{"id":73123,"date":"2023-05-23T10:09:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T15:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=73123"},"modified":"2023-05-23T10:09:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T15:09:34","slug":"hotline-miami-2-more-style-more-gore-and-more-divided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=73123","title":{"rendered":"Hotline Miami 2: More style, more gore, and more divided"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY NICK McCOY<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, the gaming world was graced with \u201cHotline Miami<\/a>,\u201d produced by two-man team Dennaton Games. Its distinctive art style, surreal storytelling, high level of violence, crushing difficulty and iconic soundtrack made it famous amongst both the mainstream and independent video game market, and it is often considered one of the greatest games of all time. Despite its difficulty, Hotline Miami is still one of my favorite games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given its success, a sequel to Denneton\u2019s classic top-down shooter was inevitable. So, in 2015, having worked with fellow company Abstraction Games, they released \u201cHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number.\u201d The big question was, how would this sequel fare against the original? Would it become an all-time indie classic, or fall into relative obscurity? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, while \u201cHotline Miami\u201d was met with widespread acclaim, \u201cWrong Number\u201d was met with a more lukewarm reception. It received plenty of praise and rightfully so, but many fans of the original weren\u2019t too happy with some of the changes made and was considered by some to be inferior to the first game. Now, where exactly do I stand on this second installment? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I think it\u2019s a fantastic game, but it has some problems. \u201cWrong Number\u201d still contains the high-octane, brutally challenging gameplay that made the first game so much fun, while also expanding on it in some ways. It also still contains its amazing art style, minimalist story and themes. At the same time, many of the criticisms aimed at certain aspects of the gameplay are, unfortunately, valid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dennaton Games, the two men behind the original \u201cHotline Miami,\u201d returned to develop the sequel. This time, they worked in collaboration with the American company Abstraction Games to create \u201cHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number.\u201d
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\u201cHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number\u201d was first released on March 10th, 2015, for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. It was later ported to the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One as part of the Hotline Miami Collection, along with the first game, in August 2019 and 2020, respectively. At first glance, \u201cWrong Number\u201d just seems like more of the same from \u201cHotline Miami 1;\u201d it\u2019s played from a top-down perspective, features an instantly recognizable pixelated art style, and an egregious amount of gore. However, there are some key differences between these two games.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easily the biggest difference is the playable characters. \u201cHotline Miami\u201d contained two main playable characters: Jacket, who you play for the majority of the game, and Biker, who is playable during the epilogue. \u201cWrong Number,\u201d on the other hand, contains 13 playable characters. These characters include The Fans, a group of five war veterans (Corey, Tony, twins Alex and Ash, and Mark) who act as masked vigilantes trying to replicate Jacket\u2019s actions in the first game; Police detective Manny Pardo, who harbors a streak of misconduct; Martin Brown, a psychotic actor using his new movie as a way of releasing violent desires; Evan Wright, a writer trying to write a book about the events of Hotline Miami; Beard\/The Soldier, a soldier in the US army fighting Russians in Hawaii; Jake, a violent natalist working for the same organization Jacket was in the first game; Richter, a reluctant assassin for the aforementioned organization; The Son, a Russian mobster trying to honor his father\u2019s legacy; And finally, The Henchman, The Son\u2019s right-hand man struggling with his line of work. All of these characters have their own story arcs, and some last longer than others. Each character is interesting in their own way, and their ends are either shocking, tragic or a combination of both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, if you had trouble following \u201cHotline Miami\u2019s\u201d story, then you won\u2019t be prepared for \u201cWrong Number\u2019s\u201d story. Like its predecessor, \u201cWrong Number\u2019s\u201d storytelling is incredibly surreal and minimalist, and adds to the confusion factor by jumping between three different time periods. Overall, the game follows events before, during, and after \u201cHotline Miami,\u201d with the bulk of the game taking place during Jacket\u2019s trial for his violent actions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0In contrast to the two playable characters featured in \u201cHotline Miami,\u201d \u201cWrong Number\u201d has 13 different playable protagonists, each with their own arcs and levels. Some of the most prominent characters are The Fans (left, art by Mister Floors) and Manny Pardo (right, art by DeimosArt).\u00a0
