Writing a review for Max Payne is like a bore in the back of my mind, slowly twisting and writhing, making me twitch violently until I just huddle in the corner, a tired mass of flesh left to air dry in the sun... Actually, it wasn't so bad, but Max Payne definitely puts me in a melodramatic mood. The entire mood of the game is dark and foreboding, and it's full of plenty of twists and turns along the way. Overall, I believe Max Payne 2 was a solid sequel to the awesome Max Payne, but I found myself wanting more in some areas...
Graphics: 4.0/5.0
The graphics were pretty much the same ones you saw in Max Payne, except the characters may seem a little unfamiliar. Max looks like he's aged ten years, but I'm sure the stress of dodging thousands of bullets within a couple weeks time period has that effect on you...Overall, solid presentation, decent framerate with only a few rough patches, and as always, I loved the comic book art.
Innovation: 3.5/5.0
Not really anything new to see here if you played the original Max Payne. Sure, you get to play as Mona which is okay, but I would have liked to see more bullet time sequences, or more variety in the levels. Payne does a neat little spin to reload during bullet time, but other than that, he's just shooting while enemies are moving slowly.
Gameplay: 4.0/5.0
Eh, this category is the bore I mentioned at the beginning of the game. Sure, I enjoyed playing it, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wish I had. The little things urked me...e.g. Me diving in bullet time and at point blank range, blasting someone with a shotgun only to get up and find that same guy is shooting at me again. Holy kevlar, Batman! I will admit this score would be lower were in not for the hilarious voice acting (listen to the cop interrogate the prisoner in the police station), being able to interact with everything in the game (I love diving through stacked boxes....don't know why, really...) and the fact that they fixed the stupid dream levels (No, you will not break a controller this time, folks. No blood trail mazes and crying baby sounds....)
Replay value: 2.5/5.0
Play it once, 7 hours later, you've beaten it. Not much to encourage you to play again, other than tougher difficultly levels...Eh... I really wish these games were longer. I beat this game in one sitting...seriously.
Overall: 4.0/5.0
If you loved Max Payne, you'll love this sequel. If nothing else, just for the twisted storyline and voiceovers. However, I think people new to Max would like the first game better.
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