Max Payne

aka: Dark Justice, Max Heat, Max Payne Mobile, Yingxiong Bense
Moby ID: 4529
Windows Specs
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Description official descriptions

Max Payne was a police officer of the New York City police. On one terrible day, his wife and newborn daughter were killed by three junkies, who broke into his apartment after having ingested a new designer drug known as Valkyr. After the tragedy, Max quit the police force and joined the Drug Enforcement Administration. Three years later, during a raid on a mafia compound that was reportedly trafficking Valkyr, his best friend and fellow DEA agent Alex is killed, and he becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Now Max is all alone in the cold, snowy night of New York. The mob is out to get him. The police are out to get him. The only way out is with guns blazing, because he has nothing to lose.

Max Payne is a third person shooter stylistically influenced by film noir, "hardboiled" detective stories, and Hong-Kong action cinema. Max can perform rolls and leaps to try and dodge enemy fire. The weapons at his disposal range from baseball bats to Ingram sub-machine guns, grenades, Molotov cocktails, and others. A unique feature of the game is the usage of the so-called Bullet Time - a time-slowing ability that was popularized by the first Matrix movie. Activating the Bullet Time slows down everything that happens around Max (including his own movements), allowing for slow, but precise performance of moves to take care of his enemies. A special meter indicates how much time the effect will last, and how long Max needs to wait until it can be activated again.

Cutscenes in the game are presented as comic book-style graphical panels accompanied by voice-overs.

Spellings

  • 英雄本色 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

253 People (181 developers, 72 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 88% (based on 75 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 412 ratings with 30 reviews)

A fun but short game with too much of the same in it.

The Good
Death Wish, Out for Justice, Marked for Death, Above The Law, etc, etc.. ever wished you could be in one of those dorky 70's-80's action flicks where everything boils down to "Bad guys killed your loved ones: Go get Some!!!", well add to that a lot of more contemporary pop-culture references, a Hong Kong Gun-Fu movie feel, some matrix "bullet-time" and you've got yourself Max Payne in a nutshell.

Not exactly the makings of the world's most artistic videogame huh? But fortunately Max Payne aims to be a braindead all-style-no-content shootfest, so the game nails the subject dead on. Want to shut down your brain for a while? Max Payne is the game for you: millions of bad guys to mow down in the most stylish ways possible thanks to the addition of a matrix-like bullet time function that exploits the dramatic effects of slow-mo to the max (John Woo would be proud), and gimmicks like super-dramatic deaths: even if they just received a beretta shot on a toe, the enemies jump and fly around whenever they die, etc. etc. etc.... It couldn't be cheesier! It couldn't be more perfect for the game either!

There isn't much revolutionary about the gameplay save for that little matrix gimmick, but by keeping it all simple Max Payne maximizes the level of entertainment found on the game. Who cares about strategy or stuff like that? It's all about picking up two berettas and going Chow-yun-fat on some moron's ass and Payne keeps it that way, that's fun isn't it? Well, for a while it sure is!!

Also something to take notice is the MaxFX engine, truly a piece of work, not only does it deliver an amazing level of detail, but it also has lots of customization options allowing you to get the most off your system. And while the levels themselves are not the most imaginative ever, they are filled with Duke Nukem-like "interaction points" that make them feel even more real, pick up a phone and you'll hear a tone, use a toilet and you'll flush it, etc, etc. add to that great sfx and music and you've got yourself a nice level of immersion for a nice ol' shooter.

The Bad
Well there are a lot of minor little problems with the game, starting with Max himself. He's got to be the dorkiest-looking character I've ever played in a game of this type, I feel even Guybrush Threepwood could kick his stupid-grinning butt. And his high-on-sugar gestures in the otherwise excellent comic-book cutscenes make it only worse. Other problems are the braindead AI (enemies will actually shoot themselves!), the completely linear nature of gameplay, the rather short lenght of the game (which IS a matter to consider when you think that these guys are asking you to pay 50 bucks for a game that delivers only 15 or so in value [not all off us can waste hard earned money into short unrewarding games just for the fun of it]), the "been there, done that" level design, etc, etc.

But the biggest problem in the game is the game itself. Because the gameplay may be fun, but it can become tremendously repetitive and even dull, and the whole Bronson-HK-Matrix thing by itself just can't hold up the game and in the end just drags the whole thing down. Not to mention that if you aren't on that sort of thing altoghether then this game has nothing for you save some nice eye-candy.

