Rockstar Drops Max Payne 3 Hints

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Rockstar Drops Max Payne 3 Hints


A new Rockstar "Asked & Answered" reveals that Max Payne 3 may be a little closer to the original games than previously expected.

When I think Max Payne [http://www.amazon.com/Max-Payne-Pc/dp/B00002SUOV/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1329338711&sr=8-8], I think of a broken cop in a bad shirt and a cool jacket, struggling desperately from day to day in the cold, uncaring streets of New York City. But things are different in Max Payne 3; Max is now an older, thicker gun for hire with a shaved head and a wifebeater, plying his trade in the slums of Sao Paulo. Everything has changed. Or has it?

While most of the pre-release coverage has focused on the physically and geographically transformed Max, a good number of images featuring "classic" Max in his traditional NYC stomping grounds have also come to light. Is it possible that we'll get to spend more time with the old Max than we thought?

"We don't want to give too much away about the game's narrative structure, but the game is about Max coming to terms with his experience in São Paulo and the events that took him there, so [the New York City segments] are spread throughout the game, like memories triggered by events in São Paulo," Rockstar wrote in the latest "Asked & Answered [http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/20451/part-2-of-this-weeks-asked-answered-max-payne-3-details-and-more.html]."

And like the first two games, Max Payne 3 will be as nasty as you wanna be - in terms of difficulty, at least. "There will indeed be varying optional difficulty levels for players to play through the single-player story with," it explained, "so that the game can be a challenging, satisfying, and fun experience for players of all skill levels, and special rewards for completing on harder difficulty levels."

Most of the answers are pretty thin on details, but the more I see, the happier I am. This might just be the real deal after all. Max Payne 3 comes out on May 15 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and May 29 for the PC.


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Woodsey

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Aug 9, 2009
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Having just replayed Max Payne 2, the problem for me really is that the NYC screens are far more appealing than the ones in Brazil (and wherever he is in the ones where he's dressed up like Action Man). The original two have a pretty unique, late 90s/early 2000s feel (in-game, obviously) mixed in with the noir vibe that they nail.

Brazil doesn't do that. Its like LA Noire being called LA Noire, in spite of much of the game taking place during the daytime and not resembling anything noir-ish at all. It doesn't work, and I'm not sure this will either.
 

DaxStrife

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Nov 29, 2007
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Andy Chalk said:
"There will indeed be varying optional difficulty levels for players to play through the single-player story with," it explained, "so that the game can be a challenging, satisfying and fun experience for players of all skill levels, and special rewards for completing on harder difficulty levels."
Cool! So if I work hard and beat the game on the hardest difficulty, I can be rewarded with a happy ending that will be negated/retcon'd/ignored in the sequel? #totallynotbitter :p
 

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Don't be bitter. The canon ending to Max Payne 2 was a beautiful moment.

(i'm not sure which ending was canon)
 

Metalrocks

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im just wondering about mona. when you finish MP2 in the hardest difficulty, mona survives.
never the less, im actually looking forward to this installment.
being back in NY as flashbacks, sounds good too.
 

zidine100

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If its more like the first one then than the second that's great, i hated 2 to the point where i just freaking dropped it, i really hope that he doesn't have neigh on superpowers this time.
 

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Call me a dreamer but now I'm envisioning a scenario where Max is actually back in New York - back to being Max, in other words - reflecting on his time in Sao Paulo. That would be pretty damn awesome. Max Payne 3 could be a great game but I still think that to be a "real" Max Payne game, Max needs to be a detective in NYC. It's central to the character, and the character is central to the experience.

As for Mona... I think I'd prefer her to stay dead. The normal ending to MP2 was brutal and touching, and given Max's apparent state in the new game, is presumably the "real" conclusion. They were able to bring her back with relative ease for MP2 but it'd take some serious contortions to make it happen effectively in MP3. Much as I hate to see Max suffer, that's kind of what he does, and I think it'd be better for the character and the story if Mona's death is something he's forced to deal with.

(I hope I'm not spoiling things for anyone. Really, if you haven't played Max Payne 2 by now you should get on it. Brilliant game.)