Besides, Max is rather vulnerable-a bullet in the head, let alone a grenade, can kill him. There will always be plenty of bad guys around to soak up all your lead, so you'll have to use your different weapons as strategically and as conservatively as possible. He can carry as many weapons as he can get his hands on, though you'll have to keep track of your ammunition reserves.
Max will brandish an impressive variety of highly authentic real-world weapons throughout the game, including pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, grenades, Molotov cocktails, and more. Not only does this make the game seem very well balanced-especially since taking out bad guys is how you replenish your bullet time-but it also keeps the effect from feeling too overused. Bullet time is a serious advantage, but you're limited to using it in small increments and thus can't afford to use it unless you really need it. As you launch yourself through the air, you'll actually see the enemy's bullets (or shotgun pellets) zing past you, even as you keep your weapons trained and firing on the enemy as you sail by. This particular technique, called a "shootdodge," is the key to surviving most of the game's gunfights. Hence, bullet time lets you perform incredible feats of marksmanship-and, in combination with the movement keys, deadly acrobatic leaps in any direction. Bullet time isn't just for show-it effectively gives Max superhuman reflexes, as while all the action in the game is slowed, you can still aim as quickly as you can move your mouse. The sounds of gunfire become muted and distant, and you hear a rush of air and then the pounding of Max's heart-and you'll invariably hold your own breath as all this happens, because the effect is so well done.
By default, the left mouse button fires your equipped weapons as rapidly as possible, while the right mouse button triggers Max's "bullet time" special ability, which temporarily puts everything in slow motion, as in a John Woo movie or the 1999 sci-fi hit, The Matrix.īy clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot'sīullet time is spectacular. The game's third-person camera perspective trails closely behind Max and gives a good sense of your surroundings, which is important since you'll need to move carefully through the game's enemy-infested environments. You use the keyboard to make Max run in any direction and use the mouse to aim your weapons.
It's very easy to get into, as the control is smooth, simple, and responsive. The game has many superlative qualities, but one of the best things about it is how it actually plays. Thus begins his blood-soaked battle to find the truth-and to get revenge. Max is a modern-day New York undercover cop whose wife and baby daughter were brutally murdered and who has since been framed for a heinous crime.
You play as the title character throughout the game. The action in Max Payne is dramatic, great-looking, and intense. After all, it's not often you get an outstanding and original action game that's not just different from all other shooters to date, but also in many ways superior. Max Payne does have a few weaknesses, most notably in that it isn't very long and lacks any multiplayer features-but these things are hardly detrimental. Like many of Woo's films, Max Payne is rife with gunplay that's almost indescribably beautiful to watch-and yet actually playing it is even better. It's a gritty third-person shooter that's clearly inspired by the stylish cinematography and choreography of the Hong Kong action movie genre, particularly the work of director John Woo. Created by Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment, Max Payne has been in production for a very long time.