This game took what I loved about Hotline 1 and turned it into just a pure rage game. I'll start with the good first.

The music is absolutely outstanding. Each level is a true banger to listen to that drills itself into your head for weeks, yet unlike the tumor of annoying commercial jingles, you don't mind. In fact, you enjoy it and name the jingle Little Timmy, who pops into your head randomly while you're at work

The story wasn't fully fleshed out in the first game. You had to look for it. Now, we get an extension to the story and now about the before, during, and after of Hotline 1. It's well thought out and the story is really good. There's meaning to each mission now. Not just "kill cause phone guy said so".

The action is overall the same. Fast-paced, on your feet planning, with high reaction timing required. As well as the instant load after death, I've come to obsess over religiously.

Now for the bad, which I might get crucified for.

The level design. Every level is big and open, so open you can't see past a fraction of the map. The last three acts, four through six, are really bad on this. Everything is out of sight and forces you against a wall. Backing up and ducking behind cover is absolutely crucial, but when I have to duck so far out just to see what's around the corner, only to get killed by some guy I didn't know was there, that's bad design. There were countless times where I yelled "where the ♥♥♥♥ did he come from". You are supposed to plan to succeed in Hotline, but your planning is botched and skewed when you can't see the rest of the map without risking death. The power plant level is the one that stands out the most. The hallway one is the pure example of just trying to piss everyone off as there is a shotgun guy following a fat guard. You cannot kill fat guys with melee weapons, and there is a lag to the weapons when you pick them up. You can't properly plan for that when he is out of sight and you have nowhere else to go.

The gunplay is also worse. It's trying to be more accurate to real-life gunplay, I get it, but it ends up just being annoying. The enemy will have god-tier aim, hitting you from anywhere, whereas your guns somehow miss everyone from a certain distance. In the first game, you locked onto the target and almost always got them with a gun. In Hotline 2, they could be sitting still and you'll most likely miss a shot. Now you have to practically be right in front of them, and we all know how that usually ends for you.

Overall, it just feels like a major downgrade from Hotline 1. I enjoyed the first half, but the second half makes me want to throw the game out a window. The masks are absent, the weapons are slower and not really responsive, the level design is like driving a hot nail through your foot.

This game took what I loved about Hotline 1 and turned it into just a pure rage game. I'll start with the good first. The music is absolutely outstanding. Each level is a true banger to listen to that drills itself into your head for weeks, yet unlike the tumor of annoying commercial jingles, you don't mind. In fact, you enjoy it and name the jingle Little Timmy, who pops into your head randomly while you're at work The story wasn't fully fleshed out in the first game. You had to look for it. Now, we get an extension to the story and now about the before, during, and after of Hotline 1. It's well thought out and the story is really good. There's meaning to each mission now. Not just "kill cause phone guy said so". The action is overall the same. Fast-paced, on your feet planning, with high reaction timing required. As well as the instant load after death, I've come to obsess over religiously. Now for the bad, which I might get crucified for. The level design. Every level is big and open, so open you can't see past a fraction of the map. The last three acts, four through six, are really bad on this. Everything is out of sight and forces you against a wall. Backing up and ducking behind cover is absolutely crucial, but when I have to duck so far out just to see what's around the corner, only to get killed by some guy I didn't know was there, that's bad design. There were countless times where I yelled "where the fuck did he come from". You are supposed to plan to succeed in Hotline, but your planning is botched and skewed when you can't see the rest of the map without risking death. The power plant level is the one that stands out the most. The hallway one is the pure example of just trying to piss everyone off as there is a shotgun guy following a fat guard. You cannot kill fat guys with melee weapons, and there is a lag to the weapons when you pick them up. You can't properly plan for that when he is out of sight and you have nowhere else to go. The gunplay is also worse. It's trying to be more accurate to real-life gunplay, I get it, but it ends up just being annoying. The enemy will have god-tier aim, hitting you from anywhere, whereas your guns somehow miss everyone from a certain distance. In the first game, you locked onto the target and almost always got them with a gun. In Hotline 2, they could be sitting still and you'll most likely miss a shot. Now you have to practically be right in front of them, and we all know how that usually ends for you. Overall, it just feels like a major downgrade from Hotline 1. I enjoyed the first half, but the second half makes me want to throw the game out a window. The masks are absent, the weapons are slower and not really responsive, the level design is like driving a hot nail through your foot.