At first glance, Max Payne appears to be your typical third person shooter. Upon closer inspection, the game is anything but. The story line is a deep and twisted plot that will throw you for a loop each time you think you've figured out what's going on.
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Produced by: 3D Realms
Published by GodGames
Welcome to OCA's first ever look at a video game. OCA has had Max Payne for a few weeks now and been wanting to bring out a review but decided to wait until we finished the game so as to give a better perspective of what you might come to expect. Lets jump right in.
Our hero, Max Payne, the New York cop, mourns at the loss of family to a couple of drugged up thugs and goes deep undercover to try and find the purpose behind their killing. Suspecting a relation to the new drug Valkyr or "V", Max goes on a killing spree and alienates himself from the life of righteous crime fighting that he once knew. He is now a Fugitive cop with nothing to lose....Everything ripped apart in a New York Minute....
Installation: Installation is pretty straight forward, however Max Payne comes with some steep system requirements. Which is actually refreshing for a change. Hell, we build systems to take on the biggest baddest games and applications, but hardly ever see any that make our PC's even break a sweat. Well, Max Payne will do that. One thing I like is how the game actually suggests a 3dMark2001 score for your machine in order to properly run this game. A score of 900 is an absolute minimum, while a score of 2200 or higher will guarantee smooth gameplay throughout. System requirements are as follows:
Minimum (minimum graphical detail):
450 MHz AMD / Intel Processor (or compatible)
16 MB Direct3D Compatible Graphics Card
96 MB RAM
Recommended (medium graphical detail):
700 MHz AMD / Intel Processor (or compatible)
32 MB Direct3D Compatible Graphics Card
128 MB RAM
To date, I have yet to see a "Recommended" system requirements as high as Max Payne. I'm sure I'll receive mail telling otherwise, but whenever I'm in the store, that's one of the first things I look at. 700MHz!! Whew. You'll also notice the game runs on Win9x/ME and Win2k. A welcome option for those of us that have chosen to run the more stable Win2k. You'll also need a good little portion of your HD to load this baby up, right around 750megs or so for a full installation.
Here is the menu you will be greeted with upon insertion of the cd.
The first thing you'll want to do us update the game with the current patch which is version 1.01 and can be had HERE. Once your patched and ready to go, hit play and you'll get the startup screen as seen below:
Pretty straight forward, choose your settings and get to it. The game is very dark in nature and I did not notice much difference (if any) between 16bit and 32bit color. But hey, if your system can handle it, go for it. The prettier the better, and since there is no multi-player to be had, there is no worries that the "other guy" might be running it faster than you and have the edge.
You'll notice the options tab above and if you click that, it will bring you to this screen:
Another screen that will give you some more flexibility when trying to choose the best options for your particular system.
Alright, lets head on over to page 2 and checkout the gameplay.
Gameplay: When starting the game, you'll see the Main Menu.
The Tutorial is a great way to get right in and learn the particulars of the game. Most notably "Bullet Time" and "Shoot Dodging". It will also cover other stuff such as Movement, Combat and Using items, Opening doors...etc. It is very quick and does not take a lot of your time to complete, and when your finished, there is even an "Enemy Dispenser" to practice your newly acquired combat skills. Very nice.
As I said before, the storyline is great and is displayed through both graphics boards and cut sequences that bring you deeper into the story. The game itself actually plays more like a movie than any game I have seen to date. Back in the day when cut scenes were merely digitized video, this was a bad thing. However, Max Payne pulls this off in such a way, that you are more immersed into the storyline, not just an outsider looking in.
Multiplayer? Nope, not here. And for a change, I applaud this. In a day and age where multi-player games are a dime a dozen, Max Payne pays special attention to the single player aspect. The game is of course getting dinged for no multiplayer support, but again, I believe it is refreshing to see this amount of detail in a single player game. Here is Remedy's official take on the multiplayer question:
"Originally we planned out full multiplayer functionality, but as we went further into the project we started to have so much cool stuff that work great in single player but wouldn't work in a multiplayer game that we changed the focus to single player only. There's plenty enough good multiplayer games out there, but the single player genre needs great games as well."
