Max Payne 3 Review
Max Payne is a fish out of water - a weathered soul from a previous existence. Living in a self-induced purgatory of painkillers and whiskey he works as a bodyguard protecting one of the richest families in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He constantly relives the consequences of his past actions, which led to the death of his wife and daughter. Max could never save lives with his bullets, only take them. As a bodyguard, these skills are pretty useless.
As an arbiter of vengeance though, your resume would be at the top of the pile.
So too, does Rockstar stand on similar ground. Renowned for their sandbox design and multi-faceted gameplay, Rockstar’s Vancouver studio was forced to take a step back and deliver a much more concise and restricted experience. They still had to stay true to the foundations that original developer, Remedy, lay with the previous two games while retaining those thematic undertones that Rockstar are notorious for. In the end, Max Payne 3 is the company’s most mechanically refined and polished title ever. In my opinion, it is also one of their best.
Driven out of New Jersey, partly through his addictions, Max reluctantly takes an offer to work as a bodyguard for the wealthy Branco family. Despite a deep-seeded hatred for the affluent, Max hangs onto his job because it is all that he has left. Maybe this is a chance for atonement, by protecting someone – anyone – who needs protection. Maybe now Max can make up for his failure to protect those he cherished deeply and eventually move on with his life. Trouble always finds Max though and he must use his seemingly cursed abilities to hunt down those responsible for kidnapping the trophy wife.
The game benefits from the concentration of Rockstar’s systems. Their much-improved RAGE engine, combined with NaturalMotion’s Euphoria system, delivers an unmatched realism in character animation. Max and his enemies move with an astounding fluidity. Every movement feels just how a battered, older Max should feel. Each dive is executed almost begrudgingly, and the recovery looks just as painful. Cover fire behaviour is frantic yet convincing with max recoiling with each desperate, blind pull of the trigger. Enemies crumple perfectly proportional to the placement of each kill shot.
Certain physics hiccups exist such as a gratuitous amount of ragdoll from bullet wounds. These can hinder Max from dealing a last minute headshot to bring him back from the brink of death – a new ability that consumes one set of painkillers automatically if an otherwise killing blow is delivered to Max. It can detract from the dark tones of the game, but these a few and far between.
Max Payne 3 is simplistic in its gameplay endeavours to provide a rock-solid shooter and it succeeds with impeccable style that only Rockstar can deliver. The excellent neo-noir delivery of the narrative and brilliantly scored soundtrack carries the tension right throughout the game’s twelve-hour campaign. In the end though, it’s the thrill of shoot dodging, clambering to your feet and finishing off an office space full of armoured mercenaries, all in slow motion that fulfils a certain itch last scratched in 2003. The grittiness is a hard pill to swallow, even with a swig of whiskey. When you reach the bottom of the glass though, you'll be asking for a refill.
