Okay, talk about your bad luck. You\'re a DEA agent working undercover in the Mob trying to avenge the deaths of your family that were slaughtered years ago. Your boss gets killed, and you get framed for the murder. Once the report goes out, the Mafia figures out who you are and they put you at the top of their \'to kill\' list. You are, in a word, screwed.
Welcome to Max Payne, a third person action game that borrows as much from John Woo and The Matrix as it does from the film noir genre. The game is heavy on atmosphere and stylized cinematic effects but it\'s also got a driving story and some pretty slick gameplay elements.
Despite his modern NYC setting, Max is a true noir hero, except for the part where he\'s always shooting things. But he\'s definitely got the grittiness down. The developers describe him as "a man with nothing to lose." Max has been investigating his parents\' murder when he is suddenly framed for the murder of his police chief. Having "nothing to lose" (see above), Max sets out to settle a score with the New York underworld. How much more hard-boiled can you get?
Max Payne offers huge, immersive environments with all sorts of details scattered here and there. Anyone who has spent time in New York will be astounded at the level of accuracy in the simulation. You\'d think that a group of Finnish developers would\'ve stumbled in this area, but the team sent six of their members to New York to take photos and video footage of the Rotten Apple. They returned with over 5000 photos and 10 hours of videotape to use as a reference when crafting levels.
The team enlisted the aid of bodyguards and explored subways, ex-crack houses, alleys, run down tenements, and slick skyscrapers. There\'s nothing at all out of place in the levels and it\'s a shame that the only people who will fully be able to appreciate the realism are those people who see New York every day. The team took photos of nearly everything they could get close to, from The Statue of Liberty to Harlem, from Coney Island to Little Odessa. The videotape is also providing a remarkable sound resource for the team.
The IGNPC editors saw part of the subway level in the 3D Realms-developed PC version and claimed that the textures on the walls and floors were unmistakably authentic...right down to the slight imperfections. In addition to the amazing level of detail in the wall and floor textures, which we\'re hoping won\'t be compromised too much in the PS2 version, the game also boasts an amazing sense of scale. It has an extremely believable depth of field and when you see Max standing on the top of a skyscraper, you\'ll feel the whole scope of the event.
One of the mixed blessings in Max Payne is the cinematic camera system. On many levels it works but it runs the risk of being too much of a good thing. Let me explain how it works. During certain gunfights, the speed of the game slows down and the camera begins to spin around the room. Using technology pioneered in that Rolling Stones\' video and popularized in Gap ads and The Matrix, Max Payne\'s camera system looks cool the first couple of times you see it. After about the seventh or eighth time however, it just seems to slow down the pace of the game too much.
We were told that the effect would be used only at certain times. If it\'s handled judiciously, the effect promises to be pretty spectacular. Other effects include a chase camera that follows your sniper bullets as they speed (in slow motion) towards your targets. One of the rationales of including the unique camera system (apart from the fact that it looks cool) is that it gives you an edge over the bad guys in terms of reaction speed.
Max Payne also features a graphic novel sort of interface and story telling device. The cutscenes are all handled through over 80 hand painted comic book panels. These Scott Hampton inspired panels tie the action sequences together and enlarge upon the overall story.
The game is already looking quite promising on the PC and Rockstar Games\' track record suggests that we can expect the PlayStation 2 version to be every bit as good. We\'ll offer further details about this game as it\'s made available and hope to get you some hands-on impressions of the PS2 version of the game in the near future.
-- Dave Zdyrko & Stephen Butts
IGN PS2
here yah go and be a good lad and place this game high on your most wanted list!!!
Topic: For the guys who doesn\'t know what Max Payne is, here is a preview of the ps2 version (Read 1070 times)