Rating: 
Summary: Graphics
Review: this game has the best graphics of any game ever
when i first played this game i thought it was a movie. the people look like they are photoghraphes of real people. Also the game play is ultra smooth. one of the best games ever. a perfect follow up to Max Payne
Rating: 
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: A great game, awesome graphics, great storyline, but too short. Replay value on this game is almost nil after the first time through. The bullet time is great, shootdodge rocks, the weapon variety is killer, but I can't give five starts to a $50 game that provides aonly a few days of entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Great Sequel
Review: Max Payne was a great game, and one of my favorites. When i heard they were making a Max Payne 2, i was thinking, "I don't think this can be as good as the original. The original was incredible".I was wrong Like most sequels, they fail to meet the original's standards (movies in particular). But there are so few rarities that the sequel equals or even exceeds the original (like The Godfather and The Godfather Part II). Max Payne 2 is one of the few. I've only gone about 1 level in, so i'm not so sure what the story line is, so i can't truly say that the story line was better than the original's, but the original's story line was amazing and I think it would be very difficult to have a better story line than that one's. But, there are improvements that make the game equal to the original. The graphics in this are an improvement which is saying something considering the original Max Payne's graphics are pretty good themselves. The sound is good, there are little to no glitches, and most of all, the physics. In many games that i have played, you walk into a box, or a trash can, or something like that, your character continues to walk, yet not moving anywhere. In this, when Max walks into one of these objects, they move. And their motions make sense. Also, if you shoot someone, his motions too make sense in regard to where the bullet was shot from. The cut scene format is something that has always amused me as I was playing and they continue using it. I find them using the comic book format interesting. Also, I like how they treat the game like a movie. IE, "A Film Noir Love Story" and how the game comes in a DVD like box. All in all, the game is a great game and is up there with the original
Rating:
Summary: An excellent game overall
Review: I was wowed. My jaw dropped to the floor and stayed there. The graphics are easily the best I have ever seen in a FPS. The sound is utterly perfect, and the controls are very easy to learn (especially if you are a MP veteran). The battles are difficult, but never too difficult. My only complaint about it was that it was rather short (like the first one), but the Dead Man Walking mode more than made up for that. However, the plot was a different story. I was thoroughly disappointed by it. They should have had many more references to the first Max Payne, and the love story gets old and annoying after while, so much that it can interfere with the main story. One of my favorite characters in MP 1 turns bad, and the whole thing just doesn't captivate me like the first one did. Anyway, except for the story, the game rocked. I have never played a game more exciting, and that's that.
Rating:
Summary: More of a good thing
Review: For those of you who loved the first Max Payne: rest assured this game will not dissapoint. Stop reading and buy it. For the rest of you: Max Payne 2's story picks up where the first left off. Although the focus of the game is shooting, there is a rather decent storyline attached to it. Actually, if you're into plot, you may want to play through the original game first if you haven't already. The unique gameplay feature in both games is the 'bullet time', which has been slightly enhanced for the sequel. Basically, you press a button and time slows down to give you a slight upperhand while aiming. If you into shooters, you'll find a lot to like about this game. Yes, it's short... but that was something I personally never minded (I was able to finish it, unlike these 80-hour epics).
