Max Payne delighted and surprised many gamers and critics alike when it was released back in 2001 for the PC with its blend of solid 3rd-person shooting and gritty noir-style presentation. The introduction of Bullet Time--which allowed players to slow time to a crawl while dodging and returning enemy fire--was brand new, and quite a huge deal at the time. Comic book-style cut-scenes and some appropriately melodramatic voice-over narration blended with the revenge-themed story to create an experience brimming with as much style as gunplay.

Today we add 2001's classic third-person shooter, Max Payne, to our growing list of video game classics, presented by MobyGames.com.

Read more: Stop! Bullet time! »

Duke Nukem Forever is both a victim and a benefactor of its own notoriety. Stripped of its bawdy humor and fame, it's a bland, forgettable shooter, devoid of any outstanding qualities, and utterly unremarkable. By any other name, this game wouldn't even register as a blip on gamers' collective radar. While fourteen years of anticipation may force its mediocrity under a microscope, it's also the only reason anyone is talking about it.

Try as I might, it's impossible to enter a game with so much legacy behind it without some expectations. As a child of the 80s, I grew up with Duke Nukem. I expected that, while the humor might fall flat, the underlying shooter would hold its own. How wrong I was. Just as the character remains true to the archetypes of old action flicks, the gameplay shows its age through-and-through -- mostly to its detriment. Read more »