As some who loved the first Max Payne, when I played Max Payne 2 12-13 years ago, I came away disappointed. It's not that I hated it or even disliked it, MP2 just didn't click with me. However, going through it this weekend, I totally "got it" this time. I replayed MP1 in the beginning of the year and though I realized I had forgotten a good bit of that game, I still came away satisfied. Playing its sequel with the OG so fresh on my mind gave me great perspective on both games but especially the game I wasn't so crazy about.

Things I Really Liked This Time

Gameplay:I remember this being my 1st complaint looking back. It doesn't play like MP1 and it doesn't quite feel like it either. I just wanted the gameplay I loved and it wasn't scratching the same place. However, this time, having replayed MP1 so recently, that particular opinion was completely reversed. Why should MP2 play like MP1? Shouldn't it be a bit different, a bit evolved? The change in gameplay, the change in tactics was totally what I wanted. I didn't want something I just got out of a game I played again, I wanted something a little different and this game absolutely provides that. Having the shoot dodge now as a free maneuver is awesome and going into a room blind with the bullet time already triggered, running around shooting up everyone in sight is so badass. And that spin reload, so cool!

Story: I played these games when I was in middle school and early high school and the first game was easy to grasp, easy to care about, at the very least on the surface. Max's wife and baby were murdered and he will stop at nothing to avenge them. HELL YEAH. But MP2? He's into this Mona Sax lady and he's chasing her and chasing her. I couldn't care less back then. This time though, I found it way more appealing. Max thought Mona was dead and he lived with that guilt as he lived with the guilt of the death of his family. Finding out she was alive and getting a 2nd chance to protect someone he cared about causes him to chase after a ghost. Also, the structure is quite nice. Starting off and seeing most of the events as flashback gives it an additional layer. And I totally forgot you play as Mona, and see events unfold through her perspective at points.

Feel: MP1 felt alright when I replayed it in January. It took a bit for me to get totally comfortable and the shooting was a bit finicky but it was still totally enjoyable. MP2 however, still feels awesome. Movement feels grounded, aiming feels perfect, and the shooting feels damn satisfying. It feels like a modern game without cover which actually makes it quite unique in 2017 and I highly recommend people play it if you're in the mood.

Pacing: This is one of the most tightly paced retail titles I've ever played. MP1 wasn't a long game but a lot of the levels could've been trimmed here and there. MP2 doesn't have this issue. It's a bit shorter but the result is a hard-to-put-down thrill ride that makes you think about going back for seconds as you play it.

Presentation: Ok, the sound mixing is still a bit spotty and most of the visuals, except for a handful of the environments and fog effects, don't hold up to the current standards but the camera work is very inspired and still gives the game an engaging presentation.

Last Thoughts

Now that I've come around on MP2 fully, I see the Max Payne series as being one of a few franchises with a kickass trilogy, a rare distinction indeed. The only "problem" I have, intended or not, is that I never quite believe that the Max Payne from 2 is the Max Payne from 1 or that the Max Payne from 3 is the Max Payne from 2. I don't know if this is a trope within the genres they are working with but they seem like 3 different people playing the same character in different stories in completely different timelines. If this is the case, I'm actually into it but considering how well 1 and 2 both end and makes you think the book is closed, seeing him again doesn't feel quite right.

But Remedy so deftly does it again in their sophomore effort that not seeing a sequel to a game that actually needs a follow up, both narratively and mechanically like Alan Wake, is sad.

I love Max Payne 2. I did when it came out and was pretty shocked to see a lot of people bad talk it then. I think it has earned back respect since but to me it's really an upgrade in every area. The graphics look better. The gameplay works better and is an improvement on 1, like you say, because it allows you to do more than shoot dodge and have any of that make much sense. That also makes shoot dodging actually cooler because you do it less. 1 was silly with how you did it really constantly if you were playing right, I think.

The physics in the game may look whatever now but at the time were cool, especially with how the game really models bullets themselves and you can see them impact objects.

I enjoy the construction yard sequence quite a lot and think more games should do that kind of thing where you see the same shoot out from both angles. It's still cool today.

I think the writing for the game is very special. There are so many times in just it's basic dialogue or monologing that it just drops gem lines. There are no choices. Nothing but a straight line.

"The illusion comes afterwards, when you ask "why me?" and "what if?". When you look back and see the branches, like a pruned bonsai tree, or forked lightning. If you had done something differently, it wouldn't be you, it would be someone else looking back, asking a different set of questions."

I am a sucker for that kind of stuff so I love it. There are also just even more cool silly side stuff in this like TV shows and the like.

Like you say, yeah it isn't long but there is really no padding in it which is great.

I have played through Max Payne 2 about 20 times which says a lot because I don't replay often at all. Deus Ex is the only game I like more.

Good post. I like hearing how you kind of came around on the game and can appreciate it today. I still can too. I think the game is still fun to play, especially if you tire of cover based shooters. I also think Max Payne is a really fantastic trilogy of games in the end.

