His life in ruins, Max Payne finds himself back in the NYPD. In particular, Minifie praised Remedy for what he deemed a successful port of the game to consoles, especially for the Xbox, noticing that the version features visuals that look similar to those on the PC. Two years after the events of the first game, Max has been reinstated in his old job as a police detective for the NYPD. He encounters Mona Sax surprisingly, who was presumed dead at the end of the previous game. When the maneuver is performed, Max jumps in a direction specified by the player, and although bullet time is activated while Max is in mid-air, this will not deplete the bullet time meter.
Concluding, Tilley commented that the game "has enough polish, cinematic flair and outright mayhem to thrill those who like their Sopranos with a dash of John Woo and a touch of Frank Miller. [16] The physics engine made several situations seem more realistic. [6] On 22 May 2002, Take-Two announced that they agreed to pay up to $8 million as incentive payments to 3D Realms and Remedy Entertainment to develop Max Payne 2. In both instances, the police are arriving after the situation has been resolved. It features cello performances by Apocalyptica member Perttu Kivilaakso. Despite the positive reception, the game sold poorly, leading Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive to cite Max Payne 2's sales as a cause for the company's reforecast finances of 2004.

Terms of Use.

The game is very similar to its predecessor in gameplay concept and presentation, bringing back noir detective atmosphere, cinematic John Woo-style action, and cutscenes shaped like comic book panels. Towards the end of the game, one of the police officers quotes one of Max's first lines from the first game; "They are all dead." Tilley found that the game's "lifelike physics engine" was easily its best aspect, and noted that while playing the game, he threw a grenade across a room, which resulted in an explosion that sent enemies flying through the air in a realistic fashion.
Mona breaks out of her cell, and after fighting off the Cleaners, Max and Mona begin hunting down the people responsible for the attack. Previously, Max had only one expression available; in Max Payne 2, he often smirks and moves his eyebrows to react to different scenarios. For example, if the player's character dies too many times, the enemies' artificial intelligence is made less effective, while more health in the form of painkillers is made available. He was, however, disappointed with the general linearity of the game, and noted that players who are not interested in film noir themes will not enjoy them in Max Payne 2. However, he was turned off by some of the "hammy" dialogue. Video game critics gave Max Payne 2 highly positive reviews. Ultimately, however, Poole described the game as "entertaining but not earth-shattering". "[29], The game's action was praised by several reviewers. A sequel, Max Payne 3, was released in 2012. Dark, tragic and intense, the in-depth story is a thrill-ride of shocking twists and revelations. At the mansion, Mona knocks Max to the ground in an attempt to follow her orders to kill him, but discovers that her feelings for him keep her from doing so. [2], When first played, the game offers one difficulty level that is adjusted automatically if the game is too difficult for the player.

The cops are modeled and named after 3D Realms leads and co-founders, February 13, 2004 - Best PC Action Game in 2003 (Readers' Vote), Issue 12/2008 - One of the "10 Coolest Levels" (For "A Linear Sequence of Scares". [31] The Sydney Morning Herald's Dan Toose described the game's experience as "brutal, yet beautiful gun-blazing gaming". He lauded the game for better production values compared to the first game, including its more polished story, more professional scripts, and better acting and graphics. [32], Jon Minifie of The New Zealand Herald appreciated the game's story, calling it an "entertainingly dark third-person shooter with a well-crafted, noir storyline". [27] Similarly, GameSpy described the action as "adrenaline-pumping", and considered it comparable to what was available in film. He found that enemies react convincingly to damage taken from bullets, thanks to the physics engine. Wreaking havoc is nice, but it's great to also have a love interest complicating things, and Mona Sax is definitely up to the task." [15], The game uses the Havok physics engine, which the developers chose because it was "hands-down the best solution to our needs". Woden confronts Lem, who shoots him dead in the ensuing struggle. As they progress, players access weapons including other handguns, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and hand-thrown weapons. Used by the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions. AI companions can occasionally come to Max's aid, although their deaths do not affect the gameplay or story.[4].