Max Payne

"I pulled the trigger. From that point on there was no looking back."

My family, dead. All that mattered in my life, gone in a New York minute. No motives, no purpose. An unthinkable act punishable only by an equally swift and painful retaliation. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. It was all over with. Law, I was no longer bound by its constraints. That night I would go above and beyond what I thought to be humanly possible. If I succeed then justice will have been served. If not, well, at least I've got people up there waiting for me. Little did I know I was about to single-handedly take on gangs, cults, hitmen, and mobsters who could kill without remorse on a whim, and uncover a sickening government conspiracy. I took one last look in the mirror, grabbed my gun, and never looked back.

Welcome to New York City, the world in which Max Payne presides as judge, juror, and executioner. A simple police officer who had everything ripped away from him in an instant. He's kind of a short guy, with a fashion sense only the blind could appreciate. Oh, and he's fast, real fast. One second he's running along at a jogging pace, the next he's cutting through the night air, guns blazing. And in a matter of seconds it's all over. Nobody left but Max, maybe a couple of rats and roaches, but nothing more. Sirens blare somewhere off in the distance, looks like it's time to get moving again before your former allies find and book you.

Basically this is the experience of Max Payne. There's not much to it. But what it does it does right, which is kind of rare these days. A pleasant surprise worthy of both praise and purchase. Like a good movie it gets straight to the point and ends almost too soon. But upon reflection you wouldn't have had it any other way. It contains an expertly crafted story told through still pictures and (mostly) excellent voice acting. While there isn't much to the game that is exemplary, I'd say it's about as solid as third-person killfests get. And at the time of it's release the bullet-time maneuver had yet to be overdone, so it actually added something to the gameplay instead of making it just another Matrix wanna-be. If you want a fun violence-filled romp that won't absolutely take over your life, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Max Payne. It's dirt cheap these days so unless you have something against men who look as if they're incredibly constipated, there's no real reason why you shouldn't.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/24/04