Max Payne, Electronic Games

Who'd have thought it, eh? The cinematic, narrative-heavy, game-noir adventure making its way over to the Game Boy Advance? Well here it is - obviously not in the 3D style of the PC original, but in a more GBA-friendly isometric fashion, and complete with all the cool, Matrix-style slo-mo effects as well. As with the original, Max Payne on GBA is based in New York's grimy underground and tells the story of the eponymous Max, a fugitive cop with nothing to lose on a quest for revenge. You see, somebody's murdered his wife and kid and, what's worse, he's been framed for the crime. Understandably, he's no happy bunny. You take control of Max as he takes the only option and embarks on a quest to find the culprit, violently laying waste to all that stands in his way. There are a total of twelve levels to fight your way through, each packed full of an assortment of sinister inhabitants of New York City's criminal underworld. Not to worry though, as there are over 10 different weapons to lay your hands on, from dual handguns to grenade launchers - all perfectly appropriate when it comes to massacring the masses. That famous 'Bullet Time', which was synonymous with the original, thankfully makes a return in the portable version - itself also serving to help you out somewhat throughout the combat sequences. Hitting the respective 'Bullet Time' button drags the on-screen action into slow motion, thus giving you a little more time to line up that crucial shot, whilst also making you look a darn sight cooler in the process. With the inclusion of all the classic graphic novel screens of the original helping to drive the story, along with a fully voiced in-game narrative, this GBA port of Max Payne is pretty much as faithful a conversion as you could expect from Nintendo's little journey's friend. As a consequence, however, the game carries a 16+ age rating (is this a first for the console?) so the target audience may be somewhat reduced.

Buy Max Payne for 14.99 GBP

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