Anybody else find this game exhausting? And I don't mean that in a bad way, I loved the game. Max Payne is my favourite character and franchise and Max Payne 3, whilst different, was a great sequel. But I noticed that the game just really took it out of me, like more than any video game should. I don't mean emotionally or anything like that, I mean literal physical and mental exhaustion... I'm not sure what it was, or how to accurately describe it, but didn't anybody else feel something similar after a couple of hours?

yeah, it's an exhausting game. It requires so much concentration and focus on anything other than Easy that you need to always be on the ball. Take a break and the game will take a bullet-riddled dump all over your chest.

It's refreshing.

I know exactly what you mean. I thought it had something to do with the way the game was structured; I don't know, shooting guys can only stay fresh for so long.

Didn't help that the game was intense as all hell, either.

Yup. There are moments where I'm just hoping for a cutscene so I can sit down and rest for a minute.

It has alot to do with the fact that Max Payne is practically a frail old man and instant death is around every single corner of the game. It takes alot out of you to try and stay alive.

It's refreshing.

It is a mix of the action on screen, and all of the visual flair they added. The brain just works overtime taking in all that stimuli, and it just tires you. I was the same way, I played it six hours straight when I got my hands on it, and it fried my brain.

I would describe it more as exhilarating than exhausting, but then I started out on Easy and worked my way up through each difficulty level. I just started my Old School run last night.

The only times I've felt exhausted was when I stayed up really late into the wee hours of the morning playing it when I first got it because it is so engaging to play.

I just finished this game yesterday and in the main, Max Payne 3 rocked. I chose this thread instead of a slightly sarcastic response for the financial flop one(asking if I was in the right thread) because honestly I did find the violence brutal. I didn't really need to see ribbons of flesh and jutting bone that was once a guys face to know I was the one still alive. So yes, in a applied sense it was exhausting. And just to say it I won't deny I blew away guys after they were dead, it was an impulse driven by the need to be the one standing and the fascination with that slow mode cam. In fact I became quite a head shot specialist (we all did I'm sure) and would look for the expanding red around the shoulder area before shifting in player slow motion to the next target. 2/3'D's of the time he was finished .

Max Payne 3 was still a solidly valid game to me. I enjoyed the game play, the mechanics and the story. Graphics and such were well done though sometimes i didn't like the strobe and the block letter repeating of words. Also occasionally it would freeze me in the crouch position. In total it felt like a Max Payne vehicle, something honest to it's world and to say it, a great game despite the sometimes bit far bullet gore.

Odd that you shot already dead guys, but are a bit put off by the gore. LOL

I agree though, it's clearly a valid continuation of the MP universe even if it is more action movie than novel themed.

Yeah I've used the same word to describe it to my friends.

Yeah I almost went mad playing it on hard... god damn... this game had the achievement of making me rage and curse at the screen more than demons souls ever did, but I finally beat it today.

I'd say for a first playthrough avoid playing at hard, definitely not the right way to go.

I find it exhausting mainly because I think the shooting isn't a little wonky in it and the opposition you face is relentless. I don't know what it is but having gone through the head shaving and starting the second disc I feel as if the aiming is strange where sometimes it's right on and other times I'm flaying wildly to get Max to do what I want. Also who ever thought that reversing the sticks on the snipers was a good idea??

Yeah I had the same thing. I could only play it 2-3 hours before I would have to go do something else. Not the norm for me because I played Asura's Wrath for 5 hours yesterday

@onarum said:

Yeah I almost went mad playing it on hard... god damn... this game had the achievement of making me rage and curse at the screen more than demons souls ever did, but I finally beat it today.

I'd say for a first playthrough avoid playing at hard, definitely not the right way to go.

I think the game is way too har on normal. Max can be taken down by one well placed bullet it's annoying

Yup, but it was the god damn double vision cutscenes that did it. Haven't finished yet, and while I've been doing frequent multiplayer sessions, the single player is stuck on the start of disc 2.

@onarum said:

Yeah I almost went mad playing it on hard... god damn... this game had the achievement of making me rage and curse at the screen more than demons souls ever did, but I finally beat it today.

I'd say for a first playthrough avoid playing at hard, definitely not the right way to go.

What's the best way to play, then? I've never played a Max game before, and usually go w/ the hardest difficulty w/ these types of titles? Does normal have hard-lock targeting? I would like a good challenge and the way some of you guys describe the game as "exhausting" sounds kind of interesting.

After beating it on all difficulty levels and getting platinum on all Score Attacks, I can definitely say what's "exhausting" for me is getting platinum on some chapters in New York Minute. They do set the difficulty level a bit lower I think (Medium maybe), and some chapters aren't that hard, but some of them you're basically constantly running and gunning having to use every propane bottle and melee opportunity you can, and even then it can end in silver of gold if you don't get in a lot of headshots and keep moving quickly. There's very little time to grab painkillers but you need enough of them when playing quickly.

What's odd is I've seen a lot of people complain about how hard the stadium chapter 3 is to platinum on NYM, but it only took me a few tries and I had plenty points and health. After that I thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I don't think they know what they're in for on the first part of chapter 5. There's tons of enemies to get through and in some spots it's hard to predict where they'll be hiding.