The graphics in Max Payne look good, plain and simple. Everything in this dark and dismal environment screams atmosphere. The areas look good, well as good as an ice-cold, forboding NYC can look while one is on a mission of revenge, dodging bullets and thugs at every turn. Everything works well. Sure, Max's continual smirk is a bit strange - like a twisted Bruce Willis - but after a while, you get the feeling he has to smirk like this. After all, life has been laughing at him for quite some time. Laughing hard. As for the other characters, the various creeps you'll encounter, they all look pretty good. There is some repetition in their appearance, but it works just fine.

One interesting aspect of Max Payne was the cutscenes. I was expecting some really groovy FMV's, but instead, what I got was something not unlike a really oddball comic. At first, I was really disappointed. But then, it slowly grew on me. Now I am convinced that this was the only way to go. A graphic novel approach was the best fit for a game of this sort.

In the sound department, Max Payne once again excels. The background music is a perfect fit for the game, reminiscent of film noir soundtrack style stuff. The voiceovers were over the top and terrific because of it. You had your stereotypical Italian mafia type. Fuggeddaboutit. There were the crazed junkies talking to themselves, the military types (ok, supposedly they are saying Go! Go! Go!, but could swear they were actually saying Ho! Ho! Ho! Maybe it's just me). There were tripped out and power driven crime bosses, femme fatales, and then there's Max. And it's all good. Gun sounds and explosions, environmental stuff like sirens blaring in the distance, rats crawling around, and the howling winter wind all work together to create an environment as hostile as those Max is battling against. Max Payne is a wonderfully immersive experience.

Following the graphics and sound department, the gameplay is excellent as well. Max Payne's storyline will grip you and not let go until the bitter end. This is one of those games that you pop in and play until the controller is pried from your fingers in the wee hours of the morning. Then you wake up and jump right back in. It's that good. So here's the story - Max is a good NY cop with a beautiful wife and baby girl, living the American Dream, as they say. Crazed junkies break into his house and murder his wife and daughter, destroying his perfect life. He switches to working an undercover drug beat, he's set up and his partner is gunned down in front of him, and so it goes. He embarks on his journey to solve his partner's murder and ends up uncovering way more than he bargained for. Isn't that how it always is? I won't give away any more of the storyline, but this one twists and turns like a bowl of spaghetti from Casa di Angelo.

One thing that I really enjoyed about Max Payne was the blend of stealth and run-and-gun that you needed to incorporate to get through the game. If you were sneaky and crept around corners, many times you'd come upon bad guys who'd be chatting away, sometimes about relevant info and other times just stuff. But still, it's highly entertaining dialogue. Imagine military assassins chatting it up about movies like The Usual Suspects or Men in Black types discussing The Matrix and bullet time. It's great.

You can play the game in Fugitive, which is basically the story mode or try your hand at New York Minute (which is opened up after beating Fugitive mode). New York Minute is just that - what can you accomplish in a New York Minute? Not much, unless you manage to kill lots of folks, netting you more of those precious seconds on the clock. It's quite a challenge. The real meat of the game is found in the story mode, but NYM is fun for a diversion and some quick action.

What you get with Max Payne is a really immersive action/adventure that blends shoot-em-up situations with sneaky goodness, all wrapped up in a really cool storyline that's ripped straight from the pages of a graphic novel. This is a great game, plain and simple.

Well, there's Fugitive, Hard Boiled, Dead on Arrival and New York Minute. After completing the game on Fugitive, Hard Boiled is opened up, as is New York Minute. I assume that completing the game on Hard Boiled opens Dead on Arrival, but from the sound of it, I'm not sure you want to venture there. ;) Max Payne is not an easy game, but it builds upon itself. They won't throw you anything you can't handle, but it's a really good idea to go through the training area offered to get a good feel for the game. The controls may take a little getting used to, if you are used to standard survival horror controls, but after a few minutes you'll adjust. Ok, there are a couple of really tough areas, but with persistence you can get through them.

Max Payne utilizes both analog sticks - one for moving Max about and the other to 'look'. This can take a little getting used to, but works extremely well for this sort of game. One really nice feature that has received much acclaim is 'bullet time'. When you use bullet time, everything slows down Matrix style and you are able to dodge bullets and precisely aim. This wonderful addition can be kinda cheap at time (although in your favor), because there are moments when you know Max should be riddled with bullets, yet he manages to dodge them. Its great fun and something I hope we see in more games.

On the upside, Max Payne utilizes an Autosave feature which is really nice. However, it doesn't save in the spot that you were in, only the level. Still, a good feature. On the downside, what godawful load times this game has! Sure, it's a beautiful game in all its creepiness, but I can do my nails while waiting for a level to load. I'm panting for a sequel, but puh-lease do something about the load times. :)

All in all, Max Payne is fantastic. Do yourself a favor and go out and buy it. Don't rent it, because there's no sense in wasting that money as you'll be buying the game. Trust me. It's that good.