Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

For me, on a personal level, I knew right from the off this game would never beat Remedy's first two attempts.

It's development left a lot of the fans very worried about where the game was going. It's been nearly a decade since Max last showed his face in the game world, and slo-mo has long since become boring, over-used and basically a been there done that.
That and the fact it had some delays...a fat, bald Max in a very generic (these day's) playground, with the most important element of the series -the noir- taking a back seat, the game was left with much to be desired.

However, it seems, while the game is very different from the other two games, it is still a very thrilling ride throughout.

Some years after the events of MP 2, Max finds himself in Brazil with old friend Passos, drunk, hooked on painkillers and fighting the urge not to think about his family. He quit the force and is now a bodyguard.

While attending a private party of his boss, Rodrigo Branco, a rebel force ambush the building trying to take Rodrigo Branco and his wife; alas, the rebels fail, but Max is left thinking on the purpose of the act. A second attempt is made and this time they succeed.
I won't tell anymore of the story, as you'll want to enjoy it for yourself, but suffice it to say it is a thrilling ride.
Watching Max even deeper in the gutter is an emotional one, but one that brings you closer to him and the grief he's had over the years.

The locations in the game aren't monotonous, and you'll find yourself in all kinds of locations: rain forests, urban cities, buildings, New Jersey -loads of places to keep the eyes interested.
Weapons are of the plenty, and there are some great execution kills in the game, and even more cinematic killing cam moments, that make it all look Woo-tastic.

The multiplayer is also pretty damn good, too.

So that said, the game must be near perfect? To people that have never played MP before, yes I'd probably say it's one of the finest crafted action games ever made.
If your a hardcore fan of the originals, it is a fine crafted game, yes, but you'll have a few niggles to poke at, and here are mine:

The loss of Noir. Yes, James McCaffrey does a stella job of creating a thick, gritty atmosphere, but there really is a huge gap missing from this game -that if it wasn't for James McCaffrey's voice- you'd be wondering if you're playing Max Payne at all.

The change in developer has also left the game feeling very... GTA.... And there is nothing wrong with GTA games, but in recent years Rockstar games are all starting to look and feel the same. There is a hint of the clumsy gameplay that GTA has in this game. And with a colossal game like GTA you can forgive the odd rag doll physics and its other niggles. In a game like this it should feel like its predecessors -tight and in fluid motion. Many times I was killed in some unfair manner which always lead me to go "that's the sort of horse sh*t you get in GTA".

Max seems to say the f-bomb an awful lot this time out, too, with him also saying alot of other things you wouldn't imagine him saying. He seem's very out of character in some scenes.

These flaws of course, are just fanboy niggles. And shouldn't be taken away from the game at hand. In it's own right it is a damn fine game. One that is a GOTY in my eye's. But when this game is put up against the other two, the game really is very different to the MP fans loved so much. The flashbacks to the past are brilliant, and break up the story well, but there is all to few of these.

Overall:

The game is stunning. Technically jaw-dropping. Story telling is gripping. Soundtrack is epic. And as a package it's hard to find an action game as thrilling. But like I say, if your a hardcore fan, your bound to find some little niggles like I did.

I miss the Max of old, but if this is the final product of a game evolving with the times, I can't complain can I?

Graphics -10
Sound- 10
Gameplay- 9
Value/lifespan- 9