HLM1 is a fun arcade game whereas HLM2 bring a much more focused and nuanced gameplay design into the fold. Also...it also puts all the pieces together from HLM1 and completes the story. It is the stuff of legends in my book and completely took me over when i played it. No game has ever made an impression on me quite like this one has. For some context other games which i enjoy include: Half-life, Blood, Suikoden, Phantasmagoria, Double switch, star tropics, Who shot johnny rock, Postal, Mortal Kombat, Baldur's Gate, Police Quest, Leisure Larry, etc
Simply put this is the best modern video game. It should be measured against the all-time greats such as PacMan, Pong, Quake, Half-life, etc. Never has story, music and gameplay come together so completely and thoroughly that you will die endlessly and yet still be driven to respawn and try again. No longer, as in HLM1, can you simply memorize the pattern as the game randomly changes the enemies pathways but rarely, if ever, will you feel cheated. And those who complain that they cannot storm through the map as they did in the first game are unfortunately just not up to the task. In fact if you are striving to get A+ or higher as a level completion grade you will most often be required to combo the entire map. I'm a plus 40+ year old man with other 700 games in my steam account, 77 on here and pretty much every console released and numerous arcade machines including robotron, smash tv, Mortal Kombat and Initial D stage 3 racing. If i was forced to choose a single title...that title would be Hotline Miami 2. It also holds the honor of being my highest rated game out of my 150+ steam reviews.
