Gritty Follow up to a Classic Game but not without its Faults
For those who want to relive the kind of gritty noire game that was Max Payne 1 and 2, Max Payne 3 is an apt update and well worth your time. The comic book style of the first two games has been modernized via a Tony Scott film but the gameplay of great slow motion and shoot dodging is well executed. The game also takes a bit of skill much like the original and cannot be played via a run and gun mentality. And while I enjoyed the challenge through most of the game, there was a major flaw in the level designs later in the game.
During the first act of the game, there are a number of great set piece moments that just feel great. You can set up shoot outs as you would a choreographed dance of flying bullets and well timed slow motion dodges just like the John Woo movies that inspired the original games. In a number of levels in the later chapters, the number of enemies in each arena grows higher and higher and enemies just spawn behind doors and entrances to the point of chaos. This is done to ramp up the difficulty but it makes using the shoot dodge, the most fun thing in the game, a pretty bad choice. So, these parts of the game do feel good because they are challenging but can be frustrating because you feel like you are holding back and not using the best mechanics the game has to offer.
The story is a bit cliche as you might expect but its told well through the in game cut scenes and Max's internal dialog. Unfortunately, you cannot skip these in a subsequent playthrough due to the way its always loading the next cut scene. At this point, there is really no excuse for not providing a way to skip cut scenes but it is a minor issue.
The sound is generally top notch and the music, while pretty much just hitting a couple of notes, is well integrated into the action getting louder and more intense as the battles ensue. Guns, explosions, and slow motion queues are all done justice in the games sound effects.
The multiplayer is decent but not best in class in any particular area. They did find a way to integrate slow motion in the multiplay, which is quite an achievement, but the multiplayer does not have the same level of polish or depth as other multi player focused games. Much like other story driven games, the multiplayer is there to keep you interested in the franchise and to give the buyer a sense of "value". And while done pretty well, I believe Max Payne needs multipleplayer like I need a a hole in the head :)
The game provides you with more than 10 hours of play though the later chapters do feel a bit familiar and feel a bit like filler at times. This is mostly due to the fact that the game relies solely on gunplay and slow motion as gameplay through the entire game. One outstanding feature is the kill cam on the last enemy in the room (area) will set off a slow motion kill cam that is also interactive. You can hold the (A) button and it will to into a super slow motion and you can even continue to shoot while the camera swing around behind the target. The provides a number of "wow" moments that really make this game worth playing.