The Bottom Line
In the end it all comes down to how much "Payne" you can endure. Sure the game is fun, but after a while it loses it's splendor. And just like those Bronson-Seagal-Lamas dumb action flicks, you get the feel that they are fun to rent or watch on cable, but you wouldn't want to OWN them.... Max is solid fun, but it's short, repetitive, and mind-numblingly simple, I can't see why anyone would bother with Max, when there are just so many other good things out there. Unless that is, you want to show off your brand new GeForce455000 GTSExtraTurbo, add it the Matrix patch, and find it in a bargain bin.

Windows · by Zovni (10504) · 2008

Max Payne is still a great game on the PS2, but technical issues creates some setbacks.

The Good
+ Great soundtrack
+ Great storyline
+ Excellent storytelling
+ Bullet Time works with ease
+ Easy-to-learn level design


The Bad
- Stripped down levels
- No quick-saving abilities
- Rough, unstable framerate


The Bottom Line
Presentation: 95/100
The storyline is told through narration and graphic novel panels, but the panels do not appear one at a time like on the Xbox version; instead, all the panels appear all at once. There's also no DVD player-styled controls for novel cutscenes that appeared on the Xbox and PC versions. The only thing better about the graphic novel panels is the font for the dialogue text, as they appear with more bold letters with upper and lower cases.

Graphics: 74/100
The texture quality is noticeably reduced, and the framerate is unstable. There are times where the framerate is either sharp or nearly unplayable. The framerate on the PS2 version is somewhat jittery in general, and there are only very few times where this can affect the gameplay. If you've played the Xbox/PC version before this, you'll notice that there's a reduced amount of character models, therefore you'll end up killing the same looking guy over and over.

Audio: 90/100
The soundtrack is excellent and most if not all of the dialogue is there. Practically nothing has been stripped down or removed from the PS2 version. The sound quality on the PS2 version seems to be somewhat higher than the Xbox version, or a least that's how I heard.

Controls: 88/100
The controls on the PS2 version are translated well. The L1 button does Bullet Time with Shootdodging, L2 does Bullet Time without Shootdodging, R2 jumps and R1 fires your weapon. X performs actions and zooms on a sniper rifle, Square reloads, and Circle makes you use a painkiller. Painkillers will heal Max, but the healing will take seconds for it to be in full effect. The weapons are divided by classes and can be cycled through using the directional buttons, pressing R1 will equip the weapon that's highlighted. The PS2 version has an extra ability where pressing Triangle will make you switch to your best weapon, which can turn out useful at times. The walking issue is still on the PS2 version, also the PS2's analog sticks are stiff and shifty to work with, meaning that used controllers can end up with Max moving by himself until you wiggle the analog sticks.

Difficulty: Dynamic
The easiest difficulty can feel challenging at first, but after you beat the game, the Fugitive difficulty won't be as difficult. The Hard-Boiled difficulty is described as hard, but it's practically the same, hard at first, but feels easier after. Dead on Arrival is legitimately difficult, even you beat the game. New York Minute is where you have to beat each level in a minute. Ingame cutscenes and graphic novel panels pause the timer and killing bad guys will buy you some more time.

Gameplay: 90/100
The gameplay is different from typical shooters, as it is the first game to use Bullet Time, inspired by the films directed by John Woo and The Matrix. Bullet Time works like this: when triggered, everything slows down, but you can aim in real time, giving you the advantage over your enemies, using the Shootdodge maneuver will help you dodge bullets with ease. The AI's capabilities are prescripted and could put up a fight, but they don't react to hand grenades. Unfortunately, the level designs are shortened down, some even to the point where a size of a level is unreasonably short. The PS2 version does not have quick-saving abilities, the game automatically saves at the beginning of each level.

Overall: 82/100
Max Payne isn't a lengthy game, as there are 24 levels that are divided each. There is no multiplayer, which is forgivable, and also considering about how would Bullet Time work in multiplayer. If you aren't able to get this game on the Xbox or PC, get the PS2 version without too much reluctance.

Score: 82/100

PlayStation 2 · by SamXNE_997 (167) · 2015

A wonderful action shooter that brings back the senseless-violence thrill of Doom.

The Good
"Are you saying this game is like Doom?"

