Chapter 1: Something rotten in the air
The story begins with Max in a rich party thrown by Rodrigo Branco, one of the richest mogul of Sao Polo. Max is actually working with his friend Raul Passos in assuring the Bronco family a full protection. The cinematic introduces you to every family member: Rodrigo, Marcelo and Victor Bronco along with Rodrigo's wife, Fabiana. But soon enough, the party crashes as some armed man bursts from the elevator, shooting their way and kidnapping both Fabiana and Rodrigo. You learn that these masked men are part of the Comando Sombra. A high pursuit leads Max all the way to the building's parking where Max finally rescues Rodrigo. Let's say that this Chapter introduces you to some techniques very usefull in Max Payne
Chapter 2: Nothing but the second best
A couple of days later, Max accompanies Fabiana, Giovanna (Fabiana's Sister) and Marcelo to a high private electro club in downtown Sao Polo. But unfortunately, they were all unaware that the Commando Sombra would strike again. As they strike, Max runs towards a window and pushes a bad guy off the window, leading to an automatic bullet time shootdodge where you can clear all the guys in the rom. Unfortunately, the commando Sombra are able to kidnap Fabiana and her sister. Then, it's a whole shoot and run across the Main Floor, VIP lounge, orbitas lounge and so on to chase them. Then, you arrive to a point where they go up to the helipad. The cinematic goes on where you get in your helicopter and Giovanna manages to break lose from their kidnappers. When the controls are back to the player, you have to shoot your way with a rifle to protect Giovanna while she runs from her ennemies. After this chasing episode, you get back on the floor and make your way to find Giovanna. When that's done, a cinematic where Passos arrives with Marcelo gets on and shortly after, you can see Max mixing painkillers and alcohol like he uses to do.
Chapter 3: Just another day at the office
The day after the club incident, you end up at the Bronco family's office where the group look at a 3 million dollars randsom for Fabiana's safe return (as she got kidnaped in Chapter 2). Max, though he knows nothing about kidnapping and randsom, accepts to do the job with Passos. There's a cinematic where you land into Sao Polo's soccer stadium and where you do the exchange with the Commando Sombra. But soon enough (again), all turns wrong for Max as sniper rifle gunshots ring, one of them seriously injuring Max to the arm. As you escape the sniper's angles, Passos and Max walk into the stadium, despite to find a first aid kit. They arrive at the team's medical center where PAssos heals Max's wound. Next, you make your way through a sevral amount of rooms and you finally end up in the stadium's gift shop. Ennemies come and shoot and you learned shortly after in a cinematic that the guys attacking them are seriously financed. Mainly, you fight your way through lots of places again and you finally end up covering Passos as he has to get out of his cover as ennemies are rushing towards him. After protecting Passos, there's a cinematic where you see the guy with the money get shot by the well financed guys. But before, you learn that Fabiana is being held at the old docks on the Tiete River. Finally, you manage to battle your way through to your helicopter, where the cinematic leads to Chapter 4, Max's meet with Passos.
Chapter 4: Anyone can buy me a drink
This flashback opens with Max siting in a New-Jersey bar, drinking. A trio, led by Tony De Marco (son of the local mob boss) and threatnens Max. Soon enough, Raul Passos ends up the haressment and when the trio is out, Raul Passos introduces himself as being one of Max's classmate back in the academy. He tries to recruit Max into a protection job for his Brazilian "firm". But suddently, Tony comes back in and after a short moment, Max shoots Tony, leading the situation out of control. So you end up fighting your way to Max's appartment but Max now realises that he became Anthony DeMarco's new target. So again, you fight your way against DeMarco's ennemies up to the rooftops. And then, you end up in a chop shop, killing more and more ennemies! The chapter ends up in the backyard guntlet where Passos asks Max again if he wants a job. The flashback ends, leading us to the 5th chapter.
Chapter 5: Alive if not exactly well
When the flashback ends, you end up in a boat with Passos, driving to the old river harbor, where Fabiana is held captive. Nothing really happens on this chapter except the fact you battle your way once again to find Fabiana. You actually find her but they end up escaping once again, on boats. So the Pier Walkways end up blowing up and you end up chasing them on the river. Unfortunately, they manages to escape for good again as your boat is scraped by the boat pursuit and you depretely watch Serrano (comando sombra's chef) drive off.
