20 years of Max Payne: Timeless noir classic celebrates its birthday

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The fugitive undercover cop who has nothing more to lose is now a milestone and is now 20 years old. Despite two successors, the inventor of “Bullet Time”, published in 2001, remains the best part of the series. Even today.

When it was published, it did not look like it, despite high 80s ratings. The slow-motion mechanics for firefights were a hit when it came out, as was the crisp action. On the other hand, the short playing time of “only” around six hours, a normal value for shooters today, was controversial.

More than just a trick

Max Payne was and is more than just “the bullet-time game”. The dense narrative in a neo-noir setting had a pioneering character. The dark revenge story makes extensive use of cutscenes in comic format and stays in mind with loads of memorable quotes that give shape to the character behind the action and bring the world to life. It is not without reason that Max Payne actor and creative director Sam Lake and the spokesman for the role, James Mccaffrey, take up this special feature in a birthday video.

Both peculiarities are also born out of necessity, because Max Payne stands for bullet time as well as for the rigid, pinched, but at the time graphically deadly chic high-res facial expression of the antihero. It's no wonder, because the DirectX 7 game was developed before the technology allowed animating facial features. This option in a meaningful form was only an achievement that Half-Life 2 was only allowed to claim for itself three years later.

I found out lady luck was a hooker and I was out of cash.

Max Payne

It's worth it

This sum of advantages ensures that Max Payne continues to be fun, so the conclusion of the now nine-year-old retro test. Any technical problems and unofficial updates that make a number of improvements such as adding widescreen resolutions can be found in the PCGamingWiki.

The only thing that makes it more fun is availability. Although the game is available for iOS and Android for EUR 3.50 each after the indexing has been lifted, it is not available for German players on PC via Steam. Only Rockstar offers the game in its own shop for around ten euros. Actually, it would be time for a sequel or at least a remake beauty treatment anyway. Perhaps Remedy will turn this state off on its 25th birthday so that these holidays don't have to be associated with regrets forever.

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