Max Payne is one of those games you'll probably never forget. It has some of the most furious action ever created in the history of video games. The control is excellent. The story is fun. The action is relentless. Yeah… you need this game.
The sad thing is that this is a port of a PC game. It's sad because the PS2 can't quite handle the game the way it's supposed to be… but it does it good enough to do the game justice. The graphics aren't as detailed as they are on the PC, and the game's frame rate drops a bit when too much is happening on the screen at once. The cool thing, though, is that anyone who hasn't played the PC version probably wont' mind these flaws too much. The essential thing is that the best parts of Max Payne are still included in the PS2 version.
I've heard some gripes and moans about the story Max Payne follows. They say it's too clichéd with way too many metaphors and a story that's average. I say it's wonderful though. It's just plain fun to listen to the story unfold, and while there are a lot of metaphors and there are some cliché moments, it's all in the spirit of the game. Max Payne is a game that doesn't hide the fact that it's a die hard action game. As a matter of fact, it promotes it and succeeds in giving us a gameplay experience like no other.
Bullet Time is the name of the game. You don't need it all the time, but you'll thank God it's there when you need it. Press the L1 button and the entire game slows down. Bullets can be tracked in the air, you can dive and spin in while the enemy is stuck in slo-mo. You'll unleash your vengeance while the enemies around you are stuck in slow-time. It might be a gimmick, but it's the coolest thing to happen to action games in a long time.
Payne has some flaws. There are a few scenes which don't seem to fit the flow of the game. These become pointless run-around-in-a-maze levels that are far more frustrating than they are fun. It's also too short, which seems anymore to be a compliment to a great game because we always want more.
Payne is a great game. It just so happens to be a bit better on the PC. I haven't checked out the Xbox version yet, but from what I heard it's also a better port. Still, if you love action games and you only own a PS2, Max Payne is definitely worth your cash.
-Jerred
Company Line
Rockstar Games, Take Two Interactive Software, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TTWO) high end video game publishing division, is pleased to announce that Max Payne, the highly-anticipated PC action game is now in development for the PlayStationÒ2 computer entertainment system. Currently in development for PC with Remedy Entertainment Ltd. and 3D Realms Entertainment, Max Payne for PlayStationÒ2 is now being developed by Rockstar Games Canada and is set for release in 2001.
"As one of the first film noir inspired action games, Max Payne is an innovative and incredible new gameplay experience never seen before on the PlayStation®2," stated Sam Houser, president of Rockstar Games. "The line between special effects in movies and videogames is narrowing. The technology behind PlayStation®2 allows us to take action to a level not yet achieved in videogames. With Max Payne, you will see the evolution of gameplay."
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, photo-realistic visuals and breath taking movie quality effects as Max Payne fights his way to uncover the truth. Max Payne is a dark, searing tale of corruption and murder which combines the most popular elements from today's biggest box office action thrillers with the latest in videogame technology to deliver what promises to be one of the most original gameplay experiences this year.
The May 2001 issue of PC Gamer (just hitting newsstands), in an exclusive preview of the nearly finished PC version, had this to say: "Defiantly original, soaked in style, fiendishly well-written, and sporting one sequence of jaw-dropping action after another, Max Payne will be the most talked-about action game since Half-Life. Max Payne: The next great anti-hero."
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