It's nothing short of crazy that this is the game that holds up best out of all 3 in the franchise - both a testament to its quality and to the disappointment brought on by the next two entries. The gameplay loop is rather simple, although bullet time has got to be one of the most satisfying action game mechanics to date and even in its infancy here it brings tons of joy. The plot is built almost exclusively around well-known noir/gangster movie cliches (intentionally so), however Remedy managed to pull me in despite pooling seemingly contrasting parts (Italian mobsters, femme fatales and crooked cops paired up with government conspiracies, super soldiers, satanists and secret societies running the world from behind the scenes). I think it works primarily because the writers treat the character of Max Payne seriously. I don't mean that there's no humor in the story - or some famous breaking of the fourth wall, for that matter - but despite being a total cliche, a New York cop in too deep with the city's underbelly trying to avenge his loved ones, the writers obviously have tons of sympathy for him. I also can't help but smile looking at the amateurish comic book panels (especially knowing who the people in the photos are). Not unlike many B movies that the game tries to emulate, the low budget feel adds a lot of charm to the experience. There are some obvious weak spots - the most glaring ones being the 'platforming' sections during Max's nightmarish flashbacks - but they don't spoil the fun for too long. Oh, and this is by far the hardest Max Payne game on the default difficulty level - however I see it as an advantage, where the feeling of being outnumbered enriches the immersion and having to use Max's one exceptional ability forces the player to strategize, even if it meant replaying the same room a number of times to finally get it right.