Max Payne Review (Playstation 2)

Remember all those spaghetti westerns that one used to get on the fifties and sixties? The ones where the hero indulged in a series of blazing gunfights to settle a score with a bunch of outlaws before riding off into the sunset? I remember watching dozens of them spellbound. At the end of it all, I would sit and wonder about the cowboy hero (generally Clint Eastwood) always overcame such terrific odds or seemed to pull off amazing stunts at the drop of a hat. But those thoughts always came well after the curtains had come down. While the movie was on, one only had eyes and ears for the action on the screen.

Well, Max Payne is a bit like that.

One can cast aspersions galore at the game once it is over – it is too violent, requires little intellect and is based on a rather simplistic tale. But there is no time for such analysis while the game is on. Few games have ever served up the kind of hectic non-stop action that Max Paynedoes - it is one exquisitely packaged whirlwind ride and definitely not one for those who want to keep their hands clean.

The first thing that hits you about the game is its sheer slickness. Unlike other games, Max Payne does not use cut scenes to move the story on. Instead, what we get is a series of comic strips featuring the main characters of the game. A very nice touch backed up with a script that seems right out of Raymond…