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Max Payne.... Max Fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 24
Date: July 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I am very picky when it comes to games. Ecspecially when you have a shoot-em up game because they tend to have little or no story (IE Quake 3). In my opinion a story makes the game by far. This game EASILY makes my grade. Like one reviewer wrote, this game has AWESOME graphics, AMAZING gameplay, and of course; a non-improvable story. Never before have I ever played a game with a plot more intriguing and yet the graphics and action make it even better. The Slowtime feature (enables you to be in slo-mo matrix style) NEVER gets old and is very useful for the game. Max's voice is a bit too much, very low and very deep, often times amusing. PARENTS WARNING: While this game IS fun it is also VERY violent I would not reccomend the game for people under 11 or so.

Overall, this game is shaping up to be the action game of the year, if not overall best game of the year. Thinking about getting it? GET IT its totally worth it. TRUST ME.

Game of the Year -- Hands Down

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: July 31, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Wow. Simply put, Max Payne is one of those games that makes you sit back and thank the heavens for your PC. From the brilliant opening sequence to the dingy corridors of Hell's Kitchen apartments and subway systems, Payne promises a feast of graphic delight, convincing audio, and a wealth of gameplay goodness. The game's depiction of Max's wife being murdered is harrowing, and from there, the story just gets better. Told in snippets of pulp fiction graphic novel, Payne's bent-on-revenge theme works to perfection. The locale of NYC is genuine, down to the ambulance sirens, mailboxes, and subway location signs. But where the game really stands out is its gameplay. Although Max is a conventional shooter, it is anything but. Using the brilliant "shootdodge" and "bullet-time" techniques, Max can essentially slow down the clock and dispatch enemies, despite overwhelming odds. How, you ask? By slowing the enemy's actions (including their bullets), Max remains in real time, essentially letting you squeeze off a few rounds before the bad guys even knew what hit them. When it's all over, you'll see foes somersaulting backwards, bullets and blood their last hurrah. The game's use of Max's heartbeat to slow down the action is unforgettable, and having to use it only in times of trouble is amazing. It never gets overdone. The action sequences are too good to be true. In fact, to believe it, you'll simply have to see it. Action camera angles are done seamlessly, and Max's comments during the game keep the story flowing. Cut scenes are meticulously crafted in grainy comic book action, and the style works, thanks to the story's key elements.

With so many cool features and amazing gameplay, the only disappointment with "Max" is its length. Because after 10 to 15 hours of complete immersion, it's over. Still, with the included editor, game geeks from all over the world will be creating mods to further Max's bloodlust. Oh, and one other note: Payne works better on fast machines with updated graphics cards, so be sure you've got a 700 MHz or better unit running with some heavy RAM (128 or above; 256 is clutch) and a GeForce2 or above.

So, if you're thinking about buying one game this summer, make it Max Payne. It's an instant classic that is sure to go down in PC history as one of the greatest. It's that good.

Corney name, excellent game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: August 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Although the name of this game might be a turn off at first (Max Payne? How original!), you should never judge a book by it's cover. At a glance it may seem like just another clone shoot-em-up game, but in reality the game is quite innovative and just about the most fun you'll ever have with a shooting game.

You play the game as Max Payne, an undercover DEA agent who's having a streak of a bad luck (to put it lightly). I don't want to ruin the story, but bottom line is that you'll end up having to shoot your way out of every situation. The gameplay is superb! With a short and painless tutorial, easy to navigate controls, and 10-20 minute learning curve, the game is quite easy to jump into and play. The story plays out like a bad action flick, but it's fitting and actually adds to the gameplay.

The graphics are excellent and the level of detail is amazing as well. Within the game you'll see bullet holes from every shot you've taken and looking down at the floor you'll even be able to count the shells from your gun. There is no item decay which helps add to the realism, if you gun down some punk you can run around for 20 minutes and when you return his body will still be there (and so will the shells from your gun). The story settings are excellent as well. Running around seedy parts of the Bronx while gunning down mobsters and drug addicts is quite a change of pace from the your normal shooter where you're on a space station killing stupid looking aliens. Also, the "Bullet Time" effect is something completely new to the genre that really makes the game shine. Basically what "Bullet Time" does is put the game in slow-motion allowing you to get a better edge in gun battles and perform beautiful action-movie-like stunts. Although "Bullet Time" sounds like a cheat, it's really what makes the game great. You won't be able to just do it whenver you want for as long as you want. You have an Hourglass that determines how much B-Time you have left, and even when it's full it's only a couple of seconds in total. Earning more B-Time requires you to kill thugs WITHOUT using the B-Time, so it is best saved for tight situations.

