Max Payne

"A breath of fresh air for a stagnating genre"

In a word, Max Payne is brilliant. This new First-person shooter from the Finnish developer Remedy gives new life to a monotonous genre. It's not brilliant because it broke every mold in its genre. It's not brilliant because it changed the direction of all FPS games forever. No, it's brilliant because it didn't attempt to do ANY of that.
As Max Payne, you are a vigilante New York cop who has been framed by the Mafia for the murder of your wife and infant son. Your goal is to infiltrate the Punchinello crime family and take your revenge against those responsible for the death of your family, and clear your name. The dark, film noir storyline is very effectively told in the style of a graphic novel. Cut scenes are shown as pages from a comic book, with dark, gritty artwork that masterfully relays the mood and tone of the game. The voiceover work is equally well done with a well-written dialogue.
While the storyline drives Max Payne, the gameplay is not without its merits. The core of the gameplay in Max Payne is your most basic first-person shooter. If you are a veteran to the FPS genre, Max Payne's controls will instantly feel natural to you. You will find the usual assortment of weapons with which to lay waste to your enemies. The most obvious difference, however, is an innovation known as ''Bullet Time''.
What ''Bullet Time'' does is transform Max Payne from an action game, to an action movie game a la John Woo. With the simple click of a button, the on-screen action will switch to slow motion. The enemies will move in slow motion, Max will move in slow motion, even the bullets being fired at you move in slow motion. However, you can still target and fire at enemies in real time. This allows you to essentially lay waste to an entire group of enemies before the first bullet even reaches you. Not only is ''Bullet Time'' a very cool gimmick, it's also essential at times in the game.
Not to go unstated are the graphics. Max Payne's graphics are as close to photo-realism as any action game has come. The character models are spectacular, and the special effects are mind-blowing. The gunfire and explosions will make you giggle like a schoolgirl.
Max Payne is not without its flaws, however. The game is admittedly short. A savvy action gamer can blow through the game in a matter of hours, though harder difficulty levels are unlocked each time you beat the game. Another shortcoming is the lack of multi-player capability, which hurts lowers the replay value of the game.
Overall, Max Payne is definitely worth the price of admission. With it's simple, yet innovative and fresh style of play, and beautiful graphics, Max is sure to please even the most jaded action gamer.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/06/01, Updated 09/06/01