Hot on the heels of the fantastic PC and Xbox versions, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is now available on the PS2. While the game has all of the great content of the other versions, from the revised Bullet-Time system to the same kitschy-noir storyline to the great cinematic action, this version ultimately falls very short due to poor graphical translation that detracts from the gameplay. If your only choice to play this game is through the PS2, then by all means check it out, but be aware of its shortcomings before hand.

Max Payne 2 has been billed as a “film-noir love story”, and for the most part this holds true. Max Payne, the vigilante cop anti-hero of the first game, has returned to find himself back on the force. He runs into Mona Sax, whom he thought dead towards the end of the first game. Mona, it seems, is wanted for murder. However, it is unclear whether or not Mona is guilty. Max then goes on a quest to find out who’s really behind the murder, uncovering a plethora of secrets along the way.

Max Payne 2's storytelling is done the same way of as its predecessor, through the use of graphic novel style frames. The cutscenes have the look and feel of a comic book with a very heavy narrative that sounds a bit silly at times. Lines like “I wanted to dig inside my skull and scrape out the pain” are downright laughable, but certainly made with the same kind of self-awareness that made the first game so charming.

The action is taken straight out of a John Woo film. With guns flailing, you take on hordes of bad guys from one area to the next in very cool looking action sequences. The cutscenes do often interrupt the continuity of the game (as do their massive loading times, but I’ll get to that later), but when the game gets going, it’s pretty intense.

The Bullet-Time system has been revised from the first game, definitely for the better. Now the system has a dynamic quality to it, as the more bad guys you kill, the yellower your Bullet-Time gauge gets, and the slower your enemies move. It looks extremely cool to blast an enemy into the air and take out everyone else in the room before he even lands. Reloading in Bullet-Time also looks great, as Max will do a John Woo-style spin as he reloads his weapon.

The game makes great use of the Havok physics engine. Background items will respond realistically, as boxes will fall over when you run into them, things will fall off of shelves and so on. Enemies also make use of rag-doll physics, and while this may seem a bit over the top at times, it looks very cool more often than not, especially in Bullet-Time when you are mowing down tons of baddies.

Now, onto the problems. The PS2 version falls prey to a bunch of debilitating port problems, which aren’t uncommon when it comes to porting PC games to the system. For starters, the loading times are atrocious. The game frequently cuts from an action sequence to a cutscene, and since these cutscenes can take a good half a minute to load, the gameplay is severely interrupted. Plus, whereas the PC and Xbox versions of the game have a quick save function that allows you to save at any point, the PS2 version inexplicably has no such option.

However, where the PS2 port of Max Payne 2 really gets nasty are the graphics. While the game was downright beautiful on the PC (the Xbox version is not too shabby either), the graphics in this version are nasty, rife with lousy textures and unimpressive character models. The worst aspect of the graphics department has to be the extremely erratic framerates. The game can move pretty smoothly at very low activity parts, but when it counts (high-intensity combat sequences), the framerates slow down to a crawl, making it extremely difficult to take down the bad guys. However, one good thing about the graphics is the use of Bullet-Time, which covers the screen in a layer of yellow (that gets more yellow as your Bullet-Time gauge gets going) and coats the lighting in a yellow film and looks very cool.

The sound is very good, although some bugs are prevalent in parts. The voice acting is done with a great sense of melodrama appropriate for the game. Max is as brooding as ever, and the rest of the cast does a fine job as well. The music is composed of the same kind of mood music as the first one (the theme from the original is back in a slightly more atmospheric form) and sounds like something out of a movie of similar subject matter. The bugs rear their ugly head in certain parts of the gameplay, when voices will cut-out, skip about and other sure signs of bugginess.

Max Payne 2 is an extremely short game, topping in at a little less than ten hours. Plus, the PS2 version has so many technical problems that I couldn’t really recommend a purchase. However, if you are a huge Max Payne fan and only have access to a PS2, then I would suggest that you rent Max Payne 2 and play it through over a weekend, and if you’re still hankering to play it some more, go ahead and purchase.

Gameplay: 7.9
Max Payne 2 features some cool use of the Havok engine, a revised use of Bullet-Time, and some great and intense action sequences. However, the PS2 version is so rife with problems, like no quick save feature and lousy framerates, that the game can feel practically unplayable at times.

Graphics: 7.0
The character models look okay, but have been noticeably scaled down from the PC and Xbox versions. The textures are pretty gross as well and the framerates are atrocious. At least Bullet-Time still looks cool.

Sound: 8.9
The sound effects are great, with some nice voice acting and brooding music. The only problem was some audible bugginess, like voice cut-outs and repeats.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.0
Max Payne has always been about providing a cinematic experience with a noticeable graphic novel feel, and Max Payne 2 does not disappoint in this regard. The kitschy, over the top melodrama has been nicely retained, adding to the game’s charm.

Overall: 7.9
Max Payne 2 is a great game with some every nice innovations over the previous installment in the series. However, the PS2 falls prey to a host of technical shortcomings, which can be very detrimental to the gameplay. If you are a fan of the original game and only have access to a PS2, then rent it and finish it over the course of a weekend.