Sell me on Max Payne 3

I've bought just about every game this year expected to be on at least one GB staff member's top ten list. Glaring omissions are Max Payne 3 and Syndicate, which I never picked up when I was broke earlier in the year (and absorbed in Skyrim), plus Far Cry 3 and Hitman, for which I was already broke now after all the black friday sales.

I have like $58 bucks in credit at gamestop, and was hoping to pick up Far Cry when it inevitably hits $39, and use the rest for Xbox points (since I haven't got Mark of the Ninja or Fez). But I just found out Max Payne 3 collector's edition is only $20 right now at gamestop. I passed on the $9 standard edition on black friday, and regret it, and I want to know if you'd go for that CE set now even if it dipped into your budget for other games.

The CE if MP3 seems pretty useless, its one of those statue sets, the worst kind of CE's outside of "steel (chrome-like paint on top of aluminum) case with art book that essentially is advertising that'd be sent as screenshots to gamespot circa 1998" collector's editions. It comes with a bullet shaped keychain. And not the season pass, just some "weapon skins". Exploitative garbage not what one expects from Rockstar.

Aaaaaanyway, I suppose the CE makes it easier to flip on craigslist for like $15, but in terms of the investment of time when theres so many games to play, would you recommend it? How much is it like old Max Payne? Is the multiplayer still busy on either 360 or PS3? And are people without season passes shit out of luck finding opponents?

I can't sell you on it because I didn't really like it.

You should buy Max Payne 3. Did that work?

I can't sell you on Max Payne 3. Only you can sell yourself on it. You have to want it. You need some deep, dark desire to see a piece of shit man seemingly at rock bottom be thrust into a situation where everything's somehow worse. Someone who's addictions control him as he's forced to kill over and over again to protect someone he doesn't even care about. Why? For the sake of the job, it's the only thing he's got left. Can he overcome his vices and walk into the sunset a free man? It seems hopeless...

I can´t say how the console versions stack up framerate-wise, since I played on PC. Since you´ll be spending 70% of the time in slo-mo I guess framerate aint much of an issue. Now, aiming with the controller is a little harder than mouse aim and I feel like this game was developed for mouse aim. So you probably shouldn´t play on Hard right away.

Other than that: Go for it. It´s an awesome game, different from the old Max Payne games at first glance, but I felt like the cover mechanic and the set slomo moments added a lot to the game. The gameplay is pretty smooth, if you´re not afraid of dumping bullets at your enemies to make them retreat to cover. It´s a long and pretty hard game, something of a rarity these days. The weapons feel very good for a third person shooter and the violence- oh god, the violence is so over the top brutal.. I guess it can be a bit of a turn off if you´re not expecting it.

The story.. well, just don´t go in expecting this to be a direct sequel. I´d say it´s more like a side story with the same character.. although Max´ inner monologue is still here, it lacks that certain style the first two games had. This game ditches the whole norse mythology weirdness and goes for a more down to earth feel. Which makes for some GREAT shooting segments in lifelike locations. That office later on in the game just.. well, you destroy an entire office and it feels amazing.

As for the Multiplayer.. I can´t really say. They seem to be releasing mappacks for it pretty regularly, so maybe it´s still active? Seemed like a blast, but it´s not what I play Max Payne for. For 20 bucks or less, get it for the singleplayer (and arcade mode if you´re into that sort of thing)

because:

= awesome game!

There, now go buy Max Payne 3.

I just recently played through it and really enjoyed my time with it. It is also actually kind of a hard game, which I really wasn't expecting from a shooter.

I really loved it, play through it twice in 3 or 4 days once on normal then on hardest.

I'm not going to sell you on it because... well, it's a cover-based third person shooter. A very dark third person shooter whose main character is a depressed alcoholic who clings onto life for no apparent reason, but a cover-based third person shooter nonetheless.

On the topic of the whole "shootdodge" thing, I never found much opportunity to use it. Actually, I found that I often fucked everything up and couldn't progress when jumping through the air and firing, unless I had already killed most of the guys in the room and I wanted to take out the last two in some cool manner. I spent most of the game behind something, slowing down time to pop up and get a few headshots, then dropping back down and doing it all over again. It was interesting but I would hardly recommend it to someone over Far Cry 3, which is a good game but has problems of its own.

I don't know how much like the old Max Payne games it is because I never played them. This one is pretty difficult, though.

