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Four years is a long time in terms of game development. That type of length usually brings with it many generalizations about the state of the game. Everybody knows about Jon Romeroâs long delayed and ultimately fruitless Daikatana.

Take that period; add a media blackout and youâll soon find people spouting their cynical BS. Thankfully these words arenât being banded about Max Payne even though itâs been in development for the last four years.

The first thing that strikes you about Max Payne is itâs visual presentation. Its developers Remedy Entertainment have produced a new engine titled MAX-FX that manages to produce some quite staggering effects and end results. MAX-FX technology is currently being used as the leading 3D benchmark on the PC market in Mad Onions 3DMARK2000. 3DMark2000 demonstrates well the flexibility and the graphical quality of the MAX-FX engine and I recommend anyone interested to download it from MadOnion.com website.

Max Payne is set to be the first game to use the engine and thankfully itâs come at the best possible time. In my opinion too many games rely on licensed engines, resulting in that familiar look and feel, even the excellent Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament engines are getting a bit old, with MAX-FX on the scene it looks like itâs all going to be shaken up a little.

Max Payne will be the first game to feature photo-digitised textures, radiosity lighting and hardware T&L to be combined and used at the same time, resulting in some stunning textures and lighting effects. The overall impression helps to convey the cinematic feel and distract from the video-game feel. To back up the visual flair Max Payne is heavily story led with a gripping plot that twists and turns as you progress through the game.

You assume the role of the titled character, that of a young New York cop in a tight spot. While under cover in the NY mafia, he becomes a fugitive on both sides, cover blown and framed for a murder. On the run from the NYPD and the mob, Maxâs family is killed, leaving him a desperate man with nothing to loose.

The character driven plot is a key feature for the game, resulting in a very film noir style action game with characters that actually mean something rather then just endless bullet fodder. Thatâs not to say there wonât be plenty of room for guns blaring; from the footage weâve seen comparisons to John Woo are inevitable.

The game is played from a third-person perspective; a genre that Tomb Raider created and has yet to barely move past, thankfully Max Payne looks like itâs set to remedy that. Firstly Max looks great, forget abysmal animations and ill devised characters Max looks every bit the renegade hero as his coat billows in the wind behind him. When itâs time to shift a few rounds players can simply pump bullets from a static position or opt for a more action orientated approach, such as jumping in the air and whipping out twin uziâs. This freedom of movement is a breath of fresh air compared to the stale state most games are within this genre.

A key aspect that has been heavily touted during these action scenes is the âbullet-timeâ effect, yeah ok so itâs ripped from The Matrix but when itâs been done this well who cares. When this was first mentioned many believed it to be a gimmick to the game, few could realise the importance and use of it within the actual game. During the game a gauge slowly fills up, this is your bullet time and when activated slows down time allowing you to dodge bullets and accurately place the bullets when the odds are stacked against you. Whilst in bullet time the gauge will slowly run down until itâs empty or you jump back into normal time. Bullet Time can be activated when you choose, selecting it just before you jump into a crowded room gives players the scope for some great Woo moments.

Equally as impressive are Max Payneâs levels. So far weâve only seen a subway and restaurant level however the style is kept throughout, the gritty locations are full of atmosphere, detail and tension. Locations can be completely destroyed, bringing down walls can often leave access to other locations and act as an advantage in the combat stakes.

Comments
In the end the gripping story, the impressive action, the outstanding technology and new ideas will count for nothing if the controls are not up to scratch. This is something we cannot praise or comment on as no one outside of Remedy and 3D Realms have been able to play it. If the controls donât work then weâll end up with a game thatâs best ideas turn out to be too frustrating and end up forgotten. Thereâs a lot of attention towards Max Payne and it could yet turn out to be one of the biggest disappointments, alongside Duke Nukemâs reluctance to make an appearance 3D Realms must be beginning to feel the heat. If the controls work theyâre onto a winner, everything else is settled in place for one of the best single player experiences in PC gaming. Weâll have to see when the game is released, current completion date: when itâs done.
 

Chris Leyton

       
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