Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Reviews
Altogether Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is everything the first game was, with improvements that change and evolve the game enough to feel like its own bloodthirsty monster. Playing as a variety of characters keeps your skills sharp and there are a ton of levels to master and enjoy. If extreme violence isn't your cup of tea, then you're probably not even still reading this, but if you enjoy a dark, yet neon story full of crime and murder, along with a rage inducing challenge, then Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a bloody good time.
All told, an excellent follow-up to Hotline Miami. Level design isn't as tight as the first game, and certainly some of the novelty has worn off. But nevertheless, it's a thought-provoking, challenging, and well-crafted experience that any fan of the first game should check out.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a great sequel. It innovates just enough to feel fresh but, unfortunately, takes a bit of player freedom away through its fixed characters. Sure, many of them feel great and have interesting abilities or weapons, but it does depend on how much you favor them over picking different masks and then going to town on the poor enemies that got in your way.
It's a great game. One I almost hate. One I find spiteful and cruel and perhaps even somewhat abhorrent. A game that's beautiful as well as hideous, that makes me feel queasy while keeping me thoroughly fascinated. Like a bizarre medical experiment, or a mime silently eating its own hands.
At its core, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number doesn't do much different than its predecessor. It's gritty, pulp fiction cranked to eleven.
'Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number' delivers the same frenzied gameplay and thoughtful approach to plotting, but the overall experience is undeniably bigger in scope.
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.
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.
Despite some minor issues, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is exactly what the fans of the original want and an excellent jump-on for people curious to get into the series.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number lives up to original in a number of ways, even outpacing it in terms of stylistic violence. With a story that's all over the map, and constraints often placed on the player, Hotline Miami 2 takes away some of the fun from the original game -- just not all of it.
Hotline Miami 2 is certainly worth a purchase from anybody who played the original over and over, but don't expect it to hit the same heights. Wrong Number? If only.
However, these added touches and wonderful, momentary glimpses of what Hotline Miami 2 could have been only stand to make the game more disappointing. Dennaton have claimed that this will be their last Hotline Miami, but I hope we'll see a third entry in the series as this isn't the fitting finale that it deserves.
Brutally violent, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a perfect sequel that delivers a viciously pixelated action gameplay experience.
Adding good new ideas to the formula, but unable to implement them without diluting the overall experience, Hotline Miami 2 isn't a disaster, but certainly lacks the original's fiery vitality.
Not as good as the original, Hotline Miami 2 delivers a flawed dose of the high speed ultra violence that's fun but not essential.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a relentless, rhythmic, and brutal game of killing fast, and often dying even faster.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is more of the same, but that's not a bad thing if that's all you want out of it. After beating the sequel I was immediately inspired to go back and play the original, which in turn inspired me to start playing Wrong Number again. Between the level editor and the iron-clad gameplay, I'll be enjoying this franchise for years to come.
Restrictive design decisions sap the energy from a series that revels in it, and technical issues deal the killing blow.
Frustration gives way to fun and fulfillment as failure turns to success
Twitch-based gameplay at its finest, with some of the best music ever featured in a game. Wrong Number ramps everything up to varying degrees of success.