Your thoughts on Max Payne 3

[Casual Shinji]

The shooting action was fun, but spotting your targeting retacle during bullet time was annoying. And trying to aim any weapon with a laser sight was torturous.

I couldn't agree with you more about the laser sight. I just hated that weird angle they gave you to shoot with because you couldn't tell where you were shooting. If i had the option I would always try to find the same gun with out laser sights

I've played plenty of shooters where the guns had laser sights, but this is the first title that made me realize how easily a developer can fuck it up. Nothing game breaker, but after the first time I avoided those guns like the plague.

Ironic, since the point of a laser sight is to easily know where you're aiming.

 

[V TheSystem V]

I only just completed the other Max Payne games, and am around halfway through Max Payne 3 now. Really enjoying it!

I find that Max doesn't litter the dialogue with metaphors like in the other 2, which I really miss, and the cutscenes can be too long in places (gameplay could have compensated for some of the cutscenes). The graphic novel style cutscenes were amazing in the other 2, and I don't mind the cutscene animations because the graphics are beautiful, but surely they could have put some graphic novel stuff in there?

 

[Grape_Bullion]

I guess I expected a bit more from this new installment apart from "same ol', but with current graphics."

I can see where you're coming from with the issues you have. A game is in fact a game, and if you felt there wasn't enough "game" in it, I can't fault you. Personally I felt the story structure for the Max Payne universe was right at home, seeing as how almost everything that happens in the story is beyond devastating for everyone involved.

However, I couldn't disagree with you more about what you expected. The most disturbing trend in gaming is the watering down of a product to make it more accessible to the gaming market. MP3 knows what it is at all times and gives it's die hard fans nothing less than what they expected. I applaud Rockstar for giving us what we know and love.

 

[XMark]

Overall, I'm totally into the atmosphere and mood of the game. And it seems to handle the switches between gameplay and cutscene incredibly well, better than any other game I've played so far. I'm personally more of a fan of seamlessly having cinematic stuff happen while you're still in control, but if you're gonna separate gameplay and cutscenes, you can't do it much better than Max Payne 3 does.

On the negative side, they seem to be kind of artificially lengthening the game by having an unusually large amount of time between checkpoints, and an unusually small amount of ammo and painkillers. If you die too many times, the game gives you extra ammo and painkillers to make up for it, but that just kind of feels like an insult

Also, sometimes it's just a good logical move to die right after a checkpoint so you come back with full health.

 

[Deathmageddon]

I'm pretty far in, and it's amazing. This is Rockstar we're talking about, after all.

 

[doomspore98]

I bought it the day of and I love it. It has a nice feel to it, great story, great gameplay, and in really challenging. There are some really unexpected twists and all in all the story feels like one of rockstars best. Bullet time is used perfectly in single and multiplayer. If you can get through the entire story without using bullet time I shall tip my hat to you. I have two problems with the game:

1: just some random visual glitches, nothing much but noticeable.

2: While I love the multiplayer, the leveling up seems sort of lackluster. I get what there trying to do, but it seems like they should have made everything buyable instead of having to level up, then buy the merch.

 

[daveman247]

snip

But Max is all about the metaphors There is less in this one, but if there were none it wouldn't be max payne anymore.

As for him being miserable, well. He seems to have the worst luck of a videogame character ever so its excusable XD

And i enjoyed the cutscenes, but im still playing it sdo maybe they will be annoying once i start replaying stuff. Its still nowhere near MGS length, so its ok.

 

[Khanht Cope]

The main reason Max is miserable is because the series follows a particular narrative genre. It's based on a genre of movies that was cropping up when the publics collective psyche was coping with trauma from the Great Depression and World War II. As such, they were indeed negative and gloomy, and tended to lean toward the melodramatic in some cases.

To some minds, the visual and narrative style of classic noir movies would support the mood; but isn't necessarily the real meat of the genre. So Max Payne 3 might be considered just as noir as the first games, albeit having reined in the highly stylized presentation.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I guess I expected a bit more from this new installment apart from "same ol', but with current graphics."

