Maybe it's because it was already four years old somehow when I played
it, but Max Payne 2 didn't impress me as much as the first game. The
core gameplay is basically the same, and there's nothing wrong with it,
it's just not as fresh. Bullet Time works a little differently, as Max
moves at almost the same speed as he does normally while everyone else
is stuck in slow motion, and it's an interesting dynamic. It almost
changes Bullet Time to more of a Win Button than a helpful assist, but
I didn't overuse it because I find shoot-dodging to be more
entertaining. The nightmare levels are back, and they're less annoying
while still being interesting breaks in the action. It's also a short
game. The first wasn't long either, but I beat this is just a few
sessions, none of which were particularly lengthy. It doesn't feel like
anything was missing or too rushed, it just seemed like maybe it was a
little lacking in value.
The graphics are significantly improved
for the sequel. Max's face looked silly in the first game, with a
digitized face lazily slapped onto a character model. Max Payne 2
actually has facial models, and everything looks much more natural. The
comic book style cut-scenes are back, and they're still pretty cool.
The dialog is the same stilted, over-dramatic noir stuff, but it's
entertaining anyway. The story is all right, but it has a problem with
tone. The actual plot is fairly dark in depressing, but there's an
awful lot of jokey lines between guards and a stupidly over-the-top
whacky mob boss that doesn't really fit. It's a pretty good game, but
it holds itself back from greatness.
