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2. Max Payne

 
 Publisher: GodGames
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
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While Max Payne drew much attention during its development for its stunning photo-realistic graphics, no one had a good idea of how it would really play until after its release. So it was a pleasant surprise that the incredible graphics ended up being just part of the game's overall appeal. Max Payne is perhaps the most combat-intensive third-person-perspective shooter ever. Although control and camera issues often make fighting from this perspective in other games a hassle, Max Payne blew past such concerns with a key innovation: bullet time. The slow-motion effect, reminiscent of special effects scenes from The Matrix and other action movies, isn't novel in itself--but the slick bullet-time effect fits the overall style of the game incredibly well. It's thrilling to see bullets--even individual shotgun pellets--fly by as you shootdodge your way through a crowded room. It's sheer fun, and it sets the game's tone.

Max isn't just any renegade cop with a mission. Max Payne's storytelling is remarkable, told through darkly humorous graphic novel cutscenes and a deadpan voice-over that's so noir that you've heard it hundreds of times before. Max Payne isn't a very long game, or one that lends itself to many replay sessions any more than other single-player action games do, but, like a great action movie, intensity replaces longevity. Max Payne is hands-down the best single-player PC action game this year, and its gameplay and entire presentation stand out as some of the best in PC gaming.



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