Max Payne 3 Game Review

Released: May 18th 2012 (Europe)

Developer: Rockstar Studios

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Certificate: 18

Formats: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC

Played on: PS3

Back in 2001, the original Max Payne set a high standard for action games while also refusing to shy away from its gritty yet absorbing story. After nearly a decade of absence, the Max Payne franchise has returned, this time under the highly popular Rockstar Games; while it may move away from the franchise’s original tone, the game is still just as flashy and enjoyable as ever.

Sometime after the events of Max Payne 2, the titular hero has left New York behind him as he takes up bodyguard work for a wealthy family in Sau Paulo, Brazil with his close friend Raul Passos. But it seems Max can never find time to settle as the family are quickly attacked by a group of terrorists who appear to be after their vast riches. As things spiral out of control, Max is once again pressed into a one man investigation against a network of corruption and organised crime. Just like the previous games, Max Payne is about the central character; Max’s past losses weigh down on him heavily here and there are times where he questions he own intentions and why he even carries on. If you’ve played the previous games, there are oodles of intrigue as to how this final chapter will play out and the returning James McCafferey does a fantastic job of selling the character. The game’s story takes place over fourteen chapters, occasionally dipping into flashbacks to fill in the blanks between games. Just as before, constant narrations from Max litter the proceedings, but Max Payne 3 is also a marked shift from previous titles in that it drops the dark noir look of New York for a boiled, tropical grind look that matches its exotic setting. Despite this change, things are still suitably grim, especially as Max begins to uncover the true motives behind the local corruption and you’ll want to push through to see how it all pans out.

Max Payne’s main single player component takes place across fourteen chapters, during which you’ll move between action scenes and snappy in-game cutscenes, mixed with narrations from the central character. It’s plain and straightforward just like the previous two games, keeping the pacing on a consistent forward momentum. Occasionally there are a few on-rails sections firing from vehicles and you’ll also shoot your way through faithful New York flashbacks as Max takes on a disgruntled set of mobsters to escape the city. Despite taking place in a single country, there’s plenty of variety to the environments; Max will head from rich playboy settings to the lowliest poverty stricken favelas and back again.

Throughout each mission Max can carry two one handed and a single two handed weapon and a quick roll will pick up any weapon enemies drop. Once the single player game is over after about twelve hours, there’s plenty of replayability; multiple difficulty settings as well as arcade and time trial modes which adds a point based style to the main game. Then there’s multiplayer for up to 16 players; it offers everything you’d expect including levelling up, unlocking items and clan support. In the context of multiplayer, Max Payne’s shooting isn’t quite as satisfying as the campaign but it has a few interesting features such as the ability to place vendettas and bounties on enemy players during a match.

With modern platforms comes a more refined set of controls and it’s easily the most impactful and free-flowing combat system that Rockstar has ever developed. From a third person perspective, activating the series patented bullet time is as easy as clicking the right stick and this can be combined with a dive move triggered by R1, allowing Max to dodge incoming fire while also landing those critical hits. Health is displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen with sound echoing when Max is close to dying; popping some painkillers will remove the damage but it’s worth conserving these for the tougher encounters later on. The game is incredibly challenging, particularly towards the end when Max starts taking on fully armoured foes with more powerful weapons; in many cases the series has played along a similar trial and error approach with the memorisation of enemy placement. In another major update from the first two games, Max Payne 3 has a fully-fledged cover system which you’ll need to use sparingly to avoid death. The only hiccup to the gameplay here is that there’s no option to dive or roll into cover; when Max falls into a last stand moment, or dives across the screen to dodge bullets, there’s a brief moment where he’s left vulnerable and this gives enemies a chance to get some easy damage in. On higher difficulties this can be a pain as you can unavoidably take damage when it would be much more efficient for Max to crawl back into cover after a dive. The aforementioned last stand mechanic occurs if Max is on the verge of death you can take out a specific enemy to save yourself (so long as you have a set of painkillers available). Max Payne 3 adds plenty of depth to the already established formula, making the base gameplay that much more engaging.

For a game released towards the end of the seventh console generation, Max Payne 3 looks brilliant; the setting of Sao Paulo is a varied and detailed backdrop for the story mode and this is accompanied by a great lighting system that hangs over every blood-soaked level. The presentation of its story is a clouded haze of flickering lights, signifying Max’s descent into painkiller fuelled addiction; this, alongside the emphasis of specific words in the narrative adds further depth to Max’s personal struggle. If there’s one game that can make gunfights tremendously visceral, it’s Max Payne 3, which utilises modern hardware to great effect. Contrary to all the shooting in games recently, the gunfights here are absolutely brutal; bullets rip and tear into enemies, blood splatters all over the place and the last kill in every group of enemies is marked with a grisly slow motion finish. It really is one of the most detailed shooting systems in gaming history, with enemies tumbling left and right, reacting to every piece of shrapnel. Of course the game is at its most extravagant when bullet time comes into play, with bullets whistling past Max as he flies through the air with parts of the environment being torn up by the destructive battles. Above all else though it’s consistent with the series formula and ensures that the seemingly endless gunfights throughout the game never lose their impact. The music is a mixture of sombre violin threads (Particularly the returning Max Payne theme) and pumping electronic pieces. On top of all that, Max Payne 3 runs incredibly well too, only having a few brief pauses during cut scenes which maintain the player’s investment.

There are a few moments where the core gameplay becomes frustrating and the multiplayer could have been a bit more ambitious but as a fitting end to a trilogy that started over a decade ago, Max Payne 3 makes the most of modern tech to deliver an unrelenting and vicious action rollercoaster.

Rating: 8.5/10