Max Payne 2: the fall of Max Payne starts in the
middle of things. You are in the hospital and you wonder how, what and why. You
just look around to find yourself, bandaged and unrecognizable (probably thanks
to better facial animation and graphic fidelity). The rain and the rhythm like
thunder remind you that you are in a dark history. While you numb your thumbs,
get out of the room, you get a hallucination from Mona Sax. She adds
"love" in "A Black Love Story". You start to immerse yourself
deeper, without knowing if in a fragment of your mind or in the real hospital.
Soon you come across a 9mm and that's how a villain appears. The time slows
down automatically and you shoot the masked author. He ragdolls quite
impressive death and breaks the shelves behind him. Now you know Max Payne 2.
Just let us do
one thing, the writing is excellent. Max
seems to have found time in the two-year gap between suites, encompassing all
kinds of modern literature. Things were very
confusing at first. Especially
if you have not played the first game, but you have created some predictable
twists and you have a very interesting story. The
best way to experience the package is to reread the story for a clearer
description. Honestly,
I think Mona Sax served Max's wish, as the revenge of his wife. He
does not really care about the arms trade and the gangs we're used to. In
fact, I would say that history uses it as a backdrop for the love story that
follows. In general, I
felt that the story was a little weaker. Mainly
because it was as if most of the turns were made for practical reasons. While
Max Payne 1 was almost a clear story of revenge, Max Payne 2 felt like a sick
puppy story.
Gone is ‘constipated’ Max from the first game.
Almost every character in the game is remodel. Talk about progression.
It is amazing
what 2 years of graphic evolution can do. Apart
from Hud, Max Payne 2 does not look anything like the first entry. The
enemy models are also varied, from your hateful first class band to the gangs
of uniformed maids. The
excellent voice game continues, this time with the correct lip synchronization.
Enemy
enemy between laps also, this time with fewer repetitions. The
big difference here, and probably one of the best improvements in the game, is
the new physics engine used. This
game made in the sky has enemies that interact not only with the shots, but
also with the environment that surrounds them. The
bodies will come out of several boxes and the boxes will move correctly. It
really increases the satisfaction of exploiting many things, but when you see
them they twist realistically once the bullets stop all at the same time.
The dream sequence no longer has that weird
platforming sections. Now, they are punctuated by the heavy use of visual
distortion.
This is where
things are divided a little. The
Dodge firing mechanisms have now been somewhat modified. Max
can now shoot even after landing on the ground. However,
the bullet bullet concept has been completely revised. The
time of the ball now lasts longer and fills up much faster than the first one. Its effects increase when
you kill enemies. In
a moment, Max will not be affected by the time of the balls and will become a
blur: killing dozens and dozens of villains at will in super slow.
An example of Max in ‘max’ bullet time as seen
by the yellow tint on the screen. Those buggers in the van stood no chance.
Note the dead bodies
The gameplay of
the suite no doubt encourages a more fun and audacious approach to the
sometimes methodological approach of the previous entry. Personally,
I felt that the game was not as satisfying as the first because there is little
reflection on enemy encounters. In
the previous game, you plan carefully when and where to use your ball time. I mean, there
were parts of the game that I went through without using it. But
in the future, you feel obligated to use the balls for the simplest of enemy
meetings simply because you can afford it. Another
department that I missed was the variety of weapons. It
was based mainly on the first game and in general, the shots are much lower.
Mona retains all of Max abilities. She has an
extra cartwheel move in place of the dodge which moves faster and overall more
slick looking. Feisty.
However, one
thing that the following did better was the variety of the mission. You have
missions where you have to protect an NPC and guide it. There is also a pair where
you play Mona Sax. He felt more
agile than Max and had access to the Dragunov. Good
trick. There
are also some missions where Max is in a free combat zone, which allows him to
explore the police headquarters and interact with the NPC, which always leads
to really fun encounters. Replayability
is also something where the next book. The
new entry as a survival mission will really put your skills to the test with
Max (intentionally).
In some occasions, Max will be assisted by
NPCs like these two. They’re not really that effective in combat but it is
refreshing to see people on Max’s side.
Max Payne 2: the fall of Max
Payne is more than a competent third-person shooter. In
fact, it is probably one of the best of its kind on PC. However,
as Max Payne's game, it does not offer something as good and forceful as the
first, which is not a trivial matter. The
story was not so convincing and, in general, less obscure. Do
not get me wrong, the fall of Max Payne is always a great game. This
can be very addictive, especially when it comes to cleaning a room of the bad
guys as quickly as possible. While
the first entry was probably an excellent option for extended school holidays,
to really soak up the atmosphere, Max Payne 2 is perfect for pauses for food to
satisfy the fingers of the hand.About Juan Sufyan
Mass Communication Student @ Republic Polytechnic.View all posts by Juan Sufyan →
