Before upstart developer Remedy even finished the original PC hit Max Payne, that had already planned more installments to follow the original. Now, about 2 and a half years after the original stellar 3 person shooterwas release we finally, finally have the sequel. While, at least in this area, Max Payne 2 has had little hype most likely because it came out so fast after its initial debut there was no time for hype. Some may see this as a cash-in on a popular name and that the game itself is poor and rushed. Not true. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is one of the best PC games ever released and easily outdoes its predecessor in many aspects.
The game picks up two years after the events of the original game, and for the 2 people out there who didn’t play it; there is an option to get a summary of the first game which is very well done. Max has been cleared of all charges thanks to Alfred Woden, a member of the mysterious “ Inner Circle .” Max himself finds that avenging his slain family hasn’t bought him peace and quits the DEA and returns to the NYPD as a detective, hoping against hope that maybe a stray bullet will take him out. During a routine patrol, Max gets a call that shots have been fired at a warehouse which he knows is owned by the head of the local Russian mob, Vladimir Lem. Max investigates the call, and that’s when his second journey into a personal hell begins. Many of the surviving characters from the original return and with the same voice actor, albeit Mona Sax sounds different.
Graphics are far superior to the original games, and that in itself is quite a feat. But this all comes at a price; you need a good system to run it. The minimum specs call for a 1 Ghz processor, 256 RAM and a 32MB video card; this is double the specs for the first game. Is it worth upgrading? Hell, yes. The graphics, coupled with the HAVOC physics engine (which was supposed to debut with the now-April bound Half-Life 2) make the game a feast for the eyes, and a blast to play.
Another new upgrade is dubbed “Bullet Time 2.0", which allows Max to go even further “in the zone”, by shifting to bullet time and quickly killing enemies. Each enemy you kill in bullet time charges up your bullet time gauge and turn it yellow. When it hits full yellow, you go into BT 2.0, in which Max moves at normal speed and the enemies slow to a crawl, and the gunshots and all the other sounds are distorted and screechy.
Controls are very intuitive and can be fully customized. The best addition is a quick key for using melee attacks or throwing grenades; no more having to equip them and being defenseless. Sound is perfect, and the voice acting is great. Max has a couple of hammy lines here and there, but since this is a love story, its acceptable and does no damage to the game.
Once the game is beaten, you unlock harder difficulty levels and the uber-cool Dead Man Walking mode. In this mode the object is to stay alive as long as you can against an onslaught of enemies. Only the weak need not apply; this mode is intense. The only true drawback is that the game is very short. My older brother, who purchased the game on day 1 beat it the following afternoon. The game will take most people maybe 7 hours, and that includes listening to all the TV shows and dialogues with NPC’s. But in all honesty, the game is perfect as-is. Adding more levels just for the sake of length would be a detriment to the story. This game is highly recommended for just about anyone.The game is rated M for the following; strong language (the f-bomb is used), blood, violence, sexual situations and nudity (yes, you seen one of Mona’s breasts.) So this isn’t one for the kiddies out there.
