Max Payne 3

So, just a little background on my Max Payne history: I was aware of the series, but up until a few weeks ago, I hadn't actually played any of the games. But with Max Payne 3 coming out, I swiftly downloaded the previous games on the XBL Marketplace to get a little background on the series. I must say, I enjoyed the bullet-time, John Woo shooting, but what clinched it for me was the surreal, oft over the top Noir style and Max's own dramatic self-narrations, with some poor metaphors thrown in for good measure. And because of that, I was honestly a little taken back by the latest game's bright, tropical setting. Was I right to suspect that maybe it was less noir? Would the gameplay make up for it if it was? Read on to find out!

STORY
Years after the end of Max Payne 2, Max has retired from the NYPD and found himself unable to stay in his new-found rut of painkillers and alcohol (after an incident involving a bar shootout and a powerful mob boss). After fleeing with the help of his now business partner, Raul Passos, he relocates to São Paulo and goes into private security for the wealthy Branco family.

This new business venture eventually turns sour, as Rodrigo Branca's wife, Fabiana, is kidnapped at a nightclub. This sends Max and Raul on a mission to get her back, taking them from the bright neon lights of the club, to the rooftops of the city and to the slums of the favelas.

Contrary to my original thoughts, Max Payne retains it's distinctly noir feel despite it's bright, exotic location. It still features dubious characters, secret agendas and a city with a seedy underbelly. The series does seem to have lost it's over the top nature (outside of gameplay), but very little has changed in the Max Payne story structure. If you've played an entry in the series before, this will feel familiar, but also new.
Some may find certain plot points very easy to see coming, but as soon as I thought that, the game threw in a massive left turn. So yea, Max Payne 3 is somewhat predictable, but not everything is as it seems.

PRESENTATION
When we look at the previous games, we see (aside from the blocky graphics)a lot of grey, black and white. Max Payne 3 not only improves in the graphics department (everything looks amazing), but the colour palette has also expanded substantially. Yes, I know, many people will claim that this is evidence of MP3 losing it's noir style, but I feel that it's more about the story than anything. And besides, while the game is colourful, everything looks surprisingly grimy, lending to the game's seedy aesthetic. For me, this keeps a certain noir style.

The soundtrack is a great mix of local Brazilian dance tunes, orchestral music and licensed tracks (one particular scene in an airport stays at the forefront of my mind thanks to the music), and it really helps the locations and action in the game feel real and powerful. That said, I often didn't notice any music during gunfights because the gunfire just sounded so intense. On top of that, the bullet time sound effect is really overwhelming.

The voice acting is pretty solid; James McCaffrey reprises his role as the titular character, and paints Max as a tragic character who wants to change, who wants to better himself, though through poor choices and worse luck keeps travelling the same dangerous path. Max really comes into his own as a character, dealing with the demons of his past and the demons of his addictions at the same time, and alot of this character is possible thanks to the gritty, grissled voice that spouts one liners and self loathing.

GAMEPLAY
Max Payne 3 is not your typical 3rd person shooter, and any gamer with any Max Payne experience may not quite recognize the the new trimmings that Payne has acquired. But first, the basics. The shooting mechanics work really well, running and gunning feels fast and fluid, with the character animations feeling more natural than previous games with the same engine (GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption) helping that significantly. Dual wielding weapons are a viable choice, and different weapons work for different situations, forcing you to change up your approach depending on the environment and enemies.

Now onto something familiar: Bullet time. Yes, it's back and yes, you're still able to send Payne flying across the room as well as you ever could. Your bullet time is governed by a meter that fills with the more kills/headshots and risks that you take, while emptying at a fair pace. This makes for some incredibly cinematic action scenes as Max flies over a rail while peppering the enemies below, or as Payne dives down a flight of stairs whilst blasting his unsuspecting opponent in the face with a shotgun. The bullet time is extremely satisfying.

Next up, something less familiar to the Max Payne series: a cover system. Blasphemy, I know, but hear me out. It actually works quite well. Don't worry, the game wont become a pop-up shooting gallery, just because you can stick to a chest high wall. Staying in cover will get your ass killed, as your enemies wont just stay in place. The opponents in Max Payne 3 are some of the most aggressive I've seen in gaming today. Running and gunning puts you at risk of bullet perforation, but cover leaves you open to flanking. The key to success is balance: run, gun and dive to your content, but using cover as a momentary reprieve from death.

I do have to say that the game doesn't have any problems with gifting you a cheap death, and this becomes quite apparent in the closing minutes. On the most part, the difficulty is well balanced, but there are some moments of absolute infuriating cheapness. Aside from this, I really can't think of much to whinge about.

REPLAYABILITY
After playing through Max's suicide mission once, new difficulty modes open up for play, including hardcore and old-school. On top of this, the New York Minute mode allows players to go through each chapter whilst trying to increase their ever counting down timer with skillful shots and accuracy.

Then theres multiplayer. Now normally I don't care about multiplayer in primarily single player games, but I think Max Payne 3 is worth a mention. If the servers work for you, Max Payne 3 offers the only really successful implementation of multiplayer bullet time. It takes some getting used to, but it makes for some thrilling online moments.

OVERVIEW
Max Payne 3 is a new standard for sequels. It takes the original game, mechanics and style, and builds on top of it. Some features change (the setting, for instance) and certain mechanics are added (cover systems) but it still keeps the basic feel of a classic Max Payne game. It's familiar, but new. The story is compelling, and deals with issues not normally touched upon in games (the separation/similarities between the rich and poor, dealing with addiction and loss). The gameplay is fast and frantic, and never gets boring.
The difficulty can seem a bit unbalanced at some points, but is generally quite manageable. The game looks and feels great, and whether you're new to the series or an old hand with Payne, this game is worth a look.

That's it for this week, next week (or the week after, depending on how I feel about the frequency of these things) I'll be reviewing either Starhawk, Dragon's Dogma or Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Yea, I'll be busy this week (or this fortnight, who knows?) See you next time!!