MobyGames Classic: Max Payne community stories

Shacknews readers share their own stories revolving around the original Max Payne, the latest game inducted into the “MobyGames Classic” series on Shacknews.com.

January 27, 2012 1:45 PM3

Last Wednesday we added 2001’s Max Payne to our growing list of video game classics, presented by MobyGames.com.

Max Payne delighted and surprised many gamers and critics alike when it was released back in 2001 for the PC with its blend of solid 3rd-person shooting and gritty noir-style presentation. The introduction of Bullet Time–which allowed players to slow time to a crawl while dodging and returning enemy fire–was brand new, and quite a huge deal at the time. Comic book-style cut-scenes and some appropriately melodramatic voice-over narration blended with the revenge-themed story to create an experience brimming with as much style as gunplay.

Many of us who loved Max Payne when it first came out played through it multiple times, despite its linear storyline and gameplay. Shacknews user friedram echoes this sentiment, stating, “I really loved this game. My girlfriend (now wife) bought it for me, I must have played through it 5+ times.”

Max Payne’s popularity also spawned some fan-made mods, the best of which was called “Kung Fu 3.0,” which empowered Max with some crazy slow-motion martial artistry. Shacknews user Xulu decried our failure to mention the popular mod in our initial post, which you can see in-action, below.

Shacknews user erdstapa recollects the addictive nature of the gunplay, recollecting how he and some friends played the game into the wee hours of the morning. “Two friends came over with the game to check it out just after the release. We played it until 3 A.M., when two of us dozed off,” he explains. “In the morning, we found my other friend still in front of the PC barely sitting up and desperately clutching the mouse in his hand and whispering ‘Must… play… more…’ That’s how addictive it is!”

Check out the original Chatty thread for more stories and memories from Max Payne.

Moby Games Classic is our chance to look back at the games that helped shape the video game industry with the help of our sister site MobyGames.com. It combines a short history lesson on the title and anecdotes from the Shacknews community.