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Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 426 Ratings

  • Summary: A story-driven third-person shooter with a realistic weapon setup including over a dozen real-life guns, all fitting the crime-story setting like a bullet in the head. The action is surrounded with more than 80 hand-painted comic-screens that enhance the game's gritty atmosphere and attitude, introduce the game's murderous cast of characters, and carry the plot from one location to the next. [Gathering of Developers] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 32
  2. Negative: 1 out of 32
  1. The most important action game yet made for the PC. Well worth the long wait.
  2. It is a good thing the gunplay is so exciting in this game, as there is not a lot else on offer.
  3. A spectacular experience, not an intellectual one. Do not search for subtleties here or in-depth plots here – this is not a game that will win awards for its storyline or richness of character.
  4. 30
    In the style of PC Gamer's David Manningesque vocabulary, Max Payne is the most forgettable action game in history. (I exaggerate, of course. It's only the most forgettable action game of the year.)

See all 32 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 78
  2. Negative: 4 out of 78
  1. MichaelS
    10
    I will stand by this forever as the best game I've ever played! An astonishing masterpiece that is frequently ripped off but will never be topped. Expand
  2. I played this game in August of 2011. Finished it in 7 hours, and it is a pretty difficult game. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT story, which is the reason I plowed through this game. The gameplay however feels very dated! . 10/10 for the story, while it scores a 6 for gameplay. Expand
  3. 7
    As a 2011 gamer who had just bought this game for around $2 on Steam, i'd have to say it's really a masterpiece of it's day. Though I've seen much better graphics in recent days, you can forgive Max Payne's bland and flat surrounding, given the period of development. The story is top notch, a perfect noir setting combined with a gripping tale of a man avenging the death of his family. Not to mention 100x better than the crap film adaptation. As with other Rockstar games, MP's voice acting is also spectacular. You can actually hear Max's thirst for revenge, the Mafia boss's psychotic mind and not forgetting the Cuban mafia slang. As for the bullet-time, it's more than just a gimmick. You actually need to use the bullet-time properly to kill your many enemies, because one bullet can actually decrease a quarter of your health, even in easy difficulty. Thanks to this, it's more challenging and not just another GTA or run-and-gun TPS. Overall, it's a great game to play. Expand
  4. GaborA.
    4
    The most bland environments in a game ever(snow and crates). The story is ridiculous. The game play is innovative yet not challenging and getting from fight to fight through the horrid levels and story line is not worth the effort. Expand

See all 78 User Reviews