Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Great sequel to the first game, the ending was very fitting. The neo noir story with the comics was great. You also get to play as Mona Sax for some segments of the game which switches things up a bit. Some of the game mechanics are different to make the game easier than the first, like when you go into bullet time your character is able to move at a normal speed compared to everyone else. Overall though I felt the game was more polished than the first and is definitely on par with the first game. The story is much shorter than the first one on normal difficulty.

There is a part of the game where Vinnie gets stuck, but I believe it is due to the framerate running too high for such an old game. If you use software to limit your fps to 60 it fixes these issues.

it was decent but not as good as the first one. Its not bad but it was a good enjoyable game

The game is unplayable on modern PCs without a fan made patch/fix, so installing that is the first step in making Max Payne 2 work. Other than that, it's still a good experience, and even though outdated, slow time mechanics still work and offer a lot of fun. And the story and the writing are as great as they have always been.

However, the game is not without its drawbacks. It has arguably the worst NPC escort mission in the history of videogames, and dream scenes have so much blur you'd want to puke. Moreover, level design seems like a step back compared to the first Max Payne: there's too much backtracking and many locations are reused later in the game. And even though MP2 is rather short, you will definitely notice that. Thankfully, its length is actually a plus: just as you get tired of the gameplay, the story comes to an end. And if you want more, there are higher difficulties and an arcade game mode where you have to kill endles waves of spawning enemies.

This follow-up game holds its own and delivers solid visuals and a well-crafted film noir-like story. It's worth checking out if you're a fan of the first game. Highly recommended. "Hurt my ass, Payne was his name, Payne!"

Continuation of the first, more guns to play with and some quality of life changes.

Great story, gameplays familiar to the first but refined and the graphics are great for the time

I remember playing this in 04 the physics were a new thing in video games and the game dont look to bad for 21 years old! as with all max paynes games they are great games

I didn't really like the story much of the sequel, but it is still worth a try. This one is my siblings' favorite out of the whole franchise. The movement and combat mechanics are so smooth and nice. I just wish it had gotten a better story.

The game works as is for me (win 10 machine). That's a strong point.

As a standalone experience, it's pretty good. Very diverse level settings, interesting but not over complicated investigation story and characters, good music and overall sound design.
The game will get you about 7h of story mode and much more if you go through the many, many mods still available.
As of now, nobody has released a HD texture mod but it's still decent as is (the textures are available out there, if someone wants to do something with it).
There is a quick recap in fully voiced comics style intro to explain the story of the first game. However, albeit not mandatory the first game is still very much a must for the experience.

As a folow up from the first game, it's very decent. It feels like a "requel" (a reboot sequel) so the main character is portrayed by another actor and the story follows the first opus.
This said, the story could also be self contained as they made it so that Max Payne is basically back to its regular job and the family isn't the main focus but rather getting the bad guys because its his cop duty. And then he gets involved with another girl as well. This was hinted in the first game but they go all in with this one and she's the focus of Payne's wrath.
All the other actors are different as well as far as I can tell, both in character design and personality. They are much more in tune with the new story and very serious.
They should have called the game "Max Serious Payne". That would have packed much more punch.

But it's not bad at all. The story is better crafted, so are the characters. The level design has improved and feel much less linear than in the first one, after a while. There are plenty of small details that show how carefully this was made and it's a very pleasant experience.
The comics interludes are still there and voiced very professionally. However, they got rid of one of the best part, at least for me, which is the goofiness.
That's probably why they switched actors, as the new one is very much the macho trench noir cop expected in this genre of story. No nonsense kiss the girl and shoot the bad guys. The previous actor is still there and he's acting in the in game fake TV content. That part is still pretty whacky, though. I enjoyed very much the contrast between the very, very dark story in the first game and the kind of comics goofy stereotypes.

On a technical side, the game has no issues on my recent machine and loads fast. The mechanics are solid, there's no issue with saving, jumping, climbing or bullet time. Even though to my taste, it's a bit useless but that's probably because of decades playing games with this type of mechanics that have been refined over time. I remember back then, it didn't feel like that.

