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Max Enjoyment from Max Payne

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: August 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Although this game was just recently released, I anticipate it to be a bestseller! Max Payne combines a well thought out storyline with fast paced "gangster style" third person action.

The weapons "feel nice under your mouse", and the game includes a nice variety of "destruction tools", ranging from Desert Eagles, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns and Ingrams to Hand Grenades and Molotov Cocktails (to name a few). The environment and textures both look and play very well, and the artificial intelligence of your opponents should constantly keep you on your toes!

But, the best and most unique aspect of this game is BulletTime. When engaged, it considerably slows down Max Payne's external environment, while at the same, allows him to roll, strafe, aim and fire in `real time'. You can also see the actual projectory trails from your weapon as your bullets travel through the air!

The game is a little short, but that's probably because most people cannot put it down! Looking forwards to Max Payne 2, and the movie!!

Very poor value, overrated.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: August 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

One main gimmick (the bullet-time feature) and some decent graphics. That's all this overrated game really offers. And not only is it a 1.5 trick pony, but it's a very short one, too...you can finish it the same day you receive it.
Suffice it to say Max Payne is just poor value all round. It's obvious most of the reviewers here either don't have the game or reviewed it while still in their 10-hour honeymoon with it. It's incredible how much a couple of days can sober one's opinion of this lackluster game. My two cents? Save your money and don't bother till it hits the bargain bin.

Do not buy this if you have Windows XP

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: December 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have a brand new Sony Vaio Pentium 4 that runs on Windows XP.
Despite notes on the liner and on the website on running the game on XP, this game will not run on XP on this PC. Their tech support are totally unhelpful, and I have found no way to get my money back because the box is opened!
PS. I have talked to people who made this work on an HP / XP configuration-- good luck!

Truly a unique, balls-out action adventure!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: May 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

What can I say, the game of the year without question. It's a third-person, story-driven crime/conspiracy adventure like the gaming world has never seen. The game is full of firsts, like giving the player the ability to activate slow-motion ("bullet time") gun fights that are both hair-raising and beautiful -- imagine if John Woo had directed The Matrix, and you'll get the idea!

Max Payne himself is the next great game character. He's not beefy tough like a Duke Nukem, but a down-to-earth good guy put in an extraordinarily tough situation...framed for murder, hunted by the mob, wanted by police. As the PR for the game says, Max is a man with nothing to lose...the most dangerous kinda of man there is, like a cornered tiger.

On top of everything else, this has got to be the most realistic and amazing looking game, 3D or otherwise, I've ever seen (and I see them all).

Do yourself a big favor and get this game -- it's the next Half-Life, and I'm not half-kidding.

CCGR.ORG's review

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: February 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne is the title of the new third person shooter from Remedy Entertainment, it is also the title of the lead character in this 10-15 hour epic of John Woo proportions. I, like many others, have been following this games development ever since the incredible screenshots first started appearing on the web, a few years ago. Am I disappointed in the results? Well, lets review this bad boy and find out.

Graphics

Remedy has been touting this game as " Realism to the Max". Is this a true statement? Yes and No. The graphics in some instances are light years ahead of previous titles, while in others they seem to be on par, or a little behind the competition. Let's take an in-depth look at the graphics in Max Payne, to see just where it stands. One note, I ran the game with all effects set to the Maximum, and I had acceptable frame rates.

Particle System Remedy has done a great job on the particle system. The fire and the snow are two standouts here. I know many games have implemented weather effects in the past, but Remedy seems to be the first to realize, snow rarely falls in a straight path. The snow in Max Payne, just like the Real World?, falls in a angular descent. I know this doesn't sound like much, but it definitely adds to the realism of the snow bound city you will be playing in, for part of the game. Next is the fire. The fire in this game is game is likewise very realistic. The fire definitely has a sense of volume to it (I can't think of any other game that does this convincingly) , and it generally behaves in the way you think it should. Some of the other particle effects, such as the water spray when you splash through sewers, are not quite as impressive, however. The particle system, in some instances seems to be tied to a pretty robust physics engine, which we will cover later in the review. For now, Particle System- Realism to the Max? Yes.

Reflections and Shadows

In a game that touts photorealism, reflections and shadows seem to be conspicuously absent in the game. Max Payne, like other games in the genre, seems to have it's fair share of bathrooms in the game. And just like it's real world counterparts mirrors make up part of their interiors. However, the mirrors in Max Payne reflect nothing, zilch, zero, nada. The shadows in the game, are of the blob type, similar to Tomb Raider and it's ilk. No projected shadows here. Many other games have incorporated projected shadows of late, and I'll be honest, I was kind of disappointed they weren't included in this game. Reflections and Shadows- Realism to the Max? No.

