Max Payne

 PC
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 2065 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,882 out of 2065
  2. Mixed: 152 out of 2065
  3. Negative: 31 out of 2065
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  1. whitespider999
    Feb 29, 2012
    7
    When I review game - I review them vs the current gaming climate. Rather than what I thought when I first played them, thereby eliminating "nostalgia factor". When I first played max payne - it was a 10/10. Just thought I would clear that up first. Ok, now onto the actual game. Max payne was fresh on so many levels, it had it's own individual method of storytelling, the -then- inventiveWhen I review game - I review them vs the current gaming climate. Rather than what I thought when I first played them, thereby eliminating "nostalgia factor". When I first played max payne - it was a 10/10. Just thought I would clear that up first. Ok, now onto the actual game. Max payne was fresh on so many levels, it had it's own individual method of storytelling, the -then- inventive and HUGELY satisfying bullettime effect - and a really dark noir tone. It still holds up reasonably, although I now notice the seams a little more. The comic sections hold up incredibly well - however the blocky models and some clunky moments stand out a little more. Max payne 2 definitely refined this with some grace - however this game - for the most part holds up really well. On the PC.… Expand
  2. Topher
    Aug 23, 2001
    10
    Pha-nizzel sha-nizzel (really really good).
  3. Pranay6
    Jun 4, 2013
    9
    Max Payne is a great action game. It has Good story.The game play is also good. The only problem with the game is that is short. The best thing about the game BULLET TIME.
  4. epistm87
    Nov 11, 2015
    10
    The action is intense all the way to the end. A true masterpiece. Atmospheric very memorable and well-executed game experience. .It is a game which make your heart beat ten times faster.
  5. Robbert1300
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    one of the best games out there if you looking for a great third person shooter with a great story and don't care about grapichs that much then this is definitely a game you should atleast check out
  6. Lewis_
    Aug 14, 2014
    2
    Max Payne has aged horribly, and that's a bad thing.

    Real critics across films, games, and music will tell you that true masterpieces stand the test of time. Max Payne is not one of them, and certainly never was to begin with. The graphics are the worst offender of the aging process. Being a early PS2 title, this is obviously expected, but the art style of Max Payne does zero    Max Payne has aged horribly, and that's a bad thing.

    Real critics across films, games, and music will tell you that true masterpieces stand the test of time. Max Payne is not one of them, and certainly never was to begin with.

    The graphics are the worst offender of the aging process. Being a early PS2 title, this is obviously expected, but the art style of Max Payne does zero justice to make this game even remotely appealing to the eye. The "dark and gritty" color pallet combined with the washed out textures make everything look like mud.

    If you're not a fan of the art style, prepare to endure the same repeated textures throughout the entire game. The first hour of the game is walking through the same exact gray and bland apartment buildings with a rusty colored carpet to match. The problem with the graphics and art style also translate directly to the gameplay. The levels have no variety. As I said, the same boring apartment buildings over and over, with a little bit of outside gameplay. Did I mention it's always nighttime and snowing? And if that doesn't already sound unpleasant, toss in a few generic, mindless mafia goons to get in your way of boring environment to the next.

    The AI, predictably, is terrible. Of course, this game was made in 2001 and but it doesn't take much to look back and find plenty of games with vastly superior AI. Doom, 1993, had nine varieties of enemies. They threw fireballs at you, they flanked you, if they got close they would melee you. In Max Payne, there's absolutely ZERO enemy variety except for the standard goon and the buffed up "boss" goons which are the exact same aside from being bullet sponges.

    The story, nearly as generic as they come. Standard story about revenge that you can find in any form of media before Max Payne. It doesn't help the story is told through interactables you have to find throughout the level, if you don't, that's too bad. In one point during the game you're forced to play a "dream sequence" where your patience and frustration are tested. You must wander through a maze of hallways and then finally follow misleading blood trails floating over a death pit. These sections take around twenty minutes to complete and do nothing for the gameplay or story whatsoever.

    Music, did I mention there wasn't any? The voice acting is also as generic as they come. Stereotypical "mafia goon" voices for all the copy and pasted enemies and bosses. It's mediocre at best, nothing to write home about.

