Max Payne..YES

I considered writing this as a video game review, but I realized that I wanted to do my first game review in video form. So this will be an impromptu post based on the game Max Payne (kind of a review but not really).

Max Payne is a bit of an old game now (first coming out in 2001, with the sequel appearing in 2003) but it is by far better than most modern games of its genre. MP ( Max Payne) is more than just  a game, it’s a story, a creative dark story with a major noir feel to it. The dialogue that is used in the story sucks you in like you wouldn’t believe, and the twists in the story actually surprise you.  It is a masterpiece, but the game doesn’t stop after the story ends, you subconsciously take lessons from the game that would most likely get from most modern games.

To keep things simple, the game is about a cop whose wife and child are murdered by raging druggies, and in the cops search for the truth he finds a conspiracy, betrayal, and secrets that he could never have foreseen coming. Sounds kind of like your average noir story right? Not so, this story involves the main character battling his demons with more than just his might. As Max is haunted by the murders of his family, you start to see him as more than just a video game character, he becomes…symbolic in a sense.

The reason I love this game so much and believe most people who play it will love is because they will start to connect with Max as if he were a real person. You feel his pain as he slides deeper and deeper into the abyss with no way out. You start to think of your own darkness over time, and as the game progress and Max learns more about himself and things going on around him ,you cannot help but think about things going on around you. “Have I really come to terms with what has been bothering me? Is it secretly dragging me down?” or a thought as simple as “is everything as it seems in my neighbor, is there a conspiracy going on?” While these thoughts may seem a bit extreme, they become natural in the course of MP you want to keep playing not only to learn how the story ends, but to find out the fate of Max and the dark demons surrounding him.

In all truth this game becomes a bit of coming-of-age story that unfolds as you play, a story that makes you think about your own life in a way. The people you love whom maybe are not with you anymore, things you may regret, etc. and you will be amazing at Max’s growth throughout the game. When the final credits roll, you feel sad at the ending of a story but also glad that through this game you yourself may have grown a little. Whether you are curious if this game will really affect you emotionally or you just want to be immersed in an amazing game, Max Payne will not disappoint, and I urge you readers to partake in this classic tale of love lost, darkness, betrayal, vendetta, and redemption.