Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Reviews
Hotline Miami 2 boasts a much larger scope than its predecessor but to its detriment the game insists on channelling players through an optimal path. A competent follow-up.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number still sits atop the same solid, brutally violent core that made the first game a success, but it inherits all of its predecessor's flaws as well, and buries them within a bloated, altogether less satisfying experience. While the sequel isn't without its occasional charms, there's no doubt Hotline Miami would be destined for a greater legacy had it called it quits after the first spree.
I wanted to like Hotline Miami 2. I adored the first game, and everything the trailers promised - new weapons, enemies, mechanics, and violence, oodles of violence - looked excellent. However, it's just not as enjoyable. The first game felt like a focussed blast of adrenaline. Hotline Miami 2's always stopping and starting, its new characters feel rough and buggy, and the new reliance on guns restricts how you can approach combat.
A decent sequel that pushes Hotline Miami to the limit. However, held back from greatness by a few niggling issues.
It's essentially a glorified DLC pack of new levels, plus a level editor for folks who want to make their own murder rooms. The exact people who Dennaton Games were supposedly condemning in their first title are, apparently, the exact audience of people whose money they would like to take, again and again. I guess they figure those people like rape and torture, too, plus more methodical killing. Maybe they're right—but it's too bad, since it comes at the expense of making a game that has anything whatsoever to offer beyond phoned-in grindhouse schlock.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number didn't make giant leaps in gameplay improvements, but the essence that made the first game great is intact and alive. Sometimes that is all that matters, especially in a game like this.
It's still fast, violent, addictive and complemented by one of the finest gaming soundtracks available, so in many ways Hotline Miami has never been better. At times it's brilliant and at others it's disjointed but thankfully the Hotline Miami magic still exists in the wonderful collaboration of bullets, beats and bodies.
One of the best games of 2015 so far
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is violent and unsettling but still pulls you in like nothing else. Its inherent flaws feel more pronounced the second time around but it's still the 80's grindhouse murder-a-thon you know and love.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a game so savage that it can be unpalatable to certain players. But for those who enjoy the thrill of overcoming difficult combat where a single mistake can be your undoing, I can't think of a lot out there that's better.
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To its credit, Hotline Miami 2 isn't just "more of the same." But that's also its biggest problem.
Wrong Number, more than a direct continuation, is an expansion and affirmation of Hotline Miami's themes.
The first game, like a precocious child, asked a simple question: "Why do we like killing?" Wrong Number, like a disillusioned teen reading Vonnegut and lighting up a spliff, asks back: "Why do we, like, kill?"
Changes to gameplay (negative) and narrative (positive) will probably be widely discussed among the game's fans and detractors, but the truth about Hotline Miami 2 is that your opinion about it will probably be very similar to your opinion about the first game. Did you enjoy the fast-paced gameplay of the original? You'll enjoy it again.
In trying to go bigger and better with Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, the majority of what made the original so good has been lost. Levels are far too large, many enemies cannot be seen, and the mask system is effectively done away with for a poor substitute. This is still Hotline Miami; it's just not as exhilarating. Ironically, the planned level editor may be what saves it, where fans can potentially create surpassing stages akin to those found in the first game. For now, though, if yet to taste either title in the series, definitely make sure to buy the prequel over this for the ultimate and most thrilling experience.
A stellar soundtrack and fascinating story rescue an otherwise disappointing sequel. In an effort to be bigger than the original, Hotline Miami 2 bloats its arcade gameplay into an grinder that punishes risk-taking and frequently feels irritating or unfair, not satisfyingly tough.
Only saved by its incredible style and often intriguing storylines, Hotline Miami 2 is riddled with poor design choices, gameplay issues and various bugs and glitches.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number has much to appreciate yet by comparison, the original game was perhaps a textbook example that, sometimes, less really is more.
Overall, Hotline Miami 2 may suffer at some points due to it's level design, but when it gets good, it becomes astoundingly good. It's still the same top-down f*ck them up but only bigger, longer and more brutal. And certainly a must for players of the first, even if it is for the soundtrack alone.