Introduction: Rockstar are pretty new to the GBA with only this and the rather excellent Duke Nukem Advance currently in its handheld catalogue. That's not to say that they are new to the console market though and millions of gamers throughout the world have stared at their logo on the record breaking Grand Theft Auto series. In addition there's the Max Payne, which had a sequel released on PS2 and PC only a few months ago. Though it all sounds very familiar the story of a renegade cop attempting to clear his name became an instant classic arguably because of one gaming aspect: bullet time. Brought to world attention in the Matrix series of movies Max Payne was the first console game to enable this manipulation of time giving you the edge, and extra time, to shoot your enemies. This at least was case on the PC and console versions but can the same be achieved on the humble GBA?

GamePlay: At its core Max Payne is a full on shooting affair with a few puzzles to appease gamers who prefer a little thought with their carnage. The weapons are the game?s main selling point as you have a huge arsenal of firepower at your disposal although you'll only ever have a limited amount of ammo. This is where your first application of strategy comes in because, not only is charging into a room guns a blazin' not recommended, but you're also likely to run out of bullets very quickly. There's also the challenge of discovering which weapons are best in a given situation so whilst a machine gun is a very quick fire solution, a shotgun is far more powerful but does take longer in-between loads leaving you very vulnerable. The Max Payne engine allows most objects to be destroyed and while this can be a problem at times it can also prove useful, for instance, if a group of henchman are in the same area as drum of fuel. The same can be said of motion sensor mines though you're likely to set these off on a number of occasions considerably damaging yourself before they become useful.

Clearly with all this shooting going on you're likely to take a few hits but these can be rectified with the painkillers that are seemingly everywhere. A simple press of the 'select' button will bring a sense of relief to your weary body. This works well early on as the painkillers and other bonus items are easy to locate but by level six you'll quickly discover that they really could be anywhere and usually are. The puzzle aspects are quite subtle on the whole and while most seem to involve flipping switches you'll also encounter some problems that at first appear impassable. A room that you?ve been in before can sometimes trigger these but backtracking tends to alert more henchmen. Max Payne is split up into 12 chapters over three parts and, though the automatic save feature can occasionally seem a little unfair to the gamer, Mobius appear to have the level lengths just right making the whole experience entertaining as opposed to frustrating. You could argue that the game is a little short but thankfully completion opens up other, more challenging modes generating at least some replay value in this little cart.

Control: Clearly because of the fast paced action the control system has to be simple, intuitive and responsive. Fortunately it is but you'll still occasionally find yourself stranded in the centre of a room with no ammo left and being shot to pieces as a result. Aiming is generally automatic although you will have to be facing in the right direction. This does highlight one of the game?s minor flaws, which can best be described as off screen action. The problem is that even though enemies have yet to come into frame they can still fire at you and so deplete your health. This does seem a little unfair and the only way to really overcome this is to predict or simply remember where certain enemies will be in any situation. It's only a minor quibble but can be very annoying. Finally there is the bullet time and pressing the shoulder button instantly activates this very useful feature. You only have a limited amount though and must refill your gauge by shooting more enemies. The joy of having that one-upmanship when this is in motion is difficult to explain.

Graphics: The gaming engine has been 'borrowed' from the long awaited Sound of Thunder game and it's arguably this, which is at the heart of Max Payne and its fast moving gameplay. This is mainly due to the isometric environment with pre-rendered backgrounds populated by 3D objects generated in real time. Put simply this allows for a multiple enemies to be on screen at once with absolutely no slow down in the action even when special effects are thrown into the equation. In addition the developers have included wonderful cut screens that push the story along nicely. Anyone who's already seen these will bear testament to the fact that FMV sequences are not always the best way to go.

Sound & Music: When we first received the press release stating that the final game was to feature some thirty minutes of spoken dialogue it seemed a little ambitious especially as pushing up this price of the cart to feature this seemed impractical. Thankfully though Developers Mobius have lived up to their promise and the crisp and clear audio adds a greatly to the game?s overall atmosphere. It is accompanied by some equally moody music, incidental audio and, of course, weapons sound effects.

Final Comments: I have to say that because I'd already played the PC version the mere mention of a handheld version of Max Payne sent alarm bells ringing as anyone who sampled the first Medal of Honor effort on the GBA will know. The reality is something quite different though and this game really does have everything for the action adventure fan. Probably the most remarkable thing about this miniature version of Max Payne is that the developers have managed to catch the essence of the PC original proving that 3D is not always the way to go. It does have its problems and is a little too short but it is still incredibly satisfying when you're mowing down hundreds of determined henchmen. This is the second excellent GBA title that Rockstar have unleashed upon the gaming public and if this is the shape of things to come then the planned conversion of Grand Theft Auto is looking very promising indeed.

Pro: Great Atmosphere with Impressive Audio
Con: A Little Too Short
Final Score:9.4

Reviewed by: Andrew Blanchard