@believer258:All I can say is you were playing that game wrong, shootdodge is an absolutely vital mechanic since you can use it when your bullet time meter is out. And if you jump of higher ground, you get more time in slo-mo.

Do you like shooting that guy? There's a LOT of that-guy-shooting, and it feels and looks really, really good each and every time.

Also, if you like Man on Fire, this is that in game form.

@believer258: it's not cover based. it has a cover mechanic in it but its gameplay is not centered around taking cover.

First off, don't get Syndicate. It's shit. Even Jeff can like shit games. He liked Mark Ecko's Getting Up.

As for MP3, it's one of the finest third person shooters ever made. Weapons and bullets are also beautifully rendered. One warning though; arm yourself with patience.

If you like bullet time, entry and exit wounds and Man on Fire this is the game for you.

@DeF said:

@believer258: it's not cover based. it has a cover mechanic in it but its gameplay is not centered around taking cover.

Was for me.

@Liquidus said:

@believer258:All I can say is you were playing that game wrong, shootdodge is an absolutely vital mechanic since you can use it when your bullet time meter is out. And if you jump of higher ground, you get more time in slo-mo.

...and I was saying that anytime I used shootdodge, I died. I tried many, many times to use it throughout the entire game, got several headshots each time, but most of the time I would land and most of the time I would die. Dead. No more Max.

I tried it as many different ways as I could but just plain no luck so I eventually gave up on it. Sure, if you're playing on easy or you've got some black-magic infused crazy-ass aiming skills and know precisely where and how to jump, you might be able to pull it off through most of the game, but for us normal people it's just not a terribly practical maneuver most of the time.

TEARS///???TEARS\\\\\\

{T E A RS}

@believer258:Well then, your experience was very different from everyone else's. You know you can aim and shooting while laying on the floor, right? That's kinda an important aspect of the shootdodge when your out of cover.

Syndicate is only $5 right now on Amazon. Not that I plan on buying it even at that price.

I haven't played Far Cry 3 yet, but the shooting in Max Payne 3 is the best I experienced this year. Plus the excellent soundtrack goes perfectly with each scene.

@believer258 said:

@DeF said:

@believer258: it's not cover based. it has a cover mechanic in it but its gameplay is not centered around taking cover.

Was for me.

@Liquidus said:

@believer258:All I can say is you were playing that game wrong, shootdodge is an absolutely vital mechanic since you can use it when your bullet time meter is out. And if you jump of higher ground, you get more time in slo-mo.

...and I was saying that anytime I used shootdodge, I died. I tried many, many times to use it throughout the entire game, got several headshots each time, but most of the time I would land and most of the time I would die. Dead. No more Max.

I tried it as many different ways as I could but just plain no luck so I eventually gave up on it. Sure, if you're playing on easy or you've got some black-magic infused crazy-ass aiming skills and know precisely where and how to jump, you might be able to pull it off through most of the game, but for us normal people it's just not a terribly practical maneuver most of the time.

curious, did you play on console (or PC with controller) or with mouse/keyboard?

For 20 bucks it's worth it actually.  
9 bucks for just the regular version was 100% worth it but you missed out on that deal. But that happens

(Disclaimer: I am a bit of a Rockstar fanboy. The Houser brothers might be the most ingenious and frankly brilliant designers/writers to grace gaming. They can do no wrong)

Max Payne 3 is honestly one of the few AAA releases this year that didn't fucking disappoint. It's a blood-soaked romp through the high and (mostly low) life of Brazilian society. Yeah, the gameplay has been tweaked and there's *gasp* a cover system, but the shooting controls are solid and top notch. The tone of the story is geared toward more gritty realism than the campier elements in past titles. However, the story is amazing and Max's deeply damaged character is better than ever.

The Houser brothers clearly did their homework on the dark side of a deeply divided and corrupt country and Max Payne 3 shines as a result. This is the tone they were going for and they nailed it. Did I also mention that the soundtrack's awesome?

Because you can shot men with two guns at the same time and it's like pow pow pow

People who calling Syndicate shit have no idea what a shit game is.

@believer258 said:

@DeF PC with mouse. And yes, I was getting headshots.

Have you played MP1 and MP2? 'Cause I really had zero issues and only used cover when I felt like it. And I certainly didn't play on easy.

@Liquidus said:

There, now go buy Max Payne 3.

