So, what is Max Payne all about?
The story is set in New York, and follows a very clichéd tale for this type of setting. You’re a New York undercover cop who comes home one day to find your wife and kid has been murdered. You are then framed for another murder, and basically are on the run, looking for revenge against the ones you see responsible for all these crimes. Well like with almost every other New York cop based story with gangsters and Mafia type gangs (with strong Italian-American accents) things are not always what they seem and the story gradually leans towards the usual corrupt cops and secret government agency side of things…. blah blah blah, all been done and seen before. But it is all very well told though, with a graphical comic book kind of way with lots of big sounding words and over-the-top descriptions to describe the simplest of things. For instance instead of “It is very cold”, Max Payne would narrate and say “Outside was like cold daggers, there piercing cruel points stabbing at my chest, drawing every last ounce of heat from my body”. No Max, really it’s “just cold”! LOL
But it really does set the mood and I found it, for a comic book, an unusual way of telling the story rather than the usual cut-scenes or FMV sequences. The good thing is, in this format you can at least follow what’s going on and the art is quite nice.
The special new feature
The game follows the similar path of 3D shooters that have come before it, so you’ll be right at home if you’re a typical first-person shooting PC gamer. The control system is again almost identical to most FPS games, so no flaws in that department, but also nothing new if you’re the critical type. However you are introduced with two new buttons to press to add to your list, and these actions that go with these buttons is what makes this game different from your regular shooters, and is the heart of the Max Payne experience. This feature is called Bullet Time, and it does take a little while to get used too.
When the button is pressed time slows down, and you get to see everything in slow motion. You can still aim your weapons in real time, as well as dodge, leap and avoid bullets. Giving you not only a serious advantage over your far more numerous opponents, but also a very cool looking effect very reminiscent of ‘The Matrix’ film! This makes some truly excellent fight scenes, as you can stop and savour the graphics and your actions, something you could never do in other games unless they have a replay feature. It’s a spectacle to watch as it feels like all your favourite action movies!
It’s arguable however that without this bullet time feature Max Payne is truly as ground breaking as many claim.
Just too short
Apart from the obvious feature above, everything about Max Payne is similar to every other action title. In fact, some aspects are actually worse off than today’s most elite titles! Hardly the game to “set the new standard of action titles”! True the graphics are amazing but even they lack in key departments (see Graphics section). Also the game itself is just way too easy. I heard the game was simple, so paced myself so I didn’t rush it and waste my money. But if I let myself go the game would have easily been over in less than a day. Ben told me he completed it in 6 hours!
After you complete the game what do you get? Because there’s no multi-player option or single player random game generator the game simply ends the second you complete it. You can play it over again on one of the new settings given too you, but why bother? The story is the same, all the surprises exhausted. If this is the way single player games are going then I hope the price for these titles goes down, because paying full price for a ‘one-day game’ is hardly value!
Maybe Max Payne is just a demonstration of what’s to come and I’m being too critical. But you just can not help thinking that it seems most of the effort of the game went into the graphics and the new bullet time. Like under Max Payne's beautiful exterior lies a plain old ordinary personality, seen in so many PC titles (‘Incoming’ comes to mind immediately those who remember it)
Please don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed playing it and you will too, plus the game is really well told but once it’s over, it’s over. So it becomes arguable whether or not you will bother to go back. It is a shame, because if it had more challenge, or simply more things to do once completed then it would be a game other developers really could marvel at.
Same old same old...
A small gripe, I don’t know if any one else has noticed that all action games have the same weapons? It’s always the same format and it’s getting boring. Ok, so why should I pick on Max Payne? Well this game is meant to be breaking the mould. Instead it just follows suit. No man can carry 4 pistols, 3 types of shotgun, Machine guns, Uzi’s and a grenade launcher! As well as full ammo for each! I understand making a game more realistic is sometimes not a good idea, but the fact is that EVERY action game has this pattern; Pistols, progressing to a Shotgun, progressing to Machinegun finally progressing to a super weapon like a Rocket launcher…. It’s boring! Someone change suit please, it’s really not creative!!
