The sound is great, and the graphics are wonderful, in keeping with the best out there right now.

There are some cute Easter Eggs included, and I wont spoil your fun by giving any away, but let it be said that if you take the time to find them, you wont be disappointed.

They included a couple of dream sequences that you actually play. They were nicely done and added to the story line, though only minimally. I almost felt that the dream sequences were too long, but I would not call this a fault. They did add to the experience, and the game was better off for them being there.

Now, there were some drawbacks, so lets shed some light there as well. First off, there are bosses, and I hate bosses in any game. What is worse is that the bosses were unrealistically strong. If I am wandering down a hall and I meet up with an enemy, four shot gun blasts in the head should be enough to put him down, boss or not. Not so here. The bosses are very tough and it takes a few replays of the scenes to get past them.

Another downfall is the length of the game itself. It took me about 10 hours or so to get through it. Some of the discussion boards have people who claim to be able to get through it in 4-5 hours. To me, this is way too short for the level of enjoyment I was getting. It was over in a few days and that I found to be disappointing.

I am not sure if this is a downfall or not, but I'll let you decide for yourself. You have to beat the easiest level of the game before you are allowed to move to the harder ones. Personally, I like having the option right from the beginning, but that’s just me.

Over all, Max Payne is a great game, and I am very much looking forward to the next one in the series. A little less corny dialogue and a longer game would make any sequel a hit, though I doubt that this first one will fail. Its just too much fun to play not to be a success!

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by Galen