Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is expected to ship next month. Developed by Rockstar Games in conjunction with Remedy Entertainment, the sequel to 2001's top-selling first-person shooter uses an improved game engine and associated 'Bullet Time' technology.

Originally developed for the PC by Remedy Entertainment and produced by 3D Realms, Take 2 Interactive has now acquired ownership of the Max Payne brand and all intellectual property rights associated with the brand, including trademarks, copyrights, characters, perpetual licence to utilise proprietary technologies and rights to licence fees from ancillary Max Payne brand extensions, such as cinema, television and literary productions.

Max Payne 2 looks as violent as the original, but adds a love interest in the form of a murder suspect, Mona Sax. Fans of the original will also be pleased to know that the game's signature slow motion gunplay has been improved in the form of Bullet Time 2.0, and new guns and moves should make the game more intense.

The game's fully-integrated Havok physics engine allows for interactive environments and the new AI allows co-operative play with other characters in the game. Environments have improved photo-realistic textures and enhanced radiosity lighting, and characters looks more realistic with facial animations and better lip synchronisation.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne looks set to be a worthy successor. Let's hope that the gameplay isn't as limited and repetitive as the original.

Links:
Max Payne 2 Web site

BIOS, Aug 26, 03 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Game