Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

"Perfect for the gamers with limited gaming time"

Please allow me to explain my tag line. I am an adult gamer, with a wife and an eight month old son. My gaming time has been limited to 15 minute to half an hour sessions, maybe 3 times a week. Games like Max Payne 2:The Fall of Max Payne (MP2) are perfect for players like myself, with a save anywhere feature, and short chapters.

With that being said, the save feature also makes this game very easy to complete when a player is using it as much as I did, thus taking the challenge and suspense away. I saved at several crucial junctions, only to die soon after. With the save where it was, and knowing what lay immediately ahead, it was a cakewalk to complete the following challenge. For a player looking for a more satisfying experience, I would recommend very few saves. Now to the game:

Graphics 9/10
The graphics in MP@ are very well done. It was very easy to see where danger was ahead, and the control scheme made to easy to get perspective on where Max was at all times. I only experienced slow down in 2 areas, but there was so much going on that it not an issue.

Sound 9/10
Explosions were loud, gunshots sounded like real shots, and broken glass shattered like in real life. The extras were great as well; The shows on the various TV's were funny if you take the time to listen to them, the phone calls throughout the game were a riot as well. There is also a certain location that several levels were played in (Mona's "house") that were done superbly.

Controls 8/10
The control scheme was done well, but sometimes in the heat of battle mistakes were made. Overall they were laid out nicely, but I thought switching weapons was cumbersome at times.

Game play 8/10
Overall, MP@ is a lot of fun to play. I wish I had more time to get into the story, but even in the one session I play for 2 hours, I felt the story was quite cumbersome. Each beginning level has a graphic novel approach to the beginning of it, which is well done.

This is a game that, even with the heavy storyline, plays well without it. Each level (divided into chapters in the game) is well paced, and power-ups are distributed well, if not on the heavy side. I did find the non-combat chapters to be a tad boring (mainly dream sequences, but one is quite action packed), something that could have been done in the graphic novel style, instead of a controllable chapter.

The combat was great, and in many cases, definite strategies needed to be planned out. The fact that one wrong step, even when all enemies were slain, could kill you was a great feature, keeping the gamer alert at all moments. The interactive environment as very well done as well.

Rent or Buy?
At the time of this writing, I would suggest buying MP2. It can be found for under $20 at many sources, and is definitely worth that price. It could be complete in a long gaming day, so if time is your ally, renting may be for you.

Overall 8/10
MP2 is an action filled game for the majority of play, and it is easy to get the hang of the game quickly. It is a game that you can make as hard or as easy as you want based on the save anywhere format.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/04