I can see where you're coming from with the issues you have. A game is in fact a game, and if you felt there wasn't enough "game" in it, I can't fault you. Personally I felt the story structure for the Max Payne universe was right at home, seeing as how almost everything that happens in the story is beyond devastating for everyone involved.

However, I couldn't disagree with you more about what you expected. The most disturbing trend in gaming is the watering down of a product to make it more accessible to the gaming market. MP3 knows what it is at all times and gives it's die hard fans nothing less than what they expected. I applaud Rockstar for giving us what we know and love.

I don't see how you could disagree with what I expected, but nowhere did I mention I wanted it watered down.

In my opinion, all Max Payne 3 really needed was some added gameplay variety and I would've liked it a whole lot more. You know that Boss fight where you have to shoot the tiles? I wanted more of that; Use the shooting and bullet time for more than simply blasting bad guys. Get creative with it. Let me do the things that happen in the cutscenes myself.

I just don't feel the gameplay was genuinely expanded since the last entries.

Like I said, I don't hate the game, I'm actually playing through it again. But I feel they missed an oppertunity to push the action genre forward in the same way Max Payne 1 did.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

...

You`re right about some lost potential but i´m so glad about this game and that it`s almost the same old gameplay. The long wait for a new bullet time game made me even play Wet.

The only real downside are the missing modding tools. They really kept MP1-2 alive, even without multiplayer. The community expandet both games with really awesome mods and even new, different stories.
I doubt that Rockstar will include modding options in the pc version.

 

[Grape_Bullion]

I don't see how you could disagree with what I expected, but nowhere did I mention I wanted it watered down.

In my opinion, all Max Payne 3 really needed was some added gameplay variety and I would've liked it a whole lot more. You know that Boss fight where you have to shoot the tiles? I wanted more of that; Use the shooting and bullet time for more than simply blasting bad guys. Get creative with it. Let me do the things that happen in the cutscenes myself.

I just don't feel the gameplay was genuinely expanded since the last entries.

Like I said, I don't hate the game, I'm actually playing through it again. But I feel they missed an oppertunity to push the action genre forward in the same way Max Payne 1 did.

That's fair. When I hear someone say "expanded gameplay" I assume they mean they want the game to have things that take away from the original game's formula. I assumed you wanted QTEs, FPS garbage in some section for some reason, being able to fly a jet for a random mission to Venezuela to blow up that guy who for some reason got away etc.

As for pushing action games forward, I'm really not sure what can be done at this point, especially in a sequel.

 

[Tohuvabohu]

Max Payne 3 is probably going to end up being my personal Game of the Year for 2012. But I've always been a big fan of the Max Payne series.

and Max Payne 3 is definitely the best of the series. Although I haven't beat the game yet, it's quite impressive to me. The gunfights are more intense than ever, Max is still the same angry cynical obsessive-monologuer, and the violence is brutal and satisfyingly graphic. (Never get tired of seeing slow-mo shotgun blasts slice their way through some goon's chest cavity.)

Also, I've been dying, ALOT. And most of the time, it's entirely my fault. I know Max Payne has never had regenerating health and all, but I sure seem to die a lot more often in this game than ever did in the old ones. I dunno if I was just super awesome at this game when I was younger and lost my edge with age, but seriously; I die all the fucking time. Not a complaint by any means, it's sobering being put in my place all the time. And I've seen Max bite the bullet in some pretty horrible ways in his death scenes.

I'm looking forward to playing it more tonight. I was worried that the 3rd could just straight-up suck after the very conclusive ending to Max Payne 2. And I thought I was tired of shooters, but to me; Max Payne has always been more than just some other shooter. And the 3rd still carries this spirit, and . It's just so good.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

Also, I've been dying, ALOT. And most of the time, it's entirely my fault. I know Max Payne has never had regenerating health and all, but I sure seem to die a lot more often in this game than ever did in the old ones.

