Max Payne (video game)
Max Payne | |
---|---|
Release | |
Single-player |
Max Payne is a 2001
The game centers on former
Max Payne received positive reviews from critics, who praised its exciting gunplay and use of noir storytelling devices, while some criticised its linear level design and short length.[
Gameplay
The player assumes the role of the titular character, with gameplay revolving around the use of the bullet time mechanic during firefights – when triggered, time is slowed down to such an extent that the speed at which bullets and other projectiles move is slow enough to be seen by the naked eye. Although Max's movement is also slowed, the player is still able to aim and react in real-time, allowing them more time to plan and react to enemies.
Players are initially armed with a 9mm
The game's AI is dependent on scripted commands: most of the behavior exhibited by enemies (such as taking cover, retreating from the player, or throwing grenades) is scripted.[citation needed]
Progression through the levels is linear, occasionally incorporating small platforming and puzzle-solving elements. The game's storyline is often advanced in-game by the player following Max's
In addition to the standard game difficulty, "Fugitive", the game also features "Hard-Boiled", which increases damage taken while limiting health and ammo supplies; "Dead on Arrival", which limits the player to only seven saves per chapter; and "New York Minute", which forces the player to complete each chapter within an allotted time. Upon completing the game on "Dead on Arrival", the player unlocks "The Last Challenge" (also known as "End Combat" or "Final Battle" in other releases), which gives the player a select amount of painkillers, weapons, and ammunition, and puts them in a firefight with perpetual bullet time against the "Killer Suit" hitmen seen during the later parts of the game's campaign.
Plot
Hunted by both the police and his former mob associates, who now know he is a cop, Max searches for Vinnie Gognitti (Joe Dallo), Lupino's right-hand man, in the hopes that he will lead him to Lupino. Along the way, he breaks up a Valkyr drug deal and discovers that
Max strikes a partnership with Lem, who gives him a tip about a cargo ship at the Brooklyn waterfront carrying high-powered firearms, which some of Lem's former henchmen intend to sell to Punchinello. After securing the weapons, Max attempts to lure the Don into a trap at his restaurant, only to be ambushed himself. After escaping, Max storms Punchinello's manor and confronts the Don, but discovers that he is only a puppet in a bigger conspiracy. The manor is then overrun by mercenaries who kill Punchinello and leave Max for dead after injecting him with a Valkyr overdose.
After another drug-induced nightmare, Max heads to an old steel foundry where the mercenaries are regrouping. There, he finds a hidden underground military research complex, and discovers that Valkyr is the result of the "Valhalla Project", a
Max, having figured out that B.B. is on Horne's payroll and framed him for Alex's murder, agrees to meet him at a parking lot complex, where he kills him and his men. Max is then called to meet a secret society called the Inner Circle, who have been observing him. Their leader, Alfred Woden (John Randolph Jones), reveals that Horne was once a member, and asks Max to kill her in exchange for dealing with the charges against him. The meeting is ambushed by Horne's men, but both Max and Woden escape. Max arrives at Aesir's headquarters and fights his way to the top. Along the way, Max runs into Mona again, who has been hired by Horne to kill him; she refuses to do so and is seemingly killed for it, but her body vanishes. As Horne attempts to flee in her helicopter, Max severs the guy wires of the building's antenna, causing it to crash into the helicopter and kill Horne. As the NYPD storms the building, Max surrenders and is taken into custody. Outside, he notices Woden among the crowd formed at the scene and smiles knowing that Woden will ensure his protection.
Characters
- Max Payne
Max Payne (voiced by
- Mona Sax
Mona Sax (voiced by Julia Murney): The twin sister of Lisa Punchinello and a contract killer, Mona is the femme fatale of the game. She has a grudge against her sister Lisa's abusive husband, Mafia boss Angelo Punchinello, whom she desires to kill. After Punchinello is killed, she sides with Nicole Horne, who hires her to kill Max. Finding herself unable to do so, she is shot in the head by one of Horne's henchmen and collapses inside an elevator, though it is implied that she survived, as her body is gone when the elevator's doors reopen.
