Max Payne

Step into the dark, seedy world of Max Payne, the most stylish shooter yet, complete with a dramatic slow-motion mode that?s more than just a gimmick.

Some people say that in extreme, life-threatening situations, time slows down so that even a gunshot seems to last several seconds. Max Payne?s ?Bullet Time? feature simulates this effect with stunning results?its third-person gunfights are spectacularly cinematic, and it manages to look as cool and dramatic as a film noir while being more fun than most other shooters.

Sam Spade, Meet Max Payne
The hero, Max Payne, is a composite of every action-movie hero of the last 60 years. More specifically, he?s a tough New York City detective with a permanent sneer on his face. He?s framed for a crime and thrust into the middle of an evil scheme involving the Mafia, a CIA-like group, and a dangerous new drug called Valkyr. Solution: Kill everybody.

Payne?s gruff narration is convincing, even if the script is laughably overwritten (?The cops arrived, sirens singing in the off-key harmony of a manic-depressive choir.?). No game, except maybe Half Life, has done a better job of weaving story into gameplay.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet
Besides the dark, graphic-novel-style cut scenes and Max?s ever-present narration, the game is most notable for its use of Bullet Time, which is similar to slo-mo scenes in The Matrix and most John Woo movies. If you turn it on in the middle of a firefight, the action slows so you can see bullets in midair and aim with precision while your enemies are just blasting wildly. It looks amazingly cool and works surprisingly well. Expect many imitators.
Inflict Major Payne
Even without the Bullet Time gimmick, Max Payne would be a first-rate title. The gritty New York City environments are among the most detailed and realistic ever created. Shoot a tile floor and a chunk of tile blows apart. Turn on the shower and water flows. Coolest of all is when you?re diving across a room, spraying bullets at your enemies, sending sparks and blood flying?all in dramatic slow motion. While it only takes about ten hours to complete Max Payne, it will be ten of the best hours you?ve spent on a computer in a long time.

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