Tempted to try Max Payne for the PS2 or XBox? See if they measure up to the PC original.

by Lydia Von Richtofen

PLATFORM: XBOX/PS2

PUBLISHER: Rockstar

DEVELOPER: NEO/Remedy

GENRE: 3rd-person shooter

ESRB: Mature

If you haven't played the PC version of Max Payne yet, you have two more chances to discover what your missing; the revolutionary third-person action title has been ported to the Xbox and PS2.

Max Payne has became something of legend in the gaming industry, with a development time that stretched into years. When it was finally released, it surprised virtually everyone by being one of the best games of the year--a rarity for a title that's been in development for so long (think Daikatana). After a few months as a PC exclusive, the two leading next-gen consoles get a shot at the game.

Max on PS2

The gameplay for this third-person shooter remains largely unchanged from the original version. While most everyone will agree that the keyboard-mouse combo is the preferred control scheme, both console versions do an admirable job. They both use the now-standard FPS-style setup, where the left stick moves forward and back and strafes, while the right stick controls turning and looking, much like a mouse.

It's as good a setup as you're going to get on a console, but it lacks the natural response of a keyboard and mouse. Precise aiming is next to impossible, and the game needs to make up for this with very generous auto targeting. Shoot anywhere near a bad guy and you'll hit him. The PC version relied heavily on headshots, so you'll probably have to rely more on good old-fashioned strafing this time around.

Graphically, both versions are very similar to the original PC version. The Xbox version looks better than the PS2 version, but the differences are minimal. However, one area where there is a big difference is in the comic-style cut scenes.

In the Xbox version, the cutscenes are very similar to the PC ones. But in the PS2 version, the hand-lettered comic book look has been replaced with standard computer text. It's ugly, and we assume the PS2 version lacks the resolution to reproduce the original text. Too bad, it takes away from the graphic-novel-style presentation.

Another blow the PS2 version is the terrible framerate. Those who have seen the PC or Xbox versions will be appalled at the overt lack of smoothness. Fortunately, the Xbox Payne sports a silky smooth framerate, and we never encountered any noticeable slowdown.

Both versions, however, had to make some minor changes to the structure of the game. We assume it was for the purpose of load times. If you've never played the PC version, you wouldn't notice, but some of the choices are odd, to say the least.

In the subway level, for example, a whole section is left out. It wasn't an important part of the plot, but it's almost random removal was odd, to say the least. Some gates and doors are also moved around a bit, obviously to make way for loading new levels from the game disc.

Otherwise, there are both fairly decent ports of a great PC game. If you've got the PC version, stick with that one. If not, and you have an Xbox, it's still an enjoyable experience. The PS2 version is our third choice by far, and we would recommend it only as a last resort. However, Max Payne is such a great game, even the lackluster PS2 version lets the quality shine through.

SCORE: (PS2): 6.5
SCORE: (XBX): 8.5