Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

After nearly 10 years, Max Payne is back with its action packed, deep, noir narrative fans have been familiar with and it does not disappoint. Accompanied with an enticing single playing campaign and backed with fun multiplayer, Max Payne 3 delivers a truly great and memorable experience to those who play it.

The game follows Max Payne who now resides in Brazil in an attempt to escape his haunting past, and is taking on a private security job with a very influential and powerful man. His wife is kidnapped and it is up to Max to rescue her. What follows is a very deep, dark, and complex conspiracy that is bigger than he would have ever expected. Despite the change in setting and look; the noir feeling is definitely here and lives up to the franchise's legacy.

Gameplay

Max Payne 3 is a third person action game with some amazing set pieces, fluid gun play mechanics and animations, and detailed environments that combine to create an immersive experience. The controls are tight and smooth allowing you to pull off some pretty accurate shots as they matter a lot in this game. Some enemies are armored and only well placed shots can take them down. Running and gunning is simply a means of dying faster so it is imperative to take cover and choose your shots making the game more strategic.

Bullet time is essential. It slows the game down enough to allow you to more accurately place shots while under gunfire. This is an extremely important mechanic especially when you are surrounded by hordes of people or out in the open. Because it is more important than ever in this game, it can be a bit of a down side since you will be using it so much that you end up not having any when you need it. Learning to conserve it is important and can be a bit of a hassle when you do not know what to expect. You would have to know what is coming to really optimize the use of bullet-time.

Prepare to die a lot. This game follows the old school tradition of a lot of trial and error so the game can be a bit difficult at times. You have to die and study your environments to figure out the best ways to take your enemies out. However, some fire fights get pretty intense and with a checkpoint system that is not too forgiving; it can be quite cumbersome at times. Sometimes, you make it through a pretty hard firefight only to get killed in another one that is more difficult, you would have to start back at the first one and make your way back only to have been killed again until you can get it right. Despite this, the game does give you more painkillers if you die too much as a way to help you progress. Furthermore, sometimes you find yourself low on ammo and since you killed everyone from afar, you are forced to go out in the open to retrieve more and risk putting yourself in more danger. It would be nice to see more painkillers and ammo available.

As a new gameplay mechanic, taking cover is vital in surviving. Unlike other games, you cannot afford to take cover forever. The enemies are smart-they will find ways to flank you. And your cover can be destroyed if shot too many times. On top of that, your life does not regenerate so you cannot just hide until your life recovers. Your only choice is to clear the room. This gives the game a more fluid feel where you have to constantly move around as opposed to staying in spot and taking out enemies from there.

The game suffers from some bugs a bit of load issues. At times, the audio may die out or the game will freeze. Some glitches in character behavior are apparent as well. But they do not affect the game too much aside from the ones that require you to restart your game which can take you out of the game's pace. It is unfortunate that the game still has these problems after its release considering the amount of time the game has been in development.

The story is a bit more exaggerated in this game but the way it is told and how it plays out is well-executed and engrossing. It can really absorb you and become more like a movie than a video game particularly with some very impressive cinematic shootout moments. The gameplay mechanics is admirable but does not really do anything new. However, that does not stop this game from feeling very entertaining and interesting.

Gameplay: 8

Presentation

With breathtaking visuals and animation, this definitely stands out as one of the best looking games to date. The environments are nicely detailed which makes it great to look at especially in heat of gun fire with everything being destroyed. To cover a few, the levels vary from jungles to offices, all the way to urbanized slums. Each area is extremely detailed in what you can find and what you can destroy but can be easily overlooked if you just progress through the game. Each setting in the game is there for a reason as Max reflects on how they metaphorically reflect on his life or pertain to the theme of the game. In addition, the animation and movement from Max to how his enemies react to when shot at is beautifully rendered. You can literally feel the blow of each bullet hitting its target and the impact Max receives from pulling off dives and getting shot at.

Removed are the classic comic style dialogue scenes the series is known for. Instead, they are replaced with in game movie scenes rendered completely with the game's engine which may be a bit of a turn off. The movie scenes look good, but the character models can seem a bit stiff which is miniscule compared to what the game offers visually. The new movie scenes are a bit erratic and claustrophobic, which can take some time getting used to, but it fits well into Max's character and how lost and confused he feels. Not only that, they never actually take you out of the game as it transitions from a movie scene into actual gameplay seamlessly which works well.

Presentation: 10

Sound

The music fits the game well. It really immerses you into the game with a score that ranges from ominous vibes, despair, and adrenaline as you rush into battle. The voice acting is superb. James McCaffrey's portrayal of Max Payne is top-notch like those in the previous games. His sinister black humor, sarcasm, and monotone monologues make a return and are just as entertaining to listen to. The other characters in the game also match up with his performance. Each one matches their own interesting personas. Every character feels real and vivid. The voice acting and music mixes perfectly and is definitely one of the best.

Sound: 10

Value

The single player campaign is lengthy, clocking in about over 12 hours. And the story is still fun to play through after you beat it. There may be things you missed, or you can try out different tactics to get through tough fire fights. There is much do in the game after your first completion. There are unlockables, secrets, and in-game achievements you can collect as you play through the game. There is also a mode in which you have to beat certain chapters within a limited amount of time. On top of that, there is multiplayer. There are plenty of modes to keep you busy. Aside from the standard deathmatch and team deathmatch modes, there are Last Man Standing and Gang Wars which adds a bit of Max Payne feeling to the multiplayer. One mode has you and a player playing as Max and his partner Passos versus everyone else, and the other as a story driven mission based game where the outcome can affect how you play the following round. The game can get pretty expansive with the Social Club and creating crews online which can aid you in your multiplaying experience.

Value: 9

Tilt

The game is very fun to play. And after waiting all this time for this game, much of the effort that went into completing it is seen from almost every aspect. The story and how it plays out is engulfing, making you want to keep playing. It is also nice to see that much of the original game's essence is still present in this one. The game continues to have fun action mechanics accompanied with a well written and paced campaign. Those who are fans of the series or just want a fun action game to play should definitely take this into consideration. It will not disappoint. The game's quality follows those of previous Rockstar games, so you would be missing out on a great deal if pass on this. With an intense single player and fun multiplayer experience, it is the closest you can get to a complete package.

Tilt: 9


Final Score: 9.0