Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Taking off from the success of the film noir slash graphic novel feel of its predecessor, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is one of those sequel that do not disappoint. Released 2 years after the original, Max Payne 2 proved to be yet again another prize-winning hit among gamers and critics. With this series, looks like Remedy Entertainment – the Finnish developer of the series – knows how to retain the elements of success, and to add more for variety. Unlike some developers and publishers who try to milk their titles dry, Max Payne may keep hungry gamers waiting but they make sure that the dish served is hot and satisfying. The main criticism the game got was that it was over too soon.

Set exactly two years after the first instalment, this time you are an NYPD detective. The Cleaners have been cleaning up the neighbourhood too well, and Payne is out investigating their grisly affairs. He encounters a woman who was thought to have died two years ago. Mona Sax is apparently alive and well, but is facing arrest for a senator’s murder. She’s withheld at the station, but it’s suddenly attacked by the Cleaners. Mona manages to escape and meets up again with Max Payne later in the night. The two then partner up to find the right people who orchestrated the attacks.

You get to play the character of Mona in some levels, though of course you mainly take on the role of Max Payne. This third person shooter still gives you the excitement of all-out-shoot-em-up action. The weapon range doesn’t disappoint. You start with a 9mm, but later on you stumble upon various rifles, handguns, grenades, shotguns, machine guns, and even a couple of melee weapons. Max Payne 2 is highly successful both in gameplay and storyline.

True to a Max Payne sequel, you find yourself engulfed in the film noir where you yourself have control. Players are treated also to the graphic-novel style plot revelation that are not only spot on in terms of the game’s overall theme and tone, it’s also an effective way to keep the audience captivated with the story.

One gameplay feature that’s unique to Max Payne 2 is the flexibility of the level difficulty. The difficulty mode adjusts according to player skill. If Max Payne dies too often, then the enemy AIs starts getting less intelligent and you somehow stumble upon more painkillers for health survival. Due to this, it becomes relatively easy to complete Max Payne 2, also because the whole thing is quite short. At least you get two special modes after completion, New York Minute and Dead Man Walking. The first mode times your game, and scores you according to how soon you finish each level. The second is like some bonus levels, where enemies spawn nonstop and you have to survive as long as you can.

Bullet Time, the star feature of the Max Payne series, is naturally still found here – but with a couple of tweaks. It’s much easier to manoeuvre this time around, and proves to be less tactical.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is such a successful and well-made sequel, it leaves fans and shooter games craving for more. Though the wait has been long, we’re sure it will be worth it once the third instalment hits shelves later this year. What is ssd?