Rating:
Summary: Paynefully short...but sweet
Review: The main criticism levelled at Max Payne was that it was too short and unfortunately this issue hasn't been resolved in the sequel, in fact it's even shorter, but virtually every other aspect of the original has been improved upon in Max Payne 2. Graphically the game is outstanding, improved lighting effects and textures combined with sharper character models and varied level design really do make this game visually appealing. The bulk of the action takes place in the same grim, urban locales as it's predecessor, with old, decrepid buildings and warehouses being the focal point for shoot-outs. Interaction with the environment is plenty, Max can watch old tv shows, listen to answering machines, hear people's (sometimes) amusing conversations which all adds a level of realism to the surroundings. Sound is also good, the melancholy music fits well with the game's adult theme and there's the usual effects of windows shattering, barrels exploding and bullets flying. Max's monotone voice is heard again and does it's job well. The bullet time feature is back and with even greater effect this time. Bodies fly backwards crashing into the scenery and falling down flights of stairs, limbs flailing everywhere, it really is a joy to behold and adds an extra dimension to the gameplay. On occasion, Max is offered a helping hand by npc's and you'll also get to play as Mona Sax, Max's love interest, this keeps the action fresh and not too repetetive. The dream sequences make a re-appearence as do the comic book cut-scenes which unravel quite a complex narrative complete with some pretty profane dialogue which is obviously intended for a more mature audience. Max Payne truly is a character with whom you will get intimately into the mind of and feel his depths of despair. There is a part where you have to guide Max through a funhouse and I think this should be singled out for praise as an ingenious piece of level design. The AI has been improved somewhat, though they are still prone to blowing themselves up now and again, they do act more convincingly. The only criticism I have of Max Payne 2 is it's longevity. Parts of the game are quite tough, but you'd be hard pressed to get more than 8 hours of gameplay out of it. Couple this with the quick save feature and you could complete it in a couple of sittings. A harder difficulty setting is unlocked once you have done so, so there might be some replay value there.
In conclusion, Max Payne 2 is an incredibly stylish, violent, mature game with a complex story and convincing characters, and is better than it's predecessor, and that can't be a bad thing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sequel, better than 1st, but wait for lower price
Review: I won't get into too much. I'll try to make my points brief but clear. If you never played the 1st Max Payne, go out and get it. I think it is $10 a Wal-Mart or Target. It is good and well worth playing first. Once the price of MP 2 drops down, grab it and play it. You will appreciate the improvements. This game is great. The graphics are awesome, especially running at 4X antialiasing and anisotropic. The battles range from easy to surprising and tough within each chapter. The cut scenes and dream sequences are annoying and get OLD fast! In their defense: they are original, well done - they give you a break and a chance to calm down, so that your adrenaline can get going all over again. I believe that 50% of the cutscenes and dreams/movies could have been dropped without hurting the game or story line. In "detective" mode, the game was too short. I blew through it in 6 hours. Over the past year, I have noticed many game developers banging out games that are finished in 7 hours but they are still charging $50!!! Send a protest e-mail to them and wait until the price drops to about $30-35. Be proactive and let them know your sick of being jerked around. Now, to be fair, I blew through it quickly on the easy "detective" level. Once you solve the game you can select a harder setting. Now it is taking me a lot longer and I love it! Pros - the graphics, the improved gameplay, the effort to provide a story/plot, the enemy AI can really be tough sometimes, and the awesome slo-mo rag doll death scenes!!! Cons- the enemy AI is so-so(they still blow themselves up and stupidly race around corners! Too much storyline and way TOO MANY cutscenes and annoying dream sequences that waste time. I enjoyed Max Payne 2 but I do believe anything over $35 is way too much for most games. Wait for a price drop after X-Mas, then grab it!
