Max Payne 3 review

It has been almost 10 years since the last time we got to see Max Payne in action, running and gunning his way through the gritty streets of New York. This time around, Max has decided to take a change in scenery and relocate to the sunny city of Sao Paulo Brazil, where he is the bodyguard for a rich family named the Brancos. Max thinks it will be an easy gig, but little does he know things are about to go way south when his bosses wife gets kidnapped.

At first I was skeptical about the change in setting because I didn't think that Brazil was a good match for the grittiness that I have come to love from the Max Payne series. At first it may seem that way, but after a while you get use to the brightly colored environments. From the strobe lights and house music of the clubs you shoot up, to the brightly colored poverty stricken favelas, you can tell Rockstar Games really wanted to change the atmosphere of the first two. If you really like the dark, gritty atmosphere of the New York setting, there are still a few chapters that take place in New Jersey that give the game the same familiar Max Payne feel.

Cover system features blind-fire capability 

The attention to detail in the game is phenomenal as you see bits and chunks of debris flying as you shoot at enemies trying to hide behind cover as well as entry and exit wounds on your enemies after you send them to their graves. The game looks incredible, character models look extremely realistic and their movement is on point. Max's knees will bend when he walks up a flight of stairs and when he jumps to perform a stylish bullet-time dive. Doors will fling open when shot and enemies will flop to the ground after being killed, showcasing the capabilities of the RAGE physics engine. Lighting and shading effects are also executed very well and they should be, seeing that the game takes place in such a sunny environment.

The gameplay is probably more fun than that of any other title that has been released this year. There is only one way to play the game and it's guns blazing. You don't have the option to be stealthy, but that is Max Payne at the core and I wouldn't want it any other way. You are still able to enter bullet-time to slow down the action and dodge bullets while taking out multiple enemies in a matter of seconds. After a bullet-time dive, Max is left on the ground and can keep shooting from a prone position or on his back, depending on which way you dive. While on the ground, you can rotate Max's body 360 degrees so you can take out all enemies while lying on the ground.

BOOMstick 

There are also moments of brilliance during bullet-time sequences that developers put in for specific parts of the story. Usually there will be a cutscene in which Max does some kind of crazy stunt, then the player is given control, during an automatically triggered bullet-time sequence, to take out as many goons as they possibly can. These are some of the most exhilarating moments in the game and make you feel like Max is the ultimate action hero. The game also added a cover system which proves to be quite useful. Instead of running out and gunning down your enemies like a mad man, you can hide behind cover and strategically pick off each enemy. Pain killers are also still the only way to regain health and if you have one handy on you, bullet-time will automatically trigger when you lose all of your health and you will have to kill the enemy that last shot you, in order to stay alive.

The story is gripping and will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you never want to stop playing. The game gives you every detail of what is happening and why, and there are no plot-holes or unanswered questions. The story even provides flashbacks to explain to the gamers how Max wound up in Sao Paulo of all places. As with all of Rockstar's titles, the characters are memorable and lovable. Max is still Max, but in this game he really struggles with alcoholism and failure. He is extremely negative and hard on himself, but yet still extremely likable because he is always out to do what is right. The character of Max really progresses and so do his struggles as you get deeper into the story. Other characters fill out the story-line perfectly, especially Marcello, the youngest of the Branco brothers who is a typical rich party boy.

The multiplayer is surprisingly addicting. Unlike the past couple of attempts at online gaming made by Rockstar, this game actually provides a fun competitive multiplayer experience. The game plays just like it does in the story mode, allowing players to use bullet-time to slow down time and dispose of their opponents. Game modes such as Payne Killer and Gang Wars make the online experience different than your average online shooter. In Payne killer, two players control Max and his partner Raul Passos as the other players control normal henchmen. Max and Passos are pitted against all, but in order to preserve fairness they are given powerful loadouts and a plethora of pain killers.

Action shot of Gang Wars 

Gang Wars puts two teams against one and other in a narrative driven battle. The game will be set up by a narrative explaining why the crews are fighting each other and then the battle will begin. The objective is to take the duffel bags stuffed full of money back to the safe points. What I love is that the objective in the next round is based on what happens in the round before it, adding spontaneity to the match making it that much more exciting.

There really isn't anything negative to say about this game. I've finished the story twice now and have only run into one bug which wasn't a big deal because the game saves at every checkpoint. The music is awesome and suits the game perfectly. Load screens aren't much of an issue because the game loads during the cut-scenes which you wont want to skip because the story is so engrossing. The action never gets stale as enemies get more difficult as the story progresses, leaving you feeling satisfied after every bloodbath.

This game isn't just great, it is phenomenal. It is the best game in the Max Payne series and should be played by any fan of action/adventure games. The first two games aren't referenced much so you don't need to play the first two to understand the game, although I highly recommend that you do because they are also brilliant. Though people criticize the game for it being linear, comparing it to GTA and Red Dead Redemption, I feel like the linearity makes the game more fun. Though I love open world games, too many developers feel like they have to make games extremely open, causing them to feel overwhelming. Max Payne is a game that proves to the world that a game doesn't need to be open and expansive in order to be great.