Max Payne

"Matrix+John Woo Movies=Max Payne"

Story:
Max Payne loses his family, then his boss dies and hes framed for it and his cover is blown. He has to avenge his family

The truth is, the only thing that makes this story look good are the plot twists feature in cool little comics. although i think cinematics would've looked cooler. But hey at least it has a intelligent plot unlike some games (I think you know what they are)

Graphics:
They're quite good, everything is detailed, even the expression of people's faces (well excluding Max Payne, hes like a frickin robot smiling all the time) The stuff even looks cooler in bullettime which will be explained later

Sound:
It's okay nothing spectacular, although it sounds really cool in bullettime

Gameplay:
I think it's a bit too realistic. I mean unlike most other games, Max can't take a lot of damage, one shotgun blast is capable of killing him (even if it's not a headshot) So it's basically like real life, u get shot, u die. But you probably won't be once u get to use bullettime. Which is a limited feature (it has a hourglass which shows how much u have left) that can be activated by ur right mouse button (by default) if u stand and use it, it'll simply be a waste of bullettime aside from the fact that it would be cool if recorded or if you're using a melee weapon. During that bullettime, u can do DirectionKey+Right mouse to roll again or right click while standing to disable it. As for Shootdodge, its directionkey+mouse. Everything will slow down and he'll do one of those John Woo stunts and you can aim in the process (in real time) without this only an expert player could beat the game. The weapons are quite the usual, there are 2 kinds are pistols, theres a shotgun, 2 styles of machine guns(Uzi and a colt commando), a rocket launcher, a sniper and a grenade, max payne probably would've been a stereotypical game if it wasn't for bullettime.

Replay Value:
Very Little. No multiplayer. you might want to increase the difficulty but that's about it

Buy or Borrow/Rent:
Hmmmm....if you don't trust this review. Rent. If you do, or u're a big action fan or you wanna make a little movie (for fun) john woo sytle. You should buy it

What I would like to see in the future:
Multiplayer max payne: alhtough i can't see how that's possible
Max Payne, The Movie: It should be directed by either John Woo or Yuen Wo Ping (Director of the Matrix)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/01, Updated 11/17/01