I had the same experience. They really created a mean enemy AI and on top of it these guys can shoot. You can still get a few cheap shots with the left and right camera option if you move really careful, you see them/headshot them but they don`t seem to see you. Mind that this won´t work in the later parts of the game.
In the older games i abused F5 pretty often (couldn`t keep my fingers of it), but now without it MP is even more rewarding. I`m still amazed by all the little things you can find and the nods to the former games.
While the cutscenes extend the levelloading times it`s great that dying isn`t such an issue when you don`t have to stare at a loading screen. Now dying means only "one more" when it happens and i keep on playing like Max consumes his Scotch.
In large unhealthy doses.

MP3 also awakens the trophywhore inside me. I just finished it on hard last night and collected all the clues, now i`m trying to get some more into the arcade modes. The trophies for specific bullettime situations are really fun and motivating. The only personal downside are the multiplayer trophies and especially for arcade:NYM. I doubt i will ever get this one.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

Minor, small, tiny menu spoiler- nothing story related


Does anyone else has a cheat problem?
Two of three unlocks are working properly but the third isn`t working. Oh, and since i`m still a noob could somebody please post how to use spoiler tags? I don`t want to go any further into detail without them.

 

[TitanAtlas]

This new Max Payne is.... well. How to explain it:

The combat works. I loved it reminded me of why i loved the Max Payne games so much. What i didn't like is the lack of environment interaction to progress the game.

Story wise, it's a good story. But i miss those crazy psycho-max payne dreams, with random creepy and heavy content happening. What we got was a psychotic drug abusing drunk american all-mighty hero. I understand that's what Max turned out to be. To be in the lowest on the ladder. But still. Those "enemy free" moments in wich you dwell into Max's mind were really something beautifull.

The place is good. Brazil can be a vibrant powerfull place, but it can also be worst then the gutter and RockStar portraited the good and bad of brazil, with incredible voice acting perfectly.

Characters wise i appalud every single one of the characters. But my questions still stand. How did the Cop always knew were max was (strip club then Bus Central), and how did his friend knew where max was (when Max was finding out the truth about the missing people).

I hate they made Max a idiot. In MP1 and 2 he was a great detective. He knew how to gather the links. Now he's so in-deep in booze constantly he misses the obvious constantly, and became this raging bald fatman with a really bad temper. Don't take me wrong i still like the guy. I understand he fell hard and hit the cement floor with a incredible impact, but missing incredible obvious things made me wonder if his brain didn't left the body a long time ago.

To be honest even with a problem here and there i loved the game. Max is a poet, and a shadow of what he used to be, Rockstar portraited him well. It's a good game, i recommend it. If you want realism you got it in here (max still pulls some crazy stunts)!!

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

But my questions still stand. How did the Cop always knew were max was (strip club then Bus Central), and how did his friend knew where max was.

Spoiler

Since the cop was already on the trail of the paramilitia and their ties to the Broncos my guess would be that he kept an close eye on all people related including Max and Passos. He always kept saying "i`m just a cop" because in his position he couldn`t do anything but watch.

He sees Max as chance to change things and he used the out of control hostage situation to make his first move (Bar). After that he kept his eyes and ears open.

A huge gunbattle including drivebys in a bus wouldn`t go unnoticed by the local police and the UFE. The UFE would also be the reason for the hurry at the crashscene.
Another guess would be that he knew where Passos would be hiding, he could have gave him the tip to better help Max. Since Passos was involved in a few things this favor could have been his out of jail card. Passos was a small fish, even DeSanta could have booked him easily according to the collected evidence.

I like that the story leaves room for guesses and the clues in the later Brasil levels are a nice way to shed some more info.

Btw:figured the spoiler tags myself, yay...but still any helpfull answers to my little cheat problem are much apreciated....anyone?

Edit: Oddly it seems to work after launching the psn and connecting the social club. Not sure if it was the social club or the signing in, or both but at least it works.

Not played the game yet, but I couldn't help wondering: does the game have the same mind-screwy David Lynch style elements of the first two games? Because part of what I loved so much about the series is how incredibly symbolic it gets, as well as how meta the developers got with the narrative. I'm sure everyone remembers the TV shows from Max Payne 2, or all the references to Norse Mythology in MP1, or the weird dream sequences that appeared in both.

