The original Max Payne that shot its way onto the scene in 2001 was a total game changer. This is when PC gaming still made an impact and displayed what you couldn’t do on a limited console machine. Max Payne was a gritty story driven tale with an emphasis on the Hollywood film noir style, unfolding the adventure with graphic novel panels instead of basic animated cut scenes.
The main element of the first Max Payne that will go down in the gaming history books is the introduction of ‘Bullet Time.’ A technique that was made popular in Hong Kong action films of the 90’s and later stolen and used in the Matrix movies, where the characters are locked into a slow motion aerial ballet shootout that allows you to see the bullets as they travel towards their targets. This was a huge selling point that made the game hugely popular and spawned endless imitators. After a decade where he survived a sequel and a horrible movie adaption, Rockstar Games has rebooted the franchise with Max Payne 3, and the results are kick ass.
gameplay
As with most Rockstar titles, such as the GTA franchise, the focus is not just to make a game, the goal is to make an interactive experience that is on the level of a motion picture, with a detailed story and fleshed out characters. In his third adventure, Max Payne is not the young wise-ass with the crooked smile and go-get-‘em attitude. Here he is represented as an older and broken down drunk, holding in more demons inside of him than he can possibly count. He is no longer the hero cop of New York, and has escaped for a change of scenery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, working as a bodyguard for a shady powerful character named Rodrigo Branco. What should have been an easy job turns chaotic when Branco’s wife is kidnapped and Max is launched into the violent Brazilian underground to do what he does best…Kill everyone that stands in his way.
The game continues to maintain its third person shooter roots, this time using the RAGE engine to power the action. Fans of the original games have to accept that the style that they are used to in the Max Payne world has been completely revamped. It’s not the graphic novel comic book from ten years ago, and instead emulates a cross between a Tony Scott and a Quentin Tarantino film. The whole look of the game looks like its been layered with filters, with muted colors and at times grainy flickering images to highlight the mood of a particular sequence.
The gameplay controls will be familiar to anyone who played enough third-person shooters. When the action starts there are plenty of bad guys for Max to unleash his wrath on, but having a strategy will keep you alive. You can just run and gun and wait for the right moments to trigger ‘Bullet Time,’ but your luck will run out fast. The cover system allows you to avoid multiple enemies who are targeting you, but because of the destructible environments, you can’t sit in one place to long before it is shredded to pieces by gunfire.
One element that was part of the original Max Payne game that still remains is taking painkillers to regenerate your health. Most popular games today allow you to just remain in one safe spot when your health is low so you can power up, but you really have to think here when you’re in a gunfight, because if you’re surrounded a dozen guys and all you have is one bottle of pills in your pocket, things will be a lot more challenging.
Bullet time is still the sweet spot, and even after all these years, when you are locked in a heavy shoot-out and trigger the effect, it’s still a thrill. Being able to dive, shoot one gunman, swing around and kill another, then slide on the ground to take down a third thug never gets old. There’s just a hypnotizing aspect of watching the bullet travel and seeing the reaction of the victim as they are hit that has a poetic beauty that disguises the chaos and destruction.
There are 14 chapters in the game that lead Max throughout both the glamorous and the seedy parts of Sao Paulo. Whether it is a fancy mega yacht, a skank filled strip club, or a prison that is so dark that you can almost smell the urine bleeding out of your TV, Max is literally put through hell in an attempt to stay alive. Max can hold two handguns and one big shotgun or automatic or sniper rifle, but when he goes into dual-wield mode he has to drop the bigger weapon to keep things real. The auto-target can be customized, allowing players to choose what manner of shooting works best for them, but none of this takes the place of just the run-and-gun-hide and seek technique, which is how you will fight through most of the game.
Though Max Payne 3 focuses on a strong story element, some players may just want to jump in and shoot things and not watch three to five minutes of a back story before each fight. Yes, it does slow the pace down, but the cinematic style of the game is one of the main highlights. It helps you get into Max’s head and see how messed up he is, and what motivates his actions. This also allows the player to take in the environment, and in a way justifies the intense violence. Max is always dirty and grimy, with his clothes either covered by his own blood or that of one of the men he has just killed.
Max Payne 3 is a welcomed reboot, because instead of giving you the same game with a new coat of paint, the team at Rockstar Games attempted to dive deeper into the mind of a man who has suffered and allows him to unleash his pain. Taking Max away from his usual New York environment is also a plus, because the South American backdrop opens up so much more doors of mayhem. Anyone thinking this will be the usual Rockstar game with an open world you can explore may be disappointed, because Max Payne’s world is a linear experience, but this does not take away from the thrill ride it is.
graphics
Max Payne 3 is more of an interactive movie than just a game and it looks like one, with a stylized tone of art direction that makes it look like a Tony Scott film, in particular Man of Fire, with dialogue text popping up on the screen. Colors are oversaturated thick grain and flickering frames blended in to give the illusion of a film print that has been sitting under the blazing sun and has faded. Max himself gets a makeover, displaying lines on his hardened face and grimy dirty skin. Midway into the game when he shaves his head, you can see beads of sweat drenching from the top of his head. The environments looks great with a variety of set-pieces for over the top shoot-outs, and the destructible structures add to the excitement. Bullet time is still the cherry on top and the RAGE engine makes it even more of a rush during gameplay.
sound
The voice work on this game is top of the line, with the gem being James McCaffrey’s performance as Max Payne. It’s so well done that you can hear the suffering in Max’s voice, like he’s one step away from putting a bullet in his own head. Background characters are also voiced well, and working with a solid script you always get the cinematic tone. The sound effects are everything you would expect in an action game, with bullets blazing and explosions galore. The music of the game also stands out, drawing you into Sao Paulo’s beauty as well as its dark underworld. Rockstar Games are known for their top-notch sound work, so that continues here.
replay value
The campaign game can be knocked out in about 12 hours, but unlike most games out there you will want to replay it, just like watching a movie for the second time. It gives the game a new feel, because even though you know the outcome, there may have been things you missed along the way. There is an arcade mode where you can play two types of games. New York Minute sets up missions for you to finish as fast as possible for high scores. Score Attack lets you enter a chapter of the game to replay and achieve the highest score. Both modes allow you to place your score and compare them on a leaderboard.
Multiplayer modes are also including, and they’re actually well thought out and not just tagged on. Gang Wars is the best of the selection, because it actually places a narrative structure within the multiplayer, instead of it just being a free-for-all. It’s team-based and sliced into a series of different challenges such a capture the flag type of game where you have to place a bomb is in a set amount of time. There’s also a mode where one member of the team is targeted and the other team attempts to protect that player from being killed by the enemy team. Overall the multiplayer is fun enough to keep you playing for a while and was thought out as an addition to the gameplay.
bottom line
Welcome back Max, you are the one and only king of Bullet Time, and Rockstar has given you the royal treatment with a reboot that stands on its own. The cinematic style of the game is a major highlight, giving you the feel that you are apart of a big story driven action film. Multiplayer is also a welcomed surprise with the Gang Wars mode being the main highlight. The game is violent and dark, which is exactly what we expect from Max Payne’s world. If Hollywood ever thinks about another Max Payne film they need to sign up Bruce Willis for the job. If anybody can play a booze-guzzling ex-cop on the edge with a headful of demons, Bruce can.
Review by: Johnny McNair
Posted: 08/30/2012
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Gameplay:
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9.0 |
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Graphics:
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8.5 |
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Sound:
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9.0 |
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Replay Value:
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8.5 |
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Bottom Line:
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9.0 |
