- "I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it."
- ―Max Payne
That Old Familiar Feeling is the final chapter of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.
Plot[]
Alfred Woden attempts to talk Vladimir Lem down from killing anyone else, and after Vlad expresses that he has no desire to stop Woden suddenly lunges from his wheelchair and tries to strangle Vlad, but is shot during the struggle. Max quickly charges Vlad as well, and as Max pins Vlad while knocking the gun out of his hand, Vlad uses a detonator in his other hand to set off explosives beneath them. Both men fall down into the cellars below; Vlad quickly recovers and flees, while Max finds Lem's gun underneath himself.
Now armed, the detective chases after Vladimir, but soon after entering another portion of the basement, another bomb goes off, this time dropping the vault-like panic room behind Max. Killing a few more of Woden's traitorous bodyguards, barrels of explosives are about to detonate as Max uses the panic room as protection against the explosions. After the worst of the explosions are over, Max leaves the room and continues his pursuit of Vlad, continuing through the underbelly of the manor while taking down more commandos and bodyguards.
Payne eventually gets out of the basement and finds Vlad and a few bodyguards standing on the other side of a security door, where the Russian Mob boss taunts Max. Vlad and two of his bodyguards then leave before the security door opens. Following the trio, Max comes across Woden's main office, where he finds a large cache of weapons and painkillers, as well as a phone with several messages. Max first hears a recording of himself from earlier, then a recording of Mona telling Woden that she can't go through with killing Max. The last message is from Vlad, saying that he is coming to kill the Senator, on the basis of Woden's supposed lack of approval or attempt to have a closer father-son relationship with him.
Before leaving, a NYNN report is on the office's television, with Kyra Silver covering the rise of organized crime violence and its connection to the 2001 Valkyr scandel, while also reporting that Jim Bravura is in stable condition after being shot earlier that night. Max then uses the office's elevator, riding it up to Woden's private quarters; from there, Max makes his way to the highest point within the manor, where a great structure is being supported by several bolts, cables, and a support platform. Vlad is on the platform, shooting and throwing molotov cocktails at Max, who is able to avoid the worst of Lem's firepower and bring down the platform.
Vladimir remains practically uninjured by the fall, but Max continues to take out all of the supports for the manor's roof structure and eventually, after Max then shoots Vlad in the chest several times, the entire roof collapses under the weight. Vlad and the structure both fall into the dining hall below, bringing the Inner Circle civil war and the Cleaner case to a close. While Vladimir Lem's body burns in the rubble, Max stumbles back to where Mona is, and as he holds her she laments over being nothing more than "damsel in distress." Mona dies, and after some time the NYPD arrive and begin to look for survivors, discovering that Max is the only person still alive. The game concludes with Max apparently coming to terms with his past, including the death of his wife: "I had a dream of my wife. She was dead, but it was all right."
Characters[]
- Max Payne
- Alfred Woden (cutscene; killed)
- Mona Sax (cutscene; killed)
- Vladimir Lem (killed)
- NYPD officers (cutscene)
Deaths[]
- Alfred Woden - Shot by Vladimir Lem.
- Vladimir Lem - Shot by Max Payne, later fell to his death.
- Mona Sax - Shot by Vladimir Lem, later bled out (Normal Ending).
PS2/Xbox[]
On the PS2/Xbox version, this chapter is divided up into two parts: Chapter Eight: That Old Familiar Feeling and Chapter Eight Continued...
Hidden Weapons[]
After Vlad throws Molotov, the fire spreads behind the door. If they're opened, they show the opened shelf with ammunition among the fire.
Trivia[]
- As soon as the chapter begins, if Max runs out of the first room fast enough, the player will be able to see Vlad run through the first door on the right.
- After the panic room drops into the cellar and before the bombs go off, Vlad will begin taunting Max, but his line is unvariably cut off in the middle by "Kidding, of course!". Browsing the audio files and opening the file manor_dlg_1270, it is possible to access the full line. The line goes as follows: "We can still kiss and make up, Max! It's good that the women are out of the way. They only complicate matters! Like brothers caught on the opposite sides in a civil war, remember? Forget the stupid war! Kidding, of course!".
- If Max jumps while switching weapons at the beginning of the chapter, his jumps will be even higher, allowing him to get back up to the passage where Woden and Mona lie.
- After the first explosion, when the player jumps down to the next area, one enemy will shoot from above before pushing an explosive barrel down towards Max. The barrel will be pushed down even if the player kills the enemy.
- Game's ending is same until Max makes his way back to Mona on Dead on Arrival difficulty. Mona is found unconscious state instead of she sharing her last words before dying; Max kisses her and she is able to slowly stand on her feet again after she regains consciousness. The couple embraces while the NYPD surround them and then call out for a paramedic to assist the last 2 survivors. The alternate ending can be viewed here. The ending credit is Late Goodbye on Detective and Hard Boiled difficulty, and Max Payne 2 title theme on Dead on Arrival difficulty.
- After leaving the elevator and killing three enemies in a row, it is possible to run up the stairs before they are destroyed, while having bullet time activated. Although, it's impossible to kill Vlad at that point. The same applies for moment before closing the bullet proof transparent doors. In fact, there is invisible wall when they're being closed preventing the player from passing through before the scripted event.
Video[]
