Max Payne Daily Review

Battle-Fields.com
http://www.battle-fields.com/gamesreviews/max.shtml

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

To conclude, Max Payne manages to rise above what it actually is as a game through the sheer class and style of its execution and presentation.

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College Gamers
http://www.collegegamers.com/reviews/maxpayne.html

Rating: 95%

Everything from the sound effects, to the background music, to the voice work is flawless. It's got plenty of style, and enough action to have you hopped-up on adrenalin for hours after playing.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:00 AM

It's a Max O Lantern

It's Halloween, and we usually get some cool fan stuff around now. This year we were sent a very cool pumpkin carving by Chris Deyton.

Check out the thumbnail to your right - you can get a larger image by clicking on it. A few years back, we had our own pumpkin carving at a company Halloween party, and had a Duke Nukem pumpkin.

However, this Max Payne pumpkin is very cool; thanks to Chris Deyton for doing this, and sending in a picture. Anyone else have any Halloween related 3DR fan items? Send 'em in!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:00 AM

New Slowdown Utility

As some of you have noticed, a lot of our older titles have problems with today's faster computers. Several of them have been discontinued due to this problem, but for those of you who have them already, some new help is now available.

We recently came across a new slowdown utility called "CPU Killer". This essentially slows down your computer so that these programs can run. We've run some tests on our older games that can't run on really fast computers (We tried it on a few 1.2Ghz machines), and this makes them work again! What you need to do is run this program, select the slowdown speed, and then go and run whatever game you're having problems with. When you're done with the game, just stop CPU Killer, and your computer is back to the way it was before!

Some older builds of our shareware games have problems installing (the most common error is the Runtime Error 200), this will help get those programs installed. However, any download downloaded directly from links on our web site won't have that problem, we fixed the installer issue some time ago; it's older installs that are floating around elsewhere that have this problem.

We've had a workaround available for some time for this issue (in the form of Mo'Slo), but CPU Killer is a Windows app, so you can run that in Windows, and is slightly easier to use than MoSlo was. Both Mo'Slo & CPU Killer can be downloaded from our master downloads page. Just click on the downloads button on the left side of the screen, and then go to the bottom and look for "Miscellaneous downloads". You can also visit the home page of CPU Killer by clicking here.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:50 AM

Max Payne Special Report

Action Vault over at IGN has a special report on Max Payne up today. This awesome review covers just about anything you'd want to know about Max - including having Scott Miller along for the ride during the special report. Check out a bit of what Scott has to say about the game in the report:

On the subject of movie parallels, it's interesting to note that many seem to miss the link between John Woo and Max Payne. Instead, it's not uncommon to see another film with gravity-defying moves, The Matrix, mentioned in the same sentence with Remedy's and 3D Realms' project. Scott Miller points out the movie's true degree of influence. "It seems most people mistakenly give far too much credit to The Matrix as inspiration, and while The Matrix influenced Max a little, much of what is cool about Max was in the design before that movie came out, because John Woo had done it all in his movies long before. Specially, I'm talking about the slow motion lateral dives that Max does, which we call 'shootdodging.'"

In the game's final form, slow motion plays a pivotal role, but this was actually not the case at one point in development until the teams realized the great potential it had. "Early in the game's design, we had the idea of modeling bullets as true physical objects traveling at real-life speeds through the game space," relates Miller. "At the time, this idea was designed to further enhance the realism that we wanted the game to exude. Remedy implemented this idea beautifully, and seeing it in slow motion, as a test, convinced everyone that slow motion needed to be a bigger part of the game experience. It all flowed from there to what we have in the finished game." In addition to its gameplay function, slow motion has also been incorporated into the occasional internal cutscene for added effect. Such moments are seen when Max finishes off certain predetermined characters.

There's lots more to read. This is one of the better reviews of Max Payne out there, so spend some time and check it out. Several other things are discussed, including some ideas that didn't make it into the game, as well as what 3D Realms' relationship to Remedy and the game's development was. Check it out today!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:50 AM

Max Payne Daily Review

PC Zone
[ Read Review Here ]

Rating: 9/10

Rather than gratuitous and messy, violence in Max Payne is handled in a stylish and - dare I say - artful way. Unlike Soldier Of Fortune, or indeed Kingpin, enemies never come apart, even if a grenade does land at their feet. In this respect, the game characters come across more as actors rather than computer-generated hand-cannon fodder...the screen is filled, not only with mists of blood from arcing bodies and flying lead, but wooden splinters from erupting crates, dust clouds from bullets impacting in plaster, shattered glass and even shreds of paper (another Woo trademark). In short, your eyes are drawn, not only to the spectacularly animated death scenes of your enemies, but an entire composition of framed devastation and chaos. Throughout its all-too-brief stay on your hard drive, Max Payne is, for the duration, an entertaining blast. It is proof at long last that a third-person action game can - and does - work, that they can be fun to play rather than frustrating.