Something to be noted is that the game is massively less difficult. The first one was quite a challenge at times, this one can be enjoyed on hard mode or more straight forward for the story and experience.
Some of the levels are very much at the top regarding creativity. Not as much as the dream sequences of the first one but still really high up. It's pretty amazing to go through very unique levels, which has become a rarity.


All in all, it's very much one of the best game in the genre and of that time. It's a must with the first one and they are often on sale.

Cool game for 2003 year of release and story is attracting. 10/10

Same as MP1 - it’s really impressive how well the 2003 game holds up in 2025.

I prefer MP1 slightly > 2 in terms of gameplay but there are some really creative set pieces in this game, and the storytelling is top notch. With that said, Max is clearly not a good dude. The story does a better job showing that he’s not making the best choices than MP1.

While they keep the sexual content unseen visually for the most part, there is a lot of verbal stuff. Not appropriate for kids whatsoever.

Really impressive but be advised if you play it.

not as good as the original but This is still a great game if you want to catch up on the lore of Max Payne
the combat still carries on from the original in a faithful way and is charming, but from my experience, this and a few (minor) new mechanics made it a bit Easy at certain points

careful for that One Mission though, where you have to escort a certain somebody.. that's the only thing i hate about this game... darn Escort missions...

An overall improvement on the original. It's much more fair than the first and way more polished, although some of the charm was lost. Before playing get the fixes pack from pcgamingwiki in order for it to run properly.

Great game, but not quite as good as the first in my opinion. Could have used more horror-ish segments like the baby crying chapters from the original.

My main criticism is the awful checkpoint system, if you forget to save after a while, say goodbye to a half hour or more of gameplay. I also wasn't a fan of the defend-area/person based chapters. Both of these gripes are fairly common symptoms of a lot of games of its era, however, so I let them slide.

So, if you liked the first, you definitely shouldn't skip this one as its still a great experience.

Awesome sequel to the first game. Same fast gunplay, but a little bit more refined.

Not quite my cup of tea with the romance, but it's a good direction for Max's character after he moves on from the last game.

It gets a bit repetitive towards the end, BUT the game is like six hours. It doesn't have the gritty winter atmosphere of the first game, although the constant rain adds its own dreariness. Definitely worth playing.

It's kinda funny that most of the game is super serious, but then there's an escort mission where we have to protect some Italian guy in a Captain Baseball Bat Boy suit

Just thought I should say this to anyone who is struggling to play the game on Windows 11. I spent 2 days trying to get the game to work, however it kept randomly crashing, sometimes after 10 minutes and other times as soon as I booted up the game. I followed every guide, downloaded every fix, but nothing seemed to work. Until some random comment on reddit from awhile ago suggested to change steam.exe affinity to 1 cpu in task manager. As soon as made this change the game worked. I've so far been able to play the game over the past day and with no crashes. I hope this helps anyone who is thinking of getting the game or is struggling to run it.

This has been my favorite game of all-time for about 20 years now, and I have played it across all platforms that it has been released for. Obviously, this is the best way to play it, the way it was made to be played. For all of the aging it has done since 2003, it still holds up just as well as day one in my heart. Nothing really ever needs to change about this game. Well, the widescreen fix (shouts out ThirteenAG) is pretty nice to prevent some stretching at modern resolutions. But nothing on the actual gameplay side. I love this game. Shooting in regular speed, shooting in slow motion, diving in slow motion, its all great. Story and characters are memorable, the voice acting is great (RIP James McCaffrey). Go play this game.

Gameplay wise, an improved iteration in comparison to the first entry. Nevertheless, I feel like there are too many enemies in lots of awkward locations. Regarding the plot, it stands really decent, nothing exceptional in particular. But what I really liked was the locations and how detailed they were. The corny theme park, ridiculous tv shows playing in some rooms through the game - I really liked those aspects

Great gameplay and design just like the first game with a few improvements on bullet time. Only downfall was the weird story change to being mostly about Mona.

A short but equally enchanting continuation of a dark, action packed one of a kind crime drama.

The thrills are kicked up a few gears and so are the amounts of painkillers. This one is for the story embracing romantics with a trigger finger.

Great sequel to the original Max Payne. Not a lot of new mechanics, but it is still the good old Max Payne. I liked the way the story is told from different perspectives of Max and Mona. The length of the game is similar to the previous one— not too long, not too short, but just perfect. I really like that the game doesn't waste your time. Also, this game has aged better than the original since you can buy it easily and don't need many mods to play it.

