Max Payne 3

Overview

Max Payne 3 was seemingly confirmed in the last moments of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne with the words "Max's Journey into the Night Will Continue." But it took nearly six years before the sequel was finally announced. Originally announced for release in 2009, the game has since been postponed several times. It was initially expected to release in 2011, though Rockstar in September 2011 announced that Max Payne 3 will be released in March, 2012. It was again postponed to May 15 2012 in January 2012. The PC version will be available two weeks later on May 29 2012 in North America and June 1st in Europe.

Left: Timothy Gibbs. Right: The new Max Payne.

Rockstar's Vancouver studio is taking the lead on development, breaking the series away from its previous developer, Remedy Entertainment. Since its announcement, the game has undergone some significant stylistic changes. Early screenshots depicted Max as an older, bald man although more further screenshots have since been released of Max with hair. Rockstar has confirmed that Max will be playable before and after his visual changes in Max Payne 3.

Max Payne will no longer be a cop in the new sequel. Set eight years after the previous game, Max is still addicted to booze and painkillers. Without the badge weighing him down, Payne leaves New York for São Paulo, Brazil, where he gets into the private security industry. His task, at least at the game's outset, is to protect a wealthy real estate man named Rodrigo Branco and his family. However, things drift from bad to worse as he gets double-crossed in the new city.

While Max still has the face and general features of actor Timothy Gibbs as he did in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, the new developers are slightly redesigning it to resemble James McCaffrey, the man who has voiced Max Payne in all of his previous outings. McCaffrey will also reprise his role as the voice of Max Payne.

Story

Branco Corporation

Eight years after the events of the second game, retired NYPD cop Max Payne is approached by Raul Passos, later to be his partner in the game, and offered a job in private security for the wealthy family of real estate man Rodrigo Branco in the sprawling, crime-ridden Brazilian metropolis São Paulo. The wife of Max's employer, Fabiana, is soon thereafter kidnapped by local street gang known as the Comando Sombra, who demand $3 million in exchange for her life.

Max and his new partner arrive at the São Paolo Galatians Stadium with the money, and just when it seemed like the handover would go smoothly, the Crachá Preto gang interfere in an attempt to steal the money and ruin the deal.

Characters and Factions

• Max Payne: Protagonist, ex-NYPD cop working security for Rodrigo Branco.
• Rodrigo Branco: Wealthy estate man from São Paulo.
• Fabiana Branco: Rodrigo's wife
• Marcelo Branco: Rodrigo's brother
• Victor Branco: Rodrigo's brother
• Raul Passos: Security head for Rodrigo and Max's partner
• Comando Sombra: Street gang
• Serrano: Leader of Comando Sombra
• Crachá Preto: Street gang
• Álvaro Neves: Leader of Crachá Preto

Gameplay

Taking cover to swallow painkillers

Health and Cover

The healing system will involve Max's addiction to painkillers and will not include regenerating health. The painkillers can be found in medicine cabinets scattered throughout the game and can carried for later use. Therefore, taking cover can only be used as a mechanic to take a quick break during a firefight, reload the weapons or to swallow some painkillers, rather than a long break awaiting the bloody screen to clear up as most first person and third person shooters today go.

Weapons

Max's weapon inventory has been minimized, allowing him to carry only up to 3 weapons- 2 small ones and one big rifle or shotgun. He can now dual wield two different small weapons at the same time, such as a pistol and an uzi, whereas before he could only dual-wield two of the same weapon at once. When not in use, Max's two-handed weapon is held in his off hand. This means that in order to dual wield, he must drop his two-handed weapon.

The game's weapons will range from pistols and uzis, to sawed-off shotguns, pump-action shotguns, assault rifles, and grenade launchers.

Backward Shootdodge

Bullet-time, Shootdodging and Last Man Standing

The game is staying true to its roots by featuring the iconic Max Payne Bullet Time mode with its special mechanics during shootouts.

Bullet Time can be used in two ways: Either activated to slow down time and move, jump or shoot in slow motion, or it can be triggered by performing a shootdodge - a leap (in any direction) that engages bullet-time and lets him aim freely while sailing through the air in slow motion.

Unlike the previous games, performing a shootdodge will keep Max prone after hitting the ground, a bonus that allows the player to keep shooting in a 360 degree direction while being harder to hit.

Shootdodging direction can be altered mid-air by the player, allowing Max to avoid barriers and walls which could cause him to take health damage. Landing on dead bodies decreases the damage taken from high shootdodge falls.

Shootdoding into objects(walls, chairs etc.) will cause the Bullet Time to stop.