I understand your issues with Max Payne from 1 to 2 to 3 but I think he basically is just adapting to the different stories of those games and true to his character, basically fucking up and being the fall guy along the way. I think all 3 games are different in how their stories work so Max kind of changes to them. I think the first game is very comic booky. Kind of easy to forget the whole occult segment for some I think in hindsight and I think it's okay but not really a great part of the game.

I think 2 gets more complex, with different characters and relationships. It gets pretty Shakespearean I feel like. It tells you right in the title Max isn't really winning this. 3 is a much more raw take that I think highlights Max Payne being the videogame shoot em up character he is.

I think they laid that bare in 3 in a cool way with Max accepting that and rolling with it through the end of the game with it all being a bloodbath he keeps being the center of but manages to walk away from. I would say overall I think 2 and 3 jive pretty well, with Max being a fish out of water who has given up on life coming out of 2. But 1 is pretty silly and hard to continue on with.

I haven't played Max Payne 2 since launch, when I beat it on the original Xbox, but I remember it as being much more action-movie like than the first Max Payne, with more automatic weapons and Max much more of a badass rather than the beaten down detective barely staying alive against the mob that he was in the first game. I also liked it, but I thought the change in tone you mention was intentional. Like a Terminator vs T2 or Alien vs Aliens shift. Less of a noir and more of an action film (though the story is the same noir-drenched Max Payne stuff from the first.)

The first two Max Payne games will always be dear to me, since they were among my favorite games from that gen, and I am always afraid to retry them because I know the controls will feel clunky and weird by today's standards, and the faces were already bizarre at the time. Glad to hear that MP2 held up for you. I should give this series another whirl one of these days. They were really a cut above other games when they were released. I mean the TV soap opera stuff alone was the kind of environmental storytelling almost nobody was doing, and the stories may have been cheesy and overacted but at least they weren't embarrassing.

Unlike the movie, which was very bad and so so dour. I know it's off topic, but how did they make a Max Payne movie that wasn't at ALL funny? Did they even watch a playthrough of the games?

I think it plays extremely similar, the only difference is the Havok physics being used in two, and the visuals are much better. I originally liked Max Payne the several times that I didn't get all the way through it on both the PC and the original Xbox (where I had already beaten MP2 a couple of times; once on Xbox and once on PC), but when I played all the way through it on Xbox 360 backwards compatible, I didn't love it. That said, playing it through the backward compatibility on the 360 wasn't good, though. The analog control sensitivity was terrible, so that partially had to do with me disliking it. Max Payne 2 and Alan Wake are my favorite Remedy games. The first Max Payne is also better than Quantum Break. I probably should have beaten Max Payne on PC since I had it, but I was too lazy to find the fix for the voice over. Max Payne 3 didn't regard the ending of Max Payne 2 once you beat it on hard as canon it seems, which I found unfortunate. I'm not sure what you mean by different characters; it's only based on their looks really. Otherwise, I find it fitting from where he starts to where he ends in three. I hope there's another Max Payne and he goes back to New York.

Maybe in 8-9 years Max Payne 3 nay-sayers will come to their senses and realise it's the best third person shooter out there.

With that out of my system, I never really had this reaction to any of the Paynes. I really liked all of them a hell of a lot and still hold all 3 of them in the top 3 spots of my personal "best third person shooters" list with Vanquish being their only challenger. Man, I could go for some Max Payne 3 right now.

The first time, over a decade ago, I thought it was mediocre, pretentious and far too repetitive. The second time, maybe two years ago, I liked it much more, but still found it overrated. The third time I found it great, but a few months later I looked back and came to my senses again. I think it's a good game with interesting storytelling. That's all.

I also finished Max Payne 1 last year, which I found completely average and much worse than the sequels. It's the only one I won't even give a second consideration (replay).

I replayed all 3 Max Payne games a few years ago. While I still love Max Payne 3 and love that game's style I think the first two are way better. Max Payne 1 and 2 still have the best gameplay of any third person shooter I've ever played, which really bums me out

@artisanbreads: haha tell me you had to look up that quote 'cause if not, that's a bit scary. Yeah, the writing doesn't miss a beat. I was quite impressed 'cause usually it can feel forced when a follow up tries to replicate such a specific tone of its predecessor's. About the physics: I thought it was going to be laughable going into it but it really wasn't that ridiculous, especially cause you notice it most in slo-mo when you're running past dead thugs in the air on your way to making more thugs fly. I liked it. Adds to some of the goofiness MP likes to dabble in.

@bigsocrates: I forgot to mention I played it first time on the Xbox but this time I played on PC. You should go back to it on a PC cause M/K controls haven't really changed that much. You won't have any trouble I don't think. About the movie: After I beat MP2 tonight, I was looking up who modeled as Mona and a picture of Mila Kunis came up and I was reminded of that FUCKING MOVIE. lol god, I completely suppressed that shit. Ludacris? To this day, I refuse to watch Mark Wahlberg movies 'cause he is just awful.

@mems1224: Yeah, I think MP3 gameplay isn't its best asset but that presentation is completely off the charts and the soundtrack?!?! GODLIKE!!!

@liquiddragon: I had to look it up but I can pretty much remember it ha. Like I said I have played this game like 20 times, that one sticks. I like Sam Lake a lot as a writer.

