Max Payne Review (Ambush)
The heavy film noir aesthetic backdrops the tragic and gripping tale of Max Payne, a police detective set on revenge after his wife and infant daughter are brutally murdered by drug addicted thugs. Max's depression and hopelessness is palpable as we navigate the visually stunning world created by Remedy. The dark and drab style is beautiful and jaw-dropping for 2001 standards. The environments offer a lot of interaction, and are exceptionally realistic looking.The flashbacks as Max relives his guilt, especially that when we navigate the maze and hear the baby cries, are haunting and impossible to ever forget. This third person shooter introduced us to the "bullet time" mechanic which truly set it apart from others at the time. The action is frequent, brutal and very satisfying. The game is often unforgiving, and the dynamic AI is very reactive to our actions. One of the highlights for me is the sound work, specifically the voice acting. The late James McCaffrey delivers often-time profound, descriptive voice lines with a bleak edge, as would be expected with this noir style. While a lot of the mechanics have aged reasonably well, there are some issues with launching the game on modern day PC rigs. Luckily a remake of Max Payne 1 & 2 is slated to be released in the coming years.
"They were all dead. The final gunshot was an exclamation mark on everything that had led to this point. I released my finger from the trigger, and it was over."