Rating: 
Summary: Worth playing for one reason: bullet time
Review: Here's a review, without any BS. Max Payne 2 is a mediocre shooter, plus one absolutely fantastic gimmick: "Bullet time". That's it, plain and simple. Bullet time and slow-motion cinematics are what make this game good. Without them, this game would be a 2-star bargain bin game. Case closed This is because as far as shooters go, there is very little else good about this game. AI is abysmal - enemies constantly blow themselves up with grenades and don't know how to use cover or flank you. Level design is repetitive and totally unimaginative (with the exception of the weird "Funhouse" level). Most of the game you are going through repetitive brown and gray environments, walking along wooden planks and scaffolding. Over and over again. Unreal 2 was panned by everyone for its level design, but Max Payne 2 is worse. Worst of all is the laughable "Film Noir" story and the intrusive cut scenes and dialog. This game has cutscene after cutscene after cutscene, at least for the first half of the game. You shoot five bad guys and then sit through a cut scene. Then you shoot four more bad guys and sit through a cut scene. This might be nice for a 60-hour RPG, but it's inexcusable for a game that only takes you an afternoon to finish anyways. On the bright side, it does pick up a lot about halfway through the game. The story for the game is convoluted, it makes no sense, and it resolves next to nothing at the end. I don't mind a mindless action game if it has a simplistic and unobtrusive story. Red Faction 2 is a perfect example of this kind of game. Max Payne 2, however, has a psychedelic weirdo Clockwork Orange-style instead of the simple and straightforward one in the first game. And then there's the horrible dialog, which is more full of Film-Noir parody than the first game. The dialog is so intrusive that it spoils any chance that you have of developing genuine feelings for Max and Mona. This is a shame, because the love story could have been a great part of the game. As it is, the romance between them is too unbelievable. Remedy spent too much time writing demented metaphors, and not enough time just coming up with a story that makes sense. But to overcome all that, there's "bullet time", which is so great that it overrides any faults that the game has and makes it worth playing, albeit at reduced price. "Bullet time" is simply the coolest feature ever added to an action game, and you can play it for hours and hours without getting sick of it. One nice change to "Bullet time" for this game is that your supply regenerates between battles, so you can gun down six guys in a room, all in slow motion, and not worry about not having any left for the next battle. Bullet time combined with rag doll physics makes for endlessly exciting gun battles. Gunfights in Max Payne 2 are pure shooting goodness. Blowing away a guy in slow motion with a shotgun and watching him crash backwards through a glass window is a sight to see. The other thing that I love about this game are the TV shows that you get to watch and the conversations that you get to listen to. There are a lot of funny things happening around you, especially the TV shows like "Lords and Ladies" and "Dick Justice". I would guess that there is at least 35 minutes worth of TV shows that you can watch in the game. Overall, the environment feels very alive and realistic. More so than most other games. Max Payne 2 is so absurdly short that you will be done with it in a day, even if you play it casually. Given how much filler and extra material is in this game, I would say that it only provides about 3 or 4 good hours of action. It is fun to replay, but it is still a poor value at full price. I definitely recommend getting this game to experience bullet time, but don't pay top dollar for it.
Rating:
Summary: What up blinky?
Review: Why you doggin on battefield earth?
Rating: 
Summary: Oh No! I blinked and completed it.
Review: Well, I guess I'm the odd one out on this game, because I thought it was a major, major disappointment. Max Payne 2 describes itself as a "Film Noir Love Story", which is pretty hilarious considering that Max Payne 2 is to love stories what Battlefield Earth is to sci-fi films. Max Payne 2 must surely have the most cliched, superficial, and trite storyline ever seen in a 'story-driven' game. The story trickles slowly as the game progresses, and is at best weak, and at worst a disaster which just plain doesn't work. It's unfortunate because there were opportunities to really make something cool in the story and to give the storyline an intriguing edge to it (I did really like the TV Interludes, and some of the dream sequences). The problem is that theres gaping holes in the backstory, things happen for no reason, and you are left without any connection to the characters whatsoever. And above all else, it would have been nice if they could have gone for an original ending, rather than one that makes you say "oh purlease". It's a real shame. Everything else about the game is what you'd expect. The graphics are really nice, and there are some cool bullet-time effects - if you're into that sort of thing. The sound is as you'd expect - lots of realistic gun sounds, and bullet-time whoosh noises. The music is quite atmospheric, and does it's job well. The gameplay is okay - very similar to the original Max Payne - and so there is some major use of the quick-save and quick-load. The AI is somewhat cheesy, and some of the bad guys seem to enjoy blowing themselves up with their own grenades. The other big thing, is that the game is really short. No, I mean *really* short. I finished it in less than ten hours (and I'm pretty slow at these types of game). Less than ten hours for a $50 game is pushing it in my opinion. I dunno - maybe it's just me, but this game did absolutely nothing for me. I finished it in less than a day, and came away thinking that it was a total waste of time. I really wanted them to do a different ending - and not just because Mona Sax is hot. I wanted an ending that I couldn't see coming ten miles away, but they didn't do it, and the ending that is there is lacklustre, and not exactly a happy one. Oh well.
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