1. How they used the above song in the actual game

2. Max Payne 3 wins the GB Award for Best Game Where Protagonist Falls Off Shit in Slow Motion While Shootin' Dudez

Maybe the game is different on Normal, but on Hard, it's just another cover based shooter. Unlike Max Payne 2, Bullet Time doesn't last long enough. Shoot Dodging back and forth still makes you look like a fish out of water. The game also has a habit of putting Max into the silliest place possible when the action starts. When the action does start, considering how often you're stuck watching a cutscene. And hopefully you like the dead guy from Rescue Me, because Max will not stop talking to himself.

It's a good game if you like it.

@tarvis said:

It's a good game if you like it.

+1 lol

@TooWalrus said:

I can't sell you on Max Payne 3. Only you can sell yourself on it. You have to want it. You need some deep, dark desire to see a piece of shit man seemingly at rock bottom be thrust into a situation where everything's somehow worse. Someone who's addictions control him as he's forced to kill over and over again to protect someone he doesn't even care about. Why? For the sake of the job, it's the only thing he's got left. Can he overcome his vices and walk into the sunset a free man? It seems hopeless...

You've sold me! I'll take 3! I already own a bloody copy but whatever!

I guess what'd turn me off, is if there is a lot of trial and error... i know its not a stealth game, but does it have situations where you basically have to make your way through a scenario like it was a stealth game, killing dudes in order otherwise they instantly kill you when they outnumber you. A save-crawling kind of game.

I mean as far as third person shooters go, Uncharted is a favorite of mine because it has the right mix of freedom to explore things non-linear, but also scripted set pieces where specific enemies come at you in an exact way. If you die in Uncharted, its rarely the quick-timey part, meaning, you're not doing the busy work getting back in position, rewatching the cutscene, to retry the missed shot again. From what i remember, some of the bigger complaints about MP3 earlier this year was the save system.

And how do enemies come at you? Are they placed in spots, or do they constantly respawn until you advance to the next scene?

I can't, I didn't like it, I mean, I REALLY didn't like it. Maybe it's because I was expecting Max Payne, and all I actually got was a 'game' with about 75% cut scenes. Plus, I really don't like the new direction they've taken with Max in general. I mean your supposed to be super depressed and on the verge of suicide, but at the same time you can dive a across the room and shoot 50 dudes in the face, I just found it really...odd. But don't just take my word for it:

@DeF said:

@believer258 said:

@DeF PC with mouse. And yes, I was getting headshots.

Have you played MP1 and MP2? 'Cause I really had zero issues and only used cover when I felt like it. And I certainly didn't play on easy.

No, I have not, and I played on the default difficulty.

EDIT: I'm not saying it's a bad game. It's a decent one. I just couldn't find shootdodge anywhere near as useful as cover.

It's an amazing looking game with a superb narrative. It has decent shooting mechanics and if you play it like Gears of War, you'll have a lot of fun, but you can always pop out and go guns blazing for certain segments. It's not worth it for 60 dollars, but it's well worth it for half that price (which I got it for)

Let me try to give you my perspective on Max Payne 3's value: I had much more fun with this campaign than I ever did with Halo 4's campaign (which I paid full price).

@TooWalrus said:

I can't sell you on Max Payne 3. Only you can sell yourself on it. You have to want it. You need some deep, dark desire to see a piece of shit man seemingly at rock bottom be thrust into a situation where everything's somehow worse. Someone who's addictions control him as he's forced to kill over and over again to protect someone he doesn't even care about. Why? For the sake of the job, it's the only thing he's got left. Can he overcome his vices and walk into the sunset a free man? It seems hopeless...

Shit, you sold me on the game and I already bought it.

@boocreepyfootdoctor said:

I guess what'd turn me off, is if there is a lot of trial and error... i know its not a stealth game, but does it have situations where you basically have to make your way through a scenario like it was a stealth game, killing dudes in order otherwise they instantly kill you when they outnumber you. A save-crawling kind of game.

I mean as far as third person shooters go, Uncharted is a favorite of mine because it has the right mix of freedom to explore things non-linear, but also scripted set pieces where specific enemies come at you in an exact way. If you die in Uncharted, its rarely the quick-timey part, meaning, you're not doing the busy work getting back in position, rewatching the cutscene, to retry the missed shot again. From what i remember, some of the bigger complaints about MP3 earlier this year was the save system.

