Two special game modes are also activated: New York Minute and Dead Man Walking. After completing the game once, other difficulty levels are unlocked. For example, if the player's character dies too many times, the enemies' artificial intelligence is made less effective, while more health in the form of painkillers is made available. When first played, the game offers one difficulty level that is adjusted automatically if the game is too difficult for the player. To move the game along, the player is told what the next objective is through Max's internal monologue, in which Max iterates what his next steps should be. As they progress, players access weapons including other handguns, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and hand-thrown weapons. Initially, the player's weapon is a 9mm pistol. Max Payne 2 is a third-person shooter, in which the player assumes the role of Max Payne, and plays as Mona Sax in a few levels. Included in these games was the entire of the Max Payne series, which are now available to be purchased and played on Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S Consoles. On November 15, 2021, Microsoft announced that in celebration of 20 years of Xbox, they would be adding over 70 more games to their backwards compatibility program. A sequel, Max Payne 3, was released in 2012. Max Payne 2 received several industry awards, including Outstanding Art Direction at the Golden Satellite Awards 2004, and Editors' Choice Awards from GamePro, IGN, and GameSpy.

Despite the positive reception, the game sold poorly, leading Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive to cite Max Payne 2 's sales as a cause for the company's reforecast finances of 2004. Max Payne 2 received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise focused on its action and story, while criticism targeted its short length. Max Payne 2 continues the story of the titular character, a detective for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and former vigilante, as he is reunited with contract killer Mona Sax and must work with her to resolve a conspiracy full of death and betrayal. It is the sequel to Max Payne (2001) and the second game in the Max Payne series. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games in October 2003.

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