I finished Max Payne 2 today. I didn't realize going into this how much Max Payne had setup for other Remedy Games, specifically Alan Wake. The in-game show Address Unknown has so much in Common with Alan Wake II such as the evil double, alternate reality New York, and the implication of a "Next Level". it's uncanny.
There was also the in game show Lords & Ladies, which i would be lying if i said i didn't stop to watch every episode I saw.
I also liked how it had you switching back and forth between Max and Mona, and also had missions where you had to escort the other. It did it in the right quantity where you were being forced into a escort mission every 5 minutes. Having to cover Max with sniper fire as Mona was especially fun, and seeing how their stories met up was awesome.
The boss fight was also a lot of fun, i was expecting it to be a rehash of the first game's, with the Spike crushing the boss and that's the end, but actually being able to fight him was a fun experience, albeit a little hard because max was always two steps away from death.
The game had some really pretty reflections too. I assume this uses the old flip the world for the reflection trick, but it's done really well, i honestly couldn't tell if it was or not (though i don't know what else it would be using)
I thought Max Payne 2 was a big step down from the first game. I was disappointed with the changes they made to Max. I didn't like any of the characterization as much and the plot/writing felt more generic compared to the dark charm of the first game. The whole bit with the guy in the mascot costume was just dumb.
Still fun but the nowhere near as special as the original for me.
Hard disagree but to each their own. I LOVE Max Payne 2. I even love Max Payne 3. The filters were insane but the gameplay was solid and I actually played a ton of multiplayer.