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Each time period has its own cast of characters to play as, with their own distinct levels. \u201cWrong Number\u201d contains six chapters with five parts, making for a total of 30 levels (in comparison to Hotline Miami\u2019s 16 chapters). Each level features its own character, and some chapters are entirely devoted to one specific character. You get to watch as each arc comes to an end in different ways, and throughout the entire journey, you\u2019re going to be doing one of two things: scratching your head or looking on in shock. The ending to \u201cWrong Number\u201d genuinely caught me off guard, and I had trouble even comprehending what had just happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many themes present in \u201cHotline Miami\u201d are all here in \u201cWrong Number,\u201d and thanks to the larger cast of characters, are expanded upon. The characters each represent something different story-wise, while the overarching theme of \u201cWrong Number\u201d still involves violence in media. It specifically talks about how often the media over-exaggerates things for the sake of attention and shock value, and the excuses people use to justify their violent actions in the gaming world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anybody who has played the first game, this is nothing new. For anybody completely new to \u201cHotline Miami\u201d and its sequel, this may seem hypocritical considering the amount of violence present. However, \u201cWrong Number\u201d asks some truly interesting questions, especially as the characters you play as, the ones you feel the need to route for, all commit increasingly vile actions. It\u2019s good food for thought, and the different themes and what the characters represent are something you should experience for yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gameplay of \u201cWrong Number\u201d is, again, nothing new for fans of the original; you are set in several different stages with only one goal – kill everyone inside. You can use a variety of different weapons, ranging from baseball bats, pipes, shotguns, assault rifles, and your own fists. Every single item you can pick up can also be thrown, and environments can be used to your advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, doors can knock down enemies and they can be shot through glass. You\u2019re also rewarded for maintaining high combos by killing enemies in quick succession. Getting high combos and varying the weapons you use is crucial to getting high scores. The same brutal challenge present in \u201cHotline Miami\u201d is here, and it is an absolute blast; but unfortunately, the newly expanded roster of characters actually hamper this in a way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may sound silly, but hear me out. In the original, Jacket was the sole playable character for the majority of the game; Biker was there but he didn\u2019t add anything worthwhile gameplay-wise. Despite this, there is a surprising amount of variety to Jacket\u2019s gameplay, thanks in large part to the animal masks players had access to. These masks granted special perks and abilities, such as expanding your combo window or increasing your line of sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This type of variety is present in characters such as The Fans, with each member having a distinctive ability; Corey can perform a roll dodge which makes her invincible for a short time, Tony\u2019s fists kill instead of knock out (at the cost of not being able to pick up any weapons), and Mark starts off each stage with dual machine guns. Alex and Ash are unique in that they\u2019re actually two characters, with Alex being the one the player controls; She wields a chainsaw, while Ash runs behind her carrying a variety of different guns. At the beginning of the levels featuring them, the player can choose one of the members to play as. The Fans were definitely meant to pay homage to the original, and it does work in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other characters, however? With some exceptions, the majority of them play exactly the same. Jake and The Son do offer different abilities like the Fans, but besides a few unique skills for each (Jake makes throwing objects lethal and can start with a nail gun, while The Son can start with a sword and a roll dodge), their other abilities are just taken from The Fans. Easily the most unique characters in the game are Beard and Evan. Beard can choose from a few different starting weapons that he is stuck with for the rest of the level, while also being able to switch with a knife. Evan is by far the most stand-out character in the entire game, as by default, he doesn\u2019t kill anyone. Every swing from a bat or a pipe doesn\u2019t kill enemies but rather knocks them out, and he can\u2019t even use guns; Instead, he unloads each gun he picks up, adding to the combo multiplier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the player chooses, Evan can enter \u201cRage Mode\u201d; While standing over a downed enemy, players can hit them more than once, which ultimately kills them. Kill enough guys this way and Evan can carry guns and kill enemies like everybody else. However, not only does that make him less interesting gameplay-wise, it also gives you fewer points. So, playing Evan the default way by not killing anybody is easily the most unique part of \u201cWrong Number\u2019s\u201d gameplay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the cast does not have the luxury of variety. Manny, Martin, Richter and the Henchman play the exact same way. The Henchman, who only has one level where he is playable, does start off with a pistol, but the second it loses ammo, he\u2019s every other character. The main loop of these characters is knocking out and finishing off enemies, and using various melee weapons and firearms to kill everyone you see. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the gameplay is still incredibly fun, fluid, and fast-paced. I just wish there was more variety in the game that Jacket brought to the original. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWrong Number\u201d keeps the series\u2019 signature top-down perspective and heavily pixelated art style. Depending on what character each chapter has you playing as you either start with a specific or can choose from different characters and abilities.\u00a0