No, no, that's not what I meant. Doom and Max Payne have only one direct link to each other, and that's guns and violence. Of course, many games have that link, so why did I mention doom in the one-liner? Because very few FPS games, or games in general since Doom have had that thrill of going into battle, killing everything and walking away triumphant. Games nowadays emphasize realism and bring the action to you in a very scripted and "realistic" way. Like having to take out that guard to progress, or being forced to defend yourself against assailants, or of course the end-game boss. Now, I'm not saying that's not good either. In fact, I love the type of game that emphasize strategy and realism. I just missed the action of a Doom-style shooter, and Max Payne has brought it back to me.

"So, Max Payne is basically a senseless kill-everything-for-no-reason shooter? Bah! Boring!"

That's not what I meant either. Max Payne has a dark and noir-like story and setting that make going from one level to another something more than "flipping the switch and counting up your score". I compare Max Payne to Doom because of the battles, because Max Payne is not realistic at all, but at the same time it is an edge-on-your-seat thrill ride. I remember playing Doom and firing off that shotgun at the horde of demon-spawns, running away from the cloud of bullets, rockets and fireballs, dodging behind walls and charging into battle with no hope of surviving, only to come out alive, standing in a field of corpses.

That is how the battles in Max Payne are essentially fought. You charge into battle with the odds against you and somehow, miraculously, come out on top. How does this happen? Well, you have one distinct advantage, and it's the real selling point of Max Payne - bullet time. Obviously influenced by The Matrix, Max has the ability to slow time down, allowing him to dodge bullets and fire off his ammo twice as fast as his opponents. Once the battle begins, it might only last one, two seconds before everyone in the room - except for Max - falls to the ground dead.

"Doom didn't have that feature!"

Okay, enough about Doom. Don't talk anymore.

The story is cliche'd, but it's certainly new to the FPS genre - or in this case, TPS (third-person shooter...blargh) and as you play it, it won't feel at all like an "I've seen this before" game. You come home one day to find a bunch of druggies murdered your family, and then you're framed for murder! As if things weren't bad enough, druggies and thugs and psychos and every criminal and politician in the city is after you! It's up to you to cut through the red tape - in slow motion, baby - and find the men responsible for your family's death and clear your name at the same time. Such a feat could only be accomplished by Max Payne (or maybe Duke Nukem).

"Hey, Duke Nukem! That came after Doom, why didn't you mention Duke?"

Wha - I said quit talking! Doom had a story to go along with it, and it was pretty cool. Duke's story was dumb. Now shaddap!

The battles in Max Payne are truly memorable. Sometimes, during the death of an enemy, there'll be a sort of camera-sweep cutscene that adds so much to the experience. During the battles, you'll actually see the bullets fly past you, smashing bottles and breaking small pieces of wood off the walls. And there's just something great about throwing a molotov cocktail accross the cafe in slow motion and watching it burst into flames on the fatass bartender as he charges at you with his shotgun. Max Payne brings a truly cinematic feel to the genre that isn't brought on by scripted cutscenes or FMVs.

It comes with an editor. Heh...if you can figure it out, you can make a Max Payne for yourself.

The Bad
While I didn't mind the linearity of the game - it is just an action FPS afterall - it should still be noted. You don't have any real area to explore in the game, save for a few secret areas that you're not supposed to visit. There are no sights to see or anything like that. It's all standard "go here, kill everyone, go there, kill everyone, go through the door, kill that guy".

Everyone wants to kill you. Most of the areas you visit are areas where you'd expect to see a lot of enemies, but it's just a little rediculous that a hotel has thirty criminals armed with shotguns and uzis, but no civilians staying there.

I really wish they'd done more with the camera-sweeps and stuff in the game. They were awesome, but there just weren't enough of them. Only a few guys had them when they died, and I only remember one area that had a different camera angle before the enemy was dead. They added a LOT to the game and made it so insanely fun to play, I really wish there had been more.

Strategy would have made the game cooler. While Max Payne diving in slow motion was a cool feature...it just gets dumb when Max dives around the room shooting ten times in one battle. I wish the bullet-time would have been a more optional feature rather than a must-have, because unless you get the first shot - and make it a fatal blow - in a battle, you'll die without bullet time. Also, there's really not anything else to do but bullet time. You can't really duck behind many things because your head will pop above it and the bad guys can just shoot it. You can't lean around corners, there is no stealth involved in the game at all. I love the senseless-violence action...but there could have been more to it.

Some people complain that the game is too short. I didn't think so, but...well, maybe it is.

The dream sequences were cool, but the level design was unecessary. It's filled with mazes and guessing games.

Bullet time drains waaay too quickly unless you're just diving. But it's pretty useless unless you're diving, which is a pity.

