"Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number" I Promise I Wanted to Love This Game

 

        If you cut Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number's length in half, and added some of the iconic music from the first game, I probably would not be complaining, because that's exactly what the original game was, which I absolutely loved. However, as much as I'm trying to enjoy its sequel, there's just too much wrong, too much off that stops me from enjoying this bloody, gory, high intensity top-down shooter.

    First off, let's discuss that label and that genre in general, because as much as it might seem as if the game is meant to be fast paced, it's almost designed to be slow, grinding, methodical, and grueling. No, like seriously, too often do you kill enemies only to die to some random flying bullets from outside of the screen that are completely out of your control. Look, I understand wanting players to play your game with strategy, and fighting for realism, but it's a video game, it needs to be enjoyable.

    Secondly, what in the world is up with the aiming in this game. I played it thinking perhaps I simply got worse, and it'd take time for me to readjust to the control scheme of the game, only to realize, I'm not the only person suffering from this issue. The aiming is just straight up bad, you pretty much have to be super accurate, even if on your screen you can see the bullets/weapon being thrown hit them.

    Don't even get me started on guns, because for some baffling reason, killing two enemies at once is nigh impossible for this game, especially with shotguns, making the game more punishing, but less enjoyable, as players become frustrated at the game betraying what their eyes can clearly see. Look, I'm all for hard games, but it needs to feel like I can accomplish things that seem feasible, not that I'm getting fucked over backwards for no good reason.

    Take, for example, the fat thugs, I'm not quite sure what their name is, but you literally cannot hit them or dogs with melee weapons, for reasons? What this does is forces one to resort to prey much spraying your gun wildly until their down, hoping that no other enemies attack, because fat people are bullet sponges.

    That is not where the enemy issues end though, because oftentimes the levels are not built for the way the game should be played. Not only do enemies roam long hallways and shoot at you offscreen, but there's also just so many of the, only compounding the issue of not being able to kill multiple enemies at once. I mean the game has insane serial killers in animal masks, but bullets going through bodies is where you draw the line at realism.

    If you couldn't tell, I'm already extremely frustrated at this game, and for good reason too. Yes, this game does build upon the firsts system of combat, but some of the newly introduced characters for combat, are not good. The Zebra characters roll hardly works, often, the tiger character can't pick up guns even though enemies still drop them, and the "two characters" in one is so broken and bad that you just end up using the guy with a chainsaw all by himself.

    This is only made worse once you realize, these enemies are so hit or miss. I could kill a person, and the other enemy patrolling with him will not care, but you know who will? Some random enemy who takes 15 seconds to get to you who just happened to hear it. I mean don't even get me started on the fact that they have aimbot, and that doors are so finnicky, like you could open a door and accidentally down someone, and then you can't kill them with your gun. WHY CAN'T I KILL DOWNED PEOPLE IT MAKES NO SENSE.

    Of course, to that you just say, get good, people finished the game, why can't you. It's not that I don't have it in my to finish the game, it's rather that it's so unsatisfying that the completionist in me is already burnt out from how frustratingly bad this game is. I loved the first game, from its iconic music to its incredible gameplay, but this game has lost the magic that made me fall in love with it in the first place. 

Final Score: 55/100

    If this game is on sale, and you're buying it with the first game in a bundle, go for it. Play the first game, and then maybe try the second game. However, I'm finding it difficult to recommend this game in good conscience after playing it, because it's just not that fun to go through. The story was mildly interesting? But it was too vague to make me care too much, so my official recommendation is to tread with caution when it comes to this game.