Max Payne (PS2)

Flashback to 2001, less than a year after the launch of the PlayStation2 and a crucial time in determining how successful Sony’s next-generation console may ultimately become. But Sony had a bit of a problem on their hands, and it lay in the shoot ‘em up genre. Blasters had for a long-time been a favourite amongst gamers, but despite solid PC-ports of older classics Unreal Tournament and Quake III, the PS2 still didn’t really have a shoot ‘em up to turn heads and shift consoles – would Max Payne come to Sony’s rescue? Rescue is perhaps too strong a word, though Max Payne certainly had the desired effect as far as the gaming public were concerned, breathing new ...

I think it’s safe to say that Max Payne is one of the most atmospheric games I’ve ever played. Set in a cold, dark and rather grim world Max Payne employs a whole new approach to gaming. This isn’t just your average shooter, this is a game that you’ll never forget and that’s a guarantee. Max Payne is essentially story based although the gameplay is nothing short of revolutionary. The game starts with Max standing on top of a skyscraper holding a sniper rifle and looking rather pleased with himself. At first you think; what's going on here then. Then you realise its going to be one of those stories in which the character recalls ...

There’s a famous scene in When Harry Met Sally that goes something a bit like this: “Yes, yes, yes, yes, oh God, yes, yes, YES!” And that was exactly how I felt just a few short minutes into Max Payne on the PC. Only I wasn’t faking it. You see, though I’ve raved about such titles as Black & White and Severance: Blade of Darkness in the past, nothing I’ve played to date could possibly prepare me for the greatness that is Max Payne. Undoubtedly destined to change the face of computer gaming, the jaw-dropping Max Payne sees you thrust into a film noir-style action storyline, with seedy hotels, drug-addict prostitutes, and your ...