Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a direct sequel to Remedy Entertainment's critically acclaimed 2001 third-person shooter Max Payne and picks up after the events of its predecessor. The game could be best described as noir-style love story, in contrast to the first that was more of a film noir revenge tale.

NYPD detective Max Payne is once again the primary protagonist, although a few very interesting segments sees you play as his love interest, Mona Sax. Max Payne 2 borrows a lot from the original and there are enough hints and references to the previous game which helps keep the narrative interesting and fresh for old-timers.

Max Payne 2 is, in many ways, a huge improvement over Max Payne 1. Gone is that constipated look replaced instead with full 3-D modeled faces. The game also sees an immense graphical upgrade with excellent usage of the Havok 2.0 physics engine. Game characters are more detailed while environment objects, including enemies, tumble and fall very realistically.

Gameplay is largely the same with a few refinements to combat. Bullet Time sees an upgrade allowing you to dodge bullets and reload quickly, with a cool whirling animation to go alongside it. This results in a higher body count but also makes gun-play segments a whole lot less challenging. Level designs are, once again, brilliant with mission locales ranging from warehouses, mansions, hospitals and clubs to constructions sites. And the enemy AI is, on a whole, pretty decent although in a few instances they end up killing themselves with their own grenade.

The plot is riveting with almost non-stop action throughout. The storyline unfolds in much the same fashion as the original. The usage of graphic novel comics complete with melodramatic over-the-top dialogue sucks you into the game's environment. If anything, the writing is more polished this time around with lots of witty and philosophical quotes thrown into the mix. The story focuses too much upon the love-story angle though which tends to get a bit jarring towards the end. In comparison, the original Max Payne's story, although slightly rough around the edges, was more dark, grittier and compelling than its sequel.

For a game that is over twelve years old, Max Payne 2 still holds remarkably well today. It overshadows the original in many aspects while also introducing a few cool mechanics of its own. Simplified mechanics make for interesting combat segments making Max Payne 2 one of the very best third-person shooters ever made.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a direct sequel to Remedy Entertainment's critically acclaimed 2001 third-person shooter Max Payne and picks up after the events of its predecessor. The game could be best described as noir-style love story, in contrast to the first that was more of a film noir revenge tale. NYPD detective Max Payne is once again the primary protagonist, although a few very interesting segments sees you play as his love interest, Mona Sax. Max Payne 2 borrows a lot from the original and there are enough hints and references to the previous game which helps keep the narrative interesting and fresh for old-timers. Max Payne 2 is, in many ways, a huge improvement over Max Payne 1. Gone is that constipated look replaced instead with full 3-D modeled faces. The game also sees an immense graphical upgrade with excellent usage of the Havok 2.0 physics engine. Game characters are more detailed while environment objects, including enemies, tumble and fall very realistically. Gameplay is largely the same with a few refinements to combat. Bullet Time sees an upgrade allowing you to dodge bullets and reload quickly, with a cool whirling animation to go alongside it. This results in a higher body count but also makes gun-play segments a whole lot less challenging. Level designs are, once again, brilliant with mission locales ranging from warehouses, mansions, hospitals and clubs to constructions sites. And the enemy AI is, on a whole, pretty decent although in a few instances they end up killing themselves with their own grenade. The plot is riveting with almost non-stop action throughout. The storyline unfolds in much the same fashion as the original. The usage of graphic novel comics complete with melodramatic over-the-top dialogue sucks you into the game's environment. If anything, the writing is more polished this time around with lots of witty and philosophical quotes thrown into the mix. The story focuses too much upon the love-story angle though which tends to get a bit jarring towards the end. In comparison, the original Max Payne's story, although slightly rough around the edges, was more dark, grittier and compelling than its sequel. For a game that is over twelve years old, Max Payne 2 still holds remarkably well today. It overshadows the original in many aspects while also introducing a few cool mechanics of its own. Simplified mechanics make for interesting combat segments making Max Payne 2 one of the very best third-person shooters ever made.