Max Payne has all the hallmarks of a classic noir adventure but with modern characters and settings—namely, a renegade DEA agent tracking the killer drug Valkyr in a blizzard-bound New York City. Max mixes dingy textures and bleak atmosphere with panels from a graphic novel and solemn narration to create a living, breathing, bleeding New York City underworld. Payne battles Mafia enemies that sound like cartoonish wise guys, but it’s Max’s vitriolic voice-over—full of hard-boiled phrases of melodrama and desperation— that gives the game the most character. The Dual Shock organizes controls logically and offers the sharp response, especially considering the cool Bullet Time and Shootdodge aspects, which slow down time for Matrix-style gunfights. With a brooding atmosphere, cool technology, bad-ass guns, and smart voice-acting, Max delivers what action gamers crave. You, too, will develop a high tolerance for Payne.
