Do Not Cross. A Man With Nothing To Lose.
MP is reminiscent of and old film noir, with its pessimistic vengeance theme and harsh environment, but coupled with today’s gritty sensibility. The story progresses via an interactive graphic novel, with fatalistic narration voiced by the disgruntled and bruised Max Payne. We follow his sad plight as it spirals out of control into something bigger and more savage then first imagined. The game takes place during one of New York’s worst snowstorms as Max seeks answers to the deaths of his beloved family. He finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy to bring him down, and he sure as hells’ going to find out why. This is a real adult’s game. It deals with themes that are designed to make you feel uncomfortable and deliberate sets out to create the most overwhelming scenario possible. This is done so that the redemption Max seeks feels justified and you have no reservations about exterminating the scum that infest the streets. Needless to say, the story is very good and the characters fit perfectly into this hell on earth.
What makes MP so revolutionary is its inclusion of slo-mo gun battles. They were integrated in such a fun and user friendly way that you are powerless to their escape charms. Diving headlong as a barrage of shotgun pellets wiz over your head whilst simultaneously unloading a full torrent of hot lead into your hapless enemy, all the while in a perpetuated haze, just HAS to be experienced. It’s the kind of immature boyish thing you wish you could do in real life, but would probably end up dead or paralyzed doing.
The levels are fun, and for the most part varied, and there are some good set-pieces to follow. The world is very well realized and interesting to explore, and palpable feeling of foreboding creates a great atmosphere. The game though can be relatively short, but one can forgive this as the quality is so high and the action so well orchestrated. I gurantee you have lots of fun messing around and trying to create a cool pose (When you pause the camera revolves around Max in mid action – very cool). The graphics are quite good too. Very crisp and clean. The sound is great, with lots of dialogue and faithfully satisfying sound effects.
Max Payne is brilliant fun. You’ll definitely have a great ride ahead of you if you decided to indulge in the game. Its ballsy, in your face gun theatrics - and bloody beautiful!