Max Payne (PS2) > Reviews (11)

If you are an avid game player who will buy games and complete them in a few days you are just like me. So now I rent games and pay the extra pound so that I get an extra day of play, that’s if I need it.

Graphics

This is a great game with equally impressive graphics. As you may have seen in other games there are very in depth colours and details on walls, some may say over the top and not needed. Max Payne adds just enough background detail to class it as more realistic than other games. There are things like a simple poster or a phone box in rooms or outside unlike other games that have things such as, desks that are covered in pens paper and many other things that aren’t usually found on desks. This allows the game to keep the game flowing when there are many characters on the screen. A much overused touch is the amount of vending machines used in the game there are thousands and they are not even spread out, there is one level when you are going after the head of a gang at it literally has a vending machine as you turn round every corner in the house. Apart from the vending machine objects are nicely spread out and placed, not over using items and having them everywhere is good as who really pays that much attention to them when they are trying to complete the game anyway.

Game play

now this is probably the downfall of the game. The controls are some of the worst that I have experienced on any console. You can’t produce any fluid, life like movement. There is one analogue stick, which controls what way you turn, and the other controls what direction you move in. Then there is r1 to shoot or change weapon I can't quite remember. Then there are a couple of buttons that allow you to turn it into the matrix mode well that’s what I call it, it allows you to dive anyway in slow motion while shooting or just to dodge bullets. This is a superb part of the game you have great fun just diving around and spinning one way then the next or down stairs on anything else you can think of. There are two types of this mode one, which allows you to dive when you press a direction and the other is one, which allows you to run in the slow motion mode.

Sound
Well the sound was superb for gunshots and people talking but when it comes to noises for being shot it is rather poor. On most games there would be an urghhh or argghhhh, but not in max Payne just a slow fall to the ground. That’s about as much as I can say about that so it is about average on the sound quality level.

Storyline
The storyline is rather good I thought as you haven’t really taken on the role of a policemen in any game before, well that’s as far as I know I’m sure someone can tell me different. Anyway it starts with you going home to see your family and finding a small gang in your hose with your wife and child dead. This then puts you on the rampage. The videos in the game are short and instead of taking up space on the disk they add in like a cartoon strip which is easy to read and short so you don’t miss out any of the story.

Unlike in lengthy videos where you lose interest after a few minutes as you have seen it all before in other similar games. A great storyline well that’s what I think you may disagree.

Overall
A great game there are only a couple of things that let it done and that has been mentioned above, still through all this it is a great game. Oh and it is a little short but that doesn’t affect my decision on the quality of the game. It is a must rent and maybe buy. I have played the demo on the PC and the controls are a lot more comfortable so if you have the money and choice for what console you can purchase it on I would pick the PC hands down. It will also run faster, sound better and look better.