Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Instant classic"

Max Payne 3 has received critical acclaim, with critics praising the improved gameplay. A number of reviews were critical of the sharp departure in tone and style that defined the original games, developed by Remedy.
Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic rated the PC version 88.33% and 89/100,[48][51] the PlayStation 3 version 86.44% and 87/100[49][52] and the Xbox 360 version 84.78% and 86/100.[50][53]
Game Informer gave the game 9.25/10, stating "As much as Max Payne 3 is a fascinating portrait of a man, it tells a great, action-packed story that runs in-stride with Max's inner turmoil."[57] GamesRadar gave the game a perfect score of 10/10 and stated "Between its pacing, its presentation, and its excellent gunplay, Max Payne 3 has raised the bar for other action games to follow. Welcome back."[61] The Guardian gave the game a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars and they called it "A masterpiece of underworld carnality, depravity and violence."[67]
IGN gave the game 9/10, and stated "It touches on the disparity between rich and poor, and how resentment and desperation can fester in the slums and the penthouses alike."[63] Destructoid also gave the game a 9/10, stating "Packed with fast action, brutal violence, and a striking cinematic style, all of the stops have been pulled out to make this the most exciting entry in the series to date."[64] Polygon gave the game 9/10, stating "It is uncompromisingly excellent, with a sense of focus that has secured Max Payne's legacy once again."[66]
However, GameTrailers was less-favorable towards the game, giving it a 7.6/10, citing issues with the narrative structure, difficulty and minor gameplay bugs, but applauding the multiplayer modes.[62] Eurogamer gave the game 7/10, stating "All the same, you can't escape the feeling that Rockstar just isn't as good at a pure third-person shooter as it is with the open worlds of Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption, and in this linear context it's much harder to put up with its usual missteps in mechanics and difficulty."[55] Edge also gave the game 7/10, stating "Max Payne 3 might solve the problem of how you manage to reload when carrying more than one gun, but detailing alone can't change the fact that this is a surprisingly conservative game from Rockstar.