Now although I do rate the game with 5 Stars, it does have it's annoyances. For one, the game is quite short. If you have a whole day to yourself you can blow through the game within a good 10 hours. Another annoying thing is the AI reflexes. It's almost impossible to sneak up on these thugs! The second you enter the room they are all aware of your presence, sometimes even before you enter. It's frustrating because these are supposed to be low-level hoodlums and yet they have the reflexes of a Navy SEAL. Another thing that will annoy the hell out of you is how long it can take to kill the people sometimes. You'd think a point-blank blast to the stomach from a Pump-Action Shotgun would be enough to finish off ANY human being... but be prepared to fire again. It'll also annoy you when you put 10 rounds from your Beretta into a gangsters chest to have him keep charging at you as if unaffected. Basically the bad-guys show no sign of pain or injury other than death. You can shoot him in the legs all you like, it won't do much other than kill him... eventually. But even with these problems I still rate the game a five because once you're playing, you won't even be thinking about these things. The game is short, but so much fun!

Overall, Max Payne delivers a very entertaining and very fresh gameplay experience. With many realistic weapons to choose from, the Bullet Time feature, the realistic enviroments, and the action packed gameplay, Max Payne will have you begging for a sequel once you've completed the game. Bottom line... the game is FUN!

Awesome film-noir style action

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: July 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Finnish developers Remedy have been at work on Max Payne for several years now, and it's finally hit store shelves. It is a truly breathtaking achievement, not only in terms of the astounding visuals but also in terms of story and action.

The player takes on the role of New York detective Max Payne. In the emotional opening chapter, a prologue to the action, we see through Max's eyes the murder of his wife and infant child. Max finds hints that the murders were the work of a particular drug gang, and moves on to work with a drug enforcement agency for three years to find the leader. It plays out like a scene from a big-budget action movie. This sets the up the rest of the first "act" of the game, with Max in search of the leader of the gang.

Graphically, Max Payne features some truly amazing textures, very much photo-realistic. Controlling Max will be simple for anyone who has played a FPS style game, with one great twist: "Bullet-Time" gameplay. This is a feature where the player can slow down the game time, ala' "The Matrix," with a simple mouse button click. This gives the player a small tactical advantge, but it certainly does not distract from the already difficult gameplay.

The hardware requirements are fairly steep to enjoy the eye-candy at it's fullest. Although the minimum requirements call for a 450 MHz P3 or AMD processor, 96 MBs of RAM and a 16 MB video card, a more realistic requirement is a processor near to or above 1 GHz; a higher-end video card with 32 MBs of memory and above (this is the game that the GeForce 3 was made for!) and 256 MBs of RAM.

Max Payne has definitely been worth the wait.

...wow...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: August 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When I saw this game in the store I thought it seemed Corny. A NYC cop named Max Payne? Get more predictable then that. I bought it anyways though because my friend liked it. After opening the box and seeing that a small dvd case popped out holding the game, I was impressed. It's the little things that please me I suppose. The best part was that from the dvd case, the gaming experience only gets better. While the game is definetly violent and raunchy, the gameplay is awesome and addictive. Picture Tomb Raider with more action, tons of enemys and incredible graphics. Combine that with the "bullet time" mode which slows down time and gives Max incredible reflexs and is also extremely pleasing to the eye, and you've got a great game. The control, a combination of mouse and keyboard, is awkward at first, but becomes second nature after the first half hour. I also suggest taking the auto aim feature off so you will have to actually aim to hit an enemy. The bullet time mode is so much fun and adds so much to the game, it makes you feel like you are in the matrix. However, like the matrix, the story is a little lacking. While it is interesting and intelligent at first, it gets predictable after a while. But again like the matrix, the action is so incredible, it doesn't matter so much if the story doesn't hold up after seeing it 5 times. This game is definetly worth buying but be warned; you WILL become addicted. It's nearly impossible not to.

Max Payne- Better than Quake, Half-Life and Unreal

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: August 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

