Virtual Crack

I have never played a more addictive game than Max Payne 2. This game turned me into a junkie. Thankfully (unlike a real junkie) I got to the end of my addiction by feeding it, and it only took me three days. Since completing this game I no longer deem myself as "a gamer".

It's rather a nice paradox really that a game so good ended my love for games.

I believe what made this game so exhilarating and so addictive were two key features.

Firstly and as is the case with pretty much any game, most importantly the gameplay was outstanding. Yes one can't beat blasting every Tom, Dick and Harry with a vide variety of every firearm under then sun but that was in my eyes simply just a platform for the developers to make full use of something know as "bullet time'. Bullet time was simple. Once bullet time was engaged the action would slow, leaving the gamer time to fully line up the goones in their sights. It also looked very cool. Just like the slow-motion scenes in The Matrix.

The Max Payne series was released well after the first Matrix film so this game would've satisfied legions of gamers who wanted to "do all that cool slow-motion shooting like in The Matrix".

Secondly this game was one of the few games of its time that possessed a truly engaging story-line. With the whole series beginning with the death of Max's Family in mysterious circumstances resulting in the basis for the story-Max's quest for vengeance and answers- It felt like one was playing a film. The cut scenes that keep the story going are a series of graphic novel style drawings accompanied by a well scripted voice over. The whole affair feels like a modern film noir which funnily enough is the tag-line on the website!

http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne2/