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Another part of the gameplay I feel is worth criticizing is the lack of improvisation on many levels. The first \u201cHotline Miami\u201d emphasized improvisation and quick thinking. You could try and be methodical and cautious, but the most fun came out of just going in guns blazing. Rapidly swinging a fire ax across a room full of enemies worked more times than you may think. Plus, changing your weapons and continuing your combo helped your final grade a lot. \u201cWrong Number,\u201d on the other hand, doesn\u2019t have this kind of luxury. Some levels just straight-up punish you for trying to improvise. A lot of times, the only way of keeping a good combo going without dying is just shooting people with guns. This is a shame, because a lot of the fun, at least in my eyes, comes from just rushing enemies up close.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That brings us to the part of \u201cWrong Number\u201d which I think deserves the most criticism: the level design. \u201cHotline Miami\u201d is certainly no cakewalk; in fact, it\u2019s probably one of the hardest games out there, and its level design definitely helped in that regard. At the same time, there was rarely a moment where I thought the game was unfair. Sure, I could get frustrated, but all of it was down to not being quick enough or not paying attention. The level design in the original was smart and, for the most part, fair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWrong Number,\u201d on the other hand, can be downright sadistic with its level design. For one thing, the maps are often a lot bigger than they were in the original. This not only means more enemies, but more chances to take you off guard. One of the main gameplay features of both games is the ability to move the cursor around to scope out the different areas. In \u201cWrong Number,\u201d the maps are so large you probably won\u2019t be able to see several enemies unless you actively go to that area. And unlike the original, where there is a mask that allows you to see farther, no such mask is here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, Dennaton really seems to be a fan of glass; keep in mind, while you are able to shoot enemies through, they can shoot you as well. Plus, enemy placement in some levels is beyond cheap. So, be prepared to get shot out of basically nowhere a lot. On top of that, \u201cWrong Number\u201d also adds a new hard mode: this not only makes enemies tougher and leaves every gun with only half its bullets, but also inverts the map. This can throw you off way more than you can imagine, and when you account for how cheap some of the level design is, it just makes it worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst offenders of these problems are easily Beard and Richter\u2019s levels. While both Beard and Richter\u2019s stories are really interesting, their levels are absolutely horrid to play through. Beard\u2019s stages truly suffer from being way too big, with enemies often out of seeing range and constantly patrolling, making it really tough to tell where enemies are located at all times. Richter\u2019s levels, on the other hand, throw literally everything at you, and suffer from absolutely terrible enemy placements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an example. Richter\u2019s second level throws two guys with melee weapons, along with a shotgun-wielding goon and a thug, a special type of enemy that can only be killed with guns. In order to get past the first part of the level, you must knock out the melee enemies, grab his weapon, kill the guy with the shotgun before he kills you, and take out the thug\u2026all in a matter of seconds. It\u2019s so stupid and I don\u2019t know how the developers thought it was a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the game will be tough no matter what, it won\u2019t really matter to those just trying to get through each level normally. But to those like me who wanted to get an A+ on most levels, it is an absolute nightmare. It\u2019s not easy in \u201cHotline Miami,\u201d but in \u201cWrong Number\u201d some levels feel downright impossible without superhuman reflexes. Richter\u2019s levels are, again, the worst when it comes to this. Its levels are the shortest of the bunch, and because of this, have the most enemies charging toward you. If you aren\u2019t keeping at least a 10x combo throughout, you can kiss your A+ goodbye. The level design in \u201cWrong Number,\u201d especially for certain characters, makes going back and getting high scores just a chore. But again, to those who don\u2019t care about this sort of thing, you\u2019ll still get plenty of challenges, but won\u2019t have to worry about going back and replaying those nightmarish levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing that everybody can agree is great about \u201cWrong Number,\u201d though, it\u2019s the soundtrack. \u201cHotline Miami 2\u201d brings back the iconic synthwave soundtrack present in the original. Artists such as Perturbator, Scattle, Jasper Byrne and M.O.ON return for the second game\u2019s soundtrack, with the addition of new artists such as Light Club and Magic Sword. The pulse-pounding, heavy synth beats the artists bring to the table add so much to the game\u2019s aesthetic and feel, and will forever be an integral part of \u201cHotline Miami\u201d and \u201cWrong Number\u2019s\u201d identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, I do think some of the major criticisms aimed at \u201cWrong Number\u201d have a decent foundation, especially compared to the original. Despite this, \u201cHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number\u201d is still a fantastic game all around. Its story and themes, and many aspects of the gameplay are, in fact, great, and only build off of everything that the original did so well. While there are rougher edges to it, \u201cWrong Number\u201d still delivers the frantic, high-octane gameplay that fans of the original love so much. If you\u2019re looking for a fast-paced shooter that brings a hefty challenge, \u201cHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number\u201d is certainly worth checking out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY NICK McCOY In 2012, the gaming world was graced with \u201cHotline Miami,\u201d produced by two-man team Dennaton Games. Its distinctive art style, surreal storytelling,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":73124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,55,10490],"tags":[15105,15266,14765,10046,15260],"class_list":["post-73123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-opinion","category-video-games","tag-hotline-miami","tag-hotline-miami-2","tag-nick-mccoy","tag-video-game-review","tag-video-game-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Hotline-Feature.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73123"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73133,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73123\/revisions\/73133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/73124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}