Sorry, after who killed a shitload of people, now? (I kid, I kid…)

Is she really about "outrage", though? More like just pointing things out that people don't want to have pointed out. Her videos are the driest, most academic things I've ever seen on YouTube, hardly an explosion of anger or outrage.

For that level from HM1, the key is to find a moment when the sniper's laser that's scanning the windows starts its left-to-right sweep, and then run as fast as you can right behind it until you get to the exit (note: guys will be shooting at you from the room just "above" you too). There's a couple of guys to dodge…

I would play Ash & Alex more if I had more confidence that the one with the gun would follow me through doors reliably. I forget what mission it is where they are first unlocked, but like 5 times out of 10, he (I think it's Ash with the gun) got stuck outside the front door when Alex rushed in. Ugh.

BONUS LEVEL SPOILERS

Word to that. Especially the drinking part, it helps to loosen up a bit. Allow yourself to be more easily hypnotized. Let the game rewire your brain.

OK, it's true that as far as visual presentation, they are hugely impressive and "big" as far as the story. But that finale seemed to me to be more about wrapping up the story with some crazy fireworks than about providing a final, extra-juicy challenge.

There are 24 scenes in all plus a whacked-out finale that's not especially hard. Plus a bonus level that I read about but haven't unlocked yet. Anyhow, wait 'til the final act (Act Six) and the lines between reality, film, hallucination etc. start to get a lot more blurry.

I see in some reddit discussions that although people love Ash and Alex, the primary use of Ash's (?) gun is to make a loud noise that lures enemies into chainsaw range. (That, and picking off dudes who come along trying to interrupt a chainsaw execution..)

It's important to note that there aren't boss battles like that in HM2. Well, there's one bit where you end up fighting a guy on a prison basketball court that reminds me of the awful Jacket vs. Biker fight in HM1. But at least this time, if you stay alive long enough to get the weapon, you have almost a 100% chance…

Agreed. The best explanation I can come up with is that it is supposed to throw an even more unfavorable light on the people who are looking to profit from the murder spree of the first game by making a nasty horror movie out of it. "Just look how scummy these assholes are, they even put in an implied rape of a woman…

Consider shaking up your playstyle. You'd be amazed at how aggressive you can be and not get caught (once you get used to that new mode of playing).

I definitely remember looking around the supermarket, shopping center etc. with a "Hotline Miami eye" a few times when I was playing the first game every day. If that happens with the sequel, I feel like I'm going to develop an unhealthy fear of windows and long corridors.

I never had a Betamax player, so to me it looks like vintage VHS distortion.

Didn't you find that the first one had lots of trial and error until you figured it out, though? This one is like that, it's just a different set of things to get used to. I am not that good at this game, frankly (I spent over an hour on at least 3-4 of the really long levels in the late game), but going back to it on…

Going back a ways, check out u-Ziq (that "u" is actually a Greek "mu" as in micrometers etc.), avoiding the more ambient stuff. And also, the soundtrack to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has a lot of music that's similar to this.

That was probably my favorite from the first one. Good pick.

Your two favorites are my two favorites, to the max. I bought the soundtrack and those are usually the first two I play before kicking it over to "shuffle". (Also: I confirm that the "UH" drop, and the other higher-pitched vocal sample, are indeed the high point of that track's awesomeness).

I mentioned it on another random AV Club thread earlier, but the one that really blew me away for music/story/gameplay synergy was this one with The Writer (Evan):

Basically, the level design is indeed quite different on this one and you have to adapt your playstyle a lot to match up with it. Personally, I am cool with it (I was crap at the first game the whole first playthrough, so I am used to dying way too often). I'll admit that some of the level design is bizarre, like the…