Released this week on PS3 and Xbox 360, Max Payne 3 is Rockstar’s big title for 2012. You should be able to find it online for around £35.
> Official site.
> Multiplayer Preview.
> Single player Preview.
Max Payne 3 isn’t the best game ever made – far from it – but it does enough, every ten minutes or so, to make you forget everything else out there and just run riot with a massive grin on your face.
It is, if you like, one wickedly cruel solitary drinking game: when Max looks into a half empty glass of scotch in a monochrome close-up, take a shot; each time he overdubs a solemn, insular voice over about how his life is utterly shit, gulp two fingers of a pint. Painkiller addled visual cues, clumsy landings against hard surfaces, extreme shots of an enemy’s face being cratered with a 9mm bullet? Better take it easy with those, or you’ll not make it past the first section.
He’s right though: this third game might be set a good few years after the last, but Payne’s inner turmoil hasn’t healed or waivered, instead his alcoholism has set in for good, the same demons still haunt his memories and – naturally – he’s now somewhat older. The Force is long out of the window, of course, his pay cheques now being written by a wealthy Brazilian businessman with a trophy wife who forms the impetus for a good chunk of the game’s eight hour single player.
This twenty-something socialite wouldn’t normally provoke much in the way of emotion for the majority of gamers, but it’s in Rockstar’s skilful exposition that the connection is made, and in particular the way Max relates to the capture (and subsequent descent into chaos and double-crossing). We don’t really care about Fabiana Branco, but we care that our character cares, and that’s as good a link as we could expect with someone clearly in the deal for nothing but money. Not that such a motivation can last forever, of course, and Rockstar pull no punches.
As it happens, there’s a solid group of characters in the game that, through some top tier voice acting and some incredible, natural looking animation from the capable Euphoria engine, come across as believable and realistic, which of course living up to the hard-boiled, pulpy over-dramatised talking heads that we wouldn’t have a Rockstar game without. Max is the key, James McCaffrey’s return to the role crucial but it’s work that’s coupled with a great script and expert pacing and editing.
Quit out of the game and jump back in later and the loading screens, intro and menu backgrounds will show you your current location and a silent but useful recap.
The cut-scenes that punctuate the game continuously are never intrusive, partly because the segues between action and animation are absolutely seamless, but also because they drive the linear plot in a way that no amount of player expectation could ever do. They’re a pleasing constant, thoroughly enjoyable and – nicely – hide any loading. Once the game is in flow, it doesn’t stop unless the plot dictates a pause, and never to ask you to ‘please wait’.
Technical merits abound – aside from the flawlessly mixing sections you play and those you don’t (and there’s one such treat just before the halfway mark in an office that’s wonderfully done) it’s far to say that the visuals are astonishingly good. Lighting, powered by Rockstar’s RAGE engine, is up there with Naughty Dog’s finest work and the organic animation perhaps betters the likes of Uncharted; the sheer amount on-screen at times is mesmerising, particularly in the middle distance. Textures might not be razor sharp, but they’re impressively varied, rarely do you come across the same thing twice.
Kill the last person in an area and you’ll watch the bullet fly in slow-motion towards its fleshy target. Tap the trigger again and you’ll see the impact first hand.
But it’s in the clever visual effects that Rockstar have really pushed the boat out. Bullet Time might be present and correct (and complete with the ubiquitous slow-mo) but it’s the drugs and booze that cause the most distinctive tricks: flickering colour separations, glitchy recording techniques and age-old cutaways and multiple shots that resonate nicely with the developing story.
There’s more than enough fan service for those that enjoyed the first two games, with some lovely flashback sequences adding to the plot.
And whilst Max Payne 3 attempts to convey a film-like experience to the player – and largely succeeds – sometimes something happens that breaks that fourth wall like a sledgehammer, spoiling the flow. This is notably when Rockstar decide to throw in a segment that demands something different of the player, and comes with a sudden fail state that requires a restart from the last checkpoint – these parts are rare enough, but no matter how well you might breeze through the main shooting sections some of these kill the pacing outright. A sniper portion, for example, that suddenly removes any Easy Mode reticule snapping, or a Matrix-style dive into a half dozen enemies that spikes the difficulty for 10 seconds.
And then there’s the faux-mystery collectables, fully voiced and – yes – relevant to the plot, but coming with an obvious prompt and sadly only there to total towards an arbitrary set of check-boxes and the option to discover some ‘golden’ weaponry rather than forward much characterisation. They get better towards the end, though.
But don’t get us started on shooting grenades out of the air whilst speeding on a boat, spawning enemies or the bullet-sponge mini boss – they weren’t fun in Operation Thunderbolt decades ago, and aren’t now. In a game so otherwise brilliantly tight and fat-free, these little niggles feel a little like last-minute padding and tweaking and could have easily been trimmed back.
But don’t worry – none of the above could really spoil this party – Max Payne 3 is otherwise expertly produced, and so clever at keeping the player moving downstream in a game that might well be linear but always seems to move in the direction you’d want it to. Even death isn’t final if you’re carrying pills – the enemy that sapped your last drop of health a still-downable target as you’re left laying on the floor shooting on your back: take him out and you’re back on your feet. A weapon wheel keeps your options open too – Payne can carry two hand guns (that are optionally duel-wieldable) and a further rifle or shotgun – easily switched with the back left trigger.
