So I loaded up MP2 tonight (at last) and I've just now stopped playing, some two-and-a-half hours after starting. I finished Act I and I'm on the beginning stages of Act II.
Go play this game. In fact, buy it because even Rockstar deserves mucho dinero for this one, since it was with their encouragement and emphasis on production value that Remedy made this game one to remember. This game's going to get a full review once I finish it (which I anticipate will be sooner than later; reportedly this game's insanely short), but here are some first impressions:
-Visuals: awesome. The MaxFX engine is very framerate-friendly, so my relatively dated Ti4200 can run this game flawlessly with next-generation visuals. I'm amazed at the texture resolution (they've done it again!) and the character modeling and animation are second only to the most recent Tom Clancy games.
-Production value: holy. fucking. shit. Rockstar's done it again. This is the first game I've actually played that actually drops the F-bomb (Kingpin did it first in 1999). The attention to detail in this game is second to none. Remedy thought of absolutely everything in this game.
-Humor: The original Max Payne had a few moments of sheer hilarity (the V-trip scene, for example - "Max, you're in a computer game!"). MP2 cuts out all the cheese (including the scriptwriting) and the game makes fun of itself (particularly its predecessor) in nearly every level. And yes, Lords and Ladies makes its triumphant return. Is this not enough? My expectations are high for the rest of the game - Act I alone qualifies as Game of the Year. Expect a full review in a few days.
-Production value: holy. fucking. shit. Rockstar's done it again. This is the first game I've actually played that actually drops the F-bomb (Kingpin did it first in 1999). The attention to detail in this game is second to none. Remedy thought of absolutely everything in this game.
-Humor: The original Max Payne had a few moments of sheer hilarity (the V-trip scene, for example - "Max, you're in a computer game!"). MP2 cuts out all the cheese (including the scriptwriting) and the game makes fun of itself (particularly its predecessor) in nearly every level. And yes, Lords and Ladies makes its triumphant return. Is this not enough? My expectations are high for the rest of the game - Act I alone qualifies as Game of the Year. Expect a full review in a few days.