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Not even close to worth the $50!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 15
Date: June 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne started out looking like it would be a great game. About 20 minutes later and I was already bored. Others have written extensive reviews, so I will just give my two cents.

The game can be summed up in one word: BORING. Yes, bullet time is pretty cool. But that's not enough to carry the game. The controls are difficult at first, but take only a little bit to get used to (I found it much easier to use the second control config, using the D-pad for movement and the right analog stick for aiming). The graphics are sub-par to say the least. Objects and characters look blocky and rather two dimensional. Max's movements look cheesy, with his legs moving over the ground faster than the ground moves (he looks like he's runing on a treadmill).

Here is a synposis of gameplay: enter a room, blow away the bad guys. Turn the corner, blow away some more badguys. Try to enter through a door--can't. Try another door--nope, not that one either. Try the last door--yep, that's the one. Enter new room, kill bad guys (maybe using bullet time for kicks, cause it's already starting to get boring). Move through the last door, wait while PS2 loads the next area. Make yourself a sandwhich, call your girl on the phone, come back, wait some more. Ok, there it is. Repeat ad nauseum.

To make matters worse, the voice acting and writing is by far the worse I have ever heard. In the beginning it was okay, since I kept telling myself that the feel was supposed to be of a film noir detective movie/novel from back in the day. But after a while it starts to get annoying. In fact, since the plot and gameplay are so linear (like I said, you can only go through the doors that you need to enter to progress), the whole plot becomes moronic. And who recorded that stupid, aweful sounding scream that the bad guys let out every time you whack one of them?

If you loved special effects of The Matrix, are a fan of Marvel's Punisher, and like John Woo films, then this game might make you happy for a few hours. If not, don't even bother with it. In any case, I think it's worth a rental at best.

KILLER GAME

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Oh. My. God.

Max Payne is one of the best game I have played in years.

It's full of surprises, has this amazingly elegant combat engine, darkly funny film noir attitude and gorgeous Bullet Time mode. Great writing and voice talent kept me watching the segue film, or rather, comic book clips, for the sheer entertainment value -- I was actually almost shocked at how sophisticated and clever some of the writing was. I 'm not used to this in a video game. And what a blessed relief to play a game with an adult story line and a no-apologies somber 'Silent Hill' back story. I really dug the Max Payne character, he's fleshed out, he's vital and worth spending your time with. This could be a movie easy.

I have played alot of these Action games, it's my genre of choice, and MP is cream of the crop, top of the tops. I rank this game right up there with Metal Gear 2. And I have to admit, since getting Max Payne, Metal Gear 2, as much as I love it, has been sitting idle.

I cannot recommend this game enough. I'd give it ten stars if I could. Max Enjoyment!

Very cool game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: December 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

You're a cop in New York! They killed your wife and daughter and now you are mad! This is a very cool action "Syphon Filter" type of game! The story is great and the effects in this game is what sets it apart from being a syphon filter copy! The "bullet time" effect is the coolest thing I have ever seen in a video game. The slow motion matrix style action scenes, the blood and violence, and the story line make this video game play like a movie! The best way I can describe it is syphon filter meets metal gear solid! Once you get use to the controls, and I must say the only reason I didn't give this one 5 stars is because they are a little complicated, you will enjoy this game!! I can definitely see sequels coming down the road.

Cool stress relieving kill everyone and ask questions later game, check this one out!

Definitely not Crash Bandicoot

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: July 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne is a cinematic, film-noir type game that mixes you standard action and intrigue. The story is as cliched as they come: a rogue cop framed for murder must fight against incredible odds to survive. This is from the same people who made Grand Theft Auto, the PS2's crowning title. Here is my impressions of Max Payne.

The Pros:

1. Cinematics. The story sequences come in two forms: as an on-screen graphic novel, and full motion sequences. They highlight the important points in the game quite well. Despite what others say, I don't think the voice acting is that bad. Believe me, I've heard much worse. The cinematic cut-scenes make the game much more enjoyable.

2. The details. What else would you expect from a PS2 game? The graphics are similar to Grand Theft Auto III, in that the city, the buildings, the rooms, and the enemies are very intricately detailed. Unlike GTA3, that is almost no pop-up in the background, and the rendering is amazing. But it is the little details that will strike you. You can turn lights on and off, move boxes, and even make drinks come out of the coke machine in the hotel (this is early on in the game). Note that I have layed both the PS2 and Xbox versions, and have noticed no difference.

3. The automatic save. There is nothing more frustrating than getting killed before you've had a chance to save your game. At the beginning of each new segment, your game is saved. It does the work for you. I like that feature a lot.

4. The A.I. The enemies are tougher to beat here, since the difficult levil changes according to your progress. If you are having a hard time in the game, the enemies will lighten up, slightly. But if you are having a ball, they will get tougher on you. They are also very good at evading your attacks. The improved A.I. (artificial intellegence, in case you didn't know) gives the game more challenge.

5. Storyline. Though it has it's ups and downs, the story is classic film-noir. I didn't get Max Payne looking for an innovative storyline (though I wouldn't have complained if it was). It is a good, old-fashioned caper story.

