Editorial | Why you should play Max Payne 3.

By Sam Coles:

There are games that are often overlooked in the industry whether it is the time of year they are released or due to poor marketing, this was somewhat the case with Max Payne 3 there was lots of hype and marketing but when it came out it was a resounding whimper. Max Payne 3 at the time of writing is 7 years old, and I don’t hear people often talking about it these days, Rockstar Games often release games and they sell really well, or do they? You see outside of the Grand Theft Auto series a lot of Rockstar titles don’t sell that well, games like L.A Noire and even the original Red Dead Redemption didn’t sell that well. Max Payne 3 fell victim to this unfortunately; I want to talk about why you should play this game.

Max Payne 3 had a rocky development cycle to put it lightly; the game was originally announced all the way back in 2007, where it was slated for a 2009 release which it obviously missed. I was 14 at the time when the game was announced and I thought That game looks cool, but everything went dark and it was re-announced back in late 2011. The reception of Max Payne 3 when it was first announced was met with hostility, due to its new São Paulo setting. A lot of people thought it didn’t fit Max Payne, but to be honest I think another game set in New York would be a bit a stale by this point. Another issue was that Rockstar Vancouver said that they were not recasting James McCaffrey, which angered a lot because he is Max Payne.

When it was re-announced in late 2011 Max Payne 3 was no longer a Rockstar Vancouver production, but instead it was one big collaborative effort as a Rockstar Studio production. What also brought joy to the community was the fact that James McCaffrey was back, not only voicing Max but providing his likeness and motion capture. Enough of the history lesson, let’s talk about the game.

Max Payne 3 takes place 9 years after the original game, where we see Max at his lowest as he is in a sea of alcoholism and drug use with his addiction to painkillers. He finds himself in Brazil working private security for a wealthy family, what transpires is several betrayals and political conspiracies to harvest organs. This is probably one of the darkest stories Rockstar have produced, with deep subject matters about organ harvesting and political corruption. What I like about the story is that we see Max go through a character arc from depressed on the brink of ending it all, to redeeming himself where kicks the booze to live a normal life.

The gameplay is where we get into the meat of Max Payne 3; the shooting is incredible in this game the guns have weight and a satisfying punch to them. Even Max feels weighted as he collides with a filing cabinet in slow motion, guns leave detailed bullet holes where you can’t help but smile in glee with how cathartic it is. Max can no longer carry a small army’s worth of fire power, as this game goes for a more realistic approach where he can carry two small arms and one large weapon such as a shotgun or assault rifle. I like this idea as it adds tension; because if you want to go full John Woo and duel wield pistols you have to discard your larger weapon.

It was the realistic approach mixed with the over the top nature that made it work, what was also great was the fact both you and the enemy had the same damage output. What do I mean? Well if you headshot someone they would die instantly (obviously), however the enemy could do the same so if they were to hit you in the cranium you would die instantly. This added an extra layer of difficulty and it is a challenging game even on normal, I somehow finished the game on the hardest difficulty back in 2012 which for the life of me cannot tell you how.

What can I say about the visuals, to this day this is a visually impressive game considering it is 7 years old and it came out on outdated hardware even for 2012. The character models are still very impressive showing a good amount of expression via the motion capture, Max himself looks old and tired and it’s fantastic. The environments are beautiful, from the damp swamps of a boat graveyard to the neon lit nightclubs of high society.

Damage modelling is horrendous in a good way, you see every exit wound as you brutally gun down everyone in your path. You see enemies clutch at wounds, limp when they have been shot in the leg and just react in a dynamic manner when they have been shot. It’s this attention to detail that Rockstar are superb at, making the scenario believable.

Max Payne 3 is a game that I feel everyone should play; it has an engaging story, great gameplay and visuals that still stand the test of time. If you have a PS3, 360 or PC you owe it to yourself to play this game, it is one of Rockstar’s hidden gems.