Max Payne PlayStation 2
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
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  1. GameShark
    90
    Yes, this game has the power to rip families apart, it's that cool. With nice graphics, violence, swearing, and Matrix-style camera angles galore, this is a must-have for action game fans.
  2. Hot Games
    90
    If you want the hard-boiled action of "Grand Theft Auto III" up close and personal, this is the game for you.
  3. GamePro
    90
    The Dual Shock organizes controls logically and offers the sharp response, especially considering the cool Bullet Time and Shootdodge aspects, which slow down time for Matrix-style gunfights.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 26
  3. Negative: 4 out of 26
  1. Justinavery7074
    9
    Man, it's **** dark. and that's a good thing. One of the best shooters at the time for PS2 and it probably still is one of them. It's like a movie.
  2. ihatecheez
    8
    love this game! the story is engaging and creepy but just the right amount. bought this game for about 3$ just for the fun of it, didn't know what to expect and was blown away! the only things that i don't really like about this game is its frame rate, if you have the choice to play it on the xbox or pc, play it on that. but it doesn't break the game. at the end it gets a bit too hard but, hey! everyone needs a challenge!… Full Review »
  3. JayG203
    9
    Max Payne is a game you either love or hate. The gameplay is extremely simple and never evolves, though the environment, the story and the way the story is told through perfectly narrated noire stylings, this can be a great game. Personally I love this game. Even though the graphics are not the best, it's completely immersive. The majority of the game you'll be fighting your way through snowy back alleys at night, dark parking garages and abandon hotels now occupied by junkies and vermin. The environment is what makes this game and if you don't like the environment, these's not much here for you. The story is a generic action affair: you're a cop who's now gone fugitive on the premise that your wife and child were murdered by gangsters and the police have a mixed bag of evidence on who did it. The gang is sleezy and deals drugs to junkies in some not so appealing places, setting the backdrop for where you'll find yourself. Along the way you'll also find connections between cults and politics and blah blah blah. There's not much here but cheezyness, but it's wrapped in noire comics style cutscenes that are really mindblowingly engrossing. Seriously, the comic book story telling is enough to get anyone interested. Now apart from all this great story telling, if you don't like it, you really have nothing. For the gameplay is just plain ok. You run around and shoot people in slow-motion and dive left to right. It's really damn simple and wouldn't get a passing grade in and of itself. where you find yourself doing it and your incentive for being there is what makes the game worth while. So in the end it's a decent action game with a very entertaining and engrossing story. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking into anything deep, though if you enjoy the occasional generic story, this will do well to catch you for longer than you'd think. The story may be same old, but the story TELLING is amazing, and the environments are some of my personal favorite in gaming. It's dark, it's cold, and it's damn well entertaining.â… Full Review »
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