@ezekiel: Was last year your first time playing MP1? If so, that's understandable. But MP1 is a seminal title, a textbook example of an instant classic.

I'm totally with you. Max Payne 3 is one of my favorite shooters, and it's definitely my favorite in the series by far.

Yes, first time. Actually, I started it in 2015, but didn't finish it until a few months later.

I don't believe that shit. Games don't "age". They're either good or they aren't. I've discovered and enjoyed MANY old games late in my life.

*MAD SPOILERS FOR MAX PAYNE 2, IF YOU SOMEHOW HAVEN'T PLAYED IT BUT ARE READING THIS THREAD*

I think you're right that Max Payne 2 had slightly more nuanced writing than Max Payne 1. Max Payne 1 is largely about Max finally getting a lead on why his wife was murdered, and then just going apeshit and gunning down everyone he can on the path to who was ultimately responsible. Then the game just ends on this smug Sam Lake grin of Max not being worried because The Inner Circle will exonerate him of all charges. Every player in the story is either Max, a pretty flimsily written femme fatale, a mobster, a corrupt cop, or a corrupt businessman, pretty much.

The motivations for various characters in Max Payne 2 are much more interesting. Max isn't just on a revenge spree, and is instead kinda dragged into this conflict because his life is in danger because he knows too much from the first game, but also he presses on because he cares about Mona's involvement and is trying to figure her out. Mona is fleshed out much better instead of just being the mysterious femme fatale she was in the first game. The power struggle between Vlad and Wodin is interesting in they at least try to metaphorically compare it to Paradise Lost, though the connection is kinda flimsy except that the mansion at the end happens to have an insane amount of Christian artwork and sculptures everywhere.

In general, I'm a massive sucker for all of the flowery similes and personification the narration uses; I think I could've played at least 3 or 4 more games just like Max Payne 1/2 and fucking loved it. Remedy's writers got pretty good at it.

Also, I really liked the in media res opening, and how you finally loop back around to how Max gets shot by his partner, and progress from there. Also I'm still impressed with some of the way they framed certain scenes in the graphic novel format; the game opens with what appears to be some kind of goodbye kiss between Max and Mona, with them both standing upright; you reach that scene at the end, and learn that Mona has actually been shot and is lying on the floor (the earlier scene of the two of them is literally turned ninety degrees), and the scene is in fact Max kissing her goodbye as she dies. That's some good recontextualization!

I've never played these games, can I go back to them and enjoy the dated presentation and everything? I can go back to a game like Tomb Raider 2 with no issue but I'm wondering if the gameplay holds up.

For my Remedy reference, I thought Alan Wake was pretty good and Quantum Break was my second favorite game of last year.

@csl316: If you can handle Tomb Raider 2 with its tank controls and PS1 visuals, then you should totally be able to handle Max Payne 1 and 2, which both control and look better. MP2 is even further improved over MP1 in terms of gameplay feel, level design, and pacing, so if MP1 turns you off, you should still give MP2 a shot.

As a Remedy fan, you doubly need to give MP1 and 2 a try. Those games established Remedy's pedigree as a developer and feature some of their best work to date.

Max Payne 2 was amazing when I first played it...oh god, over 13 years ago? I'm still baffled by how it performed poorly sales-wise. I do kinda remember that the release almost completely snuck up on me, though it probably helped that back then I was still mostly relying on printed gaming news. Regardless, I personally enjoyed just about every minute of it and also became a Poets of The Fall fan thanks to the ending.

Been a while since I last played it. Probably because I never bought a digital copy and still have to dig up the (very awesome looking) physical box up if I want to play the game. I do imagine it still holds up pretty good, since the mouse+keyboard controls were slick as hell to begin with.

Never liked Alan Wake much and Quantum Break I just assume won't run on my PC. Well, that and I've mostly heard people saying that it was a disappointment. Wish they would've put a demo up, because my life could use more Remedy.

I don't think we'll ever see a trilogy of games like Max Payne again. One where the style, story, and gameplay are so intertwined, and every game in the trilogy is badass (even if 3 had its heart in a different place). I played them all for the first time a few years ago and was hooked. The first two definitely hold up (except for the escort missions and 2's final boss), and the third one obviously does.

Max Payne 2 is also the standout for me. I just love all the character moments, one of my favorites being Max calling a phone sex hotline just to cry and vent about his feelings, because he's alone and needs to talk and he knows no one will listen or understand anyway. Depressingly human, beautifully dark, and darkly funny - three simple phrases to sum up the whole series.

All in all, probably one of my favorite game characters and series ever. It made me love Remedy, and gave me a greater appreciation for Rockstar, with the way they "got it" but still made it their own thing.

It's a great, great game

If anyone is thinking about replaying the first two games, give first person mods a try. They change the gameplay up (and make the shooting better imo), and there's so much detail you just miss in the world playing third person. It really feels like it's made for first person once you start playing that way

When I played through the series a few years back I remember feeling that 2 was the weakest of the trilogy (3 > 1 > 2).

@ivdamke: I might argue Vanquish was better but its certainly up there as one of the best.

Rockstar really did nail the style and tone of that game.