Max Payne (2001)
3D Realms, Feral Interactive, Gathering of Developers, MacSoft Games, neo Software, Remedy Entertainment, Rockstar Games, Rockstar Toronto, Take-Two Interactive, War Drum Studios, Westlake Interactive
Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose in the violent, cold urban night. A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists and twisted thugs in the gritty bowels of New York during the century's worst blizzard. The groundbreaking original cinematic action-shooter, Max Payne introduced the concept of Bullet Time in videogames. Through its stylish slow-motion gunplay combined with a dark and twisted story, Max Payne redefined the action-shooter genre.
About the story
In December 2001, as New York City is enduring the tail end of the worst snow blizzard in the history of the city, Max Payne, a renegade DEA agent and former NYPD detective, is standing at the top of a skyscraper with a sniper rifle in his hands, smiling, as police units arrive on the scene to arrest him. He then experiences flashbacks from three years ago and the last two days he experienced. Three years earlier, on August 22nd 1998, Max was working as a regular NYPD detective, having just finished his day's work. His longtime friend and DEA agent, Alex Balder, invites him to transfer into the DEA, but Max declines the offer, wanting to focus on his full-time life with his wife, Michelle, and their newborn daughter, Rose. As he returns to his house in New Jersey, he finds that a trio of junkies had broken into his house, all addicted on a brand new designer drug, Valkyr. Max receives a call from a mysterious woman who seems pleased at the trouble in the house and refuses to call for help. Max rushes to aid his family and kill the junkies, but is too late as he finds his wife shot dead, and his daughter slaughtered. After his family's funeral, Payne accepts Alex's offer, and transfers to the DEA at his own request to stop the spreading of the drugs.
Platforms
Android iOS Mac PC PS2 PS3 PS4 XBOX X360Genres
ShooterThemes
Action ThrillerLanguages: English and 5 more
| Interface | Audio | Subtitles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | |||
| Spanish (Spain) | |||
| French | |||
| Italian | |||
| Portuguese (Brazil) | |||
| Japanese |
Critic Reviews
By Fingal Belmont
Despite all the limitations of 2000s-era specs, Max Payne is still a righteous action game that is enjoyable for its pacing and entertaining scenarios. Some parts late in the game are a bit cheap with how enemies are placed around corners, but retrying is painless. At worst, the lack of nuance in the movement may turn off some modern gamers.
- 28 Nov, 2023
By Athanasios
Neo-noir plus John Woo, plus the foreboding atmosphere of Norse myths, in a shooter that's great in everything... apart from the actual shooting. In other words Max Payne should not be viewed as an action game. Repetitive, uninspired, and even unfair, the action on offer is definitely this title's weakest aspect. Therefore, if looking for a great shooter, this isn't it. This is, above all else, an experience. A fantastic one, indeed, but only if you can endure the constant loop of quick saving and loading.
- 09 Jul, 2021
