Awesome game that has mostly aged like fine wine. Platforming isn’t its strongest suit, and there was a certain jankyness, especially with the camera and npcs getting slightly stuck in some sequences, but overall, the PC port presented no issues whatsoever.

Everything else is working at the highest level possible for a 2001 third person shooter. The story is a delight. A brooding, extremely serious but not afraid to get goofy and weird, noir. Consistently engaging, as edgy as it needs to be, a masterclass in establishing and maintaining tone and atmosphere. I love the graphic novel narrative device too. Max is just an awesome character to play as. The more I read into the game and its layers the more I like what it’s going for.

The gameplay loop is extremely satisfying and addictive. Shotting as Max Payne is simply too much fun. Bullet time is such a compelling mechanic, kinda surprising I haven’t played more shooters that attempt this kind of thing. Superhot is the one that comes to mind right now. Every encounter is kind of a puzzle as well.

Wonderful level design and sense of place. Spectacular worldbuilding and a musical score I’ll remember fondly.