I picked up Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, and I have to say I rather like it. Opinions on it seem to be somewhat mixed--some people apparently dislike that it's not just more of the first Hotline Miami, having a much bigger focus on story (making it virtually the antithesis of one of the bigger apparent themes of the first Hotline Miami, which was an effective argument that story isn't strictly necessary to support excellent gameplay) and even allowing story to dictate game mechanics where particular playable characters are concerned (granted, even the first Hotline Miami did this after the fake ending). Myself, I'm quite fine with this--I'm not in the camp that would argue that a sequel should just be more of the game that came before it, and appreciate that Hotline Miami 2 has its own identity and themes, even if some of those themes are the exact opposite of themes in the original.
The fast-paced one-hit-kill ultra-violence set to energetic, blood-pumping music and trippy visuals, as well as the theme of violence being a fundamental part of the human psyche, however, remain. And I appreciate the retention of these themes as much as I do the introduction of new ones.
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