Max Payne

"The Maxtrix."

I rummaged back into my cupboard earlier this morning and found this gem. It's old, I know, but there wasn't a review for it and looking around the Net I found that it's a really under-rated game.

Story:

You play Max Payne; NY Detective. After a routine day at work he drives home. As he pushes open the front door, his nightmare begins, as killer junkies has ransacked his house.

From there, Max transfers to the Drug Squad where his trusted and close friend is shot dead before his eyes...sending Max on a crazed killing spree, seeking vengeance on the killers which leads him from crummy, run-down neighbourhoods to the roofs of skyscrapers.

I can't reveal any plot details here, but the story is kept alive by adding a comic book element (Which can be replayed from start-to-finish), cutscenes and ingame dialogue.

Gameplay:

Max Payne is all about the gameplay. We have Bullet-time. That's all I have to say. BULLET-TIME. The Neo/Matrixy thing that allows you to dodge bullets. The controls are a snap and mastered in minutes, allowing for you to dive right in (No pun intended) and blast up the baddies.

The camera is always focused where you want it to be, not wavering all over the joint as you try to align your crosshairs. The command to toggle the Bullet-Time is just a simple push of a button providing even more fun to be had without being held down by menus, combos or God only knows what else.

There are loads of modes and difficulties to play with, such as New York Minute, where a countdown on your life commences. You gain more time when you take down another baddy, allowing for some tense gameplay.

And even more! The entire universe that Max is in can be destroyed and interacted with; taps turned on, vending machines...vending, TVs playing, things knocked over, windows smashed. Brilliant.

Graphics/Visuals:

The visuals in the game are amazing. Blood explodes from bodies as you pump them full of lead. Corpses fly all over the place thanks to the Ragdoll physics. Empty magazines and shell casing tinkle to the floor.

All the environments are realistic thanks to the lighting used in the game. The thugs are designed are modelled to an amazing degree, same with Max and his leather coat (Which flies and flaps in the wind, might I add).

Audio:

The score is deep and emotional which proves that this game is not just the average shooter where you have Benny Hill playing in the background whilst you run between the bullets.

The sound effects are here in all their realism. Remember when I said about the shell casings dropping to the floor? You can hear the pitta-patta as they scatter over the floor after the final thug slumps over. <3

Replayability:

Voice effects are here also, granted, there's a difference between the ingame voice overs and the comic book narration, but don't let that put you off.

There's not much to do after you've completed it apart from try it on harder settings. On completion of one difficulty will unlock a secret level, so give it a go. Also you can download mods and new levels via the forums over at the Developer's site.

It's an old game, but it deserves to be in your collection. Buy it. Now.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/30/05