It's a classic. It runs on a potato. This is just an arbitrary good review. Never actually played this all the way through (wasn't allowed as a kid, though I snuck the first Max Payne on my mobile phone and played it that way). This is just a solid time playing a linear single player game with slow-mo John Woo type-a action. If you just watched The Matrix and you're like "I need something like that but in a video game", look no further.

A game about a crazy cop with PTSD and a Vicodin addiction. Complete with hallucinations and revenge. So good game, good game....

Play this game the story is freaking awesome! sam your a genius!
dude the ending was just 😭😭
The gameplay is good by the way. 8/10

Well I finished the game in just 4 hours, I would only recommend this game if you are a max payne fan, soon the game might get delisted from steam since its an old game and R☆ might bring the remastered version so buy the game and add this to the collection

This game does not work on modern PC platforms. And the first game. It's literally a scam. This is an amazing game I grew up playing and I can't get it to run? I tried everything to get this game to work and nothing. Do not buy! And Steam take this game off the store now!

dude this game will not start, I've tried everything. even guides won't help, fix your crap. windows 11 users don't even bother buying.

this game is 20 years old and still unforgettable. it is a nostalgia. The storytelling was perfectly written . A new mechanics called "bullet time echo" made the action and gun battle look more convenient and awesome like the movies especially while surrounded by a bunch of thugs . I am glad the general physics is developed. rain effects, horror TV shows, cut scenes that looked like a novel and nightmares made the game look darker than the last sequel. I the best action video game franchises of all time . the best protagonist who will be remembered for centuries

Introduction

Positives

• The gameplay and gameplay loop is what you know and love from the first game, with improvements - Enemies deal less damage on the game's first difficulty, you can move at normal speed whilst in bullet-time, bullet-time slowly regenerates by itself on top of killing enemies, and you can shoot while being on the floor. Huzzah!
  
  
• The story follows up from the first game, with the game taking more of a film-noir love story side approach, as Mona Sax pops up whilst answering a dispatch call and the past comes back to haunt him once again. I won't spoil too much for those that haven't played it, but it's really good, told in comic strips and top tier voice acting from everyone involved (R.I.P James McCaffrey :( )
  
  
• Graphically, looks levels from the original, and runs good straight out of the box. There is a Max Payne 2 Fix Pack you can download if you wish from this steam guide, just a quick drag and drop files into the game's main directory
  
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1633394421
  
  
• Good weapon variety - Weapons are the same as before, with some new ones - The dual deagles (I was so happy when I learnt these could dual wield because they SLAP) the AK and the M4 carbine just to name a few (you can argue the carbine is pretty much just the commando from MP1 but reskinned). MP2 encourages you to use different weapons for different scenarios, so don't expect to be using the same guns over and over again
  
  
• Game uses projectiles and a bloom system as opposed to hitscan to give the game a bit of a skill gap, where movement, timing and dodging bullets is key to coming out unscathed. I like this a lot, it helps balance the "BS" deaths that you'd get in other games, where you just die to ridiculous hitscan enemies. (I'm looking at you Call of Duty on Veteran)
  
  
• OST never fails to disappoint. Nuff said. Masterpiece
  
  
• The addition of NPCs helping you was pretty cool. There's a moment in the game where two people can help you gun down cleaners, and even though it's short and sweet, I can appreciate it being a thing for its time. It felt more like an experiment to me, and it worked, so huge props to Remedy for trying something different
  
  
• More deep, hard-hitting Max Payne one liners. "Death is inevitable. Our fear of it makes us play safe, blocks out emotion. It's a losing game, without passion you are already dead."
  
  
• Set pieces are really good. My favourite one would have to be the construction site, where you play as both Mona and Max, especially when you get to Mona, as you defend Max from hostiles and work your way through different sides of the site to get the drop on enemies. May seem like a simple, one-off escort type of mission, but for its time, very fun to play!
  
  
• Unlockable difficulties, allowing multiple replays and just making the game harder for yourself
  
  
• I learnt that this and MP1 use an "self-adjusting skill level system," where the difficulty changes based on how good you're doing. This is only available on Detective, but I thought it was cool to mention because it'll be a mix of easy and hard moments when you play for the first time. This is why.
  

