I didn't get on with the original Max Payne.  The AI was off.  I would open a door and the bad guys were firing before I had chance to move, and they never missed...  The "bullet time" feature was the only way out of this impossible dilema.

Max Payne 2 seems to have cured this problem. The AI is much improved with believable and challenging bad guys and an immersive story that carries you along.  The graphics are not state of the art but plenty good enough to keep you engaged and there is a variety of puzzles to solve and twists in the plot to navigate.

The addition of the female co-star was a delightful edition, especially as you get to play both characters for a while.  This was a clever plot device. The nightmare sequences are still present and are still a little superfluous, but not so frsstrating as they were in the original.

Although the track through the game is essentially linear it does not feel that way. There is a space to it that leaves you wondering and some secrets to be had if you look carefully.

I still don't like the use of "asprin" to cure gunshot wounds, but its always going to be unrealistic to get shot 100 times yet still reach the end. I prefer the Quake 4 device of having medics that travel with you, there to fix you as long as you keep them alive.

Overall its a good if not spectacular example of the genre, one for every enthusiastic game players collection.
I didn't get on with the original Max Payne. The AI was off. I would open a door and the bad guys were firing before I had chance to move, and they never missed... The "bullet time" feature was the only way out of this impossible dilema. Max Payne 2 seems to have cured this problem. The AI is much improved with believable and challenging bad guys and an immersive story that carries you along. The graphics are not state of the art but plenty good enough to keep you engaged and there is a variety of puzzles to solve and twists in the plot to navigate. The addition of the female co-star was a delightful edition, especially as you get to play both characters for a while. This was a clever plot device. The nightmare sequences are still present and are still a little superfluous, but not so frsstrating as they were in the original. Although the track through the game is essentially linear it does not feel that way. There is a space to it that leaves you wondering and some secrets to be had if you look carefully. I still don't like the use of "asprin" to cure gunshot wounds, but its always going to be unrealistic to get shot 100 times yet still reach the end. I prefer the Quake 4 device of having medics that travel with you, there to fix you as long as you keep them alive. Overall its a good if not spectacular example of the genre, one for every enthusiastic game players collection.