I am no gamer as such. I am not into games really. But there was a time I was hooked to it! Back in the days of class 9, I was playing Age of Empires and later, Max Payne. Mainly these two kept me occupied. That apart, I also played the many demo games that came on CHIP magazine (now Digit) CDs. I also took generous doses of Fifa, Tropico and another RTS (real time strategy) game, not much heard of, called Zeus – The Master of Olympus.

The Payne Shot

Out of all these games, I loved playing Max Payne the most. Max Payne, arguably the best game of 2001, was a whole new FPS (first person shooter) experience where the environment not only looked real but also acted real, where it was not just about shooting but about getting involved with the story. 3 years in the making, Max Payne boasted of great graphics, superb music, bullet-time slow motion, cinema sequences (inspired by John Woo) and noir storytelling.

Overdose of Painkillers & Ammo!

Though I used to be a casual gamer and never a die-hard one, yet all the gaming hours took a heavy toll on my studies (with me sliding from 1st rank in first term to 4th rank in final term in class 9, and Maths score dwindling from 97 to a paltry 71), enough to make my parents alarmed! I had to get rid of games then. Afterwards, I lost interest in games whatsoever.

The Fall of Max Payne

Once again, I was tempted to return to game mode when I heard the release of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. Unfortunately, the desktop at home was replaced by that time and the new one had no graphics card and Max Payne 2 was quite demanding on the system requirements. Had to put my plans on hold for the time being. As soon as I got a laptop (in 2007) which is loaded with a decent ATI graphics card, I decided to complete my unfinished mission! So here I was, once again chasing down thugs in the streets of New York on a harsh winter night – enter Max Payne 2! It sure was a hugely satisfying gaming experience with all the greatness Max Payne is about. (It was somewhat easy gameplay though and less challenging than MP 1 in some way). After finishing the game, I wished it had never ended! My heart was heavy after the tragic ending and what better end credits track could it have been, to capture the mood, than the Late Goodbye by Poets of the Fall. It’s a fantastic track that I loved so much. I listened to it over and over again and learned the lyrics by heart. Soon my interest grew in POTF.

Poets of the Fall

This alt rock band from Finland shot to success after their single Late Goodbye of Max Payne fame (reaching millions of Max Payne fans) became a huge hit. Another single Lift featured in the popular benchmarking software 3D Mark 05. Soon came out 2 albums in succession – Signs of Life (2005) and Carnivals of Rust (2006) both of which hit platinum sales figures in Finland. One can get their songs from the all new POTF online shop or from iTunes. Last year, they released their third album Revolution Roulette. This one, I am afraid ain’t as good as their previous two albums. Okay, it does have some good songs. But has been a major disappointment overall. It just failed to live up to the expectations. Hope the poets will rock in their 4th album.