    But in the end, it comes down to gameplay. And if the gameplay doesn't stack up, it's not a good game. And in this case, it's one of the worst I've ever played. Bullet time is absolutely useless. You're still vulnerable while using it and it gives you about a 5% chance to dodge bullets. It slows down the action and is never a benefit for the player. It's a gimmick, really. The guns have somewhat variety. There's only really three distinct weapons and they are the UZI, the shotgun, and the sniper. The rest act the same as their counterparts. And to go back to my previous point, all of the action takes place in copy and pasted hallways, bland environments, completely uninteresting levels.

    Max Payne also lacks a checkpoint feature. You must quicksave before every room you open unless you want to be treated to a random, instantaneous death. The game is completely linear with little to no exploration, choices, or variety so replay value is severely low.

    Lastly, the game is a chore to play, and one of the most overrated games/franchises of all time.

    In other words, it's a Payne in the ass.

    2/10

    Lewis    … Expand
  7. GaborA.
    Nov 12, 2003
    4
    The most bland environments in a game ever(snow and crates). The story is ridiculous. The game play is innovative yet not challenging and getting from fight to fight through the horrid levels and story line is not worth the effort.
  8. ReneD
    Feb 28, 2009
    2
    I never played such a boring game. The graphics are boring too. Streets and boring buildings, that's all I see. If I had a photo-camera while walking in this game, I would throw it away. In one word: boring. Yes, bullet-time is boring too.
  9. TarikT.
    Oct 22, 2001
    6
    The fun is awesome but the story is such a take off of a very original and classic game that started the whole framing thang, you play as max payne who is a cop accused as a murder, now the police want him as well as the mob. Hmmmmmmmm where have I heard that story before... oh yeah just popped into my head...."Syphon Filter," play it. Over all Max Payne is extremely fun with all the John The fun is awesome but the story is such a take off of a very original and classic game that started the whole framing thang, you play as max payne who is a cop accused as a murder, now the police want him as well as the mob. Hmmmmmmmm where have I heard that story before... oh yeah just popped into my head...."Syphon Filter," play it. Over all Max Payne is extremely fun with all the John Woo action and crap, but the story jes pisses me off.… Expand
  10. TheGrindeR
    Jul 7, 2012
    7
    Max Payne is a good game. The bullet time is awesome. Sounds, storyline are okay. The graphics was good when the game released in 2001. The only problem is not enough 1 bullet in to the enemies head to die.
  11. suneater
    Dec 13, 2012
    4
    The sequel is superior, don't even bother with this one. I played the second one first; even though it reuses some characters, the plot is a lot stronger than this one's and stands on it's own two feet. The original's plot is completely ridiculous, tedious, repetitive, and almost offensively bad. Just play the second one and skip this.
  12. Larry223
    Jan 2, 2015
    7
    Max Payne según muchos es un clásico... Para su época seguro... Pero no es algo que pase bien la prueba del tiempo...

    Empecemos: La historia es el cliche de venganza. No muy original, pero al menos para su época no estaba tan usado, al menos eso creo, por lo que lo paso. Pero en lo que brilla es su jugabilidad. Puedes usar un buen arsenal de armas, junto con el "Modo Bala", la razón por    Max Payne según muchos es un clásico... Para su época seguro... Pero no es algo que pase bien la prueba del tiempo...

