Max Payne is back, this time in a brand new setting and with even more blood on his hands.  Have Rockstar managed to bring the Pain to Max Payne 3? Or has Max taken too many pain pills? Find out in this review.You can watch our video review here:

Max Payne is back and this time more badass than ever and I didn’t think that it could be possible but Rockstar have managed to do so.  There has been a lot of noticeable changes and from early on you will get wrapped into the constantly developing story, with many twists and turns and amazing dialogue, the game is easily hard to turn away from.As the game progresses the comic strip style cut scenes return, this time with a few added colours and distortion, blending them together across the duration of the game. The cutscenes look beautiful and deliver the story in an impressive fashion. Fans of the series who have played the previous Max Payne titles would remember that didn’t have the most impressive dialogue, but Remedy gave Max Payne such a character, heart and soul so that the dialogue never became an issue. Rockstar have taken the next step forward, keeping Max Payne’s characteristics and humour whilst a heavy focus on a story and cutscenes have be included into the mix.The story is very easy to follow and even newcomers to the series can understand the story easily due to occasional flashbacks to Max’s past life explaining the events leading up to where he is today. The way Rockstar have presented this narrative is mind-blowing and even at times when Max is at a bar having a drink you feel like you are just sitting there with him, listening to him and somehow relate to him. Payne is still popping back pills and drinking excessively hoping that eventually he will forget the past, this in then reflected again in this story, however this time he is in the position of protecting a family and saving Fabina Branco, the wife of the businessman Max works for in Brazil.  As you can imagine it isn’t as easy going as it sounds as the São Paulo street gang capture her and hold her for ransom.

The plot completely blows open, putting Max in a bigger roller coaster ride than what he was expecting.As I mentioned briefly before the game does have a lot of cinematics with some at the start of the game taking up to 10 minutes of just pure cinematics. These cinematics are pretty much in-place to hide the load times, but with this said each cinematic makes you want to keep going as the game is forever in a constant flow, never stopping unless of course you die. Cinematics are also implemented within the gameplay and at times you will find yourself dipping in and out of short 1-10 minute cutscenes as Max progresses to a certain point, which is an interesting and well thought-out feature.The gameplay itself returns to the roots of Max Payne, painkillers make their return from the original titles and are used to heal Max’s wounds.  Every pill you take Max will either say a comment to lighten up the mood of his addiction. One of my personal favourites is “Fancy seeing you here” as you pick up another bottle of pain pills. It’s a nice and funny addition whilst you’re fighting for dear life through massive gun fights. Painkillers can also be used as a new last stand feature, this feature allows players who are are on the verge of death to get a second chance if you kill the person that took you down, that is, providing you have a painkiller to hand. It is very handy to have included this as there will be many firefights where the pain pills will be necessary.As you take more pills you’ll begin to notice the controller will vibrate and the screen will have some sort of effect on it to resemble his addiction, as he downs the pills with whisky, or straight.
One of the key features which easily is one of the main reasons which made the originals great is the Bullet Time feature. Max Payne had the ability to slow down time allowing you to take each shot with precise aim due to everything turning into a slow-motion state. This was caused by diving towards the enemies or away from their bullet fire, giving players an tactical advantage to take out enemy targets in order to survive. The Bullet Time is really impressive, showing each shot fly past Max Payne during the shootouts, responding to realistic physics the bullets would take and how each shot effects the enemies or Max himself. Using the Euphoria tech from GTA IV, the AI react convincingly when they’re shot at. There are even moments in the game where certain shots can be slowed down giving you the opportunity to watch those bullets slowly going into the target’s flesh, watching them die a painful lead-fulfilled death.Rockstar have really outdone themselves with Max Payne 3, delivering an all-round amazing experience.
This also has to be said for the mesmerising animation work, realistic AI which majority of the time don’t tend to make it easy, however I did encounter a few random glitches which caused the AI to randomly fall to the floor, though nothing that upset my experience at all. The animation team behind the title deserve some gratitude as they have done outstanding work from the cutscenes to the gameplay. Every shot you take, and hit you make reacts as realistically as you can imagine as you watch enemies crumble to the floor, bleeding and crying in agony.  Everything is almost at perfection with exceptional Bullet Time physics and weapons as well.

Enemies behave realistically in the various situations. As the game progresses the enemies also become tougher, carrying more body armour than before and even coming arms length to attempt to take you out. It’s interesting how well the enemies develop and progress.  There is a lot of variety of different enemies you will encounter ranging from gangs to paramilitary.  You will come to appreciate the time and hard work Rockstar have put into making the AI the most responsive AI I have seen in a 3rd person shooter.

After completing the campaign, which roughly packs in about 10 hours of gameplay you will be given a new feature, Score Attack. This mode is pretty self explanatory and is about racking up the best score, skill is needed here however as relying on painkillers will decrease your score multiplier. Finish the entirety of the game and New York Minute will also be unlocked. Players of the earlier titles will be right at home, as here you’re tasked with completing the level with 60 seconds on the clock. Skilled shots increase the timer on the clock, bringing you closer to your goal of finishing with the best time possible.  The cut scenes are still present in this mode, which sadly you can’t skip which could be annoying for some players who just want to jump into the action. There are also Leaderboards keeping track of your stats and you’ll quickly find yourself competing for the top score.

Aside from the singleplayer mode Rockstar have included multiplayer which really adds to the whole package.  The online features a lot of modes, many of them being original and unique making the multiplayer fresh.  Typical game modes such as Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch are included, along with some new additions including Gang Wars. Gang Wars is an outstanding game type which delivers a unique experience. The online also gives players the opportunity to change loadouts, customising your characters, factions and even level up the weapons you are bringing to the field.  Unlocking weapons and perks are also included, giving players a lot to choose from when customising their characters.

Rockstar didn’t stop there however, as they’ve also brought their new social club feature to the game, letting players create crews, emblems as well as track their stats. The in-game action is interesting and surprisingly works well and is very addicting. The maps are good sizes with many open and rooftop battles to suit all players. Killing a certain rival player after two kills will cause a vendetta towards the killer, letting the killer know that the player seeks revenge.

Another interesting feature is Feuds. Feuds happens during Team Death match games with other crew members. Feud gives players the opportunity to earn more XP and take out other crews during this to rack up more XP and win the feud.

Overall Summary

Max Payne 3 is an exceptional third-person shooter with a heavy cinematic focused storyline which delivers an outstanding visual performance. Rockstar have included a lot of memorable moments and features and breaking the norm with fluent cutscenes during gameplay. The experience is one not to miss, with a realistic approach to the AI and weapon mechanics, making the game shine compared to similar games all thanks to the beautiful Euphoria animation engine. The extra modes including Arcade and Multiplayer make the game worth picking up alone. If you’re picking it up for the story or the multiplayer, either way you won’t be disappointed.  Max Payne is back, popping pills and shooting bad guys. What more could you ask for?



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