Nuff said.
Ok, lets touch on Bullet Time and Shoot Dodging. One of the coolest aspects of the game itself. Bullet Time is an option to slow the game into a "Slow Motion" type mode and really gives you the opportunity to think your next step through and make calculated and accurate shots on your surrounding enemies. Again, the "Movie" aspect comes into play in the same way you see a killer scene in an action movie (a la Matrix style sequences).You may think it is just a gimmick at first but you'll seen master the ability and it will help immensely when you have several enemies on the screen at once. Bullet Time will not last forever and there is a gauge in which you can see how much of it you have left. Shooting more enemies will replenish your supply of bullet time. Here's a shot showing what I've described:
It simply has to be seen to be fully appreciated. And what's also very nice are the death animations. When you get a real good shot in, the game will do a close-up of your enemy, panning the camera in a 360 degree rotation around him from the time he is struck by your bullets till he hits the floor and writhes in pain. A very cinematic and satisfying effect of the game. Infact, I caught myself replaying some scenes just to see the action once again. I can't express how cool this feature is. You'll be using the F5 and F9 keys for save, and load last saved game quite a bit. But be careful, don't save your game in an impossible scenario!
Another very nice addition to the game is interactivity. You'll notice you can interact with nearly every single item in the game. Hit the button on a soda machine and you'll hear and see a soda pop out and roll onto the floor. Push buttons on a cash register, switch a T.V. off and on, get water from a water cooler, type on a PC, and on and on. Ok, so some things get old after awhile, but it's this type of attention to detail that makes the game that much better.
Graphics: As I'm sure you've heard, the graphics are very good in this game. Far from the best I have ever seen but very nice. The game concentrates more on Max, his enemies and the immediate surroundings. The facial expressions are unmatched by any other game to date and give a nice touch of personality. If you pause the game at certain points, you'll notice Max's expression will match his current actions, whether they be bored, pissed off or firing rounds from his dual Ingram's.
The games engine looks great indoors, but when your outdoors, the sky looks terrible, reminiscent of the Quake II engine, and more notably, it bears a striking resemblance to KingPin, which is a tweaked version of the Quake II engine. Other than that minor flaw, the graphics are very striking at moments. Objects looks just as good close-up as they do from a distance. Billboards, signs and posters all look very nice.
Another added graphics gem is the surrounding environments. When you first start the game it is snowing. The effect is so realistic that you hardly even notice it. I know that sounds kinda weird but just like in real life, you pay it no attention and go about business as usual. Also in certain area's of rundown buildings, you'll notice drops of water falling from leaky pipes in the ceiling. Again, the effect is very realistic.
Sound: Here is where this game truly excels. The environmental sounds in this game is simply excellent! From voices of your enemies talking amongst themselves in the distance, to bullets whizzing by your head as your diving for cover and even the music get a little feverish as you approach a significant part in the game. The weapons sound very realistic and even simple things like opening a door or switching on a TV or hearing a telephone ring. This is the type of game I wished I had a fully 5.1 digital surround system to take advantage of the awesome sound effects.
Conclusion: 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. Now my intent was not to finish it as fast as possible, as I like to explore every avenue to see what the game truly has to offer, so who knows, maybe I'm on my own here.
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. At $49.99 the price may be a little steep, but look around and you'll most likely be able to get a better deal than I did at EB. But when I saw this game, I just couldn't resist buying it without thought or reason, and I do not regret it at all.
Lets touch on games high's and low's to finish this off.
High's:
Great graphics
Immersive single player storyline
Top quality audio experience
New play modes after completion of fugitive mode
Cinematic Movie-like effects
Low's:
Some folks may be turned off by the exclusion of multiplayer mode
Semi-Long load times between scenes
Hefty system requirements (a HIGH if you ask me)
And as far as Low's go, that's all I really could come up with for this game. Again, the storyline and gameplay just wouldn't do multiplayer justice, but some folks may be turned off by this aspect. I for one enjoy single player games, but this is a personal preference.
