Max Payne 2 Review - PC Game Reviews

Max Payne 2 Review

(For those who came in late, Bullet Time is a special zone that Max can enter at will. It makes the entire world slow down to a crawl while letting you aim at normal speed. If used properly, this can be a truly devastating tool, letting you plow through an entire roomful of bad guys without even breaking into a sweat.) From start to finish, the action rarely lets up.

MP2 is very different from the original game. The first major change most gamers will notice is the new graphics engine. The game looks simply amazing with great textures, realistic explosions, life-like weapons and enough bullets-shells to sink a battleship. The mayhem is brought to life thanks to the new physics engine. Every object in the world, including bodies, cans, oil drums, furniture etc. has its own weight and physical properties. If you set off an explosion, objects in the room are thrown around just as they would be in real life; if you shoot someone in the chest, the force of the blast will knock him backwards as his body crumples realistically to the floor. These advanced physics look best in the all-new ‘Bullet-Time 2.0’. As you kill your enemies in bullet time, not only does the bullet-time meter regenerate but it also changes from white to yellow. The more enemies you kill, the faster you move, which makes for some incredible fire-fights. This is a game that every action-game lover will enjoy. However, MP2 is NOT recommended for younger children as it features strong language and some adult themes. The only quibble older gamers will have concerns the length of the game. An average gamer should get about six to eight hours of play-time at the most. The PC version of this game is the best buy, especially if you have a mid-range PC. The game runs well on the Xbox but the graphics look slightly dated compared to that of the PC. The PS2 version is the absolute worst of the three in every department. The details are blurry and washed-out, the loading times are unbearably long and the frame rate is consistently poor, especially when you get in a fight with more than two to three enemies.


Overall, MP2 is much more polished than the original game. Remedy has gone to great lengths to make this game enjoyable. Even the dream sequences have been made playable thanks to the removal of death traps from the first game. The graphics are top notch, the game-play is intense and the bullet time rocks! Recommended if you own a PC or Xbox.

HIGHS: Graphics & Physics.
LOWS: Extremely Short, VERY Pricey
NUTSHELL: Action Game of the Year!
Christof Rating: 94%