In this mode, the screen's color changes to a sepia tone to act as a visual cue. Max Payne 2 allows the player to enable bullet time, a mode that slows time, while still allowing the player to aim in real-time, to give the player more time to determine what they want to do.
The Dead Man Walking mode places Max in one of five scenarios, in which he must survive for as long as possible while fighting off endlessly respawning enemies. In New York Minute, the player is given a score based on the time taken to complete each level. 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. 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.
Praise focused on its action and story, while criticism targeted its short length. Video game critics gave Max Payne 2 highly positive reviews. Reinstated after the events of the previous game, he reunites with Mona Sax, they set out to resolve a conspiracy of death and betrayal. In Max Payne 2, the player controls Max Payne, a detective for the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games.