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RTTP: Max Payne 3

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I bought Max Payne 3 during the Rockstar Sale this week. $5.99? for all the stuff? sure why not.
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Max Payne 3 is a Mixed Bag, Great Gameplay, Meh Story. It doesn't have the same feel as the other Max Payne games. Maybe it was because Rockstar( I will give them credit for trying) made this and not Remedy.I mean sure it had the Max Payne gunplay like previous installments, but I did not care for the story.As someone who watched the Tony Scott film "Man on Fire" I noticed a lot of similarities to that and Max Payne 3 which was perfectly fine.

Gameplay wise, it's fantastic! duo wielding a bunch of goons down a hallway is awesome!.
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The only thing that bothered me was the Golden Guns and Clues, Collectibles suck, Nuff said.

The Multiplayer might be fun for some people but i didn't like it as much. This is one of those games that doesn't need Multiplayer IMO.

I think Rockstar did a fair job making a sequel to max payne. i'm still mixed about the story but the gameplay is great.

Thoughts on this GAF?
 

Joeki11a

Banned
This needs a remaster with all the dlc
1080/60 all that, but most importantly take away the wacky filter.

This game was a Rockstar movie
 
I loved every minute of it. My only complaint was that cover-shooting gameplay played too big of a role. I couldn't distinguish it from RDR at times. Also, running out of ammo was an immediate death sentence. Would've been nice if there were some hand-to-hand options.
 

TheMoon

Member
I liked it a lot.

Game has a bunch of problems but ultimately all I want is a super depressing and cheesy crime story narrated by Max Payne himself and the ability to jump around corners in bullet time handing out head shots. Game delivered on that front.
 

Xpliskin

Member
IMO this game was my soundtrack of the year.

The boston (or NY ? ) flashback
sections were my favorite.

They really did a good job indeed, although it cannot and will never match the remedy special sauce.
 

Joeki11a

Banned
I loved every minute of it. My only complaint was that cover-shooting gameplay played too big of a role. I couldn't distinguish it from RDR at times. Also, running out of ammo was an immediate death sentence. Would've been nice if there were some hand-to-hand options.

Funny I never used it, Max aint freaking nathan drake.

I always jumped out in bullet time free aim
In every occasion.
 
Funny I never used it, Max aint freaking nathan drake.

I always jumped out in bullet time free aim
In every occasion.

Well they do force you to on several occasions, most egregiously at the end of the bus station level, where you're made to sit at the end of the bus and mow down a bunch of enemies.
 

Bandit1

Member
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Gameplay is 10/10 but I have issues with the story and Max's character. Something I don't see mentioned a lot is how well this game transitions from cutscene to gameplay. A lot of people hate on the unskippable cutscenes, but the transitions are the most fluid I've ever seen. Naughty Dog gets praised for how "cinematic" they've made their games, yet there is often a harsh transition from gameplay to cutscene, often accompanied by a split second flash of black, and a noticeable difference in cutscene/gameplay character models. Max Payne 3 is just so much more fluid. Also Health's soundtrack is awesome.
 

TheMoon

Member
Of course then bring that to consoles now

This would sell 1 Million+ guaranteed

So more than it sold the first time when they actually marketed the game mid-generation? The resolution and framerate were not part of the problems people had with this game when it came out. :)
 

Silky

Banned
I sincerely hope that is sarcasm.

Nope. Thats how I feel. Basically because unlike Red Dead, R* doesnt have to tell the story of the world of Max Payne and instead has to focus on thr character that Max is. At this point olin his life they nailed the disgruntled old, purposeless man that Max truly is.
 

darthbob

Member
My only gripe with this game is the unskippable cutscenes. I installed it to my SSD to see if it helped and it totally didn't.

Completely killed all replay value that I have for the game. ;_;
 

foxtrot3d

Banned
Nope. Thats how I feel. Basically because unlike Red Dead, R* doesnt have to tell the story of the world of Max Payne and instead has to focus on thr character that Max is. At this point olin his life they nailed the disgruntled old, purposeless man that Max truly is.

