Gameplay

Rigor Floppis

But what makes the game compelling are the dynamic shootouts. There's an entirely new physics system since the last game. Most notable are the new rag doll physics for bouncing jangling meatsack bodies smacking into obstacles and slouching down walls. Slightly less dramatic are the new furniture-kicking physics for when Max walks around and knocks over chairs, garbage cans, and traffic pylons. This comes in particularly handy in Max Payne 2's construction sites, where boxes are stacked high and scaffolding is ready to collapse the moment an errant limb brushes against a support beam. It's all pretty gratuitous, as you'll note when the developers go out of their way to script a camera view of a bad guy falling into a bunch of boards like something out of a Half-Life 2 demo. But it works and it's dynamic enough to make the firefights play out differently each time.

Trick or treat

Power puzzle

Bullet time

Unfortunately, the physics of living bodies aren't nearly so refined. Jumping in Max Payne 2 is weird and unnatural, as if Max briefly becomes a floating and weightless entity whenever his feet leave the ground during a jumping puzzle. Bad guys drop down onto lower levels as stiff as boards until you kill them and they go rag doll. Running over a small obstacle like a gas can lying flat on its side makes you realize that although rag doll physics do some pretty neat things, the physics of a living guy walking around a cluttered environment aren't quite ready for prime time.

Burning man

NYPD's finest cover

Watch the grena-- nevermind

There are, to be fair, more animations this time around as Max fights. You might be pleasantly surprised to see Max interacting with objects during bullet time slow-mo. But on the whole, the gunfights play out the same way they used to. They're visceral, exciting, loud, and satisfying. Sometimes, they're a bit too confusing, as it's hard to tell where shots are coming from. And sometimes, the deck is stacked against you as Max is funneled through tight areas with no room to dodge. Sometimes, Max's fat NYPD head gets in the way when you're back up against a wall. Maybe you're doing a flying leap and suddenly the screen is filled with nothing but the pattern of the tread on Max's shoe. I suppose these are the perils of doing third person, where the trade off is that you can see Max's leather jacket flapping noncommittally while he saunters around yet another construction site.