I am blown away. I knew they had attempted to make this as theatrical and true to the roots of film noir as possible, but the depth and emotion in this is simply amazing. Some people have complained that it is too short (I personally beat it in perhaps five or six hours), but this only enriches the experience because it moves along at a rapid pace and manages to come across more as a movie than a video game.
They used real actors for the game and the cut scenes are more realistic than in the first game (which looked more like a comic). One thing that took a while to get used to were all the differences in the characters, as well as Max Payne's new physical features in this game (noticeably, his face). The previous game's model was based on "Max Payne" creator Sam Lake, whereas in this game they actually hired an actor to model Max on. I do miss the original face of Max because I had grown so accustomed to it, however -- I think overall this one looks more beaten-down and destroyed, emotionally and physically. He also looks a lot more like the typical cop character from a police movie, which I think works to the game's advantage.
The first game followed Payne after his wife and child were murdered -- another aspect I preferred in the first since Max's revenge motives were more hard-boiled and raw. In the sequel, he's basically got a price over his head because he knows about a secret organization that is splitting in two over a mob war -- and he teams up with a femme fatale from the previous story (whom he thought was dead) to take them on.
What's so great about "Max Payne 2" is how involving and engaging it is while still managing to be perhaps the smartest and deepest video game ever made. The characters all seem real, the action is never really THAT far-fetched (at least not in comparison to the original) and, believe it or not, the love story between Max and Mona Sax is entirely convincing.
The finale, just like in the original, is breathtaking and climactic.
Is "Max Payne 2" better than the original? Well, that's hard to say. I think, technically speaking, yes, it is -- however, there are certain aspects of the original that I cling on to, as well as the novelty of the first game and how utterly blown away I was when I first played it. The first "Payne" did also seem slightly more gritty, but it lacked a lot of the depth that is present in the sequel.
I'm big on revenge themes so the concept of the first game appealed to me more -- Max isn't really avenging anyone in this game until the last few minutes, which is a bit disappointing. He's more of a wanted man on the run. However, these are things necessary for the development of the game, story and character himself.
Gamewise, I preferred the first game's weapons and they didn't sound as fake as the ones in "MP2" (which pop rather unrealistically when you fire them).
On the other hand, I prefer the bullet-time in "Max Payne 2" FAR more than in the original -- it looks awesome in this one. You can also do cooler spins and slow-motion moves while you're in bullet time as compared to the first game.
I have to be perfectly honest when I say I also didn't like being forced to play as Mona Sax on two levels, nor did I find the levels themselves as fun or intricate as the first game. The first few levels of "Max Payne" (the original) when you're in those drug-infested apartment buildings doesn't compare to any level in the new game. I found, despite the sequel's excessive language and sexual content, that the original was darker and more intense.
Nevertheless, despite a few little "quibbles," this is -- overall -- probably a superior game to the first "Max Payne." It's the most theatrical game experience I've ever had -- and they even have end credits with a music theme that play afterwards! I can't wait to see an adaptation of these hit the big screen next year. If they do it right it could be one of the best films ever made.