Ugh, I don't even know how to respond to that. The story is the weakest part of MP3 and shows just how out of depth Dan Houser is writing this kind of story. It's easily the worst game he's ever written.
 

duessano

Member
Better than 2, but worse than the first. 2nd best soundtrack of last gen. That's where the focus of this thread should be. HEALTH did an epic job of scoring the game and the Panama section can be preserved in the vault.

Thanks Rockstar for keeping Max alive in gaming, that hardboiled son of a bitch :)

Dan Houser wrote some great lines in the game.
 
I sincerely hope that is sarcasm.

Mexico alone disqualifies Red Dead. GTA IV suffered from serious pacing problems during the middle part. In fact, it had the same problem as Red Dead, where you're constantly playing the errand boy and being made everyone's personal bitch, and the protagonists' personal stories constantly get put on hold. GTA V was better, but kinda needed more impactful moments, and the overall story wasn't that interesting in the end.
 

Despera

Banned
I have a lot of things to say about this game... But I'll just put it like this: It was a decent TPS but a mediocre Max Payne entry.
 

TheMoon

Member
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Gameplay is 10/10 but I have issues with the story and Max's character. Something I don't see mentioned a lot is how well this game transitions from cutscene to gameplay. A lot of people hate on the unskippable cutscenes, but the transitions are the most fluid I've ever seen. Naughty Dog gets praised for how "cinematic" they've made their games, yet there is often a harsh transition from gameplay to cutscene, often accompanied by a split second flash of black, and a noticeable difference in cutscene/gameplay character models. Max Payne 3 is just so much more fluid. Also Health's soundtrack is awesome.

Yea that stuff worked pretty well. I loved when they started you off after a cutscene going into straight up action by going immediately into bullet time with what felt like more time than you normally had.

After being super skeptical about the setting since I absolutely adored the cold/wet NY setting, I even grew to like that part! The night time stuff and the favela section were all very memorable, I think.
 

Joeki11a

Banned
So more than it sold the first time when they actually marketed the game mid-generation? The resolution and framerate were not part of the problems people had with this game when it came out. :)

It would sell 1Mil on PS4 alone, the thirst for games is that real
 
It would sell 1Mil on PS4 alone, the thirst for games is that real

I wouldn't mind a re-release if it meant breathing life into the multiplayer again. It's fucking dead these days, especially on PC, where you occasionally find people playing team deathmatch, and that's it. They really shouldn't have included soft lock, stupid fucking thing to put in a Max Payne game.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I grabbed it on the cheap during the R* sale this week along with a digital copy of RDR. About to start playing it later tonight. Even if there's not much replay value I can't lose for the price.
 

jelly

Member
There was moments were I felt it was quite awesome, office building but it was few and far between, going through the motions and it didn't feel like a Max Payne game. The Tony Scott bag of camera tricks wore thin immediately. Cut scenes, yeah not replaying this game. Decent effort but just wasn't that fun or Max Payne enough while having a few annoying things like switching to pistol, why!
 

Bandit1

Member
Nope. Thats how I feel. Basically because unlike Red Dead, R* doesnt have to tell the story of the world of Max Payne and instead has to focus on thr character that Max is. At this point olin his life they nailed the disgruntled old, purposeless man that Max truly is.

I see what you're saying, but I have to disagree. In Red Dead the story of the world around John Marston has a great deal to do with John himself.
America, 1911. The wild west is dying. Marston is a former outlaw who gave up that life, but the government, which continues to expand its reach, forces him to hunt down the rest of his former gang. The story/world highlights throughout that times are changing. Telephones, an experimental plane, automobiles, the city of Blackwater. It all culminates with Dutch's sorrowful line, "Our time has passed John." John was not fit for this new world, and ultimately is killed by it.
Max Payne 3 is certainly more focused, being a linear game, and there are several strong moments such as those that take place in Max's Sao Paulo apartment when he's alone, but the plot has weak points, and overall I believe that Red Dead has the better story, but that's just my opinion.
 

