No game has ever been able to capture moments like this until now. Max Payne changes that. Remedy has done an excellent job in translating the best aspects of action movies to a game. Max Payne is a DEA agent who went undercover in the New York mafia to uncover the drug distribution of the controlling family. The entire game is a flashback, told through the panels of a graphic novel. The story is good, though the voice acting is a little on the cheesy side. However, it's no Resident Evil.

Max Payne's main gameplay feature is what sets it apart from every other shooter in the industry. The "Bullet Time" feature is an outstanding gameplay innovation. In the manual it is explained as Max's ability to focus on the job at hand, closing out all outside thought. His adrenaline starts pumping, speeding up his thought processes. This translates to time in the game slowing down, while Max can aim in real-time. This ability is the best tool Max has to help him survive his mission. With it, he can dodge bullets and take out his enemies before they can even react.

Max is controlled with a mouse/keyboard setup much like every other shooter out there. The keyboard controls forward, backward and lateral movement, while the mouse controls turning and shooting. The second mouse button activates Bullet Time. Weapon selection is like Half-Life, where the mouse wheel or number keys are used to select the weapon, and the fire button is used to bring it out.

Weapons range from the common 12-gauge pump shotgun and 9mm Beretta to the more rare Colt Commando and Pancor Jackhammer. The Berettas and Ingam MAC-10s can be used akimbo style, the two-handed style made famous by Chow Yun Fat.

For the technically inclined, Max Payne features photo-digitized textures, radiosity lighting and hardware T&L. For those less into the minutia of technical specs and more worried about the actual application of technology, Max Payne looks awesome. The faces of the characters are photo-realistic. Movement of the characters is extremely smooth. Max's coat flies behind him when he runs, and swings out to the side when he dives.

But, it's the little things that matter. Shoot the wall and a fountain of drywall will spew forth from the newly created bullet hole. A cloud of red mist erupts from the gaping wounds of Max's enemies. It's a beautiful mish-mash of white, brown and red.

However, all this innovation comes at a price, and that price is a powerful computer. Anything with a processor slower than 450 MHz and with less RAM than 192 MB will activate the "permanent Bullet Time" feature. The game might load, but I wouldn't necessarily say it will run.

All in all, Max Payne is an outstanding game, and it is a possible Game of the Year. It's a must-have for anyone with enough PC to run it.

· · · The Wok