Finally, here are a gathering of screenshots to show you folks how nice the game looks. These pics have been shrank and converted to .jpg's but retain most of their original graphical value. Enjoy.
We'd like to thank you for joining us here at the OCA today and please send any flames, props or feedback HERE.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
More PC Gaming Articles
More By SPeeD
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
 developerWorks - FREE Tools!
|
Join this webcast, to learn how the Rational Process Library can help with compliance issues, drive process improvement, and assist in service-oriented architecture (SOA) or Agile development. We will take a peek into the Rational Process Library with content around software and systems engineering (including RUP), operations and systems management, program and portfolio management, and asset and SOA governance.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Hear how IBM Rational Project and Portfolio Management integrated solutions help teams put the right tools and processes in place to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of project teams and ensure that the business vision is being executed correctly. Learn how to automate and integrate requirements prioritization, top-down project planning, communications and controls, and methodology deployment to keep your scope, costs, and schedules under control. Tackle with an end-to-end approach the management of scope and scope changes, usage of methodology to control and empower project teams, and optimization of resources to align activity costs with the overall project plan.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Building a software-as-a-service solution requires addressing a few key technical challenges. In this webcast, we'll focus on the role of IBM Tivoli Directory Server and WebSphere Portlet Factory in creating a Software as a Service solution. We will demonstrate how to use Tivoli Directory Server to prevent the user population of one tenant from accessing the virtual portal and portlet components of another tenant. We will also use the dynamic profile capability of WebSphere Portlet Factory to create multiple highly customized applications from one code base.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial version of Lotus Quickr 8.0, which enables collaboration by transforming the way everyday business content such as documents, rich media, photos, and video can be shared. Lotus Quickr makes it faster and easier to share content of all types (not just documents) within virtual teams. It is designed to make it easier to collaborate across organizational boundaries, while continuing to work within the context of familiar desktop applications.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Download a free trial version of IBM DB2 9.5 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows. DB2 9 is the result of a five-year development project that transformed traditional (static) database technology into an interactive data server that merges the high performance and ease of use of DB2 with the self-describing benefits of XML.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Secure your Web applications with IBM Rational AppScan Standard Edition V7.7, previously known as Watchfire AppScan. This Web application security testing tool automates vulnerability assessments and scans and tests for common Web application vulnerabilities. Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial of IBM Rational AppScan Standard Edition V7.7.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
You can now evaluate IBM Rational Asset Manager V7.0 online without installing or configuring it on your own system! Rational Asset Manager helps create, modify, govern, find, and reuse any type of development assets, including SOA and systems development assets. Rational Asset Manager helps you reduce software development costs and improve quality by facilitating the reuse of all types of software development-related assets. Visit developerWorks to learn more about this product and register to explore its capabilities online.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to try the IBM SOA Sandbox for process. The SOA Sandbox for process focuses on providing a trial environment with the necessary tooling and components required to gain a better understanding of business processes and how to best improve existing business processes to derive value quickly.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
As businesses grow increasingly dependent upon Web applications, these complex entities grow more difficult to secure. Most companies equip their Web sites with firewalls, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and network and host security, but the majority of attacks are on applications themselves – and these technologies cannot prevent them. This paper explains what you can do to help protect your organization, and it discusses an approach for improving your organization’s Web application security.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
IBM Lotus Notes 8 provides a wide range of developers the ability to provide customized, integrated user interfaces via composite applications and via custom sidebar and toolbar plug-ins. This webcast provides you with tips and techniques to use with out-of-the-box capabilities of Lotus Notes 8, and survey how you can share useful components within your own company and within a larger community.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
All FREE IBM® developerWorks Tools!
|
/ 13 