Chapter 6: A dame, A Dork and a Drunk
Shortly after the river incident, Max ends up being in Rodrigo's office along with Rodrigo, Victor, Marcelo, UFE commander Becker, Passos and Max. After the breifing, Max stays with Rodrigo and talks with him but suddently, heavy armed invade the complex and the million dollar security system of the building fails to work. The only way to make it restart is to reboot the system on the server room. So Max protects the IT guy all the way to the server room, where he manages to reboot the system. Shortly after, he tells Rodrigo to lock himself in his office. After another battle, Max heads out to Rodrigo's office, only to find him dead, a single bullet shot in the head... A proffessionel job. More, there's a missing security tape missing. And as Max looks at a Fabiana photo and drops it, he discovers a bomb wired under Rodrigo's desk. Max manages to escape the multi-million dollar burning building. As he leads out, he finds a dying soldier who tells him that Fabiana is located up the hill and that the Crachà Preto soldiers were coming after him to try to kill him. The chapter ends with Max shaving his head and decided to become sober.
Chapter 7: A Hangover Sent Directly From Mother Nature
Max is now in Nova Esperança and he's going after Fabiana who is "up the hill". Before he does so, he calls Marcelo and Victor to let them know about the situation. Lost, Max tries to desperitely find his way as he really doesn't know where he is. He then crosses a kid who "guides" him to a live party going on on a basketball field. An armed trio of mug takes him in a corner, harass him and throws him off in a sewer ditch. Max then enters a bar and meets a cop, William Da Silva (you know the one in the smoking in the first chapter?) who talks that the Branco situation was a setup. Da Silva then opens a file where he points Commando Sombra's leader Serrano, the head of Cracà Preto head Neves as well as Milo Rego. Those two last men seems pretty familiar to Max. Finally, Da Silva suggests that Victor Bronco is somehow involved in all this but that he doesn't know why or how. Then, there's a massive battle all across Nova Esperança's favela (lower, middle and upper). Once Max reaches the upper favela, he reaches Serrano's hilltop and finds Fabiana but unfortunately, Giovanna and Marcelo are now being in hostage. Unfortunately, Max's efforts to save Fabiana are in vain as one of the Commando Sombra kills Fabiana. The chapter ends by the commando Sombra yelling about the UFE and while one of them stays with a gun pointed towards Max, there's another flashback to New Jersey that leads to the next chapter.
Chapter 8: Ain't no Reprievement gonna be found otherwise
As Max stands next to his passed away wife and baby's grave in New-Jersey and talks about the "Mona buisness". Like Michelle and now Fabiana, she was one among the others he couldn't had protected enough. But before he could do anything, three men comes up to him and confronts him. Max tries to make his way throught the cemetary as Ennemies tries to kill him and Passos. All this shooting brings him up to a cupola where there's a sniper. After defeating him, he enters the cupola but is soon trapped by Anthony DeMarco's men. A cinematic then comes up where you can hear and see Anthony whine about his only son's death and then forces Max to dig his own grave. But Max succeeds in espaing the graveyard, pushes on to the Morgue, gets in the chapel while another whole lot of ennemies get through his way. Max finally reaches the top of the chapel witrh Passos, where he makes a call to get out of New-Jersey, which leads us to chapter 9 and out of his flashback.
Chapter 9: Here I was again, half way down the world
This chapter is probably one of the most short and brutal chapter in Max Payne. The flashback ends and you can see in the cinematic that the thug assinged to kill Max is fearing all the gunshots, explosions and helicopters ringing outside. Max distabilases him, knocks him and escapes. This chapter is mainly a shoot and kill every Commando of the UFE that you see and try to escape the favela. Along the way, you see the UFE taking Marcelo and Giovanna. After escaping the favela, Max watches the Cracà Pato making a human exchange with the UFE death squat cop. He then decides to follow Milo Rego and this leads Max in finding both Marcelo and Giovanna. Unfortanutely, Milo sets Marcelo on fire and trhen an animated cinematic goes on where you press buttons to kill Milo Rego.