Max Payne

It took four long years in production, but Max Payne has lived up to and beyond all expectations and earned the rave reviews it deserves. First of all, the whole game is visually stunning. When you first load up the tutorial, trust me, you'll just be sitting there staring. When you first pause the game and watch the camera circle Max's virtually photo-realistic body, you'll keep on staring. When you first launch into slow motion and watch the bullets actually flying past, you'll stare some more. Basically, the graphics are fantastic; I've never seen better in a PC game.

But that's not all that makes Max Payne so remarkable. The story is really intriguing, and I think calling it cliched is missing the point; it's supposed to have that film noir, crime novel feeling, and it pulls it off creatively through the graphic novel scenes that pop up throughout the game. When you're not tearing through gangsters and junkies and suits, you may find yourself listening in from around corners, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, even wandering through Max's actual nightmares. The use of the graphic novel is great; it's wickedly written and a nice break from the action sometimes.

Which brings me to the action itself. Wow. Playing against such amazing graphics and animation, gunfights in Max Payne are *intense*. The slow-motion feature is a wonderful addition; you start to feel so cool sliding past bullets in midair that you're able to suspend disbelief. As with any other game, you learn to ration your resources and deal with confrontations more efficiently, but the awesome thing is that this game learns along with you. Max Payne actually adjusts to your skill level, making the game challenging without being impossible. And it's about time someone made a shooter like that!

So combine all that with really good voice acting and blessedly infrequent load times, and you really do have one of the best PC games ever made. Inevitably, there are a few problems; the weapons interface can be a little difficult at first, and enemy AI can be kind of questionable, but those are common glitches. The only significant drawback is only that the game doesn't last long enough! For most, it won't take longer than ten or fifteen hours to complete. However, what it lacks in quantity, Max more than makes up for in quality, and it's very replayable anyway.

All in all, this one is a landmark game and a masterpiece -- super-innovative, compelling and beautifully made. Deservedly, it's sure to land more than one Game Of The Year.

Max Payne is the titular cop hell-bent on revenge after his wife and child have been murdered by a group of strangers in his own house. While the plot of the game feels good enough for any film-noir it is the unique atmosphere that separates it from the rest.

While most people will probably remember the game for the revolutionary bullet-time that allows the protagonist to move in glorious slow motion, there is I must say a whole lot more to the game.

Take for instance the movie references; The code for a passageway is "John Woo" while at a certain point Max dryly comments before attempting to take out some terrorists: "I played Chow Yun Fat..." Max Payne also has an awareness of itself in the game, whereby he accounts that "I feel like being in a computer game..."

All in all I must say that Max Payne is the greatest film-noir game and you surely must try it to experience it!

Max Payne is more of an experience than a game. You can see a level of realism that most games-and some movies-cant touch. You can hear every bullet just barely miss you as you dodgeshoot (a form of slow motion action similar to what is seen in The Matrix). You can feel max's world around him as he physically and psychologically deteriorates in front of you. Above all, you will admire the action-packed thrill and the overwhelming terror of the game. When you dodge a thousand bullets and look behind you, you will see a wall with a thousand holes in it. Your dual ingrams will tear down rows of those who wish to stop you, as every death leads to more questions. You will know what it is like to escape from flaming buildings and be ripped into chaos as the dreaded "V" melts away your mind. Throw in a story to rival any movie, and you have, like half-life before it, a true experience. From the murder of his family at the hands of a designer drug to his framing of murder, to the very end, this game will leave you screaming that you are never "too tired to go on".

Bullet time, Great story, and well acted roles. It took 3 and a half years to make this game and it definitely paid off. Some time good things come with time and patience. I love the story of the game. Max Payne has a great sense of literature. He says the deepest, darkest things and put them into poetry. He expresses his feelings and puts them into a story. I must say, whoever wrote this is a genius. I give praise to the whole Remedy team espescially Sam Lake.

Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose. He has been framed for murder, and lost his wife a child. Now, you must take control and lead Max to the ultimate revenge against the killers of his family, and the people who set him up. With a great plot to follow, shown with comic graphic novels, realistic gritty surroundings, bullet time-a slow-mo matrix kind of effect- and weapons, revenge and more, MAX PAYNE delivers to the hard core gamers out there. I think it's one of the most under rated video games ever. If you like games such as Grand Theft Auto 3, you'll love Max Payne . Also, get the game on XBOX. It has the best graphics out of all the systems. 4/5 stars.

JOHN ULMER