When the original Max Payne came out on PC, it was not only the most graphically impressive game at the time of it's release, capturing the spirit of Film Noir and Hong Kong action films like that of John Woo's, it introduced and perfected what is now known as bullet-time gameplay, something not even the Matrix games could get right. So when the game came to the Gameboy Advance, expectations were low, since the thought of playing something like Max Payne on a Gameboy seemed like a terrible idea. Taking that into consideration, the GBA port of the game does a fairly faithful job and embraces what the system was capable of.
To compensate for the lack of controls and fluidity of what was capable on the PC, this port introduced lives and put each chapter into sections, allowing the player to play small chunks of the game without having to really worry about not having to save every 2 minutes and gives the game room if you happen to accidentally die. One of the first things you will notice when you start the game is that it pretty much has all of the voice acting and storyboard like cut scenes intact (minus the parts left out that weren't really necessary for this port), not only giving this version of the game the fully fleshed out story of the other versions, but adds some atmosphere to the game as well. Although, the fact it loops the same one or two songs over and over again during the gameplay portions does get a little annoying.
The game itself is viewed from an isometric perspective, allowing to character to move in 3D, being able to jump and dive in any direction. This works well with the scheme of the Gameboy Advance, although it takes some time to get used to it since the isometric view can be a little confusing at first, with a few a few spots in the game where you have to die a few times before perfecting that part of the level. The controls take some getting used to because up takes the character diagonally up and right, down takes him diagonally down and to the left.
The more interesting part of the gameplay is how the bullet time is handled. As you would expect, it slows down time so you can take down you enemies in a cinematic style. The translation the Gameboy also takes a little time to get used to, but when you get used to it, bullet time can feel as satisfying as the PC version, only on a smaller scale. As a Gameboy game, the game looks fantastic. Everything in the surroundings, all of the weapons and items and all of the characters are easily recognizable as who they should be. The characters in the game are polygonal, making them easily distinguishable from the backgrounds. The game even allows bullet holes and blood splatter to be sprayed across the environment of the game, adding that little bit of extra detail.
While the game is 5 to 8 hours long, that is to be expected. Any longer and this version of Max Payne might feel like it is dragging along. For those who want to play the game past the couple of hours needed for the single player, there are unlockable modes, such the New York Minute unlockable from the PC game, where you have to finish the levels of the game under the time limit. All around, this is a fantastic port of Max Payne, even if it doesn't quite encompass everything that made the PC version great. Also, as one of the few GBA games that is aimed at mature audiences, it is definitely worth checking out.
The Good:
+The game knows it can't replicate the whole experience and takes on an isometric view, making it feel appropriate for the platform it's on.
+It features nearly all of the comic style cutscenes and most of the voice acting, making it feel like the PC version
+The lives and save system make up for lack of save slots from the PC version.
+The levels can take damage, with bullet holes more often than not littering a room once clearing it of baddies.
The Bad:
-Some odd jumping puzzle layouts can lead to an easy death.
-Entering a room often means immediately getting shot by the bad guys.