The Cons:

1. Loading time. It seems that Max Payne has a longer than normal loading time, wich can be very frustrating if you get killed off a lot in the beginning. Since the game is so well detailed, I can only assume that is why it takes longer to load. The game takes about 2 minutes to get the game up and running, so patience is a vitrue you must possess to play Max Payne.

2. Control. Though this becomes less of a con as you get used to it, the controls are tough. Unlike most games, Max Payne requires use of BOTH analog sticks, so it take a bit of getting used to. People who have played Silent hill before will probably know what I mean. Also, the targeting system is tricky in the begining, since all you have to aim with is a white dot on screen.

3. Sometimes you cannot skip through the cinematic cut-scenes, which is frustrating is you get killed and have to sit through the same bits over and over again.

I bought Max Payne on the recommendation of a friend who is pickier than I am when it comes to video games. I am very impressed with Max Payne, and am now addicted to it. Some games are like that. Anyone who liked GTA3 or Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty will love Max Payne.

The Best Game of 2001!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: November 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

My opinion is that this is the best video game of 2001! Max Payne combines incredible graphics as well as a superb plot. Plus the fantastic reality and the first ever "Bullet Time". In which you can actually see the bullets as they are leaving your weapon. It also has great sound effects and music. Overall I beleive Max Payne should be rated the Best game of the year!

You have never played a game like this before(unless you played max payne 2 already).

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a game about max payne and how his life got all screwed up.

It is a short game. The action is not all that exciting. The graphics are so-so.

The high point of this game is the way it presents the story too you. If you are a movie lover like me, you will definitely be into the way they give you the story. It's like a really cool comic book with pretty good voice acting, not great, but better than any kungfu movie dub. You will really get into the story, I guarantee it. I found judt sitting back and watching the game is better than playing.

Another wierd thing about this game is pretty much everything is more fun in the game than actually shooting people. For instance, a t.v. will be on and you can sit and watch a whole 5 minute episode of a stupid made-up soap opera. There is always a phone ringing, and it is always interesting when you pick it up.

Also this game really deserves it's mature rating, I have to say that it was a good little movie thriller inside of a game.

dfm

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

if you like bloody, gritty first person shooters, max payne is REQUIRED in your game library. the environment is extremely interactive, plenty of ammo and plenty of baddies.

the much-hyped story is way above average for a game, even if it is a tad melodramatic at times. the noir feel imparts that same kind of spookiness RE did, but better, and without zombies (well, it's got junkies, so the zombies are human.)

excellent game, and bullet mode IS SO MUCH FUN! if you don't think so, then you don't have to use it, that's how cool this game is. it's what a game should do, let you live in a movie.

rock n roll, baby!

DREAM SCENES RUIN IT

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is an outstanding game up to a certain point. Max gets drugged many times throughout the first stage and during his non-sober phase you are forced to run through this twisted, perverse, and irrelevent series of levels that really don't tie in with the style of the game. It toes the line with the Seance (spelling?) crap, but then it just goes overboard when a good time of shooting up highly dangerous mobsters is spoiled by a dumbfound chemistry that 3D Realm must have deemed necessary when introducing a devil-crazed lunatic mixed with a downright disturbing little "jump from one glowing path to another in a pitch black room while blood is dripping on the screen and a baby cries in the background" level. How that ties in to the gang war is just beyond me. Regardless of the fact they want you to experience Max's pain, I'd rather not have the future enjoyment of the game lying on some bull mandatory levels that just downright suck.

Best Game Ever on Market

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

When you think that Deus Ex was a great game with the wonderful detail, well you haven't played Max Payne. This third person game has you on the edge of you seat. Taking out thugs and mobsters while finding out who killed you best buddy, and possably your family. This game has a first ever, slow motion aiming/dodging device that gives you more accuracy and keeps you alive. You do however need a 16MB video card or better, but it runs well on my 8MB Savage4. So those who think that there computer isn't fast enough, well think again. But it wouldn't hurt to get a better card though. Overall, this game is on my #1 Alltime greatest games, including Half-Life and Deus Ex. So if you like action games, but want a little thought into the game, buy Max Payne. It's worth the money. Trust me!

Payne - the real story

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Max Payne is a great game with lots of awesome things about it. First of all, the story is moving and riveting. Once you get into it you start notice yourself getting mad at the gangsters. Any game that immersive is definitley worth noting.
The action is spectacular. Aiming is not like most action games - instead of having crosshairs you aim in the general direction of the opponent and Max corrects for you. The closer you are to having the enemy on the white dot on the screen, the more likely a hit. The emphasis is less on sitting still and shooting everyone but more on agility and using cover. That's where Bullet Time comes in - Bullet Time is a slow motion mode where you can dive out of the way in time to dodge bullets, or dive from behind a corner shooting. You only have a limited amount per level though.
The game is balanced and beatable, without being incredibly easy. It is quite long, though.
The game's bad characetisitic is replayability. Unless you are one of those people who has lots of $$$ to spend and loves to play games over and over, let me recommened this to those with tight budgets - rent it for five or ten days and have some buddies over to play it with you. By all means if you have the $$$ buy it is a great game (that fifth star is missing because of it's lack of replayability). It's not going to get boring, I'll tell you that.
Cheers, Chris Drover

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