    Empecemos: La historia es el cliche de venganza. No muy original, pero al menos para su época no estaba tan usado, al menos eso creo, por lo que lo paso. Pero en lo que brilla es su jugabilidad. Puedes usar un buen arsenal de armas, junto con el "Modo Bala", la razón por la que este juego se volvió popular. Seguro lo sacaron de Matrix, y menos mal, por que a quien no le gusta saltar y disparar a la ves mientras acaba con los enemigos de un headshot? Si quieres eso, ve a Max Payne 3. Aquí los controles no están refinados. Es una de las primeras veces que veo algo así en un video-juego, y con la edad que tiene no me salen dudas de por que esta así. Es jugable, y divertido, pero no iguala a un shooter moderno ni de lejos. Aunque por los 5 dolares que vale en steam no esta mal. Pero el port es horrible. Usa esto si lo compras en steam: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=848215 Arregla el sonido que esta roto en la versión de steam. También tengo que hablar de la música, casi no ahí. Es muy poco frecuente, tiene tonadas bajas y notas altas para momentos de acción. Pero la música de acción no dura. Solo sale en los ultimos niveles y solo dura hasta que matas a los enemigos, y solo manda 3 que matas en 4 segundos. Y los niveles no son muy buenos, son algo aburridos, no tienen muchos diseños únicos y al final es algo genérico. Es algo lineal, pero tiene acertijos. Son algo difíciles si no tomas al juego como "real", pero tampoco los veo injustos. Excepto por 1. Al final para su época debió ser innovador y demás, pero no dura mucho en la prueba del tiempo. Además que la historia termina bruscamente sin explicarnos nada, y los personajes no son muy interesantes. Si sacaran un juego así hoy en día no tendría notas altas, así que si lo vas a comprar mantente preparado para eso. Por su precio de 5 dolares le doy un 07/10, no ahí mucho que te de ganas de re-jugarlo por que no tiene logros y todo se repite, yo te digo que lo juegues si tienes curiosidad y cuando lo termines vayas de inmediato a Max Payne 2 si quieres seguir con el "Modo Bala". Le doy un 7 por que es viejo y un gamer de nueva generación no estará muy comodo. Ademas que los gráficos son malos, solo 2 años después sacaron la secuela que es mucho mejor visualmente.    … Expand
  13. mickpayne
    Jul 22, 2015
    10
    The most addictive, story driven, third person shooter I have ever played. I bought this for xbox, pc, and most recently iphone. I have given Rockstar money for this one game three times; It's just that good.
  14. KayVen17
    Sep 3, 2017
    6
    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln verstanden?
    Dann sind hier meine Punkte.

    Mein persönlicher Score = 57/100
    Mein User Score = 6/10    … Expand
  15. Broyax
    May 15, 2020
    1
    Pour un jeu de 2001, je trouve que ce Max Payne a étonnamment bien vieilli, d'autant qu'il accepte le 1080 et que ses textures sont encore tout-à-fait correctes (tout à fond évidemment). Il fonctionne donc très bien sur... un OS 32 bits comme Windows XP ! car sur les 64 bits, il ne s'installe même pas...

    Autre sujet de surprise avec une bonne VF intégrale et des bruitages de qualité ;    Pour un jeu de 2001, je trouve que ce Max Payne a étonnamment bien vieilli, d'autant qu'il accepte le 1080 et que ses textures sont encore tout-à-fait correctes (tout à fond évidemment). Il fonctionne donc très bien sur... un OS 32 bits comme Windows XP ! car sur les 64 bits, il ne s'installe même pas...

    Autre sujet de surprise avec une bonne VF intégrale et des bruitages de qualité ; de toute façon, techniquement les jeux de chez Remedy ont toujours été des pointures : rien de surprenant à ce qu'ils vieillissent bien... même si leur "rétrocompatibilité" est sujette à caution !

    Mais quoi qu'il en soit, pour le reste, pour tout le reste, c'est la soupe à la grimace... l'espèce d'histoire est complètement bateau et une soupe aux clichés très indigeste ; la narration à coups de bande dessinée pue du bec -et la paresse ; le ralentissement du temps (et les ralentis donc) est globalement mal implémenté et peu exploitable, sans doute parce qu'il s'agit d'un TPS dont la maniabilité n'est d'ailleurs pas la qualité première... et aucun système de couverture n'est disponible.

    La présentation est perfectible avec notamment cette silhouette qui se vide ou se remplit (?) à l'envers (?!) : on ne sait jamais si on est à peine touché ou sur le point de crever... Le jeu ne reste qu'un couloir scripté, beaucoup trop scripté (heureusement qu'on peut sauvegarder quand on veut !) et n'est pas agréable à l'usage : ni amusant malgré ses ralentis à la John Woo !