And how do enemies come at you? Are they placed in spots, or do they constantly respawn until you advance to the next scene?

After reading this, I typed up a fair bit of answers to each of your questions. And then the damn thing ate my post. So I'll just say that if these are your worries, then you should get Far Cry 3 unless you're really interested in a story-driven game. Max Payne 3 sometimes has elements of everything you've complained about here with the exception of respawning enemies, which it doesn't have at all.

Pass. It sucked. Super repetitive. Some sequences were just dumb like when you run on docks and there is almost no cover at points when guys are shooting at you from boats and on the docks. That part on hard was completely stupid. Oh geez and the falling down crap was so annoying.

Basically I really really hated Max Payne 3.

I ended up liking Max Payne 3, it's a challenging game where cover matters, you have to take into consideration how many pills you have and also Max isn't quick on his feet especially when he gets knocked over so making use of bullet time is key to survival. I also like Max's self aware commentary throughout the game as well as the characters you meet.

lol @ poor people

Get Max Payne 3 if you like good games

I would suggest leaving it well alone. The gameplay is fun, but most of the game is spent watching cutscenes that tell a story that isn't particularly interesting, gripping, meaningful or respectful to the character of Max Payne.

For what it's worth, I enjoyed my playthrough, but it's a very superficial, showy game whereas the first two Max Payne games, to me, are art. I traded my copy in shortly after loading it up for a second run through and realising it's actually boring as hell.

Why? Because he takes hellof drugs. And drugs are cool.

Stay in school.

it uh has a great soundtrack?..

I am unable to sell you on it because I think it is largely overrated and boring...and I loved MP1 and 2. I'd say it will be worth it at like $20.

The game is bleak as hell, and if you like mature content in your video games then Max Payne 3 is a game for you.

Personally, I loved it. I hated the controls to begin with until I turned off the soft-target thingie. After doing that I jumped around like a maniac shooting people in the face. If you've played the other Max Payne games then you might notice that Max's voice sounds a bit different than in the other games. I have no idea why this is, because it's the same voice actor, but it annoyed me slightly but in the end I got used to it.

The presentation of the game (graphics and sound) is wonderful. The music by Tears is phenomenal and the motion capture and graphics in general is superb.

You should buy it if you like shooting people in the head.

@Sammo21 said:

I am unable to sell you on it because I think it is largely overrated and boring...and I loved MP1 and 2. I'd say it will be worth it at like $20.

overrated? I think this is definitely not the case...

Its the best "feeling" shooter this year and the minute-to-minute gameplay is superb. Its the best use of Bullet Time since Max Payne 2 and helps create moments that leave you feeling like the biggest badass in the world.

For example, last night I was playing through the last level on the second to hardest difficulty (during THE signature moment of the game, actually) running towards a gate on a catwalk. The gate opens, out pop 4 or 5 guys on the level below me and two guys on the same level as me. I immediately turn my attention to the guys on my level. A couple of bursts to their upper body and their down. I take aim at one going up some stairs and just manage to take him out before the magazine is empty. I retreat back into cover and reload when suddenly a grenade plops down right beside me. I instinctively start slo-mo diving off the catwalk. As dozens of bullets wizz by I take aim at two guys near the stairs. Burst, down, burst, down.

Grenade goes off behind me and a bright orange flash fills the screen. Health is down to just a sliver. At this point I know I either kill the remaining guys through the final 3 seconds of this fall, or I'm dead.

I turn my cross hair to the right only to find the final two guys are hidden by a section of the catwalk. After the longest half-second ever, I spot one of the guys legs and start unloading. I make it to his midsection before he falls. I take aim at the final guy and pull the trigger. Hit the ground, fire one shot. Bullet cam kicks in as it lodges itself in that dudes brain.

I stand up, King of the World.

Look, I love the game myself... I'm still playing it every other day, multiplayer and singleplayer. Of course I'm going to tell you to get it.

If you like TPS's in general, this is a MUST get. The feel of the game is just amazing... the amount of weapon and physics details makes it the best TPS ever made, at least for me. Anywho, Max Payne 3 is cheaper... so why not get that now and far cry 3 for Christmas?

It's really solid. It's one of the few games this year that felt like a full product.

Absolutely solid and entertaining.

You dive through the air and shoot stuff in slow motion. If that's not enough for you, then you are dead inside.