One day into the year and I'm already on the board!
1. Max Payne (XBOX)
At some point in the early 2000s, a friend of mine wouldn't shut the hell up about this game and how good it was, and also I remember seeing those commercials for Max Payne when I'd stay up late at night watching MTV. I finally decided to play Max Payne by renting it on the PS2. I remember enjoying the game up to a very specific point where the game broke me. It wasn't some crazy hard part, but rather it was the first of several bad dream sections that I can attest are still absolutely horrible. The only difference is that I had resources to find on the internet this time around which made them a lot easier. Still, these dream maze sections were just as jarringly annoying in 2025 as they were in 2001 or 2002 when I last played Max Payne. With that out of the way, the rest of Max Payne's gameplay is pretty good for the most part. The bullet time mechanic that the game became famous for is very fun, albeit it can be fairly clunky at times in certain sections of the game. Speaking of sections, there are a handful of them that can have a poor flow or just be designed in a way that feels fairly cheap. One other gripe I have about the gameplay is while there is bountiful ammo for nearly every weapon, pills which heal you are in woefully short supply and contribute heavily to this games noteworthy difficulty. While the gameplay is pretty good, what really shines in Max Payne is its presentation. The art style, graphics, and comic book like cut scenes just work perfectly for this game. There is a level of self aware cheese that while having a low budget feel, also contributes heavily to this games charm. Playing through Max Payne not only nailed the neo noir setting it's going for, but also really has that distinct early 2000s vibe and feel to it. The story, while nothing groundbreaking, is also mostly well written and interesting and you are seeking revenge for the death of your wife and kid, and as you get closer and closer to those responsible for their deaths, you unravel a huge conspiracy involving a drug called Valkyrie while you're on your revenge question. Finally, the OST, voice acting, and everything else is pretty damn good and fits in very well with the neo noir setting and story. If not for some annoyances with the gameplay and some god awful sections, Max Payne might have been one of the better games I've ever played. But it's a big enough issue to where this game is absolutely worth playing and pretty fun, but maybe not the amazing masterpiece some people claim it is. (1/1/25) [38/50]
