Several years ago, I've seen this game in magazines and TV commercials; normally, I play FPS and racing games, but TPP games? Not so much. But I was instantly hooked on them when MDK,a third person action game created by Shiny Entertainment; known for the excellent Earthworm Jim games among others, was released back in the mid '90s. And boy was it a hit, with it's highly innovative and quirky level design, atmosphere, game-play, and graphics. Loved it to death. Having recently played Max Payne, I gotta say I was quite literally blown away.
Max Payne is a cop with nothing to lose; having lost his wife and infant daughter to a gang of junkies hooked on a deadly designer drug known as Valkyr, that causes mental instability and uncontrollable rage. Three years later, Max transfers to the DEA to uncover the truth about the death of his family. After slaughtering his way through hordes of unsavory organize crime figures, Max begins to uncover a web of lies and corruption that go far deeper than he had suspected. The plot takes twists and turns, which leads him to the ultimate showdown with his most hated nemesis: A corrupt corporate executive.
Without spoiling much of the plot, I'd say it's dripping with neo-noir and crime drama grittiness with a small pinch of, surprisingly enough, science fiction with fantastical elements dealing with Norse mythology and dark fantasy. Not many games are able to blend these elements together, but this game pulls it off really well, with tight and well-written punchy dialog with excellent voice acting complemented with sublime comic-book style cut-scenes that flesh out the world and characters. Needless to say, I was really immersed in this dark and gritty world. Some of the dialog is cliché, but really, what would you expect from a game of this caliber that borrows from Hong Kong action films and hard-boiled detective film noir; which this game has in spades.
Speaking of Hong Kong action, the most widely praised aspect of Max Payne is it's game-play. Never has a game blended Asian cinema into a virtual environment so successfully and experiencing it for the very first time is simply jaw-dropping in it's execution, which is flawless in every way. For a game released in 2001, the game still holds up well, even to this day, where next-gen consoles and PC's are able to deliver very stunning and graphically impressive 3d graphics; which almost has a photo-realistic feel with level design that feels really palpable and plausible, giving the player a real sense of gravitas and verisimilitude. Controls feel tight, responsive, never skipping a beat; even when there's lots of action going on. Although I purchased both the console and PC versions, I went with the PC version; since it allows user-created content, which I've yet to discover. But you really can't do wrong, though both versions are identical, I'd say that the PC version is far superior to the console versions in every way.
It's a great game, but I wish it was longer because the games premise and plot is really interesting. That's the only gripe I have with this game; other than that, Max Payne is one of the best action games I've ever had the pleasure of playing for the first time in years. If you want a game that blends Hong Kong action with a gritty storyline with excellent graphics, then Max Payne is the game to get.
Max Payne is a cop with nothing to lose; having lost his wife and infant daughter to a gang of junkies hooked on a deadly designer drug known as Valkyr, that causes mental instability and uncontrollable rage. Three years later, Max transfers to the DEA to uncover the truth about the death of his family. After slaughtering his way through hordes of unsavory organize crime figures, Max begins to uncover a web of lies and corruption that go far deeper than he had suspected. The plot takes twists and turns, which leads him to the ultimate showdown with his most hated nemesis: A corrupt corporate executive.
Without spoiling much of the plot, I'd say it's dripping with neo-noir and crime drama grittiness with a small pinch of, surprisingly enough, science fiction with fantastical elements dealing with Norse mythology and dark fantasy. Not many games are able to blend these elements together, but this game pulls it off really well, with tight and well-written punchy dialog with excellent voice acting complemented with sublime comic-book style cut-scenes that flesh out the world and characters. Needless to say, I was really immersed in this dark and gritty world. Some of the dialog is cliché, but really, what would you expect from a game of this caliber that borrows from Hong Kong action films and hard-boiled detective film noir; which this game has in spades.
Speaking of Hong Kong action, the most widely praised aspect of Max Payne is it's game-play. Never has a game blended Asian cinema into a virtual environment so successfully and experiencing it for the very first time is simply jaw-dropping in it's execution, which is flawless in every way. For a game released in 2001, the game still holds up well, even to this day, where next-gen consoles and PC's are able to deliver very stunning and graphically impressive 3d graphics; which almost has a photo-realistic feel with level design that feels really palpable and plausible, giving the player a real sense of gravitas and verisimilitude. Controls feel tight, responsive, never skipping a beat; even when there's lots of action going on. Although I purchased both the console and PC versions, I went with the PC version; since it allows user-created content, which I've yet to discover. But you really can't do wrong, though both versions are identical, I'd say that the PC version is far superior to the console versions in every way.
It's a great game, but I wish it was longer because the games premise and plot is really interesting. That's the only gripe I have with this game; other than that, Max Payne is one of the best action games I've ever had the pleasure of playing for the first time in years. If you want a game that blends Hong Kong action with a gritty storyline with excellent graphics, then Max Payne is the game to get.