought was dead after a shot to the head in the previous game, and also a fatal murder suspect. She is also the woman that holds the keys to the questions that haunt Max, but an army of underworld thugs stand between him and the answers he seeks. Max's personal hell continues.

Replayability
Impressive. Once you complete the game on the normal mode, there are around 5-6 other modes to go on. Some modes unlock new bonus features, so once you complete the game don't think that it's over. Many people believe that MP2 doesn't have replayability, but don't listen to that nonsense.

Buy or Rent?
Fans of the previous game should definitely pick Max Payne 2 up, as it's pretty much similar. Newcomers who are pondering whether or not to purchase this game should rent first, but it's pretty much confirmed that you'll get deep into the game and enjoy every second. Unless you're a graphic junkie, of course.

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Max Payne 2 continues on with the light that the first game possessed, and is another great title. Like the first Max Payne, the Bullet-Time and deep-Action Gameplay will just make you drool over and over again. Fans of the previous Max Payne should not let this title go amiss.
Overall: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/04