If there is anything to be said of controversial publisher, Rockstar Games, is that if nothing else they know how to tell a damn fine story. With Max Payne 3 does Rockstar meet the high narrative standard it has set with Grand Theft Auto 4, Red Dead Redemption and LA Noir? Read on…

Max Payne 3
Release Date May 15 2012
Platforms PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Type Third Person Action Shooter
Genre: Noir Crime Thriller/Modern Day Setting
Players Single Player Story and Online Multiplayer
Developer: Rockstar Vancover
Publisher: Take Two Interactive
ESRB Rating M (mature)

Highs: Fantastic Production value, excellent graphics and sound, compelling narrative, strong voice cast, solid mechanics, good multiplayer.

Lows: high difficulty, occasional camera issues

Background: Max Payne has not had an easy life. Working as a detective, his investigation into mob activity led to the murder of his wife and only child (Max Payne). After those events he went rogue seeking vengeance for this horrible crime. Ultimately he is cleared of all charges and reinstated to the NYPD. While there he becomes involved with Mona Sax (Max Payne 2) and ultimately getting her killed as well battling a group of contract killers. After the end of the second game, Max has left the NYPD.

Plot of Max Payne 3: It has been several years since the death of Mona Sax, and Max Payne is haunted by demons from his past. No longer with the police, Max has plunged into depression, becoming addicted to both alcohol and painkillers. Max ultimately decides to leave New York and take a job working security for a wealthy Brazilian family. He and his partner, Raul Passos are plunged into a world of greed, corruption and violence.

Once again Rockstar’s chief writer, Dan Houser, delivers a compelling narrative. Mr. Houser is an obvious aficionado of crime thrillers from the likes of Mickey Spillane and takes the player on a similar path. Max’s situation becomes more and more of a train wreck as the game moves along, but we cannot turn away because we hope somewhere at the end of all the carnage, Max will have a chance at redemption. The pacing and delivery are par excellence and frankly better than 99% of the crime thrillers you likely have rented from Red Box or Netflix in the past couple of years.

Game Play: Max Payne 3 is a third person action shooter, much like Rockstar’s own Grand Theft Auto 4 or Red Dead Redemption. In the single player story line you control Max the whole time. The primary thrust of the game is moving though the environment and more or less gunning down whatever gets in your way. Max is capable of carrying up to three weapons at a time. He does not employ grenades or other alternative weapons.

The basic control layout is similar to other Rockstar games and is relatively simple to learn. In addition to the basic shoot and cover mechanics, Max Payne 3 packs a couple of special tricks. The first is called Shoot/Dodge. Max takes a dive either forward or backwards (depending on the environment) and the action slows down around him. This allows Max to take down enemies from cover and looks rather cool as well. Another is called “Bullet Time” hitting this one will slow down everything around Max for about 20 seconds (if you use all of it at once) and allows the player to see the path of all the enemies bullets as they are coming toward Max (think the Matrix film series). Max can then more precisely target his enemies. Bullet time regenerates slowly after being used up, so strategic use of this trick is crucial to getting through the areas. There is also a “last man standing” mode that occurs when Max is near death, the action automatically slows down and Max can take out the enemy shooting at him. In order for this to happen Max has to have one painkiller pill (health pack) in reserve. The action sequences end with a kill cam, which moves the camera away from Max and places it behind his target, graphically showing the entry and exit wound of the bullet he used, this is somewhat reminiscent of John Woo’s cinematic style.

Over all the controls are smooth, the cover mechanics are among the best in gaming. The action is relentless and the enemy AI ramps up gradually until they become very tough, utilizing flanking and cover quite well. Simply running and gunning is a fast way to a quick death for Max. The gun battles require a strategic approach as painkillers and ammo are limited. For many novices this will be a very tough game, as the design does not lend itself to making mistakes. Fortunately the game is generous with checkpoints, which keep the frustration down a bit. The multiplayer is great as well, following the general format of other Rockstar titles, definitely worth checking out.

Sights and Sounds: Utilizing its outstanding “Euphoria” and “RAGE” engines Rockstar has crafted Max Payne into a highly detailed and outstanding looking game. Characters and environments are beautifully rendered. The game has some great set pieces, with the favelas environment feeling very alive and organic. Some of the character modeling matches that of Uncharted 3 and Heavy Rain (two big time benchmarks in that area.) Lighting and particle effects are excellent and the slow motion sequences could have been copped from a 200 million dollar blockbuster. The game’s cut scenes are built from the in-game engine and the transition is nearly seamless between the cinematics and the game, the way a good developer should do them.

Equally impressive is the sound balance, even in the middle of the most intense gun battles everything came across clearly. Sound effects have a Hollywood level of execution. The voice acting is also first rate across the board, lending to the emotional impact of Max’s dark journey. The only complaint here is that Max’s voiceover narration is just a bit too prevalent, as if the producers were trying a bit too hard. The soundtrack is also hard to fault. Much of the music reminds me of the “Scarface” score. The music perfectly matched the mood and the action in each chapter. Once more Rockstar has delivered a stellar production.

Kid’s Corner: I am afraid this game is wholly inappropriate for children and younger teens. There is a lot of gunplay and violence. The kill cam in particular is rather graphic, with lots of blood depicted. Two characters die from burn wounds which are explicity shown in detail. The storyline is rather dark and Max’s narrative outlook is rather grim. There is drug use depicted and in one chapter shows well-modeled topless women. The language as you can imagine is a bit rough as it goes with the dark storyline. The main character is depicted as an anti-hero who is both a drug addict (most likely oxycontin) and an alcoholic who suffers from depression, so this game could be triggering for some adults as well.

In Summary: Rockstar brings Max Payne's story to a satisfying conclusion. Thanks to its gripping plot, relentless pacing and stellar production Max Payne carves its own niche in the shooting genre. If you are an adult with a strong constitution and sense of persistance, this title is one for your short list.

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