Max Payne
Max Payneby Rockstar Games
Platform: Xbox
ESRB Rating: Mature
ASIN: B00005RCQ5
Check price @ amazon.com
Features:
• Stylish film-noir action in New York's grimy underground
• Searing story of corruption, murder, and revenge
• Cinematic narrative with cutting-edge combat action
• Groundbreaking rendering engine
• Immersing, photo realistic visuals
Amazon.com: Max Payne's wife and baby daughter were slain by junkies hopped up on a dangerous new synthetic drug. For three years, Max has worked undercover to find the source of these drugs, and, just when he's almost got it figured out, somebody ices his superior and pins the murder on him. Now it's payback time as Max faces off against the Mob, the police, and much, much worse. Max Payne has jumped from the computer screen to the PlayStation2 and there's going to be hell to pay.
Max Payne uses extremely realistic graphics to showcase a gritty film-noir-inspired New York City. Payne stalks subways, tenements, nightclubs, and even government installations as he takes his vengeance out on a horde of gun-toting bad guys. Taking a page from the visual style of famed director John Woo, as well as The Matrix, Max Payne lets the player launch into a slow-motion mode generally known as "bullet time," which makes dodging enemy fire and dishing out your own return fire a breeze, all while leaping side to side. While this looks extremely cool to do, it also evens the odds and can only be used for limited amounts of time, making it a strategic as well as aesthetic option.
And speaking of aesthetics, the game is packed with exciting moments, weapons, and locations, even if the enemies get a little redundant after a while. The level design ranges from inspired (a multilevel parking garage) to humdrum (a warehouse) and several levels actually take place in the twisted wonderland of the hero's warped psyche. The introduction scenes consist of painted photos presented in graphic-novel style, which is a stylistic choice that pays dividends, even though the writing is hilariously bad and the voice acting is, if possible, even worse.
Needless to say, all this is violent, disturbing, and not at all for the kids. Pay attention to the Mature rating; it's not there for decoration. --Bob Andrews
--This review refers to the PlayStation2 version of the game.
Pros:
Photorealistic graphics
Fantastic cinematic action
Cons:
Terrible writing
Even worse voice acting
Amazon.com Product Description: Max Payne is a stylish, urban, revenge-driven action game based in New York City's grimy underground. A groundbreaking rendering engine allows for heart-stopping, photorealistic visuals and breathtaking, movie-quality effects as Max Payne fights his way to uncover the truth. The game combines elements from Hollywood action thrillers with the latest in video game technology to deliver a highly original gameplay experience.
Customer Reviews:
AWESOME!, October 27, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from USA
This is a great game, the bullet time feature is by far the best feature in any game EVER! I love this game, it is in my top two favorite game list, maybe second only to Halo. If you have an xbox and havent played this or halo, you better go buy both of them right now son.
Nice game, October 13, 2002
Reviewer: tolarianwizard from the place xbox was born
It is a great game good graphics, has realistic guns, and the only problem is that stupid face. I also like the bullet time
Innovation Deserves Recognition, October 11, 2002
Reviewer: Luc Boone from WA United States
Max Payne was the subject of alot of hype last year, and for good reason. The games level of innovation is unsurpassed by any game I've seen, although not quite as much as Oddworld or HALO. Let's not forget, Doug Welzel from Kirkland, that Max Payne is NOT a first person shooter where the main character is working to save the planet. It is one desperate man at the end of his pitiful rope. That being said I'll tell you a little about the game.
As you have heard many a times, the game features a very cool move dubbed "bullet time". At any time during game play you may press a button and Max Payne will automatically leap forward in super slow motion. Max himself can actually maneuver quite well in "bullet time" but the enemies in the game are basically frozen. I like the feature alot but it does make the game far too easy at times. I was able to play through a 3 levels in a row without dying once. All you have to do is hit the magical button before you go around any corner and if there was an enemy he was screwed. This is one reason for the 4 star rating.
The game starts out with you in your own home 3 years before the present and 3 durranged drug addicts have killed your wife and baby girl. This, of course, sends Max, the once accredited cop, on a crusade-like mission to avenge his families deaths. This makes for a very good excuse to go around shooting without rhyme or reason, you have been transformed into a bitter lunatic. You kill anything and everything in your path on your way to the source of the drug "V" that made those durranged drug addicts, well, drug addicts in the first place.
Basically there is no story in Max Payne, there claims to be one but there really isn't. However, it doesn't detract from gameplay at all. I couldn't possibly care less why I'm killing these people, I just want to have some fun, hence the name "game!"
I highly reccomend Max Payne. It is true that once you play it through once you most likely won't play it again, but that's what trade-a-game is for. Get Max Payne, enjoy it thoroughly for 15-20 hours, then move on to the next game. What more could you expect?
Crappy game, September 24, 2002
Reviewer: nirgava from Sunnyvale, CA United States
I dont understand what makes this game famous on the PC... I heard it is included in benchmarks - and rented this game. Thank God I did not buy it first - would have been a horrible mistake.
1. Graphics is shameful, did they spend any time at all optimising it for xbox?
2. Very boring game - would be better if they stop pretending they have a story.
3. Forget any shooting game - wait for Doom 3 from John Carmack!!
matts review, September 14, 2002
Reviewer: Matthew Davidson from Foothill Ranch, California USA
I think this game is meaningless, and has no piont but to just go around killing people. Every level is baseckly the same level over and over again. It ends up getting being extremely boring by the 3rd level.
rent it, don't buy it., September 13, 2002
Reviewer: Francis Shanahan from New Jersey, USA
This game is ok, but only ok. It resembles a 5cent detective novel with lots of cliches. It's trying to create atmosphere but failing miserably. Add to that it's EXTREMELY easy, boring after the 2nd level. The bullet time is over rated. I got tired of it after a while, there's no action (think the opposite of serious sam). There's no puzzles, Max enters a room and says "the letter sat on the table like a letter sitting on the devils table". That's a prompt for you to read the letter. Press A and the "puzzle" is solved. There's about 3 places where you have to find a key to open a door. That's it.
If curiosity gets the better of you (as it did me) rent this game before you buy it.
Not the best game out there., September 5, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from Austin, Texas
This game is good, but not incredible. The Bullettime feture is pretty cool, but the controlls are very poor. One flaw is the health, your health in the game goes down way to fast when you are attacked. So I only give this game three stars.
Max Payne, August 31, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from Northbrook, IL USA
Great Game!
The realistic graphics and smooth animation enhance the playability of the game. The story line is well thought out and the cut scenes are not overdone nor do they interfere with the game play.
I believe the Xbox version of this game is far superior to the PC version. It is much easier to control the game on the xbox and the graphics are much smoother.
I think this game is a Great Shooter and by far one of my favorite xbox games to date. I appreciate the ability to save the game in critical places. This allows me to replay interesting predicaments until they are resolved the way I want them to be.
This game has provided me hours of playing fun and escapism.
Boooorrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnggggg, August 23, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer
Max Payne was a pretty boring game. I have it for PC and it hate it. The only real statment I want to make though is that he always has the most dumb look on his face.
Pretty Good Game, August 11, 2002
Reviewer: Jim Fox from Jersey
I enjoyed this! Max Payne is a very good character and I loved the storyline at the beginning but then it gets really screwed up when the old lady comes into it. There are basically 3 parts to this game. Part 1 is great and battling Lupino is fun. Part 2 is what I found boring until your in Punchinello's mansion. Part 3 is fair but I hate that lady though. So overall its a pretty good game, not great but good.
| Xbox Games |
| Action & Adventure |
| Racing & Flying |
| Sports & Outdoors |