Max Payne (PC) review "The overwhelming shadow of a city - rotting with disease - presses in around you. The neon lights and chittering rats mock you knowingly. The streets are lined with graffiti, trash, and needles. There are more dumpsters than trees. Your fellow denizens are not friends, at least not to you, and usually not even to each other. They're okay with you, though, it makes exterminating them easier on your conscious. "

The overwhelming shadow of a city - rotting with disease - presses in around you. The neon lights and chittering rats mock you knowingly. The streets are lined with graffiti, trash, and needles. There are more dumpsters than trees. Your fellow denizens are not friends, at least not to you, and usually not even to each other. They're okay with you, though, it makes exterminating them easier on your conscious.

Some might not blame the junkies for what they do. The drug, Valkyr, takes control of their minds and bodies; getting a fix is more important than doing what is right or wrong. But at some point they made the choice. At some point they made the wrong choice. Coming into your home and murdering your family was a very, very wrong choice.

Three years later you have moved on to become an undercover operative for the DEA. The pay is crap, but you never really got in for the pay, did you? Working as a beat cop in Hell's Kitchen wasn't exactly paying the bills, anyway. Besides, a chance to get back at the mafioso that saturated the city with Valkyr is more important.

The irony of your own addiction to pain killers is furthest from your mind. Your DEA contact Alex was just killed, like everyone else you were ever close to. As your only link to the DEA and your other life, you are now the primary suspect.

You will need to do some detective work on your own. You've been undercover in the Punchinello family for awhile now anyway, might as well pay them a visit to find out what's going on.

Maybe you'll even find out what happened three years ago.

It's a safe bet they know you're coming. Too bad they don't know what you're capable of, and what you'll be packing.

You have pistols, uzis, shotguns, grenades, Molotov cocktails, a sniper rifle, and even a baseball bat at your disposal. Rambo didn't pack this much hardware, but then again, he didn't need it. In fact, the only thing holding you back from riddling the entire city with bullets is a lack thereof.

When the situation gets heated, and the bullets start flying, your heart starts pumping. You brain speeds up, and the world around you slows down. You can take your time, adjust your aim, and be sure that whatever scumbag you're on is taken down.

Of course, despite the hardware, despite your training and yes, even your anger, taking on a city of Valkyr junkies and the mob is not going to be easy. In fact, it will easily be the most difficult thing you will ever do. If you fail, though; if you fail your wife and daughter will have died for nothing.

Something wicked this way comes. You.

Community review by Bozanimal (November 17, 2007) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.