I don't know how many of you keep up with computer games, or play them, but if you do you'll know about this game. And if you don't, you should know about this game.
Max Payne first went into production in 1998. That's almost 4 years ago, and was released last week. For a long time, people thought the game would never be released. At first it was scheduled, for a early 99 release, then a late 99 release, then an early 2000 release, and then the company just stopped making press statements, and just said it would be released "When its done." Now I can see why they took so long. This game is amazing. G.O.D. Games, Remedy, and 3D Realms have put together one hell of a masterpiece.
The plot of the game is simple enough. After playing the game for no more than 15 minutes you discover that Payne's entire family, and best friend, have been killed by a drug syndicate that Payne has infiltrated as an undercover cop. Of course with nothing left to lose, Payne sets out on a mission to destroy everyone that has wronged him.
The game is like a movie. A Jon Woo movie to be more precise. In fact Woo refrences are scattered throughout the game. The atmosphere in the game itself is so realistic it can get hard to distinguish it between real life and a virtual world at some point.
As you get more immersed in Max's world you find it hard to leave. You want to know what happens next. Payne's character is soo well developed that you feel like you owe him, and want to help him out by furthering him towards his ultimate goal.
One reason for getting so attached to Max himself is that the game's revolutionary new engine makes him seem more like a person that a computer game character. If you've ever played any other first person shooters then you notice the same expersion on everyone's pixely face, the same blocky one shirt and pants that never leave the body, and those clumped together mittony fingers that are place around the gun. Not in Max Payne though. Payne himself is extremely detailed. You can see individual hairs on his face as his expressions change. That's right, you can tell when he's happy or sad, because his facial features actually change. When you run down the hall, the coat tails on his leather jacket flap up and down. You can notice individual fingers moving freely on the stock of his trusty Desert Eagle pistol. The same goes for all of the other characters you encounter in the game. By encounter I mean, blow away with an aresenal of different, accumulated weapons.
Now if all of that sounds only ok to you, the killer feature in the game which completely seperates it from anything before, is the "bullet time" feature. Before entering a potentially dangerous scenario you can activate the bullet time feature. For example, say you hear guys talking around the corner(yes you actually hear them talking. funny thing is most of the time their talking about blowing you away if they ever see you Thats another great feature about the game, the sound is amazingly vivid and detailed) Anyways. You hear some punks talking around the corner, you whip out your duel berettas, and you activate bullet time right as you enter a side diving position. Immediately the game switches into slow motion, allowing for you two make quicker decisions as to who to shoot first etc. Much like in the Matrix. When in bullet time you can track indivdual bullets whizzing past you, or even into you. These sequences are amazing. The first time I saw it, my jaw dropped because it just looks so damn amazing. You have to play the game to understand what I mean.
If anyone thinks this sounds even remotely intersting, I highly suggest you go out and buy this game, if your system can handle it. The only reason I decided to make a thread about this is because it plays just like a movie. It really is an experience. That's all I can say about it. It is one hell of an experience.
Max Payne first went into production in 1998. That's almost 4 years ago, and was released last week. For a long time, people thought the game would never be released. At first it was scheduled, for a early 99 release, then a late 99 release, then an early 2000 release, and then the company just stopped making press statements, and just said it would be released "When its done." Now I can see why they took so long. This game is amazing. G.O.D. Games, Remedy, and 3D Realms have put together one hell of a masterpiece.
The plot of the game is simple enough. After playing the game for no more than 15 minutes you discover that Payne's entire family, and best friend, have been killed by a drug syndicate that Payne has infiltrated as an undercover cop. Of course with nothing left to lose, Payne sets out on a mission to destroy everyone that has wronged him.
The game is like a movie. A Jon Woo movie to be more precise. In fact Woo refrences are scattered throughout the game. The atmosphere in the game itself is so realistic it can get hard to distinguish it between real life and a virtual world at some point.
As you get more immersed in Max's world you find it hard to leave. You want to know what happens next. Payne's character is soo well developed that you feel like you owe him, and want to help him out by furthering him towards his ultimate goal.
One reason for getting so attached to Max himself is that the game's revolutionary new engine makes him seem more like a person that a computer game character. If you've ever played any other first person shooters then you notice the same expersion on everyone's pixely face, the same blocky one shirt and pants that never leave the body, and those clumped together mittony fingers that are place around the gun. Not in Max Payne though. Payne himself is extremely detailed. You can see individual hairs on his face as his expressions change. That's right, you can tell when he's happy or sad, because his facial features actually change. When you run down the hall, the coat tails on his leather jacket flap up and down. You can notice individual fingers moving freely on the stock of his trusty Desert Eagle pistol. The same goes for all of the other characters you encounter in the game. By encounter I mean, blow away with an aresenal of different, accumulated weapons.
Now if all of that sounds only ok to you, the killer feature in the game which completely seperates it from anything before, is the "bullet time" feature. Before entering a potentially dangerous scenario you can activate the bullet time feature. For example, say you hear guys talking around the corner(yes you actually hear them talking. funny thing is most of the time their talking about blowing you away if they ever see you Thats another great feature about the game, the sound is amazingly vivid and detailed) Anyways. You hear some punks talking around the corner, you whip out your duel berettas, and you activate bullet time right as you enter a side diving position. Immediately the game switches into slow motion, allowing for you two make quicker decisions as to who to shoot first etc. Much like in the Matrix. When in bullet time you can track indivdual bullets whizzing past you, or even into you. These sequences are amazing. The first time I saw it, my jaw dropped because it just looks so damn amazing. You have to play the game to understand what I mean.
If anyone thinks this sounds even remotely intersting, I highly suggest you go out and buy this game, if your system can handle it. The only reason I decided to make a thread about this is because it plays just like a movie. It really is an experience. That's all I can say about it. It is one hell of an experience.
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Horror's Not Dead
Latest Movie Review(s): Too lazy to keep this up to date. New reviews every week.
Horror's Not Dead
Latest Movie Review(s): Too lazy to keep this up to date. New reviews every week.