Textures

Reportedly, Remedy used a digital camera to capture all the textures in the game. Does it show? Yes, my friend it does. The texture work in this game is the biggest leap the genre has taken in approaching photorealism by far. The title character seem to benefit the most from this technique, but the levels and weapons seem to agree with this treatment as well. Are you going to mistake the game characters and settings for the real thing ? No, but it does do an incredible job of immersing you in the game. The shaders on the guns also have a nice chrome effect, but they are kind of tiny and it really isn't that noticeable. Textures- Realism to the Max? Yes.

Physics

I included the physics engine in the graphics portion of the review, because it effects the aesthetics of the game more than the game play itself. Like I noted previously in the review, the particles system is tied to the physics engine. How does this impact the realism in the game you ask? (well maybe you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway) First, When you fire a weapon shell casings realistically eject, fall, and bounce around just like you would expect. Just don't stick around to watch them disappear, as this kinda ruins the moment. Take that same gun and fire a couple of rounds into any object in the game, and the object will likewise be destroyed in an equally convincing manner. For instance, glass shatters; wine barrels ( or grape juice barrels if you prefer) start sporting a leak; tiles shatter (ala the Matrix); money flies around; dry wall will now show a hole with plaster pouring out, you get the picture. It was so cool to watch the physics in the game, I would run around shooting anything and everything, just to see what would happen next. Physics- Realism to the Max? Yes.

Animation and Models

Lets tackle the animation first. The walk and run cycles seem to be a little unnatural. The knees and lower legs of the enemies seem to bend at odd angles and they look a little stiff to boot. Another sore spot in the animation is Max's standard jump, pitiful is a word that comes to mind. There is no anticipation of the jump or follow through in the jump cycle. It's a straight up and down jump, and very unnatural. Facial animation is rather nonexistent in the game, Max seems to sport that same squinty eyed Clint Eastwood expression throughout the whole game. I do give Remedy a hand, they don't show the faces of the characters very often as they talk. This kind of hides the fact that their lips aren't moving. On the other end of the spectrum, the slow-motion dive and roll is definitely a winner. It's very well done and convincing.

The modeling of the characters is pretty well done. They aren't exactly the most detailed models in the world, but the texture work seems to put the details in anyway. The rest of the modeling seems to be adequate as well, though the vehicles are rather blocky and unconvincing. Animation and Models- Realism to the Max? Some parts yes, but as whole no.

Architecture and Level Design.

The team at Remedy earned their paycheck in this department. The levels sport a very realistic look to them, in every sense of the word. The office building in particular had me feeling like I was viewing an architectural walkthrough. The city streets are populated with shops and homes that looks like they were ripped straight out of a NYC tourism pamphlet. And the interiors of these buildings are packed full of attention to detail on a scale I've yet to see in a video game, bar none. This is another area where the texture work paid big dividends. Architecture and Level Design- Realism to the Max? Yes.

Lighting

Remedy ads also say this game is the first to have real time radiosity lighting. What is radiosity? Radiosity is basically (very basic mind you) a physically accurate method of calculating light, whereby objects pick up some of the color from surrounding objects . Sounds pretty radical, huh? Well the results aren't that radical. The only time I really noticed it is around the barrels of fire on the city street, they cast a noticeable orange glow on the bricks of the building. I suppose the whole goal of radiosity lighting is so you don't notice it though. There are no garish weird color lights, like Unreal ( purple?). There is also a rather well done glow around neon lights. And as a whole the lighting is rather well done. The whole thing kind of screams subtlety (screams subtlety?). One other thing, the lights do not seem to cast any shadows that move as you move. So uncheck real-time shadows. Lighting- Realism to the Max? A subtle yes, with a shadowy no.

Graphics conclusion

As a gamer, I was pretty pleased at the graphics in this game. They do a convincing job of portraying a real world NYC. As someone who was expecting the new paradigm in 3d graphics, I was a little disappointed in the lack of convincing shadows and reflections, but impressed by the physics based particle system and photo-realistic textures. If I was to give them a letter grade, I would give them an A-.

Gameplay

Basics
OK, so now we know this is a purty game, but how does it play? Well think John Woo meets the Matrix meets Charles Bronson, and you won't be far off. The game is played from a third person perspective like Tomb Raider, rather than the first person perspective of your typical shooter (e.g. Quake, Unreal, etc..). The camera and targeting problems, normally associated with the third person perspective, seem to be nonexistent. The game also has a pretty liberal save game feature, allowing you to save the game at any time. The load times for each level are pretty average for a typical shooter ( 30 seconds or so), but the subsequent reload from a quick save is instantaneous. Story

The games starts off with your character ( Max Payne) at the top of a skyscraper, surrounded by the NYC police department. He then goes on to explain, how he ended up in this rather precarious predicament. So you flash back to a few years earlier, when you, as a NYC detective, come home to find your family brutally murdered by some drug crazed maniacs. You then flash forward to a few days ago, where you are working undercover in the DEA to infiltrate the mob family behind the hit on your family. What follows is a series of double crosses and shootouts, until the end of the game, where you end up right where the whole thing started. Each part of the story progresses through a series of comic book style cut scenes. The story and some of the dialogue are chock full of cliché's. But as a whole, the story is rather w

