Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

Bullet time gunfights are still so fun, you could almost release a mini-game version with no plot and this game would still get an 8.0. And that's almost what this game did. But let's break it down in the typical fashion.


The Good

-Two words. Visuals. Wow. Max Payne 3 is one of those games that will put your video card on a treadmill and crank the speed. I just bought a Radeon HD 7850 and was able to pretty much max out, minus a few things to keep the frame rate smooth. This is the modern day Crysis that gamers will use to benchmark their GPUs. And the game makes use of all those pretty graphics by frequently changing Max's clothes, hair style, beard, and surroundings.

-Max still sounds like Max. He's pessimistic, callous, and narrates his life like a film noir with a touch of sarcastic humor. All very appropriate for someone who's lived through hell and is surprised to still be alive.

-The pain killers and ammo supply is the perfect amount. Usually, I would have 1-2 painkillers going into any big fight and would frequently have to pick up any gun near me to continue the fight.


The Bad

-The plot is shrug worthy. There were no dead relatives left to avenge and no Baseball Bat Boy scenes of memorable hilarity. The previous Max Paynes were dark and disturbing. This Max is just terrible at his job and half-heartedly trying to keep up with some rich yuppies. He keeps saying things like, "it was almost over," like he was glad the game was wrapping up soon. So was I, actually.

-There are some glitches in this game still. Once, I dove sidewise over a fence and fell for 2 minutes into a gray screen. Another time I played piano and my arms looked broken in 3 places and sticking out the top of my head. Kind of distracting.

-Getting up from bullet dodging takes FOREVER. I realize Max Payne is old, but I don't want to play Geriatric Payne 3. Enemies routinely empty 2 or 3 clips into you as you slowly stand up. And if you land on an object other than the floor, consider yourself dead, because Max will breakdance and glitch as he tries to cope.

-Eventually, the plot becomes nothing more than a mechanic to move from one shoot out room to the next. Just random pillars and objects being moved around as you battle one group of anonymous henchmen after another. And the henchmen appear to be sharpshooters. You can't so much as peak your head up without being hit from a mile away by a guy who didn't even know you were in the room yet. And speaking of those henchmen, they are the bravest/dumbest people in existence. Usually in a gun fight, you might shoot from cover or try to flank a person. But these rent-a-cops jog straight over to where you're hiding. And since there's no melee and blindfire is almost useless, most of the time it would spell your demise.


Max Payne 3 is a fun game with some interesting parts and pretty visuals, but ultimately it's more of a "digitally remastered directors cut" of Max Payne than a full blown sequel.