Development
Remedy Entertainment developed an idea of a "third-person
For cutscenes, the developers found comic panels (with
Remedy used their game engine, which they dubbed MaxFX[20] (or MAX-FX, in development since early 1997). The only games that used this engine were Max Payne and its sequel, while a MaxFX level editor was also included in the release. MAX-FX was licensed to Futuremark, who used it for their 3DMark benchmark series with the last one being 3DMark 2001 Second Edition.[21][22]
The first trailer showcasing an early version of the game's story and gameplay was shown at the 1998
As a result of the inevitable comparisons to The Matrix, the designers have included several homages to the film in order to capitalize on the hype: for instance, the detonation of the subway tunnel door to gain access to the bank vault is similar to the cartwheeling elevator door in the movie, while the introduction "Nothing to Lose" level is similar to the lobby shootout scene in the film. Futuremark, which licensed the MAX-FX graphics for their 3DMark benchmark series, included a Matrix-like lobby shootout as a game test in the 2001 edition.[21]
Game Boy Advance version
Released on December 16, 2003, the GBA version of the game was developed in 2003 by Möbius Entertainment (later Rockstar Leeds).[26][27][28] Since it was developed on a far less powerful platform, this version differs significantly from the PC versions and its Xbox and PlayStation 2 ports: instead of a 3D shooter, the game is based on sprite graphics and is shown from an isometric perspective. However, the other gameplay features have remained very similar to the original, including the use of polygonal graphics for the characters. The story also remained the same as in the PC and console versions, though some levels from the original are omitted, and the game still features many of the original's graphic novel sections, complete with some of the voice-overs. The music was composed by Tom Kingsley.
Max Payne Mobile
On 6 April 2012, Max Payne was announced for Android and iOS, titled Max Payne Mobile, a port of the PC version of the original Max Payne.[29] The game was released for iOS on 13 April 2012, while the Android version was delayed until 14 June 2012. No major changes were made to the game apart from the HD overhaul.[30] A new version 1.3 was released on 18 March 2013 that fixes a bug that prevents users from accessing their cloud saves.[31]
Reception
Critical reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | PC: [37] PS2: [38] XBOX: [39] |
Edge | 6/10[43] |
GamePro | [40] |
GameSpot | 9.2/10[41] |
GameZone | 9.2/10[42] |
IGN | 9.5/10[44] |
Next Generation | [45] |
TouchArcade | iOS: [46] |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
BAFTA | Best PC Game of 2001[15] |
IGN | Readers Choice Action Game of the Year,[47] 2001 Readers' Choice Best Story,[48] Best Graphics,[49] Best Sound[50] |
GameSpot | Best of E3 2000,[51] The Top Games of E3 2001,[52] Readers' Choice Game of 2001,[53] Readers' Choice Single-Player Action Game of 2001,[54] two 2001 Game of the Year nominations [55][56] |
Max Payne was released to positive reviews.
The PlayStation 2 version suffered from reduced detail and occasional slowdowns, as the game stressed the limits of the console's power. Also, the levels were broken up into smaller parts so it would not tax the PlayStation 2's 32 MB of RAM, which according to IGN caused "heavy disruption to the flow and tension of the story". Otherwise, it was a faithful port that retained all of the content from the PC original. GameSpot awarded it an 8.0/10, (compared to the 9.2 ratings awarded to the PC and Xbox versions), saying "If you can't play this intense, original action game on any platform except the PS2, then that's where you should play it--but only by default."[58][59]
Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Max Payne is not perfect. On the other hand, we can think of few games, ever, that were such a blast to play, so neatly captured the essence of what they set out to simulate, or were just so over-the-top cool."[45]
Max Payne Mobile received generally positive reviews. Appolicious praised the HD graphics overhaul, although it pointed out the game's age and the issues with the touchscreen controls.[60]
Sales
In the United States, in its debut month, Max Payne sold roughly 82,000 units.[61] In the US, it was the 19th best-selling computer game of 2001,[62] with domestic sales of 300,782 units and revenues of $13.8 million.[63] In the US, the game's PC and PlayStation 2 versions respectively sold 430,000 units ($16.9 million in revenue) and 1.6 million units ($56 million in revenue) by 2006. According to Edge and Next Generation, this made Max Payne the country's 33rd highest-selling computer game released between 2000 and 2006, and the 26th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between those dates.[64][65]
In the United Kingdom, the
Max Payne ultimately sold 4 million units.[69]
Accolades
The game won many annual awards for the year 2001, including Best PC Game by the
An early version of Max Payne was also a runner-up for the Best of Show award at
Legacy
A sequel,
Notes
- Möbius Entertainment.
- ^ Mac OS X version published by MacSoft in North America and Feral Interactive in Europe.
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