I play this and the first game entirely too much but that's because they are the only video games that I take seriously in the storytelling department except maybe for the pretty unique and funny (but short) plots of the "Oddworld: Abe" games, rightfully the cutscenes of "Abe's Exoddus" put together to form a short film were the first game video ever to be submitted for an Oscar nomination.
"Max Payne 2" excellently combines cutscenes, graphic novel sequences and in-game dialogue and action to tell its hard boiled detective noir story, forming an atmospheric and engaging experience. The comic book presentations are especially effective since they are accompanied with fully realized audio that make the comic panels come to life. To me what sticks out the most in "Max Payne 2" is the voice-over, how the voice-over is written and the delivery by the actor, the way Max philosophizes about his own mental state in metaphors overshadows even the best examples in "proper" noir films.
The famous reoccurring line "Mirrors are more fun than television", sums up nicely how much the world that we see Max Payne inhabit is filtered through the title character's subjective perspective. The "mirror", in this case, functions as a device through which the objective world is perceived and describes the in-game world itself, it's a skewed and distorted reflection of the world, and since it apparently is a very dirty mirror (tainted by painful memories and pessimism) it absorbs much of the light; et voilà, New York City becomes Noir York City. That famous line actually comes from "Address Unknown", a TV program within the game that Max sees on televisions throughout the game.
There are four major TV shows that reflect Max' current state of mind, each of which examines different aspects of his psyche often relating strongly to the plot at a respective point in the game. The aforementioned "Address Unknown" probably is the most significant one since stylistically it goes into the exact same direction as the game itself but is an even more heightened noir that takes some inspiration from Twin Peaks' hellish dream sequences. It deals with Max Payne's self-deceit and the consequent breakdown of his sanity, it also shows how Max could end up a total mental case if he keeps on going the way he does.
"Lords and Ladies", another one of the TV programs, is a soap opera and basically is about betrayal, Max especially has to deal with the betrayal of his trust thanks to his encounter with several double-crossing characters. Then there's "Captain BaseballBatBoy" a Sunday-morning cartoon, it's Max seeing himself as a hero on a quest against a villain while trying to deny that he has fallen for Mona Sax, the game's femme fatale. "Dick Justice", a pulpy 70's crime show with its Dirty Harry-like title character, I guess, is Max trying to see himself as more ruthless than he actually is, Dick Justice hides behind his badge when he's really just killing out of revenge, it's Max' struggle for sanity by attempting to let his psyche not be bothered by the bloodshed he causes.
The non-linear plot deals with many things but eventually the main theme probably is coping with memories of an unpleasant past; the reasons why one wouldn't want to face his past and the many dangers of not facing it, and eventually learning how to effectively cope with it without pumping oneself full with pain killers.
"Max Payne 2" excellently combines cutscenes, graphic novel sequences and in-game dialogue and action to tell its hard boiled detective noir story, forming an atmospheric and engaging experience. The comic book presentations are especially effective since they are accompanied with fully realized audio that make the comic panels come to life. To me what sticks out the most in "Max Payne 2" is the voice-over, how the voice-over is written and the delivery by the actor, the way Max philosophizes about his own mental state in metaphors overshadows even the best examples in "proper" noir films.
The famous reoccurring line "Mirrors are more fun than television", sums up nicely how much the world that we see Max Payne inhabit is filtered through the title character's subjective perspective. The "mirror", in this case, functions as a device through which the objective world is perceived and describes the in-game world itself, it's a skewed and distorted reflection of the world, and since it apparently is a very dirty mirror (tainted by painful memories and pessimism) it absorbs much of the light; et voilà, New York City becomes Noir York City. That famous line actually comes from "Address Unknown", a TV program within the game that Max sees on televisions throughout the game.
There are four major TV shows that reflect Max' current state of mind, each of which examines different aspects of his psyche often relating strongly to the plot at a respective point in the game. The aforementioned "Address Unknown" probably is the most significant one since stylistically it goes into the exact same direction as the game itself but is an even more heightened noir that takes some inspiration from Twin Peaks' hellish dream sequences. It deals with Max Payne's self-deceit and the consequent breakdown of his sanity, it also shows how Max could end up a total mental case if he keeps on going the way he does.
"Lords and Ladies", another one of the TV programs, is a soap opera and basically is about betrayal, Max especially has to deal with the betrayal of his trust thanks to his encounter with several double-crossing characters. Then there's "Captain BaseballBatBoy" a Sunday-morning cartoon, it's Max seeing himself as a hero on a quest against a villain while trying to deny that he has fallen for Mona Sax, the game's femme fatale. "Dick Justice", a pulpy 70's crime show with its Dirty Harry-like title character, I guess, is Max trying to see himself as more ruthless than he actually is, Dick Justice hides behind his badge when he's really just killing out of revenge, it's Max' struggle for sanity by attempting to let his psyche not be bothered by the bloodshed he causes.
The non-linear plot deals with many things but eventually the main theme probably is coping with memories of an unpleasant past; the reasons why one wouldn't want to face his past and the many dangers of not facing it, and eventually learning how to effectively cope with it without pumping oneself full with pain killers.