Post by kenny on Jan 8, 2009 3:30:56 GMT -5
Wow, it's been a damned long time since I've written a game review here, and here is a game that warrants it-
MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE
Brief summary of the plot:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR1KqecBOCo
But really, it's better than that. The exposition of the game's plot is done through real time cutscenes and well drawn graphic novel style panels which have accompanying sound. The plot is great, naturally, but you really get the most out of it if you've played the first Max Payne (the first game to do bullet time and do it RIGHT.).
But naturally the plot would be best left in the realm of the novella if it didn't have the game to back it up, a slow motion bullet-fest of a third person shooter. I wish the Matrix games had done bullet time this way, it's just so much more fun and functional. The movesets of each character are thus- in addition to your normal movement keys you have some diving rolls that you can use to quickly move out of the way of foes and movement from cover to cover. However, the meat of the game is the ways you can use bullet time. Shootdodges are leaps where the character leaps into action aiming their gun and slowing down time so you can aim and fire faster than your opponents. (In the original Max Payne, the character himself had no speed advantage in this mode- you could see the bullets but you couldn't move faster than them. Personally I liked this idea more but in MP2 the speed increase is never that much of a standout because the game is still tough as nails.) Also, you can simply hit the right mouse button and the game goes into slow motion sepiatone, where you may move and fire normally and gun people down with bullets galore. The real fun in doing things this way however is when you end up reloading. The character does a motion blurred 360 degree spin while reloading that looks f#$!ing AWESOME and also allows you to scan a room and keep tabs on incoming threats as you do so. This move is ESSENTIAL in some of the later levels and keeps you from getting your ass shot off by an enemy you didn't see.
The game's addition of Havok physics makes the gunplay all the more demented as you can use grenades to blast boxes out of the way to deny your foes cover, molotov cocktails fly through the air in a very realistic fashion, and the fires from them also spread pretty realistically. My dual core Vista rig had no trouble running the game with everything on high and naturally the game's graphics are still great- the added touches with the occasional dynamic light, motion blur and such add more icing on the cake, with cartridge casings and dead bodies aplomb. The PC controls are pitch perfect and work very good, incorporating melee attacks and middle mouse button grenade attacks (a good addition since in MP1 you had to switch to grenades to use them), the visual effects on display particuarly in the hallucination sequences are also excellent, and in general despite being a few years old MP2 still holds up quite well against today's games.
Naturally this is a single player only game and Max wouldn't have it any other way. In sum, the story's great, the gunplay is blast-tastic and it all comes together nicely. However, the game is a bit short, however there's a time attack and a survival mode to compensate, as well as unlockable difficulties. The AI also can be a bit thick at times but I've often been caught off guard by a suddenly thrown grenade blasting me in the ass and forcing me to quickly eat a painkiller salad.
Before getting this game I must caution you- to get the most out of the game play Max Payne 1. There's a recap from the main menu of Max Payne 2 but it doesn't beat playing through the first one, graphics downgrade and no quick grenades aside.
Personally this is now one of my all time favorite third person shooter games, and I say that for a good reason. So go buy it off steam since it's cheap and you can get both games for a good price. The whole game comes together great, the story and the game go hand and hand, and this self perscribed "film noir love story" blasts the hell out of most 3PSs of it's ilk.
Take THAT, Enter the Matrix.
MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE
Brief summary of the plot:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR1KqecBOCo
But really, it's better than that. The exposition of the game's plot is done through real time cutscenes and well drawn graphic novel style panels which have accompanying sound. The plot is great, naturally, but you really get the most out of it if you've played the first Max Payne (the first game to do bullet time and do it RIGHT.).
But naturally the plot would be best left in the realm of the novella if it didn't have the game to back it up, a slow motion bullet-fest of a third person shooter. I wish the Matrix games had done bullet time this way, it's just so much more fun and functional. The movesets of each character are thus- in addition to your normal movement keys you have some diving rolls that you can use to quickly move out of the way of foes and movement from cover to cover. However, the meat of the game is the ways you can use bullet time. Shootdodges are leaps where the character leaps into action aiming their gun and slowing down time so you can aim and fire faster than your opponents. (In the original Max Payne, the character himself had no speed advantage in this mode- you could see the bullets but you couldn't move faster than them. Personally I liked this idea more but in MP2 the speed increase is never that much of a standout because the game is still tough as nails.) Also, you can simply hit the right mouse button and the game goes into slow motion sepiatone, where you may move and fire normally and gun people down with bullets galore. The real fun in doing things this way however is when you end up reloading. The character does a motion blurred 360 degree spin while reloading that looks f#$!ing AWESOME and also allows you to scan a room and keep tabs on incoming threats as you do so. This move is ESSENTIAL in some of the later levels and keeps you from getting your ass shot off by an enemy you didn't see.
The game's addition of Havok physics makes the gunplay all the more demented as you can use grenades to blast boxes out of the way to deny your foes cover, molotov cocktails fly through the air in a very realistic fashion, and the fires from them also spread pretty realistically. My dual core Vista rig had no trouble running the game with everything on high and naturally the game's graphics are still great- the added touches with the occasional dynamic light, motion blur and such add more icing on the cake, with cartridge casings and dead bodies aplomb. The PC controls are pitch perfect and work very good, incorporating melee attacks and middle mouse button grenade attacks (a good addition since in MP1 you had to switch to grenades to use them), the visual effects on display particuarly in the hallucination sequences are also excellent, and in general despite being a few years old MP2 still holds up quite well against today's games.
Naturally this is a single player only game and Max wouldn't have it any other way. In sum, the story's great, the gunplay is blast-tastic and it all comes together nicely. However, the game is a bit short, however there's a time attack and a survival mode to compensate, as well as unlockable difficulties. The AI also can be a bit thick at times but I've often been caught off guard by a suddenly thrown grenade blasting me in the ass and forcing me to quickly eat a painkiller salad.
Before getting this game I must caution you- to get the most out of the game play Max Payne 1. There's a recap from the main menu of Max Payne 2 but it doesn't beat playing through the first one, graphics downgrade and no quick grenades aside.
Personally this is now one of my all time favorite third person shooter games, and I say that for a good reason. So go buy it off steam since it's cheap and you can get both games for a good price. The whole game comes together great, the story and the game go hand and hand, and this self perscribed "film noir love story" blasts the hell out of most 3PSs of it's ilk.
Take THAT, Enter the Matrix.