Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

 PlayStation 2
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
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  1. Gamezilla!
    74
    As much as I love my PS 2, this version is the ugly cousin in the Max Payne family. Rent before purchase.
  2. Game Over Online
    74
    But it’s hard to recommend this port with a straight face due to its severely makeshift presentation. Nevertheless, it is a fun game thanks to the satisfying gameplay and excellent story. If all you’ve got is a PS2, then consider this your consolation prize.
  3. Game Chronicles
    73
    A purchase is not recommended, however, due to the game’s short length and considerably degraded graphics and gameplay. After all, 50 smackers is a lot to invest in such a short-lived game, especially when it’s an inferior port of a PC title (largely the result of the PS2’s technical limitations).
  5. GameBiz
    72
    The atrocious frame rate and textures hurts the game play, almost making it at times unplayable. Max still has the charismatic way of dealing with his demons, which is dealing death with bitter coolness.
  6. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    70
    A blast to play - it's just that you're likely to spend as much time watching cinemas, storyboards, and loading screens as actually playing the game. For a six-to-eight-hour game, that's just not right. [Feb 2004, p.104]
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  7. Eurogamer
    70
    An action title that relies on keeping the player immersed and focused on the game as much as possible. But if you're asked to spend literally 20 per cent of your playing time staring at a loading screen, then that sense of excitement and immersion quickly ebbs away.
  8. TotalGames.net
    68
    There is enjoyment to be had here but it is so short lived that there is no point donating much more than one evening to the game. For a franchise that started out so well this does indeed seem to be the fall of Max Payne.
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  9. Gaming Age
    67
    If you only own a PS2, Max Payne 2 is a worthy pickup, but those of you with a decent PC should buy that version instead. Trust me - it's easier on the eyes and the hands.
  10. GameSpot
    65
    The presentation of the PS2 version is seriously lacking, and the lengthy loading times and the huge oversight in the save system make it less than enjoyable to play.
  11. Gamenikki
    60
    Please do not buy this or even rent it. To do so would make you think less of Remedy and Max Payne 2, an absolutely terrific game on other consoles. Try another version instead.
  12. GameSpy
    60
    Sure, the core gameplay is still there -- and it's still fun -- it's just marred by shoddy visuals and a stuttering framerate. In a shooter, a sketchy framerate is the last thing you want. And that's not all -- the game's cool save system has been totally botched on the PS2 port.
  13. Edge Magazine
    60
    Is this the most violent game of all time? Maybe. Its ragdoll physics may not match the flying limbs and broken faces of Soldier of Fortune, but its throwaway approach to life and death is genuinely shocking, leaving a bitter, metallic aftertaste. This is neither a fall nor an ascension. This is an update. [Jan 2004, p.105]
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  14. PSX Nation
    50
    A recycled (and quite inept) PS2 interface plagued with technical shortcomings (slowdown galore!) that mirrors the prequel’s 2001 PS2 version makes this the console version of Max Payne 2 to avoid.

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best PS2 Game of 2003
79
#79 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 108
  3. Negative: 7 out of 108
  1. VLG
    Aug 22, 2023
    5
    I loved the atmosphere, but the game was absolutely boring and repetitive, and very hard also. I played it for hours and hours but never beatI loved the atmosphere, but the game was absolutely boring and repetitive, and very hard also. I played it for hours and hours but never beat it, as far as I remember.… Full Review »
  2. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Aug 9, 2023
    7
    The PS2 port of Max Payne 2 is a fun time despite inferior graphics. Rockstar managed to cram in everything from the original PC version.The PS2 port of Max Payne 2 is a fun time despite inferior graphics. Rockstar managed to cram in everything from the original PC version. Sadly, the framerate drops into single digits in a few sections. While it's not the best way to experience the game, this is still very entertaining. I would rate it with a 7.2 out of 10.… Full Review »
  3. DorlGaming
    Jun 6, 2023
    10
    Now here is a really adequate story, not only one of the best love story lines in the game industry as a whole, but also better graphics andNow here is a really adequate story, not only one of the best love story lines in the game industry as a whole, but also better graphics and gameplay. 10/10… Full Review »
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