OK, when I took this game home and installed it, the only problem I found is that you can't use the arrow keys to turn, you have to use the mouse. But soon I adjusted and it turned out to be very useful and more effective than the keys. Now onto the game itself. Max Payne is a DEA cop whose wife and baby were brutally murdered by junkies high on the fictional street drug Valkyr. The game starts with a cinematic sequence of Max standing on top of a tower block in New York holding a sniper rifle. He starts explaining how he ended up there. The game levels are seperated by graphic novel type pages. I first thoght this couldn't be as good as 3D cutscenes, but I was wrong. The comic book pages add depth and grittiness to the story. During gameplay, Max has access to a nifty little feature called Bullet-Time. There are two ways of using this- by pressing ALT while standing still- this will slow down time and enable you to dodge enemies more efficently. The second way is pushing the right mouse butoon while moving in a direction. This puts you into a slow motion dive in that direction, enabling you to dodge bullets otherwise called shoot-dodging. While in shoot-dodge mode you can move the mouse, turning you in real-time therefore pulling off amazing rolls. The in game enemies are quite smart, they hide from you and throw grenades. The only glitch is that they sometimes shoot there teammates- which is quite funny. The damage inflicted on enemies ny you is quite realistic- with only the beefed up characters and later game-enemies that require more punch. This mistake is made in almost EVERY game with 'boss' characters, although some Mods (modifications) of games correct this mistake. When comparing Max Payne to other action games- Half-Life, Unreal and Quake. It is more realistic-if you get shot at close range with a shotgun you die, it's graphics are better- I suppose this is true about (almost) every new game but Max Payne's graphics are superior compared to Half-Life, in some bits of Max Payne, when you kill an enemy, you will see a cinematic shot of him dying with great facial expressions and you can shoot just about anything in the game environment and it will be destroyed- in one level an alarm is going off and if you shoot the alarm, it breaks and Max says 'Thank you'. Max Payne ships with 3 level editors- a level editor, a character editor and an effects editor. Although the manual states these are easy to use, they aren't really and you will have to find a tutorial on-line. The only downside to Max is that there is no multiplayer, the reason for this is that bullet-time in multiplayer would confuse other players. All in all, Max Payne is a brilliant game with good graphics and gameplay, a little on the short side but great levels. However, Max Payne is not meant for younger players, the drug scenes and blood/gore is particulary graphic. I hope that helps anybody deciding weather or not to buy this game.

Parents should read this before getting there kids this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: August 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Since a lot of the other reviewers have aleady told you about the plot, I won't. All I'm gonna say is this: GET THIS GAME! Incredible action and atmosphere! Slow-motion slugfests! Interesting plot! Movie quality cinematics! (there is a mix between cinematics and comic-book style cinematics but more of comic-book)

But not for kids. There is only mild profanity, but heavy violence. In this first minutes of the game, Max's wife and baby are gunned down. There is a lot of blood and you hear screams of people being tortured. Also, you find a few dead bodies of people who were tortured to death. One part comes to mind where Max finds someone who was beaten to death with a baseball bat. There is also some heavy drug content. Throughout the game you find needles lying around, druggies taking drugs and getting high in bathrooms, and max's family gets killed by people who inject themselves with drugs. The sexual content is somwhere between PG-13 and R. There are many refrences to prostitution and pimps (including numerous vibrating beds), sexual innunendo (which is very strong at times) and posters of half naked women on the walls. Also, there is a moment that comes to mind wherea woman is with a bartender in a bar all alone. The comic book style cinematic shows pictures that obviously hint that they are going to do it. (there is one quite crude picture that hints something I can't mention in this review, so be warned.) this game is not for anyone under 15 or so.

Anyway, if you are over 15 or so, buy this game! It will sure to please FPS lovers!

Two guns up!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 17
Date: April 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is amazing! It's different from any first person shooter game I ever played. And that's what I like about it. The sound and graphics are great. Big levels to wander. And the violence is strong perfet for all you die hard fans. But a nuff about what I think, let me tell you about the plot. The game begins when you enter your house and you notice that your furniture is toppled and torn and your pictures are knoked down. Not to mention your dead wife and kid. Vengeful Max goes to see his only friend at the subway. But as soon as you get there and meet him your friend gets a brain wheggie before you can say "hi pal". Now you have the mob and the Feds after you. Cool aint it! Well that pretty much it and the rest you'll have to find out for your self.

PS= If you liked this review I'm doing one on Clive Barker's Undying soon. It's a cool game for all you action-science fiction gamers. Be sure to check it out.

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.

Singley the most profound game I've ever played.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I didn't expect alot from Max Payne, as the hype around it dulled my senses. I bought the game on a whim, and wow.. I was blow away. Technically, the game has no equal for graphics, the camera work makes you feel like your in a movie. The gameplay is very well done, although the AI is moderate, it can still provide a challenge. The key to the game is the storyline. Your heart goes out to this character, I more than once felt as though I would well up a tear for what this fellow goes through. The soundtrack and vocals are excellent adding so much more depth to the story. My only beef with this game is that it is EXTREMELY mature oriented. The graphic violence, blood, and various inuendos throughout the game should really be dealt with by adults. I haven't tried the parental "lock" version, however I can't help but wonder if they could take out all the stuff I would be concerned with my kids seeing. Max Payne is going to go on my shelf as one of the best games I've ever played.

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