Firstly, what impressed me greatly was the jawdropping storyline. Straight from the get-go you are divulged into his world of crime, adultery and pain. While all previous titles follow Max and none hold a major storyline connection (other than a few twists and turns) Max Payne starts 9 years after the end of the original game (Which takes place in 2001 so consider MP3 to be in 2010) and sees Max hitting rock bottom after becoming addicted to alcohol and pain killers. Now working as a Private Security Guard for the rich and famous, Max finds himself stuck between a plot between the local gang wars and the hatred against one single family.
With flashbacks to his earlier years also more frequent the longer you go into the campaign, gameplay comes into question and this becomes the icing on the cake.
Gameplay is very smooth. From taking cover, shooting and interacting with objects the gameplay has very few flaws. One flaw being Last Stand; If you have a painkiller left and become full of damage, you will enter Last Stand Mode, in which time slows down and you have a chance to live, only if you can kill the person who caused you to nearly die. Manage to kill him and you have a chance to continue, if you cannot, you die. What makes this frustrating is the AI Bots. Bots, no matter what difficulty, are extremely intelligent. They duck, dodge, stay under cover and only those gun-ho on the battlefield will charge head on. If an AI is behind heavy cover (Such as iron plated fences or roof support beams) it is nearly impossible for you to manage a kill. However, if you do manage to kill them, Max will find himself lying on the floor. This leaves you quite exposed and only a few shots from a nearby enemy will ruin that moment, especially in an open area. (Note: Intelligent AI are not part of the let down in the gameplay. Having an enemy that's smart enough to duck makes the Campaign much more enjoyable)
To give credit, the game does throw a bone to those who struggle. If you continuously die in a certain area, after three deaths or so, you will respawn with an extra painkiller. For each set amount of deaths after this, another painkiller will be given. The maximum seems to be five, but nonetheless helped greatly during the harder escapades.
Voice acting by many of cast truly added drama into each moment. The slow monotone of James McCaffrey in both saddening and silent moments added a subtle but truly effective emotional depth to the gameplay. Sound effects were also excellently used; the slightest step of an enemy around a corner to the explosions of a crashing bus were covered most effectively.
Lastly, let's move on to multiplayer.
What makes this multiplayer stand out is the true purity of the experience. To explain it as best as I can, it's almost as if Rockstar took attributes from the standard procedure of Multiplayer in gameplay (Team Deathmatch, King Of The Hill ect) and place it in a balanced and equal gameplay area very simular to Red Dead Redemption. Little to no lag is present and even if does appear, the entire gameplay halts and restarts so that no "Refreshing" kills can be made. Rockstar took their smooth campaign and place it within a fun way for the standard multiplayer, recreating it into wonder.
Even if you are not a fan of Third Person Shooters or the series, Max Payne definitely deserves the attention of any gamer. The loving care from Rockstar into Max Payne is greatly visible in each option of both Campaign and Multiplayer; a truly reenvigorating experience.
A score from one to ten, I gave Max Payne 3 a 10/10
Good points
+ Excellent stand-alone storyline
+ Clean and smooth gameplayer, both MP and Campaign
+ Sound effect and voice acting brilliant
+ Challenging yet game helps out
+ Intelligent AI enemies?!
Bad points
- Issues with Last Stand
- The end of Max Payne?
Max Payne 3 is out now for the standard price of $68.
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