Rise and fall of improved Payne.
Chasing a group of contract killers, Max runs into various figures from his past, such as Mona Sax, his unspecified love, Alfred Wooden, the Inner Circle organization and nearly everyone who was left breathing from the first title. The plot feels like a standalone title, while the same cast appears and the back story is touched upon at certain points, you never feel as you're playing a real sequel, mainly revisiting old faces and wrapping up the first game. One again Max delivers moody inner monologue, spoken amongst much better looking storyboards paired with animated cinematic scenes that neatly tie it all together with a drop of noir, mixed with a love story overtone.
Every positive thing returns in this game, only greatly improved. Characters move and act in a very realistic way with wonderful looking graphics, far more superior then the original. Max even has more than one facial expression this time. Bullet time, a staple of the series, has also improved, lasting longer and making quicker to access to use against fewer enemies allows it to be used more sparingly. All the sweet weapons make a second appearance, looking ever more lifelike and sounds just as great.
Rise and Fall of Max Payne is truly the improved & far better sequel even if it doesn't feel as such. It looks, sounds and feels much better, making one wonder why this title didn't arrive first, matched with the original story. Unfortunately all the immeasurable positives are almost overshadowed by two large negatives that can't be ignored; length and gratification. Playing the adventure just doesn't seem to be as fun this time around, parity due to the serious story and suitable to the fact this is a short game, short enough to beat and have a few days left on your rental. Payne may look good; it just doesn't feel as good the second time around.
Last Words: B-, great looking, serious entry that falls short of the original experience.