Even after 9 years, the graphics are sharp, the story as immersive as it has ever been, and its gameplay... never better
It's 2010, so it's safe to say that having a rig capable playing a 2001 PC game is easy to obtain, probably even without trying.
Although the it is 9 years old, the game has amazing graphical potential. For example, the textures are highly detailed (They go up to 1600x1200!), and each individual bullet has their own dimensions and textures. Every character has a photo of a real person mapped onto their faces, so the limited facial expressions add on to some unintentional humor, contributed mostly from the exaggerated contortions of neutral, aggressive, and dead preset images.
The story is effectively embedded within the gameplay, and the comicbook-style cutscenes are dark and gritty, as reflective of the in-game world. Max Payne's narrative role in the game is amazingly achieved and heavily supported by his gravely voice, as he describes the madness around him.
The darkness of urban life and crime, the white of the snow, and the red of blood (as you can already spot in the box art) are constant factors puppeteering the environmental theme of death. Implementation of this theme is never-ending, and is supplemental to Max Payne's desire for revenge of the death of his family.
Where the core mechanics may lack in by natural aging (lighting, physics, animation), the textures are still sharply rendered and easy on the eyes, and environmental interaction and events are still amazing. If it that is still not enough for you, the storyline is great, and the little bits and pieces of it are presented within the gameplay very well.
2010 REVIEW POINTS:
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 8.5/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Presentation: 10/10