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Max Payne
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| Developer(s) | Remedy Entertainment (WIN) 3D Realms (producer) Rockstar Toronto (PS2) Rockstar Vienna (Xbox) Rockstar Leeds (GBA) MacSoft (Mac) |
| Publisher(s) | Gathering of Developers (WIN) Rockstar Games (PS2, Xbox, GBA) Feral (Mac) Tec Toy (BR) Capcom (JP) Valve Corporation (Steam) MacSoft (Mac) |
| Engine | MAX-FX |
| Version | 1.05 |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Mac OS |
| Release date(s) | PC - July 25, 2001 Xbox and PS2 - December 2001 Mac - July 2002 GBA - December 2003 Download (Steam): January 4, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: M BBFC: 15 OFLC: MA15+ CERO: Z |
| Media | 1 CD-ROM (WIN) 1 DVD (PS2), (Xbox) 1 cartridge (GBA) |
| System requirements | Windows
Mac
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| Input methods | Windows and Mac
PlayStation 2 and Xbox |
Max Payne is a third-person shooter video game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001 for Windows. Ports later in the year for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 were published by Rockstar Games. A Macintosh port was published in July 2002 by MacSoft in North America[1] and Feral Interactive in the rest of the World. There were plans for a Dreamcast version of Max Payne, but they were cancelled due to the discontinuation of the console.[2]
A sequel called Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne was released in 2003.[3] As of March 12, 2008,[4] the Max Payne franchise has sold over 7 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive.[5]
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The Max Payne series is influenced by Mad Max, directed by George Miller, and the Hong Kong action cinema genre, particularly the work of director John Woo. It was one of the first video games to incorporate the "bullet time" effect into gameplay, made famous by The Matrix trilogy. The game contains many allusions to Norse mythology, particularly Ragnarok, and several of the names used in the game (Alfred Woden, Alex Balder, Aesir Corporation, Asgard Building, Valkyr) are those of the Norse gods and mythos.
The prime emphasis of the series is on shooting. Almost all of the gameplay involves using bullettime to gun down foe after foe. Levels are generally straightforward, with almost no key-hunting. However, some levels do incorporate platforming elements and puzzle solving. Ammo is in virtually constant supply, as all enemies drop some ammo when killed.
The game's A.I. is heavily dependent on pre-scripted commands. Most of the apparently intelligent behavior exhibited by enemies, such as taking cover behind obstacles, retreating from the player, or throwing grenades, is pre-scripted. Thus, when replaying a level, enemies perform exactly the same behaviors each time. Enemies who dodge and roll are typically the Mercenaries (operatives in black ski-masks), Aesir Security Guards, and Killer Suits (henchmen wearing business suits and sunglasses).
Higher difficulty levels are extremely challenging; the "Dead on Arrival" level limits the player to 7 saves per chapter, and the "New York Minute" level forces the player to complete each chapter before the allotted time — replenished by killing enemies — is exhausted. Upon completing the game on "Dead on Arrival", Max is transported to the "Final Battle", where the player then fights in perpetual bulletime against 20 Killer Suits — each armed with the Pancor Jackhammer automatic shotgun. Upon completion of this task, the player can view a secret room with various photographs of New York locations used by the developer, Remedy, as well as a picture of the development team.
On the highest difficulty setting, Max is (from a game perspective) extremely fragile and dies after suffering only 5 pistol bullets, 3 assault rifle bullets, or 1 accurate shotgun blast. Most enemies have more endurance than the player character, with later enemies being able to survive 2 or 3 times as much damage as Max. The player can heal Max by consuming "painkillers", which the player collects and carries, until he/she decides to use them.
The game play of Max Payne revolves heavily around bullet time. When triggered, bullet time slows down the passage of time to such an extent that the movements of bullets can be seen by the naked eye — it is a form of slow motion. The player, although his movement is also slowed, is still able to aim and react in real time, providing a unique advantage over enemies. This makes avoiding being shot easier and enables Max to perform special moves, such as shoot dodges where Max leaps sideways through the air while continuing to fire his weapon.
Occasionally, when the last character of a group is killed, the viewpoint switches to a third-person view of his falling body with the camera circling around it.