The Bottom Line
Doom-style action with some shnazzy cinematic effects. Max Payne rocks!

Windows · by kbmb (415) · 2002

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Discussion

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XP SP2 Indra was here (20756) Jun 4, 2008

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The PC version of Max Payne appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Advertisement

In England, the game was advertised on hydrants covered with actual yellow police lines with the game's name and slogan on it ("Max Payne - A Man With Nothing to Lose" etc...), just like the game box's cover art.

Bullet time

The origins of bullet time, made famous in the movie The Matrix and as a playable effect in Max Payne, are attributed to Eadweard Muybridge (April 9, 1830 – May 8, 1904), who used still cameras placed along a racetrack to take pictures of a galloping horse.

Cancelled Dreamcast version

Max Payne was initially in development for the Dreamcast up to the point that Remedy demoed the game at E3 in 1998. Despite some more refined character models, the game looks and plays almost identically to the PS2 and Xbox versions of the game.

Development

  • Early on the V drug was not only a mind-warping drug, but also body-warping. It fact it made its users grow into hulking giants with glowing green eyes. In fact, early script drafts deal with super soldiers. There were even work in progress screenshots which shows Max fighting these super soldiers. All this was scrapped as it looked silly and was too similar to Sin.
  • In order to create the game, the developers from Remedy traveled from Finland to New York to photograph the buildings and streets. You can read about their adventure at the 3D Realms website: http://www.3drealms.com/max/newyork.html

German index

This game was put on the German index on 29.09.2001. A short time afterwards, according to a Take 2 salesman, the planned to publish a "toned down" version of Max Payne. It would be cut so it could get a "12+" rating and they wanted to do a German translation including voiceovers. This would allow them to sell it again since it isn't the same as the banned game and even more, it's localized so more people could enjoy it.

The new box art had a yellow "police line" over or under the MAX PAYNE title on the box which stated it was a toned down version. However, this version got canned.

The ban on the game was eventually lifted.

Inaccuracies

Despite all the "realism" put into the game... The "code numbers" given by NYPD officers are completely wrong, according to an ex-NYPD officer (Rich Laporte of gonegold.com)

Music

The music for the game was made by Kärtsy Hatakka, who is also the singer and bass player for a band called Waltari.

References

  • The game features some humourous moments. In one of the earlier levels, there is a room off one of the ledges outside a building. Inside is a guy lying on the ground with a stake in his back, and the letters "BUFF" (with obvious reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer) scrawled in blood next to him. Max passes a comment along the lines off "I don't even want to know what happened here."
  • In another level, you need a password to get into a laundry room. After finding a low-life to help you out, stand off to the side while he tries to get you in. He's given a first name and asked to give the full name before they'll open the door. The name he has to give is "John Woo", director and king of slow-motion action sequences in movies, an obvious inspiration for the developers of Max Payne.
  • At one point in the game, Max comes across a television show speaking about the Aesir Corporation, and how they are becoming another monopoly like Microsoft. However, because Microsoft is a copyrighted name, the television gives a bit of static when Microsoft is spoken, and the graphic novel displays "*static*" instead of Microsoft.
  • The Dopefish (an enemy from Commander Keen 4, the Dopefish is usually put into games as an easter egg) appears in Max Payne.
  • In the room immediately after Alfred Woden's office, if you shoot a picture off the wall, you'll find a switch. Pressing it will open a secret passage to a room with a Star Trek parody.
  • At some point you will pass by a TV in which the images show a familiar red-curtained room and a flamingo, and the accompanying dialog is all in Twin Peaks style. The music has that hip TP jazzy sound. A man's voice talks about his "evil twin," which of course ties in with the dopplegangers of Twin Peaks. The flamingo's speaking style sounds much like the Little Man in Twin Peaks dream sequences. The flamingo may be a reference to Wild Palms, which included flamingos and is sometimes compared to Twin Peaks. Elsewhere, another TV shows a soap opera with events that closely parallel events in the game; this 'soap opera device' was used often on Twin Peaks. During the Twin Peaks parody portion, the flamingo’s speech is distorted and it is impossible to understand what it’s saying except its final line: “The Flesh of Fallen Angels”, a sort of recurrent motif along the game.
  • Of all the various pop culture references found throughout the game, there is one that probably escapes the notice of most players. In the tutorial level, take a look at the Tar Cafe signs. Their address is listed as "604 All Your Base Are", a reference to the poorly-translated intro of Zero Wing.
  • In the Ragnarock club there are references to the supernatural horror literature of H. P. Lovecraft - the so called Cthulhu Mythos. One of Jack Lupino's books is titled Necronomicon, and one of his personal "spells" mention the name "Cthulhu" as one of the dark gods that he invokes.
  • In Part I, Chapter Six, Max Payne enters a small flat. There is a gun lying on the counter, and a gangster can be heard whistling in the toilet. The toilet doors are locked tight, unless the player picks up the gun, which makes the adversary flush the toilet and come out. This is a reference to Quentin Tarantino's cult movie Pulp Fiction: (Pulp Fiction spoiler) This area closely resembles the scene of Vincent Vega's death, when Butch sneaks into his apartment and shoots Vic with his own gun which he left on the counter in the kitchen.
  • In the first level, Roscoe Street Station, Max overhears two thugs talking. After a moment of conversation or two, a phone rings. The ring tone is The Ecstasy of Gold from the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, composed by Ennio Morricone.

