Max Payne is a great game that even over 20 years later feels not only great but fresh compared to a lot of other games released today. From its gritty New York setting to its over-the-top characters and unique comic book presentation, there are still no real games that pair up with the originality of this game. Not only that but being the original game to introduce bullet time is the cherry on top and diving around through doors or out of cover while shooting at enemies is about as badass as it sounds. But that's what makes the criticisms of this game even sadder. I played on the standard "Fugitive" difficulty and even then I found myself dying continuously to what felt like most of the time unfair means, Max doesn't have a lot of health and due to this, the gameplay suffers. It's hard to feel like a badass when you're the equivalent of a glass cannon. This paired with sometimes just cruel enemy placement can make it really demeaning to keep going. Another aspect that suffers is weapon balance. Throughout the game you get a pretty wide variety of weapons which is great except that there are only a select few that are really viable. Most weapons are ok and some I can even see were intended for either closer-range or longer-range fights, but the shotguns are pretty much coinflips unless you're touching the skin with your enemy. These aspects really dampened my enjoyment of the game, to say they ruined it however would be a plain lie. I loved this game for a lot of reasons but I think one thing this game really accomplished is charm. You can feel the love, fun and effort put into this game and I think that's what really makes it feel so fresh.

max paynis lmao