To put it bluntly, Max Payne has been in development for what seemed like an eternity. Of course, it wasn’t quite an eternity but 4 years is quite a bit of time for a game to be developed when most others are finished in a year to a year and a half. The development was so long that rumors of its cancellation were very common among game sites. So common in fact that GOD Games CEO, Mike Wilson wrote in response to all the rumors that, “Max Payne is indeed cancelled. We can’t take it anymore.” Of course, his reply was more humor and frustration than truth since Max Payne has finally made it on shelves amidst all the doubts. So was it worth the wait?

Max Payne was a cop living on cloud nine. He had a wonderful home, lovely wife and a beautiful baby. Life was good. One night, after work, he finds his house in disarray and furniture strewn about. Upon investigating, he finds that his wife and child have been murdered by a group of transients doped up on “V.” “V” stands for Valkyr, the new drug of choice on the streets. With nothing left to lose, he joins the DEA in a massive undercover investigation. His past identity is erased and he’s given a huge rap sheet to fit into his new role in the mob. However, his partner in the DEA is murdered and he’s framed for it. Even worse, his cover with the mob is blown and now they know he’s a fed. With both the cops and the mob on his tail, it’s up to Max Payne to sort out the details the only way that he can: with his Berettas blazing.

Not exactly the most original story ever told. It’s been recycled countless times in action flicks and videogames but where Max Payne falters in story content, it shines in presentation. The story is told in a graphic novel format that really gives the game great atmosphere and feeling. It’s also narrated in a film noir style that’s heavy with metaphors and cynical observation. While the story might be a bit unoriginal, it’s all about how it’s told that makes it interesting.

Considering how long the game was in development, Max Payne still manages to compete with the best of them. Though it doesn’t look quite as impressive as it once did, it still manages to be one of the best-looking games released on the PC. The real shining point is how much thought went into the bullets and bullet splash damage effects. Unlike most other games, the Max-FX engine actually renders each bullet that leaves the chamber of the weapons. During normal play it’s not very noticeable but it really comes into effect when you activate “Bullet-Time”. Even more impressive is the way the bullets interact with the environment. Instead of just generic particles for everything, each material you hit will have a different reaction. Shoot a painting and you’ll see a hole with a few rips. Shoot at panels of wood and it’ll splitter off. Shoot at the tiling in a bathroom and clumps of tile with crack and fall. The effect is entirely done with clever texturing but it’s done so well that it’s far above what most other action/FPS games offer as far as damage effects go. The level designs are specifically setup so that boxes, bottles, and other general riffraff is caught in the crossfire and splitters away as you and your enemy try to kill one another. The effect is so well done that it’s easy to see that the developers really wanted to put gamers as close to an action movie as they could get. That’s not to say that the graphics in Max Payne don’t have downfalls though. Max Payne himself has a nice leather jacket that sways realistically as he runs through the levels and even flops around when he gets blown up. The texturing is first class but unfortunately the characters look a shade on the blocky side, especially around their head and face. You won’t see a flatter head than Max Payne’s. However, because much of the story is told in graphic novel cut scenes with only a few in-game close-ups, it becomes hard to notice since you’re rarely given a close look at the characters.

The sound in Max Payne is quite good as well. Bullets hitting wood sound realistic and they make an appropriate “ping” sound when they hit a metal object. All in all, the sound effects are very good. Likewise, the voice acting is also of better-than-average quality. Max himself has a low, dry voice as he narrates and many of the characters have a stereotypical New York mobster voice. Many of the voices are over-the-top but they match the style of the graphic novel storyboards, so they fit just right. Probably the only down point would be the music. There only seems to be three or four complete songs in the entire game. They’re all decent but don’t quite match the high production values of the graphics. It doesn’t matter too much since the vast majority of the game is played without music and only in later, more difficult levels do you get to hear an action-oriented theme. Still, it would be nice if the only “drama” music wasn’t limited to the same piano based background theme.

Most action or first person shooter games tend to play alike. If you’ve played on action game, you have a general idea of how the rest tend to be. Max Payne isn’t too different but it does add one interesting little gimmick: bullet time. It’s not just a pretty Matrix-inspired cut scene effect either; it plays a huge role in the actual game play. In each level, you’ll see a small hourglass near your health. That’s your bullet time meter. It allows you to slow down time while still allowing a normal aiming speed. If an enemy is coming around the corner and you need to nail him before he sees you, just do a bullet-time dodge across the frame and shoot him before he gets a chance to raise his weapon. If multiple enemies are coming your way, you can use bullet time to plug them all using very little ammo and dodge their incoming bullets. It’s not only a very cool effect but also integral to the game as it would be incredibly difficult at times without it. The bullet time meter does deplete as you use it but killing enemies will refresh it over time. It’s this single little aspect of Max Payne that really makes it interesting and fun to play.

Aside from the bullet time though, Max Payne doesn’t offer much beyond what other action games have done before. In a nutshell, Max Payne is a pretty shallow action game. There is no inventory management to worry about except for the occasional key you need to open a locked door and pain killers that heal you over time when used. The only real thought that would go into the inventory would be using which weapon for which situation. Unlike most other action titles where there is just one particular weapon that is generally the best for all situations, in Max Payne you might find yourself switching from a Desert Eagle for accurate shots, twin Ingrams for room clearing, or perhaps a pump action shotgun for close encounters. It’s this smart weapon balancing along with very nice level designs that make this game incredibly fun and sets it above many other action titles. Perhaps the only real bad thing about the game would be two dream sequences that are rather difficult and involve platform style puzzles. They really ruin the otherwise fluid game play.

All things considered, Max Payne isn’t much different from a lot of other action titles. The addition of bullet time game play, compelling narrative, and intelligent level and weapons management set it above the rest however. Max Payne is simply a blast to play and a definite buy if you’re into brainless action games. If you traditionally don’t like action titles, there is nothing in Max Payne that’ll change your mind. It’s as shallow and mindless as they come. It’s a tad on the short side too, only taking perhaps 10 hours to complete. It’s also limited in replay value since the level design is pretty linear. The only reason you might be compelled to play it again would be to find some of the hidden Easter eggs, or play some of the bonus modes that become available after beating it. Most of the replay will be in the mod community thanks to the included editing tools with the game. Already there are quite a few “Matrix” themed mods but the real replay ability will come when Total Conversions of the original game become available. Until then, Max Payne is a worthy purchase but only if you don’t mind the relatively short playing time and don’t mind waiting for competent mods to show up.

Minimum System Requirements:

450Mhz Intel/AMD CPU, 96MB RAM, 16MB Direct3D Video Card

Recommended System Requirements:

700Mhz Intel/AMD CPU, 128MB RAM, 32MB Direct3D Video Card

Reviewer’s System:

1.333Ghz AMD Athlon, 256MB RAM, 32MB GeForce 2 Pro

9.0

3.0

9.5

9.0