Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth the wait"

It's been some years since Max Payne was last seen and we find him once again with another mountain of crap he has to deal with. The story of Max Payne 3 finds Max no longer working on the police force but as a bodyguard for a wealthy business man in Soul Paulo when all hell starts to break loose. The story itself is full of twists and turns and to say too much of the story would risk spoiling it. However suffice to say that it lives up the stories of past Max Payne games and in some ways surpasses them thanks to Max Payne's returning voice actor James McCaffrey who provides new insights into what Max is thinking at times.

On the graphics end of things Max Payne 3 is a real stunner all around. There are plenty of details to be found in the scenery and such. While the environments don't paint as dark of picture of previous games with the games large variety of bright sunny locations but the atmosphere and amount of blood present more than make up for that. As mentioned there is blood and lots of it. Some of it graphic at times but tame in that regard and strikes a good balance between bloody and too graphic.

In terms of gameplay Max Payne 3 delivers plenty of fun moments and while it is still a third person shooter it's still a load of fun. Max's signature bullet time returns and is a step up from previous entries in that you get the sense that every bullet fired was modeled and Max no longer does a quick reload in bullet time like he did in Max Payne 2. The ability to see bullets whizzing past you is still a real treat especially if the bullet just misses you. That being said not all of Max's moves have made into the current generation unscathed. Max's shoot dodge maneuver has suffered a bit and as result once you land from performing that move you are vulnerable to enemy fire as its take Max a few seconds to get back on his feet. However on the flip side while you're on the ground you can still fire your weapon but you're a sitting duck.

On the audio front Max Payne 3 delivers the goods. As mentioned in the opening section Max Payne's voice actor returns and breathes new life into Max's character and reveals a unique complexity about him in a very good way that fits him perfectly. The other voice actors that join Max are well voiced by a unique diversity of characters.

Multiplayer wise Max Payne 3 is pretty darn good and features a variety of customizable options for both character and load out but sadly only a handful of modes. On the plus side Max Payne 3 does not use an online pass which means that you if you burrow it from a friend or story or even buy it used you can still access the multiplayer side of things.

As a whole Max Payne 3 is another terrific entry into the franchise and certainly makes up for its long absence in the process.