References: Self

  • In the skyscraper mission, in one of the elevators, if you stay and listen, you will hear some guards talking about how it would be cool if you could see your moves in slow motion. The guard concludes by saying that he will name this effect Bullet-Time.
  • In one part of Max Payne, the graphic novel jokes about Max being a game (this happens in one of the nightmare sequences).
  • Another humorous moment... In Part 1, Chapter 2 "Live from the Crime Scene", you finally made your way into the bank vault, and the alarm is blaring. If you shoot the alarm (thus silencing it), Max will thank you.. The same happens at one point in the hotel: you must ride an elevator playing some cheesy elevator music. Shoot out the speaker and Max will thank you.
  • Max Payne features a lot of Remedy employees as characters in the game, including screenwriter Sam Lake as Max Payne himself. This led to a very weird E3 2001 showing of the game, since Sam Lake was at GOD Games´ Promised Lot along other members of Remedy with a demo. Everybody was a bit disoriented by seeing Max Payne on screen and his real-life counterpart talking about the title right next to it.
  • In Part 1, Chapter 6, when you're chasing Vinnie, there is a billboard for Captain Baseball-Bat Boy, the comics you see throughout the game.

Version differences

The PS2 version doesn't allow you to quick save during a level unlike the PC and Xbox versions.

Awards

  • Gamespy
    • 2001 - PC Action Game of the Year (Readers' Vote))
    • 2001 - Best Gimmick of the Year (for bullet time)
  • PC Gamer
    • April 2005 - #41 in the "50 Best Games of All Time" list

Information also contributed by AkibaTechno, Archagon, DarkBubble, dasfatso, David Sky, Dreamweaver, Dr. M. "Schadenfreude" Von Katze, Erik Niklas, festershinetop, Juan Pablo Bouquet, Juguryo, JPaterson, Karthik KANE, Kasey Chang, MasterMegid, PCGamer77, phlux, Samuel James Vince and Scott Monster

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Related Sites +

  • 3D Realms Site
    The official 3d Realms/ Apogee Website
  • A Rock-Solid Hero for a Rock-Solid OS
    An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of Max Payne, with commentary being provided by Art Director Saku Lehtinen (July, 2002).
  • Max Payne
    The official Max Payne website
  • Max Payne
    3D Realms official Max Payne website
  • Max Payne Fan Site
    Tips, cheats, screenshots, modifications and links.
  • Official Webpage (Mac)
    The official product page for the Mac version of Max Payne on the publisher's website, which provides a trailer, character information, a profile of the game itself, and purchasing information, among other such particulars.
  • Payne Reactor
    A fan site dedicated to Max Payne - Mods, Levels, Total Conversions, Tutorials, Forums, Cheats, etc.
  • Sound fix for Max Payne and Vista.
    A clever person fixed a bug with Max Payne not playing music and dialogue in Vista. Vista doesn't support the sound file formats used for the playback.

Identifiers +

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Contribute

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Derrick 'Knight' Steele.

Xbox added by Brian Hirt. PlayStation 3 added by Charly2.0. Xbox 360 added by karttu. iPhone, iPad, PlayStation 4 added by Sciere. Macintosh, Android added by Kabushi. Xbox One, Xbox Series added by Eufemiano Bullanga.

Additional contributors: Macintrash, Xantheous, Kasey Chang, Unicorn Lynx, Jony Shahar, Jim Fun, Frenkel, Sciere, Scott Monster, Zeppin, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, 64er.

Game added July 19, 2001. Last modified March 15, 2024.