Short and Sweet, But What Was the Point?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: February 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is not a bad review for Max Payne, because Max Payne is not a bad game. It is, however, incredibly short and it leaves you feeling disappointed. I was excited to get this game, because I had been playing "Grand Theft Auto 3", so I was definitely going through my shoot-`em-up phase. However, it didn't take me long to become bored with it. In the end, it maybe took me a week to complete, and I didn't spend hours at a time playing it. When this happens, you don't feel as though you got your money's worth. Sure, Max has some great features, like the very Matrix-y Bullet-Time feature, that slows down time and allows you to dodge bullets. Though very cool-looking, I found this feature very difficult to use, and found myself dodging few, if any, bullets while in this mode. The graphics are great, and the storyline is respectable enough (in the beginning, his wife and baby are murdered - who can't sympathize with that?). But by the time I finished the game, I didn't have that usual feeling of satisfaction. I wasn't sad that it was over. In fact, I was a little relieved. I'm sorry to say it, but I can't say I got my money's worth. I will probably never play it again; it will just sit on my shelf collection dust. But, I'm giving it 3 stars because it is a fairly clever game, it did present me with a few challenges, and it was considered PC game of the year by numerous gaming magazines. I guess I can see why most people like it, I was just expecting more.

First person shooter with a eerie twist, Max Payne

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When my step-brother first bought Max Payne I thought it was going to be your typical shoot-em up first person shooter. I was astonished to learn that the levels and effects of this game are much more complex than that. What sets this game apart from others is that while you are in the midst of a shoot out you can switch to a Matrix like slow motion in which you have more reaction time to the situation at hand. Your character, Max Payne has the ability to jump to his sides as well as forward and backward while shooting which makes the game much more intense.
The sountrack and style in which this game is presented is very intresting. The game is set around a very dismal and bleak world in which you are running from the law for a crime that you did not commit. Eerie screams and blood-curtling cries send chivers down your back a few times throughout the game. The whole story in this game revolves around the idea of your character being in a comic book world. After each mission you are given a glimpse of a bit from a comic book. Very innovating and intresting how they put this game together.
If you want a fast paced in your face action game, get Max Payne. The violence is a little on the high side but it is nothing to write home about. This first person shooter sets itself and in my prediction will start a whole new style of games yet to come.

~Adam K

A superb game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I'm writing this review after finished and enjoyed Max Payne. This game is terrific, showing one of the best graphics in a game this year. Sure you would need a powerful computer to play with all the detailed scenarios without losing frames per second. The game it's stable and run well with high detail at 1024x768x32 in Windows ME, in a 700 MHz AMD Duron, 256MB RAM and 32MB GeForce 2 GTS graphics card and a Sound Blaster Platinum 5.1 sound card. The game in fact it's short, I'm finished in a weekend but you'll enjoy every minute you'll spend looking for the killers of Max's Wife and Son and getting payback. By far a better game than Deus Ex and No One Lives Forever, the last two an excellent games too. I'll not tell you the story or anything of the gameplay; just buy it and enter in a interesting storyline and gameplay.

Nothing Compares

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

One word "Wow". This game is uinique in so many aspects I dont even think I can list them all. First off the game overall is one of the best shooters I have ever played. The reason for this is because the story and action are so perfectly intertwined with one another that the game comes off as almost flawless. Remedy decided to take the shooter genre to new hights by adding inovating gameplay, including the awesome Matrix Style slow mo. The graphics and sound of Max Payne are amazing. Its really cool how they take peoples faces and litterally put them onto the characters. With so much action, style, and an interesting story Max Payne is definetly a game that NO SHOOTER FAN should miss.

Remedy Entertainment Hits a Home Run with Max Payne

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This offering from Remedy is fantastic.
-There's a nice, dark story-line (literally a graphic-novel)
-Gameplay is solid and straightforward (simple).
-Variety of realistic weapons (John Woo would be proud)
-Plenty of thugs to blow away (some fodder, some formidable)
-Bullet-time! (yes you get to move like Neo)

You play NYPD detective, Max Payne, that loses his family to some drug-crazed junkies. Desperate for revenge, you join the DEA as an undercover agent and attempt to infiltrate NY's underworld to discover & destroy who is behind the synthetic drug, Valkyr, that the punks (and plenty of other losers) who killed your wife and kid were high on. Unfortunately, your best friend in the DEA, the only man who knew you went undercover, is dead, and you've been framed for his murder!

The game is well polished, has great weapon characteristics and modeling, and will even auto-adjust to your ability. You rock, you'll be rocked; you suck, you won't see as much action. There's little wonder why it got so many 'best game 2001' awards. Highly recommend for 17+ year-olds (some 'adult' content).

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