Max Payne 3 Review

The events of Max Payne 3 take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil after Max accepts a job offer from a long-forgotten former colleague from the police academy days – a man by the name of Raul Passos. It was a badly needed opportunity to make a break from his life in New York. No longer a cop, Max has never really gotten over the events in the first two games, spending his days drinking and taking prescription painkillers. Inadvertently, meeting Passos also winds up kicking off a chain of events that ultimately leaves Max with little choice but to leave the city.

 

 

The opening scene is just truly more than amazing and draws you right into the world of Max Payne. The game starts off with continuing with the opening credits. Almost an instant action that has CGI scenes intertwined in the gameplay. You feel as the story unfolds that you are in the middle of a blockbuster film with tons of twists, dialog and action. The characters of the game are so well rounded and filled out that you connect with them and feel what they are going through. Rock Star Games has been superb at making their characters believable and almost life-like.

 

 

Bullet-time is back! The game that started off one of the most used special affect in movies is back and better than ever. Bullet Time is fundamental to the Max Payne experience, affecting almost every decision in the game – from how Max moves, to the way the AI reacts, the weapon designs, audio, and even the way each individual bullet is modeled.

Bullet Time receives several significant upgrades in Max Payne 3, including:

Realistic Shoot-Dodge

• The integration of Natural Motion’s Euphoria character behavior system gives Max more realistic movements, including during shoot-dodges in Bullet Time, with Max reacting to his environment and bracing for impact when shoot-dodging into or over obstacles.

 

Melee

• Max Payne 3 features a brand new contextual Bullet Time based melee mechanic. As Max gets in close, players will have to execute the final shot using RT.

 

Bullet Cams

• Bullet cams let you know when you’ve just taken out the last enemy in a specific area or wave and are available with all weapons, not just the sniper rifle as was the case with Max Payne 2. In addition, players can control the speed of each bullet in bullet cam, and the cameras are dynamic depending on how you take the shot.

 

Last Man Standing

• If Max takes a fatal shot while carring painkillers, Max will automatically enter Bullet time, and the reticule will automatically swing slowly toward Max’s enemy, giving Max the Opportunity to return fire. If successful, Max will receive a small boost of health at the cost of 1 painkiller, giving him the chance to survive the fight.

 

 

The controls are more than spot-on this time around. The old Max Payne games suffers from lag and shotty controls that did not always respond. But in Max Payne 3 that is not longing the case. You have the best control and zero lag time for a response. In Bullet Time this is a must have, because having a précised control is dire. Max Payne 3 is the first in the series that features a “cover” mechanic, this gives the players the option to have the maximum strategic options on how to approach each situation. Don’t get us wrong, players are encouraged to go run-N-gun and take out enemies, but you can now take cover, but don’t wait to long because enemies will try to flush you out or toss grenades at you.

 

 

Max Payne 3 features a variety of ways to play to increase its replay value. The game features the single player story mode, Online Multiplayer up to 16 players, and Arcade Mode. Arcade Mode has two ways to play, Score Attack – where players are award points for shots and kills, what type and where the shot lands, of course head shots are worth more. Where New York Minute is a time-based challenge where each kill grants you more time. You start off with 1 minute on the clock, so be sure to keep the kills fast and go for the head.

 

 

Multiplayer in Max Payne 3 is one of the most sophisticated and cinematic action shooters on every level. One of the bonus’ of playing the 3^rd person instead of the first person is you have a character you can actually see and connect with. You get to fully customize your character and being able to see that just plain rocks. And seeing your character you created react in the environment is a treat. Is make you feel that you are a part of the game. The more time you put into Multiplayer the more you are awarded with XP, and more items to customize you’re created character.

 

 

With Rock Star games it feels like they are progressively get better and more amazing then the last release. Max Payne 3 is a must-have game of the summer and with DLC already announced for June, Summer and Fall with a total of 7 DLC packs and the ability to buy the season pass to save on the Map Packs it’s a smart buy. This is definitely considered for game of the year from Rock Star that’s why we give this game a huge 5!

 

Game 2 Gamer’s Final Score   5 / 5

 

Frustration Level    

 

Replay Value: Mid-High