I'll be really gutted if Rockstar abandoned all that for a regular action story.

Maybe you should rent it first.

A few nods to the old games are there but that`s it. I wouldn`t call it the regular action story but it has Rockstar written all over it. Mind that it doesn`t have to be a downside. The writing is good and believable. You won`t find any versions of Brucie, Seth or Dickenson in this one. Every character acts pretty natural and Max is almost the same (they added a increased adicction to scotch and he still pops his pills, after the events of 1-2 i can relate to that).
Rockstar did a good job on showing what happend to Max after everything was done in MP2. There wasn`t really room for a new MP3 story, but they pulled it off (with the massive help of McCaffrey). All in all i can`t remember a better story in recent tps but that`s just me.

I love MP1-2 and i love MP3. Give it a shot, maybe you`ll like it.

 

[Guy from the 80's]

Max Payne 3.

Playing the New york mission just cemented my belief that Max Payne should have stuck with New York. MP3 has been a roller coaster for me (still not completed it) where it has went from ok to crap, to pretty good to incredible boring. I've gotten to the level where you are riding a boar and bullet timing people on docks and I find it INCREDIBLE boring.

I hope it improves. I don't regret buying the game since I bought the MP bundle on steam since I cant find my retail versions of those games. I look forward to playing MP and MP2 after completing MP3.

To sum it up, I don't know why the devs wanted to created May Payne in far cry universe.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

Max Payne 3.

Playing the New york mission just cemented my belief that Max Payne should have stuck with New York. MP3 has been a roller coaster for me (still not completed it) where it has went from ok to crap, to pretty good to incredible boring. I've gotten to the level where you are riding a boar and bullet timing people on docks and I find it INCREDIBLE boring.

I hope it improves. I don't regret buying the game since I bought the MP bundle on steam since I cant find my retail versions of those games. I look forward to playing MP and MP2 after completing MP3.

To sum it up, I don't know why the devs wanted to created May Payne in far cry universe.

I`m sorry but i fear it won`t improve for you.
Don`t know if you´re trolling or not but my sense of careing is just enough to reply. Hope you have good hours with the mp since this will be the only thing you`ve fun with the game if you don`t think mp3s sp is worth it. Mp1 and 2 won`t improve your opinion if you`re bored by the gameplay, since it won`t change much.

 

[Homicide]

Story needed more work, it was stupid in the end and didn't make much sense to me. The gunplay was awesome but like the over games it becomes very repetitive towards the end. I enjoyed it a lot but it could have been much better.

 

[Guy from the 80's]

Max Payne 3.

Playing the New york mission just cemented my belief that Max Payne should have stuck with New York. MP3 has been a roller coaster for me (still not completed it) where it has went from ok to crap, to pretty good to incredible boring. I've gotten to the level where you are riding a boar and bullet timing people on docks and I find it INCREDIBLE boring.

I hope it improves. I don't regret buying the game since I bought the MP bundle on steam since I cant find my retail versions of those games. I look forward to playing MP and MP2 after completing MP3.

To sum it up, I don't know why the devs wanted to created May Payne in far cry universe.

I`m sorry but i fear it won`t improve for you.
Don`t know if you´re trolling or not but my sense of careing is just enough to reply. Hope you have good hours with the mp since this will be the only thing you`ve fun with the game if you don`t think mp3s sp is worth it. Mp1 and 2 won`t improve your opinion if you`re bored by the gameplay, since it won`t change much.

Not trolling I'm for real. There are so many things that annoy me with MP3. Having an assault rifle equipped then having a gun equipped after a cut scene. Not being able to turn corners while crouched like in Deus Ex. Not to mention MP being in a room in the favela filled with assault rifles, then cut scenes and he exits the room only with a gun, and you have no chance of grabbing all the ammo and weapons in the room.

I had expected more more from Rockstar. The mechanics in MP is TERRIBLE!