    ça donne juste envie de se remater encore une (énième) fois A Toute Epreuve ! je lui mettrais bien 2 quand même finalement... mais 1 point, je crois que c'est assez comme ça : on s'emmerde beaucoup trop vite ici.    … Expand
  16. Dereck_Lunar
    Jan 10, 2017
    4
    A little update about the PC version still available on Steam (for the most popular). Do not buy this game on pc version even if it's better to play on this platform. Steam and/or Rockstar didn't fixed anything about compatibility/corrupted files problems since Win8 came out. AND THEY'RE STILL SELLING IT! This is unbelievable that a version meant to be safe to run on any version of any OSA little update about the PC version still available on Steam (for the most popular). Do not buy this game on pc version even if it's better to play on this platform. Steam and/or Rockstar didn't fixed anything about compatibility/corrupted files problems since Win8 came out. AND THEY'RE STILL SELLING IT! This is unbelievable that a version meant to be safe to run on any version of any OS does not fulfill this purpose.… Expand
  17. CenkAlp
    Jan 3, 2018
    8
    Hikaye = 9
    Oynanış = 9
    Grafikler = 7
    Sesler = 8
    Keyif = 8
    Atmosfer = 8
    Süre = 8
  18. Rickkard
    Jul 14, 2020
    9
    Великолепная игра, за исключением миссий с красной лентой и приходами.
  19. Cjs0606
    Aug 14, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love this game! It’s quite a master piece of all games any genre! I totally recommend you get this game, especially for your young children preferably below 5… Expand
  20. Izoeros
    Apr 25, 2022
    8
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  21. MaxieZeus
    Sep 2, 2022
    9
    A tragic story with noir aesthetic and revolutionary gameplay with an iconic menu music.
  22. Technicha
    Apr 20, 2009
    9
    A game with such a great storyline. It tells it in a way that's very different from other games. I would have given this a 10 if it weren't for the flawed AI. They shoot you instantly on sight which makes the game play so much harder than it needs to be. The only way to get through the game sometimes is to open from a saved game and die. Then open it again and act differently A game with such a great storyline. It tells it in a way that's very different from other games. I would have given this a 10 if it weren't for the flawed AI. They shoot you instantly on sight which makes the game play so much harder than it needs to be. The only way to get through the game sometimes is to open from a saved game and die. Then open it again and act differently until you get through. Apart from that it's a great game.… Expand
  23. strangermoon
    Sep 27, 2019
    10
    stil remains one of best story and best revenge and matrix style slow motion game. comic book it self remain unuiqe. story telling and music here top. its better and deep than every cop movie even. tonly game forget to players half life on pc. visually remains decent.
  24. Sean-M
    Jul 23, 2020
    8
    A great classic game. With a great story and gameplay. But I really prefer the second one.
  25. PublicNuisance
    May 1, 2020
    9
    Max Payne is easily one of the best games ever made and even nearly 20 years later that fact still stands in my view. I have played many games since this came out but it still ranks up there for me. The story is a masterpiece that fits together wonderfully. The voice acting is fantastic, James McCaffrey was a perfect choice for Max. The soundtrack fit well and set the mood. The game playMax Payne is easily one of the best games ever made and even nearly 20 years later that fact still stands in my view. I have played many games since this came out but it still ranks up there for me. The story is a masterpiece that fits together wonderfully. The voice acting is fantastic, James McCaffrey was a perfect choice for Max. The soundtrack fit well and set the mood. The game play itself was a thing of beauty. No game allowed you to be in a John Woo movie before and until Stranglehold years later none who tried to emulate it did it well. For me one of the things I loved was the little details. When you walk in the snow you leave footprints. After a gunfight there are shell casings on the floor and your discarded magazines. There are bullet holes in the walls left by you and your enemies. All adds to the game and sadly are things many games still don’t do for whatever reason. The games comic book style way of telling the story was awesome and fit well with the FMV cut scenes. The news reports in the background and on the televisions was also an ingenious way to add to the story. The cast of characters are memorable. Even after all this time I still remembered them, all the way from Mona; Max; Bravura; Lupino; Gogniti; etc. There isn’t a wasted character or bad one in the bunch. The variety of weapons and ability to dual wield most of them made for a kid in a candy shop during gunfights. I did feel that the shotgun was a little under powered sometimes as even point blank it took 2-3 shots to put basic enemies down. It also didn’t make sense why Lupino needed so many bullets to go down despite not being superhuman, V or no V. These were minor things though that didn’t stop my enjoyment one bit.

    I played Max Payne on Linux using Steam’s Proton. It never crashed on em and I didn’t notice any bugs or glitches. There are 3 settings for AA; 3 settings for AF; and 13 other graphic settings. The game allows you to manually save whenever you want and gives 10 slots for that. There are auto saves for those who prefer. Alt-Tab worked. You can pause FMV cut scenes but not skip them. You can skip the comic book cut scenes. Performance was fantastic. The game certainly is no spring chicken visually but n it’s time it was top notch. A few times the FPS dropped from 144 but only dropped to 130 and 119 and only for a split second so it wasn’t an issue. I played version 1.05 of the game.

