Please note, this is a hands on experience review and not our final review of this product. Code of games played at the X01 event may not be final.

Max Payne, What can be said about Max Payne that's has not already been said, well I was fortunate enough to play and love the PC version of the game so when news reached us that this game was coming to Xbox I was naturally excited, not as excited as I was whilst at the Microsoft Europe X01 event when I learned that a playable version of the game was there too, this is a must and off I went tyo hunt out Max Payne playable for the first time on Xbox.

This is an exact replica of the original PC version of the game, in some ways it is slightly crisper and solid visually, This is most probably helped by the fixed hardware which the Xbox offers over the various configurations which are available to PC gamers.

Imagine this, Steven Segael (Hard to Kill) meats Bruce Willis (Butch, Pulp Fiction) and through in some classic Neo (Keanu Reeves, Matrix) moments and you start to get the idea of what lies within game, Max Payne! The game commences with Max, coming home from a day on the streets as a New York cop, on entry to his home he feels uncomfortable and realises something is wrong, very wrong. You work your way through your home only to find you worst fears. Your Wife and child has been the victim of a gangland execution.

You are now going undercover to infiltrate the New York mob and investigate the production of a new and deadly designer drug known as Valkyr. When his boss is gunned down before his very eyes during a routine bust, Max finally goes postal. You are pursued by both the NYPD and the Mob as you struggle to uncover the answers behind the Valkyr conspiracy, which oddly mingle in with your own, troubled past. Max Payne is 3rd Person Shooter, and shooter it is, this is an all out action game with few and far between times to catch your breath, the game also features an all new (matrix style) Bullet Time mode. (Bullet Time mode is when on activation the game slows to a matrix style pace 'slow modeö enabling Max to manoeuvre and get off those vital shots) 'Believe me your gonna need it!!!ö.

Although only a relatively short time at X01 was spent playing Max Payne it is very clear that none of the original tension has been lost in the transition to the Xbox, I still had an uncontrollable urge to gun down anything that moved (including street drunks and bums) in my quest for justice, nothing including the superb voices, which fit each character so elegantly, appears to have been lost in this port to Xbox and I for one loved every second gunning down those bad guys again!

The camera is generally spot on and although from time to time this is not the case but is easily rectified with the centre camera option, also name any game where the camera is 100% accurate? The controls I found initially a little difficult to master especially as I happen to have about 30 hours prior to this been playing the PC version although after a short time this became second nature and the game flowed very nicely.

Remedy Entertainment have delivered to the PC and now the Xbox a generally amazing fine single player FPS experience, the game has a strong story and some of the finest gun totin' gameplay you will witness on the Xbox for some time. This is simply a must for Xbox FPS shooter fans. If you have Halo and are looking to bolster your FPS Xbox collection Max Payne is a must have!!!