What are you going to do while waiting for Max Payne 3‘s release on May 15? Well, there’s a new Max Payne game out today, but it’s for the iOS platform. So if you have an iPhone, iPad, iTouch, iWhatever, you’re in luck for some of that bullet time, graphic novel-esque experience on the go.
Although Rockstar has optimised the game to fit the iOS platform, the dual stick controls work just as awkwardly as they do in the many other shooting games in the App store. It feels weird to switch between running forward and simultaneously adjusting to turn left and right, and then to react to shoot down newly encountered enemies. Fortunately auto-aim helps to not have to aim perfectly for each shot, but some of that precision gets lost when bullet time is activated.
Still, it’s hard to resist the urge to use bullet time every moment you’re confronted with several enemies at a time. Max can tumble forward in slow motion, or evade to the side just like you’re likely familiar with in the console and PC franchise. He can rotate directions mid-time-freeze, as well. This comes in handy when you’re surrounded by goons. It’s easy to get the hang of using bullet time to kill enemies easily and compensate for the weird controls.
The graphic-novel inspired cinematic experience is well replicated in the iOS game, too. Though the graphics are certainly nowhere near as impressive as they can be on the console or PC, the writing is solid and still feels like a Rockstar, Max Payne game. Even the UI tries to emulate the console experience, and it does so fairly well.
Besides during the uncomfortable control style that seems to plague so many iOS games, you’ll be reminded again that you’re not playing a console/PC title when you see the characters up close. Their blocky faces are strangely realistic in detail, but the overal composition is laughable (in a light hearted way).
If you’re feeling lonely from lack of Max, you should definitely consider picking up the bite-sized experience on iTunes, available as of today.
Max Payne Mobile [$2.99, iTunes]
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