Negatives

• Game was too short!!! I completed this two hours quicker than MP1 (MP1 took me 6 hours, MP2 took me 4), which is a shame because after I finished it, I felt like it more of a showcase or tech demo than an actual game, despite being a full game. Maybe it's because of the numerous difficulties you can complete it on, so that's why they decided to make it shorter
  
  
[*]Story could've been fleshed out a bit more, felt a bit confusing at times and didn't get the full picture until I watched a video on it

Conclusion

Max Payne 2 is one of the greatest sequels ever made. It plucks the first game's protagonist, the spirit of vengeance, the man with nothing to lose, and forces upon him the ability to lose everything. It strengthens his heart and weakens his body. He loves, and his trigger fingers grow weak. Then, viciously, it strips that away from him. The revenge-fueled power fantasy returns and he annihilates everything in his path, only to end up as the humble, broken, content man that he can't help but be after the life he has lived. This game houses my favorite ending in all of fiction, and I can never stop loving it.

I beat this game 20 years ago on PS2. I grabbed this because Max Payne games go on sale all with great discounts. Grab all 3 games in the series if you haven't already. You'll be happy to play them for the first time, or they are equally as fun to go back remember the past.

Even though I prefer Max Payne 1, this game is not talked about much even though it's a very decent sequel. However, paying 10 euros for a game this old is way too much (I've got it on sale). It works on Steam Deck quite good, but you need to fix the controls yourself.
Most problems with games from this era is that they almost never get updated, and this one is no exception. So, get ready for a 4:3 resolution unless you find a patch.

great game great story love max being in payne if you get the game get the fix max payne mod

“The past is a puzzle, like a broken mirror. As you piece it together, you cut yourself, your image shifting. And you change with it. It could destroy you, drive you mad. It could set you free.”

Two years have passed since the events of Max Payne, and the epnoymous detective is back on the force working homicide. The raging snow is replaced by perpetual torrents of rain, dark clouds, and the gloom of unresolved guilt; Max is haunted, tormented, by his past.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is the logical next step from the original, with touched-up gameplay and even finer writing that expands the character of Max Payne, as well as the returning members of the first game’s cast. One could almost liken it to a Hollywood production of a sequel to a beloved indie movie—but actually done right—with higher production value allowing Remedy to fully realize their creative vision.

However, The Fall of Max Payne stumbles a bit with regards to its level design. Where the original’s levels maintain their quality all the way through, there are a few here that are just not very special – in one word: forgettable – and one towards the end (you’ll know which if you’ve played the game) that makes for a real bump in the road, especially on higher difficulties. While the gunplay and action are as fun as ever, with the player given even greater control over Max (as well as the femme fatale Mona Sax), the experience of traversing the game’s 21 chapters falls just short of stacking up to the original.

“There was a blind spot in my head, a bullet-shaped hole where the answers should be.”

Though, as previously stated, where the sequel goes so far as to surpass the original is in the writing. Sam Lake flexes all his writer’s muscles, taking the story and characters up to eleven. Max Payne 2 is more emotional of a story, focusing on the relationship between Mona and Max, as he continues to wrestle with guilt over the deaths of his wife and daughter. Max’s musings and monologues are better than ever, and there are points in this game that truly hit me hard, especially after the tragic passing of James McCaffrey.

I admit, my preference for the original Max Payne is purely a matter of personal taste; from a purely objective standpoint, it would make the most sense to name The Fall of Max Payne the better of the two.

At the end of the day, it’s more Max Payne, so it’s impossible to go wrong.

“Now, like all my loves, she is mine forever. She has brought me here, to this moment of clarity, where time slows down, and I choose to look back, to see myself. And in that act of seeing, I am reborn.”

