Okay, so it's time to write a review for this game since I finished it a week ago and would like to bestow my opinion on those who are on the fence about picking up this game. Lemme start this off right away by saying that YES I loved playing this game and YES I would recommend it for those looking for a fast-paced-top-down-arcadey-twitchy-shooter with some kickass heartpounding music.

The Good:
One aspect of Hotline 2 that I actually really appreciated was the way that each individual character was handled. In Hotline 1, you played as the same character and had an arsenal of masks at your disposal. A mask was chosen at the start of the level and the mask you chose would essentially determine your playstyle for the level. In Hotline 2, you play as a cast of multiple people who each have their own small set of selectable playstyle-providing attire. While some might disagree, I enjoyed being forced out of my comfort zone in HM2. I often found myself choosing the same mask over and over in the first game and as the game progressed I became accustomed to using the same mask. Hotline 2 forced me out of that zone and it was refreshing to mix up the playstyle every so often!

Another thing I adored was the music. Both of the games had great music in my opinion and it would be hard for me to compare the two. There is one specific track in the game that is perfect for the fast-paced and intense level it is featured in and I LOVE IT. The music is very atmospheric; eerie and spooky n' stuff when some zany ♥♥♥♥ goes down and insane fast-paced techno for when you are running from room to room causing chaos.

I also loved the story. Without spoiling too much, the story is told out of order and as a player it is appealing to rearrange each event in order in attempt to figure out what is really going on. Some levels make an effort to be truely unique and throw a curveball at you and when the game does this it is fantastic. There is much more I could say but I don't want to spoil anything.

NOT-SO-GOOD:
Some of the level design is just... ugh. Not to say it isn't bad. This is the major issue that some people have with the game. The problem is that some stages are very large and it is not common to get shot from somewhere offscreen. That plus the insane amount of windows littered around these places makes the game frustrating rather than challenging sometimes. On one specific occasion I had just cleared a large stage only to discover that there was one more enemy awaiting me. Lo and behold, before I can react my character is knocked on to his arse by some offscreen shooter. Dead. Press R to Restart. In a game designed to chain together combos, it is a little counter-intuitive to hide around a corner waiting for an unsuspecting enemy.

CONCLUSION
If you like dthe first Hotline Miami, I would say that you should pick this game up. You may not like it as much as it's older borther but it does a great job improving (for the most part) on what made the first game great. If you have never played Hotline Miami, this game may be a little bit difficult to you. It is almost as if the difficulty curve was designed with veteran players in mind. If you aren't afraid of a challenge, I would give Hotline Miami 2 a shot.

All-in-all, I found Hotline Miami 2 to be a great experience that I would recommend to those looking for a challenging top-down shooter.

Okay, so it's time to write a review for this game since I finished it a week ago and would like to bestow my opinion on those who are on the fence about picking up this game. Lemme start this off right away by saying that [b] YES [/b] I loved playing this game and [b] YES [/b] I would recommend it for those looking for a fast-paced-top-down-arcadey-twitchy-shooter with some kickass heartpounding music. [b] The Good: [/b] One aspect of Hotline 2 that I actually really appreciated was the way that each individual character was handled. In Hotline 1, you played as the same character and had an arsenal of masks at your disposal. A mask was chosen at the start of the level and the mask you chose would essentially determine your playstyle for the level. In Hotline 2, you play as a cast of multiple people who each have their own small set of selectable playstyle-providing attire. While some might disagree, I enjoyed being forced out of my comfort zone in HM2. I often found myself choosing the same mask over and over in the first game and as the game progressed I became accustomed to using the same mask. Hotline 2 forced me out of that zone and it was refreshing to mix up the playstyle every so often! Another thing I adored was the music. Both of the games had great music in my opinion and it would be hard for me to compare the two. There is one specific track in the game that is perfect for the fast-paced and intense level it is featured in and I LOVE IT. The music is very atmospheric; eerie and spooky n' stuff when some zany shit goes down and insane fast-paced techno for when you are running from room to room causing chaos. I also loved the story. Without spoiling too much, the story is told out of order and as a player it is appealing to rearrange each event in order in attempt to figure out what is really going on. Some levels make an effort to be truely unique and throw a curveball at you and when the game does this it is fantastic. There is much more I could say but I don't want to spoil anything. [b] NOT-SO-GOOD: [/b] Some of the level design is just... ugh. Not to say it isn't bad. This is the major issue that some people have with the game. The problem is that some stages are very large and it is not common to get shot from somewhere offscreen. That plus the insane amount of windows littered around these places makes the game frustrating rather than challenging sometimes. On one specific occasion I had just cleared a large stage only to discover that there was one more enemy awaiting me. Lo and behold, before I can react my character is knocked on to his arse by some offscreen shooter. Dead. Press R to Restart. In a game designed to chain together combos, it is a little counter-intuitive to hide around a corner waiting for an unsuspecting enemy. [b] CONCLUSION [/b] If you like dthe first Hotline Miami, I would say that you should pick this game up. You may not like it as much as it's older borther but it does a great job improving (for the most part) on what made the first game great. If you have never played Hotline Miami, this game may be a little bit difficult to you. It is almost as if the difficulty curve was designed with veteran players in mind. If you aren't afraid of a challenge, I would give Hotline Miami 2 a shot. All-in-all, I found Hotline Miami 2 to be a great experience that I would recommend to those looking for a challenging top-down shooter.