Much like the Xbox 360 version (which is the one we tested) running across two disks, Max Payne’s single player is very much a story of two acts, something that’s hinted at in the game’s very first cut-scene; and Brazil’s São Paulo plays host to two very different sets of lifestyle. The rich and famous, partying until the early hours dozens of floors above the street and the poor, down in the favelas – we’re not here to spoil the story, of course, but you’ll have seen screens of Payne with his head shaved, and as the story moves on and the odds stack up, sometimes even someone as deadly as the protagonist needs to shake off a few long-held habits.
Multiplayer gameplay. All LIVE play undertaken for this review was done at both Rockstar’s headquarters and via a pre-arranged Rockstar-led online meet. Oddly, we were blacklisted by Microsoft for playing early.
But it’s in the game’s multiplayer where most surprises are – the presence of online match-ups might have been a shock to fans of the series, but there are two things to consider here.
Firstly the inclusion of multiplayer hasn’t hampered the single player one iota, and secondly it’s hardly something that’s been thrown together at the last moment, coming complete with deathmatch and King Of The Hill variants in addition to story-based Gang Wars, which plays off key moments in the main game with changing objectives and the same visual stylings that makes the Story mode so powerful.
Multiplayer mode uses exactly the same engine as the Story mode – the visuals are the same, the controls are the same (although you can adjust them if needed) and the same amount of attention and care has been carried over wholesale, making this anything but a minor addition, so if you had any doubts that Max Payne could support multiplayer – rest easy.
In addition to ‘crews’, which interestingly will carry over to Grand Theft Auto V when it releases next year and allow like-minded people to join together online, Rockstar have introduced ‘vendettas’ between players that kill each other twice in a row and a strong experience (XP) based system that boasts ranks, cash and weapons. Players are free to spend their winnings on whatever they feel works best for their style of play – it’s a smart, open-ended methodology that works throughout every aspect of the online mode and offers a rewarding, objective-based system that we think some will find highly addictive and should last a while.
Finally, there are Bursts, which are Max Payne’s version of perks, and include Bullet Time (which works online via a ‘line-of-sight’ mechanic) and each Burst has three levels, which require Adrenaline to pull off, bringing an additional layer of tactics into the game.
Tip: switch to control method 4, which keeps the standard controls but fixes reload and cover to their more ‘natural’ buttons from other games. You might also need to adjust the right stick sensitivity a bit, the default is acceleration-heavy but slow to aim.
An Arcade mode rounds off the deal, which allows players to run through any completed single player sections in a score-based (or, ultimately, time-based once you’ve beaten the game) lighter mode, which strips out anything unnecessary and forces quicker reactions, better accuracy and speedier gameplay. Your achievements are ranked, and each level has various medals attached to it, which should ensure an almost endless competitive aspect to the sometimes tunnel-like levels that make up the main game.
Like everything about Max Payne 3, it feels part of a complete package – but if you’d like to read more about the game’s online section, read our full report here.
Max Payne 3 is a great looking game, at least on the 360.
That’s the key, really – completeness. Max Payne 3 is a thrilling, lengthy but well paced single player and an engaging, comprehensive multiplayer – one that doesn’t require knowledge of the prior two games and for the most part is happy to work with whatever third person shooter skill level you might have. Punchy weapons, a smart cover system and a great story with some knockout characters make for a game that verges dangerously close to being essential.
It’s a seriously good game, from an explosive start to a gripping finale, through a few plot twists and action that rarely lets up. The emphasis on cover is intelligent, and works well with the Bullet Time system, and some of the visuals really are ground-breaking – Rockstar know how to make a cinematic game, but Max Payne 3 pushes the genre way beyond the likes of GTA or even L.A. Noire, with some lovely animation and acting that keeps the player connected as the story comes to its dramatic conclusion. And again – spoilers be damned – there’s some utterly fabulous moments here to savour.
So, not the best game ever made – but it does do enough, every ten minutes or so, to make you forget everything else out there and just run riot with a massive grin on your face. And sometimes, when games are knocked for taking themselves far too seriously, a game like Max Payne 3 – which keeps on eye on that still-cool scrubby detective vibe (if you can’t find a silencer, a water bottle will always do) and another on planting C4 whilst under-fire and levelling entire buildings – is at worst refreshing but at best an absolute delight. It’s not perfect, it’s really not, but it’s balls out brilliant entertainment.
Bleak, sometimes frightening, always powerful and quite often shocking, Max Payne 3 takes the third person genre about as far as it can go, and most likely does the same this with this generation’s now ageing console hardware. Polished to near perfection, with just a few minor sticking points that dent – ever so slightly – what is overall a wonderful slice of gaming. Enjoy.
Forrest_01
What the hell happened to the site on this article??? lol
Am guessing that this was drafted in a different medium to usual or something?
colossalblue
trying out a new style/layout for big reviews.
