Max Payne

"This Payne is Pleasure, Baby!!!"

Oh man, I loved this game. It was a blast. I loved it. I'm so happy that I bought it.
Have I made my point yet?
You may be wondering why I haven't given the game a perfect ten. Well, just wait a minute and everything will be explained. I mean, just because a game is a complete joy to experience doesn't mean that is completely flawless. Almost, but not quite.

GAMEPLAY - 9/10

Think of the best shooter that you have ever played, and I guarantee it's probably going to be right on par with this one. Shown from a third-person perspective, the game consists of vigilante/undercover narc Max Payne blasting his way through several beautiful levels, gunning down an almost endless supply of bad guys with a respectable collection of firearms. Most of the game consists of Payne in a shootout with punks that severely outnumber him, although there are a few easy puzzles and tricky jumps along the way (we'll get to those later). Painkillers scattered everywhere in the areas replenish health, and ammo is just as plentiful, so don't be afraid to overkill a few jerks who gave you some trouble. Just be careful, since the enemies aren't total morons. If you run into a room full of gun-toting evildoers without thinking, then Max Payne will live up to his name.
And let's not forget the Bullet-Time effect! This thing is awesome! With the touch of a button, Max somehow is able to slow down time and pull of some pretty sweet dodging jumps, all the while pumping your nemesis full of lead. It takes a little while to get used to, and overall it isn't really necessary, but it is damn cool to use.
So why not a perfect 10 in this department? Well, I'll tell you: the autosave feature and some pretty annoying load times. Combined, these things can be a nightmare. Unlike the PC version of this game, you CANNOT save wherever you want, but instead only at the beginning of a level section. And everytime you get to a level section, it has to load up, and this takes a while. So later on in the game when the levels start to get tough, it is extraordinarily frustrating to continuously die and have to do a whole level section again, each time sitting through the long loading screen. It's not horrible, but it certainly made me grit my teeth more than once.

GRAPHICS/SOUND - 9/10

You know, I've heard that the PC and Xbox versions of this game have ultimately superior graphics. Well, those ones must be beyond incredible, because I think the graphics in this version are pretty damn impressive. All the levels perfectly capture the gritty bitterness of a cold New York night, from locales ranging from a run-down tenement building to a seedy, gothic dancing club. Sprinkled in and between the levels are awesome graphic novel snippets which tell the riveting story. These look and sound great, and its like Christmas everytime you come upon another one to watch. The enemies are well animated, even if their models are a bit limited (it seems like you fight one guy and then a dozen of his twin brothers), and nothing is more hypnotizing than watching Max Payne's jacket sway back and forth behind him as he runs. Everyone does move a bit stiffly and sometimes unrealistically, but it isn't bad at all.
The sound effects in this game are cool, too. Each gun has its own unique blasting noise, so you will easily be able to tell after a while what guns your enemies are using on you. And you gotta love Max's voice, man! He maybe be heavy on the metaphors, but I can't think of a better guy to narrate the graphic novels. He's perfect. And as for music, well, there isn't much I can really say. There isn't all that much music. The theme during the graphic novels and title screen is neat, but other than that the tunes are a bit forgettable.

CONTROLS - 8/10

Long story short, they're pretty easy to handle. Just do the tutorial a few times and you should get the hand of everything. Sometimes it's hard when Max is forced to make precise jumps (jumping on top of a moving train is not as easy as it sounds, folks), since the control isn't as precise as other games, but fortunately these instances are few and far between, and most situations involving shooting bad guys, not worrying about balancing on a high wire.

STORY - 10/10

The story. This is what fueled my fire during this game. Honestly, the game is great, but it's how the story unfolded that made me desperately want to see what was going to happen next. I couldn't wait to see the next graphic novel cutscene, since I knew it would include another brilliant twist or clever injoke or smug metaphor, and I was never disappointed.
Also, and this may sound corny, but I really started to care about Max. I mean, I really wanted to see him succeed. After the beginning movie where Max's wife and baby child are brutally slain by trigger-happy junkies, it's plain to see that this isn't just any average cop on a mission anymore. I didn't want to beat the game just to brag to my friends, I wanted to beat the game so that Max would succeed.
So, uh, am I crazy or what?

OVERALL - 9/10

Aww, come on, guys! Buy the game! If you don't have it, then you're missing out on so much. The story, the graphics, the story, the action, the story, Max's voice, etc. At least rent it if you don't have the cash to afford a purchase. I'll admit it isn't really that long. A solid holiday weekend of playing should be enough time. And let me tell you, that would be one hell of an enjoyable weekend.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/02, Updated 03/14/02