Max Payne is innovative and highly polished, a game of wild ideas that has been properly focused to entertain - not to entertain forever, but certainly until the next big thing (probably 3D Realms' own Duke Nukem Forever) comes along.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:15 PM

Max Payne Daily Review

OCAddiction.com
http://www.ocaddiction.com/snapshot/games/maxpayne/

(no rating)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the couple of weeks I have spent playing this game. Every time I fired it up, I was anxious to continue the saga and see what new and exciting stories opened up before me. I've seen quite a few folks say that this game is somewhat short but I would have to disagree. I played it for a few hours every other day for nearly 2 weeks and really had a good time with it, not feeling as if I was cheated when I finally finished the game.

If your looking for a satisfying 3rd person single player shooter that will immerse you in a world of crime, deceit and luscious graphics. Look no further than Max Payne.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:00 PM

Max Payne Site Redesigned

The Official Max Payne site over at http://www.maxpayne.com has been relaunched with an updated look. It has updated sections on game features, an overview of Max Payne, as well as info on Remedy, and a photo gallery with downloads.

There are also links to news, FAQ's, and other items which will be updated in a more timely manner than they were before. In fact, 3D Realms will be doing the news updates for the new site in addition to carrying Max Payne news here.

The site requires a Flash player be in your browser, so if you don't have that, or don't want to use it, you can also visit the Max Payne pages here on the 3DR site, which do not require a flash plug-in. But if you do use flash, you should check out the new update today!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:00 PM

Max Payne Daily Review

Adrenaline Vault
http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=payne

Rating: 9/10 (Seal of Excellence award)

Taking a cue from The Matrix, Max Payne employs the stylized camera movement known as "Bullet-Time" where all action is slowed down to a point that you can actually see bullets whizzing through the air. This mode is not just for artistic license; players can trigger Bullet-Time to their advantage to perform incredible stunts and feats of agility, all while aiming and turning in real time to take down an uneven proportion of enemies.

As an action title borrowing elements from popular sources, Max Payne employs several instances of in-jokes that some players will be quick to recognize. There are a bunch of spoken and visual references to John Woo, Chow Yun Fat, The Professional, The Killer, and even Reservoir Dogs. Like in the spy game No One Lives Forever, some of the guards will talk among themselves while waiting for you to show up, quipping about action films, favorite actors, and even discussing the concept of Bullet-Time in length.

Max Payne is one of those memorable titles that people will be talking about for years to come. Its impressive graphics, gripping storyline, and fun use of Bullet-Time action elevates the game to the current standard that most others should aspire to.

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Posted by Joe Siegler at 2:05 PM

Max Payne Kicking Maximum Butt!

Max Payne is still kicking maximum butt in retail, holding the number 3 position in Europe three months after its release.

Max Payne Daily Review

LoadedInc.com
http://www.loadedinc.com/reviews/MaxPayne.php

Rating: 9/10

Action gamers have been clamoring for something different in the world of shooters and Max Payne seems to be supplying the right medicine with its tightly woven storytelling and cinematic gameplay. Overall, puzzles are kept to a reasonable level and tend to be very logical and actually fun to figure out. Make no mistake about it, this game is designed for the action sect and it doesn't stray from its winning formula.

Max Payne is the leading candidate for Action Game of the Year. It's cinematic approach and strong storytelling are first-rate and should prove to be irresistible for any action gamer. The last game that had me this locked in was Half-Life, which is not bad company to run with. This game does prove that Payne is good!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:00 PM

Max Payne Xbox Footage Released!

This morning, Remedy sent us a note saying that some Xbox video footage has been released. It's available over at IGN in the form of a Quicktime movie file - it's about 10Mb, and you can download it by clicking on the Xbox logo here!

No timetable has been set for the Xbox Max Payne release, but as you can guess, it'll be out "When it's done".

Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:00 PM

Max gets "Editor's Choice" Honor by CGW

The Nov. 2001 issue of Computer Gaming World is on shelves and contains a glowing review of Max Payne.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars (Editor's Choice award)

Here's part of the review:

Max Payne is like a big summer blockbuster movie. And when it comes to special effects, Max Payne sports some of the most mouth-watering eye candy ever seen in a computer game. Remedy's 3D engine does an amazing job of rendering a world that not only looks photo realistic at times but also evokes the grittiness of a noir action-thriller on the big screen. The extreme detail of the world, even the cleaner environments you encounter later on, really help in the suspension of disbelief.

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Update: Also in this issue is a magazine that shows the rankings of various current games, and what they received in the way of reviews from various major gaming magazines and online game sites. Check out the image below (click on it for a larger version). Anyway, Max Payne is the only game to get straight across the board A's from everyone listed here!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:15 AM

Max Payne v1.02 Patch Released!

Remedy has released a new patch for the registered version of Max Payne - v1.02 (a 6.1Mb download). This is a small update to the game, and it fixes this issue, according to Remedy's notes:

*The clock and other desktop icons are no longer randomly flashing during the game.

This patch also includes all the fixes that were in v1.01 of the patch. Those fixes included:

* Exit to desktop stability issues addressed: The issues with the game crashing to Windows desktop when loading a new map have been addressed.
* Game doesn't start with some CD-ROM drives: A newer version of Safedisc copy protection is now in use.

If you have the registered CD, and have not patched your game, using this patch will give you all of the 1.01 fixes, as well as the 1.02 fix. If you continue to run into trouble, please visit the Max Payne Support center, as virtually all of the game's problems can be fixed by following the instructions there. There is also information there on what to do if you cannot fix your problem with what is listed there. Also, don't forget the Max Payne forums, they too can help.

UPDATE: File links removed as this patch was superceeded by a newer one.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:15 AM

Max Payne Daily Review

TFH Gaming
http://www.tfhgaming.com/payne.php

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

The opening to the game is very disturbing and you get to play through it rather than simply watch it like a movie intro. The level of detail in the graphics is amazing...Many objects in each room are usable and you can even switch on a TV and watch some humorous programs like a funny soap opera or an insane cartoon.

Overall Max has totally lived up to the hype. I think I have just witnessed an evolution in the shooter genre.

You can read more reviews in our news archive.

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Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:40 PM

New Max Payne Interview

The gaming site Ferrago has put a new interview online with Petri Jarvilehto from Remedy, the folks who made Max Payne. This interview covers things like Remedy's reaction to the game's reception, what's going on with Remedy now, as well as how Remedy could improve upon Max. Check out these quotes:

Ferrago: Following the massive global success of Max Payne we feel you must have at least some form of sequel in mind. Anything you can elabourate upon in this speculation?

Petri: *smile* We have a lot of things in mind, but it's still too early to spill the beans. Right now we're really busy helping the teams working on PS2 and XBox versions of the game.

Ferrago: Will multiplayer options feature in Max Payne in the future? We think on-line Max would be a fascinating experience.

Petri: Nope. I strongly believe that it's better to do one thing well rather than two things mediocre. Creating a game that's both multiplayer and single-player easily results into making loads of compromises on both sides/ Anyway, there's plenty of good multiplayer games out there, so I guess we'll just keep focusing on single player experience.

Make sure and check out the entire interview today!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:40 PM

Max Payne Reviews

Intelligamer
http://www.intelligamer.com/action/maxpayne/maxpayne.asp

Rating: 9/10

The AI, when playing to full potential, is exceptional. Enemies will use variable weaponry, throwing grenades and then opening up with slug throwers for example, retreat to cover, dive and slide to fire, and generally keep you on your toes.

The action is often intense, with gun fight after gun fight in the best action movie tradition...with a whole series of realistic locations to fight in. Pacing is excellent.

But the game isn't all action, it's also got enough attitude for six games. For any real fan of action movies or action games Max Payne is simply a must buy title...It's blend of innovative action sequences, generally exceptional level design and enemy AI, and top notch, gritty film noir story telling make it the stand-out action game of 2001 so far...it's only real flaw is it leaves you wanting much, much more.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:15 PM

Official DNF FAQ Updated!

The Official Duke Nukem Forever FAQ (by Abe Rahey of PlanetDuke) has been updated. It contains all the available information about Duke Nukem Forever - if you have a question about the game, go read this. If your question isn't answered there, well then - we haven't said anything out that yet, and the answer is either "When it's done" or "It falls under Area51 rules".

Seriously - Abe's DNF FAQ is a great source of information about the game, so go check it out.

Also, don't forget to check out the Apogee FAQ (an awesome source of info about our company history), as well as the other FAQ's we have in our FAQ area.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:15 PM