PLAYING MAX PAYNE

New York Minute

After you play through Max Payne once, the "Hard-Boiled" difficulty level and the "New York Minute" game mode are unlocked.

In New York Minute the goal is to complete the levels as quickly as possible. Shooting enemies will give you additional time and the total time is printed upon completion of Part I, Part II and Part III.

The time printed is the net play time, excluding in-game cinematics, graphic novels, loading levels, saving the game and loading saved games.

Try to beat Remedy's par times!

Game Play FAQ

Is everyone out to get me - should I just blaze away?
The game world will have passive characters, which do not react to Max Payne in a hostile manner. These are usually poor souls on a V fix. V-heads can go off without a warning and shooting or engaging them in combat will result in them firing back. Max will also require the help of some characters in the game, shooting them (or otherwise getting them killed) will make completion of the mission impossible.

Other than the thugs out to get me, should I watch out for anything else?
Max will take damage and die if he encounters real world hazards such as deep water, flames or molten steel. Max Payne will also suffer pain if he is in the proximity of explosions etc. Walls and other obstacles will provide cover for Max.

Can Max jump down from high places?
If Max falls from a high location, he will be injured and if the drop is high enough he may die.

I shot several shots at this enemy but he would not go down. What's happening?
Weapons have different characteristics. Some offer a better rate of fire and more damage. Remember the accuracy of weapons at a distance may vary greatly. Your selection of weapon for an encounter is an important one. Each enemy has his own stamina, some can just take more punches than others. Also shooting at enemy's critical areas will cause more damage than shooting his feet

Why can this one enemy take such a beating when others can be dealt with less of an effort?
Within the game Max will encounter enemies with different levels of training, stamina and behaviors. Some are tougher than others and some will be down right nasty to deal with.

I have selected select best weapon from the game options menu -will this work best in all areas?
It selects the generally most lethal weapon at your disposal. The best weapon selection does not take into account the particular situation and does not select throwable weapons at all. You may choose different weapons to spare certain ammo or to use more accurate weapons if taking shots from a distance. If you feel that best weapon option does not suit your playing style deselect this from the game options menu.

Why did Max Payne not pick up the ammo?
For each weapon there is a specific amount of ammo that Max can carry. Once this is reached he cannot collect any more of that ammo until some has been dispensed. Reload the weapon if you have a half empty clip - this way you may be able to pick up the full amount of ammo.

What items can Max use?
You will need to use several items in the game to progress and complete your objectives e.g. levers, cranes, computers etc. This will often be highlighted with the exclamation mark or you will need to figure out a way to progress further.

OK. With the default configuration I always have to stand still (for a fraction of a second) to activate Bullet Time. Is this necessary?
If you want to, you can configure Bullet Time Toggle key somewhere close to your movement keys. Bullet Time Toggle is a separate key that allows you just to toggle Bullet Time on and off, while moving. The default Bullet Time key functionality remains the same, even if you configure the Toggle key somewhere.

I did well before but things are getting tougher, what's happening?
Some parts of the game might be trickier for other gamers but the self-adjusting skill level has probably evaluated your performance and the level of difficulty has been suited to match your abilities. Remember, this also works the other way round, if you had problems completing a level the game will ease up a bit and give you a little more slack.

I am playing well in the New York Minute scenario but I just can't complete the level - why?
What you need to do is to modify your tactics; some routes of progress may be faster than others yet you might want to encounter combat to get that extra time. Also your combat tactics should be aimed at quick resolution (even at the cost of the pain meter going up) to gain the maximum benefit. All the maps can be completed. Think before you act, but think fast!

Max Payne Mods

Additional Options

Command Line Options
Max Payne has a few command line options that can be used in specific circumstances:

-nodialog: Skips the Max Payne startup dialog when loading the game.

-skipstartup: Skips the startup animation.

-screenshot: Enables the F10 key for taking screen shots. Screen shots are saved to "screenshots" folder under your Max Payne installation folder.

-disable3dpreloads: If the system runs out of texture memory while loading a level, this option may prevent the game from crashing due to a driver error.

-window: Runs the game in a windowed mode, in the resolution selected from the Max Payne launch dialog. All 3d accelerators do not support running in a windowed mode.

Command line options can be enabled by adding them to the Max Payne shortcut after the executable, for example "C:\Program Files\Remedy\Max Payne\MaxPayne.exe" -screenshot

Parental Lock
Max Payne contains graphic violence and other content not suitable for younger and more sensitive gamers. Max Payne includes a "Parental Lock" option that removes all mature content such as blood and controversial language. The Graphic Novels are also disabled with the Parental Lock.

Parental Lock can be enabled from the startup menu by entering a password. Parental lock can be removed only with this password.