More Max Payne Reviews
Every Monday we'll post a new set of Max Payne reviews. So far the reviews have been tremendously positive and the game is at the top of every PC sales chart worldwide. In a very short time Max Payne has become the game industry's latest super hit, and is being touted as one of those rare groundbreaking titles that doesn't come along too often.
Here are more the reviews...
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CTW (Game of the Week -- July 27, 2001 issue)
Max Payne [is] the single most important third person action game released since Tomb Raider. The story is ace, and a country mile ahead of the two-bit fodder normally associated with games. The way the initial scenario is revealed is possibly the most effective introduction to a video game we've ever seen.
Max Payne sets a new benchmark for action games.
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PC GameWorld
http://www.pcgameworld.com/reviews/m/maxpayne/
Rating: 97%
Plunk down the necessary greenbacks to purchase this game, and then you'll know that you've picked up the latest revolution in interactive gaming. Max Payne, with its unique story delivery and revolutionary bullet-time physics will have you talking for a long time.
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http://www.gracelessland.com/CGI-BIN/g2000.exe/rev?rev_maxpayne.txt
(no rating)
Max Payne is probably the most graphically stunning game ever done. Bottom-line, Max Payne is the most fun I've had with a shooter in years. And the reasons are there's a point to playing - the story, and it's challenging without being frustrating.
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GameSpy
http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/august01/maxpayne/
Rating: 90%
A hard-packed fistful of PC gaming dynamite, Max Payne delivers a double-punch of amazing visuals and compelling gameplay. When you stack up the excellent storyline, awesome visuals, stellar special effects, and pulse-pounding gunfights, Max Payne is simply one of the most fun action games on the market today. You owe it to yourself to enter the gritty noir world of Max Payne. This title is simply a "must have."
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Game Zone
http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r12089.htm
Rating: 97%
Max Payne...plays out like a Mickey Spillane novel, while integrating comic book story frames that propel the plot along. No need to worry about reading, character actors voice the story, adding the sense of a 'B' gangster movie reaching out to grab you by the throat...you ain't seen nothing like this game. Stunning is one word to describe the visual portion of the game, but even it fails to depict the deep, rich eye candy players will experience when launching the game. It is graphically breathtaking.
And then there is Max's special power, the one that helps him to overcome overwhelming odds. It's called 'bullet time,' and the world goes instantly into an extreme slow-mo mood, with the exception of Payne's guns. Bullet time is the most innovative, awesome use of action sequences seen to date in any game. This game has raised the bar on action shooter games.
This is a game that belongs on the shelf of any action/shooter game fan.
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MGON
http://www.mgon.com/reviews.phtml?id=91720
Rating: 8.5
The game is a winner because it introduces a number of significant innovations into the 3D action genre. Some of these are simple like the brilliant use of cinematic elements within the gameplay or the dark comic book storyboard which helps push the plot forward during the between mission segues. However the most amazing new feature in this game revolves around the concept of 'bullet time'. This mode has a massive 'wow' factor, and is a welcome reward for accurate shooting. It is also something we can expect to see popping up in many similar games from here on in, as undoubtedly other developers switch to 'imitate' mode in a big way over the next year or so.
The audio is also brilliant with Max regularly stumbling on conversations between gangsters which could have been lifted straight from cool mobster movies like Goodfellas (a bit of an MGON favorite!). The thugs have a lot to say, and their New York Italian mobster accents and the scripting add a lot to the plot and really help you feel you are waging a war against a vicious army of criminals.
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GamePro
http://www.gamepro.com/index.html?/computer/pc/games/reviews/16000.shtml
Rating: 95%
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. 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. Max Payne is a well-polished gem.
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ActiveWin
http://www.activewin.com/reviews/software/games/m/max_payne/maxpayne.shtml
Rating: 92%
Max Payne does definitely qualify as a world of its own. From the first time you enter the game, you are immediately immersed into the dark metropolis that Max lives in, and you actually become Max Payne. While you move through the game, the world also has a very strong sense of being "alive" and real. You are given the opportunity to interact with just about any object in the game, may it be rummaging through the liquor cabinet in some mob boss' headquarters to hacking a computer system at the heart of a corporate empire.
Max Payne has some of the most amazing graphics that I've ever seen in a computer game. The level design within the game is simply amazing. Each level looks exactly as it would if it were made in the real world. They look so good in fact, that sometimes I had to stop and wonder if I wasn't wandering around three-dimensional blueprints of actual buildings. In addition to just looking good, the levels are HUGE. In all honesty, I found the detail and care that was put into the levels awe-inspiring.
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Beta World
http://www.beta-world.com/pc/maxpayne/
Rating: 9/10
Not only do I highly recommend this game to gamers but also to movie-buffs. I don't care if this is your first dive into playing a video game; if you're a movie fan, you simply can't miss this game. The Remedy team (creators of the game) really worked to make this game appear more like a movie. Even the CD-ROM comes in a DVD case rather than the traditional CD case.
Many games have claimed that they would change action gaming altogether but Max Payne (along with Half-Life) actually did it. At this time of the year (Aug. 3rd, 2001) Max Payne has my pick for game of the year. You've got to play this thing.
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http://www.the-cad.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=2
Rating: 98%
Max's story line keeps you interested and wanting to know what comes next every chapter of the way. A stunning graphics engine, creative and deep story line combined with Matrix-like fight scenes makes Max Payne a definite buy.
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GameZilla
http://www.gamezilla.com/reviews/m/maxpayne.asp
Rating: 94%
Max Payne thrusts you into the middle of a John Woo movie in a game as fun to play as it is to watch. Welcome to the future of gaming where highly stylized cinematic scenes aren't just filler, they're the game. Max Payne is at its heart a third-person shooter, but such a generic term does little to describe this incredible game. It's like controlling a movie.
I only really need one word to describe the graphics, WOW! Seemingly photorealistic facial features on the characters combined with an almost completely interactive background quickly sucks you into this world of gritty, underground New York.
At times Max Payne is more movie than game, with stunning camera angles, jarring replays and an involved plot that not only moves the storyline along, it sets the tone for a hardcore action experience. If it weren't for the minimal graphic bugs and occasional chunky backgrounds, this game would hit a near perfect score. Payne is one of the most robust, innovative and intense shooters to hit the market since the original Tomb Raider. Look out Lara, I see a Payne coming to theaters near you.
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Game Planet
http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/mag.dyn/Reviews/2319.html
Rating: 9/10
This game just oozes polish, like none before it. The hundreds of little moments of genius design, combined with an edgy "graphic novel" presentation of the hard-edged storyline and graphical finesse lift this game into the realms of legend - if you want a game that you can really impress with or one that you'll find yourself spending hours discussing with your workmates, look no further; it doesn't get better than this. This is the game of the year.
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http://www.icecubed.com/demoreviews/maxpayne.html
(no rating)
Graphics & Sound. Visually stunning, even at medium default settings MP delivers awesome graphic detail. Sound? I would have to rate it a 10 out of10. The music deserves some good criticism. It's creepy, mysterious, and I like it. Sound effects: nice job. Especially the voices. Bottom Line: Impressive. Most Impressive.
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http://www.cyber-rat.com/main.html
(no rating)
Playing Max Payne is like starring in your very own action movie.
Posted by Joe Siegler on August 20, 2001 at 10:15 AM | Permalink
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