Rest in peace
James McCaffrey
1958-2023

Score: 4,5/5

★★★★½

I dunno what to say for this sequel its kinda an upgrade and also isn't. The story really still has a lot of room for improvement but the bullet time and gun play have significantly improve. The sequel nailed in giving life to random NPC adding up the immersion/point your seeing them (i.e. neighborhood having silly dialogues or them actually helping you in battle). The game is really for those that love that bullet mechanic from the first game, likes old school action and curious for what happened to Mona Sax and Max Payne. Overall its good from early to mid but kinda a letdown to climax point especially the confusing map design. You really need to pay attention to the NPC talking to you or the camera you can found in the later stage.... Sometimes its really the lack of detail, nevertheless its better than the first game!

Just finished this classic. Hard to say if I prefer this one or the first but it's a great pulpy film noir adventure. Definitely worth a look.

A very solid game with a nice story, good characters, and good gameplay. It can be a bit of a hassle playing on newer systems, though it has fewer issues than the first Max Payne game does, and you can install some third-party patches to alleviate some of the problems.
I actually enjoyed this game a lot more than the first game. The story felt more cohesive, and several elements of the gameplay from the first game were refined, making the experience much more enjoyable.
Overall, I'd recommend the game if you're willing to deal with some resolution and fullscreen annoyances. However, I do think that the story may not be as enjoyable without having played the first game, because most of the characters and their storylines continue on from the events of the first.

It’s incredible how this sequel seems to do everything right when improving upon the original. The combat, the story, and the level design all have been refined into a smooth perfection that goes down like a nice cup of joe. The only notable downside is the total runtime, clocking in at around five hours. But unlike Max Payne 1, where there was late-game padding to fill the runtime, Max Payne 2 is all killer, no filler. (9/10)

Games really fun, having a blast going back and playing these legendary games. I missed out on this series and now I'm playing max payne 1,2,3 for the first time in 2024. Full playthrough of the series on my channel PCgamerCHannel on youtube. Thank you everyone!

There are no choices. Nothing but a straight line. The illusion comes afterwards, when you ask "Why me" and "What if?" when you look back, see the branches, like a pruned bonsai tree, or a forked lightning. If you had done something different, it wouldn't be you, it would be someone else looking back, asking a different set of questions.

And we keep driving into the night
It's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye
And we keep driving into the night, it's a late goodbye

It has its ups and downs. At its best, I like the story more than the first, but generally I just find it ok, almost feeling scaled down compared to the first. Still, all of the technical upgrades are absolutely marvelous and the myriad easter eggs and oddities like the TV shows really make this worth the short ride.

Note: This game ran perfectly on my old PC with integrated graphics and my current PC with a 4070, but it does NOT work if you are using a multiple monitor setup with different HZ outputs for whatever reason. It's weird as hell. I fixed it by changing my 165hz monitor down to 60hz to match my other one and it worked just fine, but this was quite a while after I'd given up and just watched the rest of the game online.

Even better than the first in virtually every respect, highly recommend to any fan of classic games. It is shorter than the first, but arguably better paced and appreciably more difficult. Make sure to watch the secret ending.

The follow up the original Max Payne, this game is more polished, better produced and better written.
While it's not quite as goofy as the original, it's still funny in places while still being gritty.
We get to see Max now instead of being a guy driven by revenge, is a guy driven by somewhat mutual affection, if not pure lust. The game operates in moral greys and ends with a rather tragic ending.
The gameplay is similar to the first but also very different. The cool down meter of the slowdown is basically irrelevant, because if you play this game like Max Payne 1, i.e., you start diving and shooting people, then you won't spend any of your time slow down meter, because that is no longer considered a time slowdown.
Instead however you can play Max Payne 2 as Max Payne 2, without any diving, and it's certainly a different experience with more focus shooting.
It's the game feel that this game excels at, many times I just felt like I was at home playing this game.
And despite the age of this game (and yes, this game very much shows its age) it has phenomenal art direction that continues to make this game (just like its prequel) a very stylish masterpiece.
Looking forward to the remakes.
Max Payne 3 is not a sequel to this game.

if you like action games with bullet time. dont play this.
youre gonna spend half of your time breaking objects and spamming E on everything.

A much shorter and streamlined experience with smoother gameplay, but with less interesting & repeated environments and a smaller stakes story. Max runs weird and I miss his old face, but the gunplay and bullet-time is sharper and still a blast.

Its a fun game and i recommend it to everyone who likes Max Payne

pretty fun and very similar to max payne 1

its short but the story is even better than the 1st one