    Disk Usage: 792 MB
    VRAM Usage: 706-797 MB
    CPU Usage: 10-14 %
    RAM Usage: 2.4-3.3 GB
    Frame Rate: 119-144 FPS

    If by some chance you haven’t had the pleasure of playing Max Payne and enjoy shooters then rush out and get this now. I finished the first play through on the fugitive difficulty and it took me 7 hours and 10 minutes. I forget what I paid for my physical copy years back but for this Steam version I paid $2.55 and it is worth so much more. Even the full price of $10.99 doesn’t do it justice. One of the few games worth $50.

    My Score: 9/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 5700 XT 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 20.0.5 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB | Manjaro 19.0.2 | Mate 1.24 | Kernel 5.6.7-1-MANJARO | Proton 5.0.6    … Expand
  26. Tomle1202
    Aug 4, 2021
    9
    With a protagonist reading poetry inside his head while having slow-motion gunfights, Max Payne is an amazing gaming experience that unfortunately aged not as well with a lot of cheap enemy placements.
  27. tsakiym
    May 21, 2015
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  28. Termin8ter
    Sep 27, 2017
    8
    The game that put Remedy Entertainment on the map. This game had a great idea, and executed it very well in this first game. The whole concept of slow-mo gunfights was later expanded in Quantum Break 15 years later, but it's still a blast in this too. The graphics aren't the best, in fact they are pretty pathetic, but they are serviceable. And the story is also very good. They topped thisThe game that put Remedy Entertainment on the map. This game had a great idea, and executed it very well in this first game. The whole concept of slow-mo gunfights was later expanded in Quantum Break 15 years later, but it's still a blast in this too. The graphics aren't the best, in fact they are pretty pathetic, but they are serviceable. And the story is also very good. They topped this game very well in the sequel.… Expand
  29. russiangamer
    Jul 20, 2020
    7
    У игры очень крепкая холодная атмосфера: горы холодных трупов, которые оставляет за собой Макс, кучки холодных, лишённых человечности наркоманов, наёмников, преступников и убийц, за которыми охотится тот же Макс; аномальная для Нью-йорка холодная погода; ссылки на скандинавскую мифологию, которые так же, как и всё перечисленное, укрепляют эту атмосферу холода...
    Сюжет можно описать в двух    У игры очень крепкая холодная атмосфера: горы холодных трупов, которые оставляет за собой Макс, кучки холодных, лишённых человечности наркоманов, наёмников, преступников и убийц, за которыми охотится тот же Макс; аномальная для Нью-йорка холодная погода; ссылки на скандинавскую мифологию, которые так же, как и всё перечисленное, укрепляют эту атмосферу холода...
    Сюжет можно описать в двух словах: Макс мстит убийцам своей семьи. Но вся соль именно в комикс-диалогах, которые написаны очень талантливо - они захватывают. Эти речевые обороты, эти персонажи, одержимые то наживой, то ещё каким пороком, говорящие с Максом - всё это крайне увлекательно.
    Чуть менее увлекателен геймплей, но даже спустя 20 лет играть в первого Пейна довольно интересно и немного даже сложновато (сохранялся, к слову, частенько...).
    Советую вам поиграть - игра определённо доставит вам удовольствие и даст возможность вжиться в роль ироничного и опустошённого героя, который потерял всё самое дорогое.
    7.5/10    … Expand
  30. Nuker
    Jul 8, 2015
    8
    - Good: Gameplay, Story, Atmosphere/Mood, Setting,
    - Mixed: Linear
    - Bad: ---

    Very solid game, but i enjoyed more Max Payne 2 story. Atmosphere is superb.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2001
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2001
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 32
  3. Negative: 1 out of 32
  1. Hot Games
    90
    A great FPS. The most serious problem we have with the game is stability – we lost all of our save games at one point, and experienced random freezes fairly frequently.
    Read full review
  2. GamePen
    30
    In the style of PC Gamer's David Manningesque vocabulary, Max Payne is the most forgettable action game in history. (I exaggerate, of course. It's only the most forgettable action game of the year.)
    Read full review
  3. Yahoo!
    80
    Its predominant flaw is that it whets our appetite for something unimaginably amazing but only fulfills half of that unveiled promise.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »