Although the original Max Payne was no where near as ambitious as the earlier code released (it was almost a whole different game on release), it didn’t disappoint too much, in fact it enthralled at moments – mixing tongue-in-cheek self-referential characters acted out by the developers themselves as they couldn’t afford “real actors”, amalgamated with the well crafted and scripted film noir appearance. Max Payne was Dirty Harry on steroids (almost literally!).

Many of the gripes for Max Payne lay in it’s linear plot, and equally it’s rather single track gameplay mechanic. Indeed the game was rather easy too, leading to a short yet interesting title, that managed to fulfill the need for short thrills but falling far short of a truly satisfactory experience.

With Max Payne 2, my interest lay in the hope the game structure would have some new innovations and not just a new engine. Perhaps a tighter level structure, with the developers not just taking notes from the likes of GTA, but also attempting, even in part, to create their own new developments rather than relying on the previous game’s bullet time introduction.

Sadly I remain disappointed. Max Payne 2 is less than a 2, and more of a 1.5. well, maybe a 1.25…..what we have here, essentially, is Max Payne revisited. Remedy had done something bad, and rehashed the original game, with a few variations, but it all boils down to a game that is so familiar that it’s redundant in being played.

There is a degree of satisfaction throwing a grenade into a crowd of bad guys, only for them to come flying through a door way, radiator and step ladders accompanying their exit

We have a new twist on the old story, and a tepid plot involving the ludicrously named Mona Sax (a rather lame sexual reference), who hasn’t died since the first game. So we visit many locations from the first game – in fact a couple of years on, and not a lot has changed. sure, the boxes have moved but really, not much has changed.

The game engine is cleaner if nothing else, with the models using more polygons. Graphically, with the likes of GTA Vice City, Chrome, and many of the newer games, things here haven’t progressed well at all. We have some additional special effects – one of which, mirrors, is only enabled on the GeForceFX cards. Sucks for everyone else then.

Whereas the first game relied on the relentless action, and some clever stages (no weapons and a warehouse full of guys out to kill you, all you have is a baseball bat) and some really nice graphics for its time; it’s quite a disappointment to see Max Payne 2 really is just more of the same, but seemingly toned down. Remedy has reduced the action for the sake of story? A story that is rather mediocre at best, even if the presentation was refreshing when the first game came out – it’s no longer the novelty it once was.

So what of bullet time? Well, on the one hand you have bullet time, on the other you have a new button called “shoot dodge”. Essentially all the John Woo action that you carried out in the first game relied on bullet time. In the second title, you are no longer confined to using it based on how much bullet time you have.

Shoot dodge is bullet time, without restrictions – at least as far as the flailing about with guns goes. Bullet time itself has had a little make over (the screen turns a pale yellow), with some interesting motion blur and acrobatics. It is, however, nothing we haven’t seen before, and in all fairness – with shoot dodge doing what bullet time did in the first game, you don’t really need bullet time anymore – it just seems to make the game easy as pie.

Sadly I remain disappointed. Max Payne 2 is less than a 2, and more of a 1.5. well, maybe a 1.25

The matrix mod for Max Payne was a fantastic little addition, that did much to enhance the excellent first game. It strikes as odd that Remedy didn’t feel the need to increase the repertoire of actions for Mr Payne to include such features. How about shotgunning a guy and using bullet time to slow things down, following with a flying kick, knocking the bastard through a door? It would have been nice, but it didn’t happen.

One interesting addition to the game is the ragdoll effects a la Unreal Tournament 2003 (2004 will be the first 64bit title to support the Athlon 64), where almost anything that can be moved is moved. There is a degree of satisfaction throwing a grenade into a crowd of bad guys, only for them to come flying through a door way, radiator and step ladders accompanying their exit. Shoot someone at the top of the stairs, and watch as they stumble down. It’s fun for a while, but soon becomes routine and taken for granted.

If you haven’t played the first game, I would highly recommend this. If u have played the first game, well you may be in for a slight disappointment. Due to the lower than expected sales, there may not be a third title in the series, but if there is, I hope much will be rectified.

Verdict: Stop the Payne, lacking originality or fun – we’ve seen it all before people.