Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8928 in Video Games
• Brand: Rockstar Games
• Released on: 2001-12-11
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Xbox
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .75" h x 5.25" w x 7.25" l, .25 pounds

Features

• xbox
• Video Game
• action/adventure
• first person
• Max Payne

Amazon.com Review
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

• 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

A fun, low-calorie game... just like most films it mimics
Good game, but it can get monotonous at times. Were it not for bullet-time and/or shootdodging, it really wouldn't be worth recommending at all. But those elements, along with a mediocre-to-interesting (but not exceptionally deep) story, are what make this game fun. Some would call "Max Payne" a gimmick game, because of its heavy dependence upon these elements.

If you enjoyed such titles as "Oni" or "Tomb Raider", you'll get more out of this one. This game derives heavily from "The Matrix", and who after watching that movie (or more recently, "Crouching Tiger") hasn't desired to take part in some action sequences where you can actually bend the laws of physics?

Not much replay value, and VERY linear, but it is fun. My in-Laws were bunching around the couch as I showed this game off to my Brother-in-Law last night. =)

This is definitely a must-rent title for everyone, at minimum, and a must-buy for action junkies... at least, until "New Legends" and "Genma Onimusha" arrive and make that purchase decision a little tougher.

Despite a statement made by another individual, though, this is NOT the equal of "Halo". I should know, after helping to run one of the top Halo fan sites for years. But hey... if you buy just one action game for the Xbox, buy "Halo". If you buy two, then also get "Max Payne".

Compared against these two: "Star Wars: Starfighter SE" is interesting, and worth a purchase. DOA3 gets boring when you tire of digitized... eye candy layered on top of just another semi-interesting fighting game... Any other action title isn't really all that interesting at present. I'll have to reassess my opinions after "Wreckless" and the aforementioned "Genma Onimusha" and "New Legends" games arrive in the next few weeks, though. ;-)

"TIME TO MAKE LIKE CHOW YUN FAT!"
While it won't go down in history as one of the greatest video games ever, Max Payne does have plenty of intriguing areas that make it a fun game to experience.

1 - Bullet Time! Being able to shoot, dive, and roll in slow motion to take out a room full of baddies is just plain addictive. I never got tired of recklessly running into danger with both guns blazing.

2 - Dialogue! If you're a fan of action movies then the dialogue in Payne will have you cracking up. Yes, it is supposed to be THIS bad (the people at Extended Play missed the boat here).

3 - The Story! I was always wondering where this game was going to take me. Each time I thought, "This is the end!" a new level began. Every level also made me smile as I could see how film noir and action cinema helped forge the areas that I would be battling through.

4 - Time! Unlike many games you don't need to devote your life to playing Max Payne. It's an excellent weekend renter as it's easily winnable within 10 hours. True fans though will enjoy the challenging difficulty levels that can be unlocked once you win the first time.

All in all I recommend Max Payne for Xbox owners who want to spend some time smiling and having a fun time blowing away the bad guys.

Bring The Payne
There have been many great action games in the past such as James Bond's Goldeneye and Duke Nukem. But this game puts all of them to shame.

Max Payne is one of the most violent action games I've played since Soldier of Fortune. You get a variety of weapons spanning from Sniper Rifles to Baseball Bats. The way you play is very interesting. You simply aim in a third-person view at the bad guys. One of the coolest features in this game is the slow-down meter. The slow-down meter lets you actually slow down the time and lets you shoot in a Matrix-style format. Very entertaining.

Also, Max Payne has one of the best stories in an action game ever. You start out by reliving when your wife and baby were killed by gangsters. All that was left is a V on the wall with a seringe. It's a very scary part of the story with all the screaming and graphic violence. After that, everything goes downhill as you shoot your way through mob bosses to discover a secret on a continuing research project to raise the moral in troops. And to top it off, your now a fugitive. You don't end up being a big hero in the end, but you will be satisfied. I also found the dream sequences to be rather fun to play. Making your way across a thin trail of blood while at the same time being haunted by the death of your wife and baby is a nice touch which adds to the terrifying atomasphere. The only part that may upset some game players is that Max Payne is way to short. There is a timed version you can play when you beat the game, but that isn't quite enough to satisfy players who want more out of the game.

Overall, Max Payne ends up to be one of the most involving and funnest games out there. Just keep telling yourself it's just a game. Highly recommended.