Cutter.T
I like it!
BIGAL-1992
I like it too, but I would like to see the Pro’s and Con’s section in there aswell. I don’t have times some days to read the review in its entirity.
Nate
It doesn’t translate well to viewing on my mobile! The sections are all over the screen, really hard to follow.
RudeAwakening
Yea im loving the new style, looks amazing!
bunimomike
New large format is good but the dead (white) space stands out like a sore thumb at times. Been shown another gaming site that does the same thing. It didn’t look good there either. Still, the pros outweigh the cons by a vast amount. Lovely review too. Might actually get this later in the year. Top stuff, Al.
KeRaSh
Love it! Looks very clean.
fillip2k
I really like it. It feels more like a print article rather than an online one.
AG2297
I think it looks really good!
Forrest_01
It does… When you view it full screen.
Can’t read it if trying to take a sneaky five minute look during work though, as some of the text is obscured when the window is minimised. :(
Mickey2010
Looks Nice! Its just im used to the old ways Lol! Nice Review
Tuffcub
Dont like it. Sorry. Looks like TSA for people who need glasses.
Cutter.T
@Tuffcub
I wear glasses and I find this offensive.
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I can read normal TSA fine without glasses, I don’t need this!
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*Uses wipe to get rid of nose marks on the screen after reading the review*
AG2297
Because I’m using 1080p as my resolution this is a much better fit for my screen, normally I’m zooming in to be able to see because everything is made so that people with small (or ancient) resolutions can see it well too.
jediryan123
New format looks great on my 1080p monitor!
Nigeyboy
Still looks a little small on my 1440 monitor ;) I like it, the full width pictures are nice. maybe you need to have some smart scaling thing that detects browser size.
psychobudgie
That is the format Rockstar sent it in……Grabs asbestos coat, calls a taxi, heads for the hills.
Sympo
I’m not into Rockstar as much as the old days but I really like the new review style, its pretty cool. :)
JoshHood
New review style is nice :D New review is nicer :D
Murdo
I love the review layout, it looks amazing on an iPad. More of this please.
Great to see this game scoring so highly, I think I’ll be picking this up after my exams.
Origami Killer
Before I read it, love the new layout for it. Looks great.
Origami Killer
Great review too, sounds fantastic. Will defo be picking this up after my exams. RockStar make the end to my exams a little bit better every year with their releases. RDR and LA Noire previously.
Mundham
Great review(bar the grammar and sentence construction), essential purchase this Friday.
Stealth20k
Another bias review
gametrailers 7.6 is abotu right
Gastos84
Get over yourself
Mickey2010
‘Biased’
Have you played the game yourself to know its worthy of a 7.6? tit
Forrest_01
I was going to mention the poor tense use of ‘bias’ – Then i noticed they couldn’t spell ‘about’ either, so i didn’t see the point! XD
Forrest_01
According to who?
Forrest_01
& out of pure interest, what other review was biased in your opinion?
The Lone Steven
Yes it is baised because there is no way that Peter felt that it deserved a 9/10. Oh wait.
Different reviewers have different scores for a game. Reviewer A may think it is excellent whilst reviewer B just thinks it’s a good game with a lot of flaws.
Tuffcub
So I thought it was fab when i previewed it at Rockstar, Duncan thought the same when he went down to preview the Multiplayer and Alex agrees on the final product. Not sure how we can all be biased.
Cutter.T
Well, everything is biased in the end. Everything you are aware of is only the results of the information your sensory organs receive (and even they are imperfect.) Combined with faulty memory, emotions and internal prejudices its impossible to be objective. In my opinion anyway, as that statement is pretty biased towards my own ideas. :P
Sympo
People will have different opinions on Rockstar but really; its a pointless comment that shouldn’t never been made. Personally I think all R* games this gen have been shit but I don’t see the need to attack the review for being bias.
Death_In_Flamez
May I just add your calling TSA biased compared to Gametrailers? I’ll leave you to think about that one :P
psychobudgie
This is the same gametrailers who have previously named MTV published games as GOTY including Dance Central…yup you did indeed read that correctly. Oh incase you weren’t aware MTV owns gametrailers.com
Gastos84
Love the new layout. Just thought I’d say :)
Tomhlord
Snap, looks ace.
cam the man
Didn’t really notice until I started reading the comments, prefer it.
Nickboss1
Is the ps3 version as good graphically as the 360’s? given Rockstars history with ps3 ports :(
An-dz
I like the new layout apparet from one thing, the summing up of the pros and cons at the end. I always liked that so few sights do it, i hope it comes back. Also the pics remind me so much or “Irish” from red dead redemption. he looks like a slightly less drunk version of him xD
cc_star
I like pros & cons too
It was an easy way to judge the review’s score
eg. if the cons don’t bother me, in my head I’d score it higher… opposite way around if the pros didn’t appeal to me
Kennykazey
The omission of Pros and Cons saddens me too.
nofi
Complete oversight, sorry.
Pros: great single player, substantial multiplayer, amazing visuals and acting.
Cons: some niggling control issues in some areas, some weird, frustrating difficulty spikes.