2 Decades ago, GUN felt like the pinnacle of gaming in the wild west. I first played it on PS2 after my dad rented it from a video store (remember those? Yeah, crazy). Coming off Red Dead Revolver, this game felt like an upgrade! A fully realized Wild West open world that captured the spirit of what it was like to live in the West. For a kid in the mid 2000s, it was like stepping into a world I’d only seen in Westerns movies. At the time, it truly felt like gaming couldn’t get any better.

Now, 20 years later, I revisited GUN on Steam to see if it held up to my nostalgia. While it’s still a blast, it’s not quite the masterpiece I remembered. The gameplay is tight and enjoyable, with a solid mix of story missions & side quests. However, what felt like an epic, sprawling adventure as a kid which felt like hours on end, now clocked in at just around five hours give or take to make it from beginning to end. That's even with a good chunk of side content completed. Funny how weak reflexes and boundless imagination through the open world playground can stretch out a game’s runtime so I thought lol.

Gameplay is solid and the guns are very fun to use from Dual Revolvers, Double Barrel Shotguns and can't forget the rifles and bows. Every gun felt like it had purpose and was a blast to use when I wanted to mix it up a bit.

As I kid I honestly had no idea that this game had Hollywood actors till the credits rolled around. I had a feeling that these voices sound familar and they were! We are talking about Thomas Jane, Lance Henriksen, Kris Kristofferson just to name a few. Their precense in game always was great to hear especially the villians as they felt over the top and I really enjoyed their dialogue.

Despite its brevity and imperfections, GUN still holds a special place in my heart. It was a landmark in my opinion for the open world Western genre but now over shadowed by Red Dead Redemption, and you can see its influence when the game came out. If you want a compact, action-packed cowboy experience, GUN is worth saddling up for and get it working on PC. Its certainly easy to run on modern hardware but it does run at 30FPS but there are way to get it higher but the game animations might be locked at certain FPS.

Maximum Payne and Action in a New York Minute! 😈🌃

Max Payne is a game that I believe stands the test of time, a great action game followed by its atmosphere in both Location and Characters. But like any classic game on Steam or PC, it’s got its issues, Which is getting the game to run in 2024 and Beyond! Thanks to the Max Payne 1 Complete FixPack - 2023 Edition (Which you can find a guide on Steam), the game ran flawlessly on Windows 11, with no issues whatsoever! It even fixes the notorious sound problems that often plagues this title for some reason. Very simple as modifications should go.

Going back to the game, Max Payne nails its tone. I was immediately drawn in by the comic book cutscenes! It works as part of its game’s identity and shows how carefully crafted each panel is. Every line of hard-boiled dialogue pulls you deeper into Max’s world, it often feels like a movie which I think puts it WAY ahead of its time. The story is delivered with a sharp edge that makes it hard not to get sucked in based on the tragic tale of Mr.Payne.

Gameplay wise, Max Payne delivers albeit some frustrating experiences. One of the best things is "Bullet Time". One of the best mechanics in all of gaming. This one mechanic that truly sets it apart for its time and how many developers feel inspired years after it came out. There’s nothing quite like diving in slow motion, guns blazing with a Shotgun, Dual Pistols or an AR, dealing a slow mo headshot or taking our a group of Grunts. It’s a mechanic that not only feels incredible but also serves as a perfect reflection of Max’s emotions as he is hard boiled and nothing can stand in his way. Every firefight becomes a cinematic spectacle which I really enjoyed from start to finish. There maybe times where the gameplay feels repetitive but as you progress the game adapts to your success or failure from its adaptive difficulty.

One of the slight frustrations I had with the game was a nasty habit of spawning grunts right around the corner or in a blind spot to where the camera can't even reach it ready to blow you away before you even have a chance to react. Once you die you have to start off to where the last save was which is usually the beginning of the level. These cheap shots can feel downright unfair and creates a fear of quick saving every time you finish a gunfight. It’s a bit of a love hate relationship; you appreciate the challenge, but those moments where you get blindsided can be downright frustrating. So player beware!

Overall, Max Payne is a game that delivers a very noire, high octane, action adventure game even if it stumbles occasionally along the way with repeated gameplay and frustrating blind side cheap shots. The story, the atmosphere, and the magnificent "Bullet Time" make it a game worth revisiting or even playing for a first time, especially with the modern fixes in place from fans that love the game.