For Max Payne, the title character was modeled after Sam Lake, the writer of Max Payne. It is often joked that Max had a constipated expression with his uncomfortable half grin/sneer; this joke is even mentioned in the sequel. For Max Payne 2, however, Lake declined the honor, and after extensive casting, Remedy chose the actor Timothy Gibbs to be the model for Max Payne. Actor James McCaffrey provided the voice of Max Payne in both games.
The story begins with Max Payne, a New York City police officer, returning home to find that several drug junkies high on a new drug called Valkyr have broken into his house. Max rushes to the aid of his family, but he is too late; his wife and newborn daughter have been murdered. After his family's funeral, he transfers to the DEA.
Three years later, he is an undercover operative inside the Punchinello Mafia family, who is responsible for the trafficking of Valkyr. B.B. Hensley, a colleague in the DEA, gives Max a message asking him to meet Alex Balder, another DEA agent and a good friend of Max's, in the Roscoe Street subway station. When Max arrives at the subway, Alex is shot by an unknown assassin. As a result, the police consider Max the prime suspect in Alex’s death. Additionally, the Punchinello family finds out that he is a cop and wants him dead.
Max goes after Jack Lupino, who oversees Valkyr distribution for the Punchinello family. After gunning him down, he meets Mona Sax, a hired killer, who laces his drink with a sedative and leaves him to be found by the Mafia, who proceed to interrogate him.
Max escapes the Mafia and gains access to a shipment of guns belonging to the Russian mob after killing one of their traitors. Max uses these weapons to infiltrate the house of Don Punchinello, the head of the Mafia. Max discovers that the Don is only a puppet in the Valkyr market when the Don is killed by agents of Nicole Horne, CEO of Aesir Corp, in front of Max. Horne herself then injects Max with an overdose of Valkyr and leaves him for dead.
When he awakens, he pursues his only lead, Horne's last words, “Take me to Cold Steel”, heard just before he passed out. It leads him to a foundry with an old military bunker under it. He discovers that Valkyr was the result of a military project to improve its soldiers’ stamina and morale; the project was halted shortly after it began due to lackluster results. He also discovers that his wife accidentally found out about the project while working at the District Attorney’s office, so Horne let Valkyr junkies loose in Max's house.
After leaving the bunker, Max gets a call from B.B., who asks Max to meet with him at a garage lot. There, Max realizes that B.B. was the one who shot Alex, framing Max for his murder. A huge running gun-fight begins with Max giving chase through the garage lot. After killing B.B., Max gets a phone call from a man named Alfred Woden asking him to come to the Asgard building. Alfred is part of a secret society called the "Inner Circle". Woden informs Max about who Nicole Horne is and says the Inner Circle cannot pursue Horne because "their hands are tied." They ask Max to kill Horne in exchange for ensuring that any criminal charges against him are dropped. After the meeting, the room is stormed by Horne's agents. They kill every person in the room except for Max, who manages to escape, and Woden, who pretends to be shot.
Max enters the Aesir Corp. main office, where Horne is located. As he makes his way past security guards and mercenaries, he runs into Mona Sax again. She is shot by mercenaries after refusing to shoot Max. Max confronts Nicole and states that this whole thing started after Max's wife found out about the Valkyr project. Horne runs to the roof of the building, boarding a helicopter. Racing up to the roof, Max shoots the guy wires of the building's antenna; the Antenna snaps off the roof and comes crashing down on the helicopter.
The NYPD arrive at the scene, arresting Max. As Max is being led out of the building by the SWAT team, he sees Alfred Woden. Knowing that Woden will ensure his safe passage through the judicial system, Max smiles genuinely.
Max Payne was well received by critics with the PC and Xbox versions both scoring 89% on Metacritic.[6][7] A BBC review said the game "is an atmospheric third-person shooter, clearly inspired by the cinematography of John Woo films and The Matrix, with captivating graphics and edgy, action sequences," and praised the graphics, game play and detail in the game.[8]
The PS2 version suffered from reduced detail and occasional slowdowns. While reviews were not as good as the PC and Xbox versions, its reviews were still positive.
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