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)

Style over substance

The Good
Max Payne is a very simple, but fun cinematic shooter that takes genuinely old-fashioned gameplay and updates it with some tricks of its own.

The choice of third-person view, relatively rare for 3D shooters, adds the advantage of allowing the protagonist to perform moves that would be pointless in an FPS, such as rolling. We've seen many times how your FPS opponents were rolling to avoid your shots; but now you can finally do it yourself! Quickly navigating Max to save him from the constant barrage of bullets, madly rolling and jumping out of the way in time is often a life-or-death situation. The action becomes more intense and also more cinematic when you actually see your hero performing all those moves.

The famous "bullet time" effect makes the action even more stylish. Max Payne feels like one of those over-the-top kung-fu movies. Getting rid of your enemies becomes even more impressive when they die in "dramatic" ways, even the simplest kill turning into yet another scene.

The graphics of Max Payne are a sheer beauty; the engine is powerful and smooth, and the levels are quite detailed, filled with Duke Nukem 3D-style interactive environments: you can turn on and off TV sets, flush toilets, and so on.

Max Payne kicks in on a very personal note. The uncomplicated narrative is basically a vigilante quest for revenge. The player is easily able to identify himself with Max, and the following elimination of bad guys becomes more satisfying than ever.

The story is told in still screens with comic-book pages on them, which is an original and stylish idea. The dialogues and, most of all, Max's own comments, are well-written and convincingly spoken. An interesting thing is the usage of humor. At first sight, it seems there's nothing to laugh about here, but the more you advance the story, the more you realize it has a double edge. Its stylistic references to action movies are so obvious that it nearly becomes a self-aware parody.

The Bad
Max Payne is a very simple, linear game, almost to the point of turning into an "on-rails" shooter. You are typically taken to locations that look "explorable", but upon closer inspection it is revealed that there is only one path to proceed. Miraculously locked doors, blocked passages, and other assorted linearity enforcers are everywhere.

The gameplay is very basic, going back to the old days of shooters when problems were solved with blasting everything you see to pieces. Since the game is rather short and there isn't much variety in the enemy design, stylish bullet time kills can get quite monotonous with the time.

The game's heavily scripted AI and its reliance on simplistic setpieces make it feel even more restrictive, filled with situations where you are forced to do things a certain way. The difficulty is very much arcade-like, reflexes and quicksave abuse playing a dominant role; essentially, it's all about resorting to bullet time and frantic rolling over and over again. Max Payne is, in fact, short and repetitive at once.

Max's colorful comments may not fit everyone's taste; some of them try to be too sophisticated, making a strange expression. Also, Max has a permanent silly grin glued to his face, which makes him look like a maniacally-minded dork.

The Bottom Line
If your dream video game is an incarnation of those very uncomplicated action movies with ridiculously tough vigilante heroes who shoot bad guys in spectacular ways, Max Payne is just what you need. However, those looking for deeper, richer, and more varied 3D action might want to pass on this one.

Windows · by Unicorn Lynx (181780) · 2016

Good, but way less than expected

The Good
Max Payne, the long-awaited shooter. Everyone has heard about it, but how many have really played it? I did, and... lets see... the good side: graphics are good. Very good. Also, the 'bullet time' and 'cinematic shot' features are awesome. Imagine this: you leap in a room with two Ingram-smgs blazing bullets, everything is in slow motion and you can see every single bullet, the enemies move like underwater but you are faster than ever. As the final opponent falls, you see his death in a cinematic sequence, blood comes from his knees, he falls down and screams. Feels just like a movie. Another good side is the gameplay, after you have learned the controls, controlling Max is very solid and feels good. The third thing that is good is the story. Although simple, it's much better than in Soldier of Fortune or any Quake. Usage of comic strips instead of video is also a good idea.

The Bad
Now the bad. First of all, although the graphics are good, they aren't as good as you could expect from the system requirements. The characters and weapons look good, but the environment doesn't. This spoils the atmosphere. Another thing I am missing are the bullet wounds. Although enemies have hit zones, a hit to head looks the same as hit to leg. The worst thing, however, is that the game crashes pretty often. I had also problems to get the game run. Maybe it's just my computer. Or then not.

The Bottom Line
Personally I like Undying and Soldier of Fortune better, but if you like shooters, this is a must!

Windows · by Aapo Koivuniemi (41) · 2001

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

[ View all 30 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
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 +

  • MobyGames ID: 4529
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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. PlayStation 4, iPhone, iPad added by Sciere. Macintosh, Android added by Kabushi. Xbox Series, Xbox One 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.