More grim, more booze, more bullets
Whilst waiting the extra two weeks for the PC version of Max Payne 3 to come out I've been playing through the first and second game to reacquaint myself with Max and his dark, noire world. In some ways MP3 feels very much like a direct sequel and in others much more like a new franchise. A big part of that can probably be blamed on the amount of time that has passed since the second installment. Cover mechanics became a mainstay of third person shooters, recharging health systems are pretty much everywhere and scripted slow motion section are almost guaranteed at some point in most action games.
MP3 takes on board some of these conventions but ignores the recharging health model, instead using a system closer to the original games. You collect bottles of pain killers and then pop a pill when you need to keep your health down. It takes a little getting used and the indication that you are nearly dead is perhaps too subtle but it adds a tactical level to the game that is absent from other games. While you're always able to get through the next encounter you may need to play a little more cautiously if you're short on pills. This extends to your inventory as well to some degree. Max can no longer carry every weapon he comes across at once, instead he can holster two one handed weapons and carry a two handed weapon either at ready or in his off hand. If you want to draw both of your pistols Max will drop his long gun in a rather badass looking motion. You can mix and match pistols or small SMG. My only real complaint here is that there is still a single firing button for dual handed weapons. I really enjoyed mixing an SMG and pistol in the Darkness II, using one to pepper and suppress enemies whilst taking more aimed and considered shots with a pistol. It's not vital but the option would have been nice.
When it comes to the shooting the game looks and sounds great. In slow motion you'll see smoke trailing from spent casings and windows slowly shatter. There isn't quite the same concentration on particle effects that the first Max Payne game had but environments still break up beautifully. Rockstars attention seems to have been focused quite squarely on making diving through the air look amazing. The Natural Motion engine used in GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption is put to fantastic use in MP3. Max's signature ability of diving through the air, dodging enemy fire and dispatching his foes as he does it, has never looked so good. Max impacts the ground and objects around him in a painfully realistic manner. The dynamic nature of the movement can lead to some amazing and hilarious outcomes. At one point I dived backwards and turned halfway through to target another gunman, landing sideways. Max barrel rolled twice because of the momentum he had but the whole thing looked so good you could have sworn it was hand animated. Other times you may try to shootdodge over an obstacle only to find its too high and Max will slam, painfully into it. Some reviews have said that the shootdodge is less useful in MP3 then it used to be but I would disagree. Save for a few moments I was always jumping around like a lunatic. Perhaps it was because I had just finished playing the first and second games and the mentality of when to dive and when not to was still fresh in my mind but I found it to be just as effective, and just a dangerous, as it had ever been. I recorded some footage of me playing like this on normal difficulty to show what I mean.
As far as the story goes it perhaps a little more grounded in reality then 1 or 2. There are no secret societies or government projects but the tale is far more grim as well. It's still silly in parts but and I had to have a think at the end to make sure I understood which side every character had been on, but the reveal towards the end of the game did surprise me which wasn't something I really thought a game plot could do anymore.
All in all, Max Payne 3 is a great shooter. Its got personality and style and is darker then most games of this type. The characters inner monologues give you an insight into the way his mind works that you don't often get to see, though it may not be to everyone's taste. If you want to shoot people in the face, this game lets you do it. If you want to shoot people in the face whilst flying through the air like a nut case, you wont find better the Max Payne 3