Last Man Standing is a new feature which is basically a lifeline to the player. If you’re mortally shot, the reticle quickly follows back to the enemy who shot you, offering you one last chance to shoot him to revive yourself which only works if Max painkillers on hand, he’ll recover a small amount of health at the cost of one painkiller.

Killcam showing the last bullets on their way to the last standing enemy.

Killcam

Similar to the killcam of the first two games, the killcam in Max Payne 3 is triggered when the player shoots the last living enemy in a given room or area. The killcam can either be watched as a dramatic slow-motion video showing the bullets penetrating said enemy, or it can be used as a Bullet Time sequence where the player can slow down time, shoot the bullets and watch them penetrate that enemy and cause his body to react to the impact with precise animations.

This will be the only available killcam in the game, and sniper rifles will not have the bullet camera presented in the previous games which followed every sniper bullet fired until it reached its destination.

HUD

The same HUD returns from the old games, showing a Bullet Time meter which is depleted when used and regenerates when Max kills enemies, a portrait of Max which fills red when taken damage, and the number of available painkillers inside the portrait.

• Max's partner Raul Passos will accompany him in some of the game's levels as a companion NPC, watching Max's back and playing key roles in some of the game's levels and sequences.
• Certain objects are now destructible.
• When near death, If he manages to kill his killer before the screen goes black, he'll spring back to life due to an "adrenaline boost," provided he has at least one painkiller in his possession.
• A variety of team-based and deathmatch style multiplayer modes are available.

Remedy's Involvement

General Development Feedback

Matias Myllyrinne on Max Payne 3

Remedy Entertainment's Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne and Creative Director and writer of the first two games Sam Lake explained that they were considerably approached by Rockstar throughout the development of this title, requesting feedback on the various aspects of the gameplay, setting and the story.

Myllyrinne says "We were able to give feedback and it's almost like you're cherry-picking, you know, you're able to give your input, your thoughts, your feedback, without actually having to think of the realities of what it means to implement a certain feature or to change a level or anything like that, and I think in that respect, It's been fun! It's almost like being a game previewer"

"It's almost like you have a writer, you know, who's written a book, and he's in the process of editing it and he gives it to another writer to read and, you know, we'll give feedback. I think creative people are great that way that they're collaborative and they're very open. "

According to Myllyrinne, quite a few Remedy personnel who worked on the first two games were involved in providing this feedback to Rockstar, such as the Art Director from both games, the Project Lead from MP2, the Senior Gameplay Designers, Senior Technical Artists, Lead Programmer, Creative Director Sam Lake and Himself.

Remedy's Take on The New Max

Sam Lake explained the changes in Max's morale and looks by saying that being as lost and devastated as he was, Max needed to do anything to regain control of his life, which caused him to do this ritualistic act of shaving his head and get back in control again, turning from a punching bag to someone who delivers punches.

The New Location

According to Myllyrinne, São Paulo greatly parallels New York with its slick office buildings, testaments to corporate entities (Aesir Corporation in New York versus the Branco Corporation in São Paulo), as well as having the low-end, dodgy neighborhoods with the crackhouses and rooftops of New York being paralleled by the poor crowded Favelas of São Paulo.

Lake adds that Max as a character is lost in his life, which justifies his moving to another, unfamiliar environment where he feels like a fish out of the water. The alien surroundings fit what the character is going through perfectly, he says.

Special Edition

As well as the regular retail disc, Rockstar also released a limited Special Edition version of Max Payne 3, this included:

• 
  A copy of Max Payne 3;
• 10” tall Collectible Max Payne Statue created in a collaboration between TriForce and Rockstar Games;
• Original Still Life Art Prints that depict some of Max Payne’s inner demons and vices;
• Copper and brass-plated iron, Bullet Keychain;
• Classic Multiplayer Character Pack of eight playable multiplayer characters for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer;
• Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer;
• Downloadable Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack

System Requirements

Operating System: Windows 7 32/64 Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 32/64 Service Pack 2, Windows XP 32/64 Service Pack 3

Processor: Intel Dual Core 2.4 GHZ - i7 3930K 6 Core x 3.06 GHZ / AMD Dual Core 2.6 GHZ - FX8150 8 Core x 3.6 GHZ

RAM: 2GB - 16GB

Video Card: NVIDIA® 8600 GT 512MB VRAM – NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680 2GB VRAM / Radeon HD 3400 512MB VRAM - Radeon HD 7970 3GB VRAM

Sound Card: 100% Direct X 9.0 compatible – Direct X 9.0 compatible supporting Dolby Digital Live

HDD Space: 35 GB