Enilced2

Member
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I know alot of people dislike it or hate it compared to the first 2... I freaking love it, I know it has it's problems but none of them take away from the game for me.

Maybe it has something do with the long wait for a 3rd installment but I bought the collectors edition day 1 and then bought it again with all the dlc on steam later on. Some of the best third person shooter mechanics in any game
 
Bought it a year or so ago and just can't get through it for some reason. It seems like the chapters drag and become a bit of a chore.

Will give it another go
 

misho8723

Banned
My memories of this game - cutscene (which was a loading screen infact - good idea), 5 minutes of fantastic shooting, cutscene how Max runs to the door (why was a cutscene needed for this i don't know), 2 minutes of fantastic shooting, another 5 minutes long cutscene - hmm, Max isn't like the old Max - i don't like him here, 5 minutes of shooting and hiding behind cover, after that another cutscene - what the fuck? Max why would you first hide behind cover and just because of a cutscene you now are running right into middle of a group of 5 guys - yes, thanks game, now i'm dead (repeat 5x), after that a cutscene, etc... END..

Well, the gameplay was great - like in the other two games .. but Max was really not Max at all, the story boring, bad written, uninteresting characters, didn't cared for any of them, fantastic PC port - mouse + keyboard controls fantastic, graphics were fantastic.. no atmosphere.. some good music from HEALTH.. best parts of the game were in New Jorsey.. fucking annyoing filters used in cutscenes.. I would give about 5 - 6 points from 10.. MP1/MP2 are classics.. MP3 is a average game at best
 

Rymuth

Member
I have a lot of things to say about this game... But I'll just put it like this: It was a decent TPS but a mediocre Max Payne entry.
10/10

The game's story suffered without Sam Lake at the helm and Max's normally heart-wrenching narration turned into dialogue as written by Frank Miller.
 

YoungHav

Banned
Good game! Bad Max Payne game. Loved the gun play.

Question, I was seriously contemplating platinuming this and early during my 2nd playthrough the game froze... I boot it up and ALL of my data was deleted. Did this happen to anyone else? Was this a known glitch?
 
Good game! Bad Max Payne game. Loved the gun play.

Question, I was seriously contemplating platinuming this and early during my 2nd playthrough the game froze... I boot it up and ALL of my data was deleted. Did this happen to anyone else? Was this a known glitch?

I bought the PS3 one digitally... no problems throughout the game maybe..just maybe your PS3 is dying? :(


Yeah Health's soundtrack on Max Payne 3 is great. I do like the song at the end.
 

Copper Anvil

Neo Member
Incredible game. Incredible soundtrack. "Tears" by Health was the perfect song at the perfect time. Still gives me goosebumps..
 

Braag

Member
Loved MP3 so much. Would love it even more if the gameplay didn't keep getting interrupted by cutscenes all the time.
And yes, the soundtrack was amazing!
 

aScaris

Member
Wrote this some time ago in the STEAM thread, but I think guess it fits in here ;)

So I just finished Max Payne 3 and before I go to bed now I had to praise this game somewhere :D MP3 really caught me off guard with it's quality gameplay, graphics (still wows me 2 years after release) and narrative.

The story, while being quite trashy, was told in a "cinematic" way that really catches your attention. Sure, it is not the great deep narrative, but come on... it's Max f****in Payne! All he has to do is being a cool action hero and kill bad guys while being broken by fate, alcohol and basically the whole world around him.

Gameplay wise, the levels are very linear, but at the same time stuffed with so much detail that I didn't really care. All those little things like blackboards with individual notes, family pictures on the desks of people etc. made the world feel kinda real. Also the placement of bonus informations and collectibles within the levels is done very well. It makes you explore every last inch of the levels without making it feel like a grind. The gunplay was as great as expected. I started playing the game with a 360 pad and didn't enjoy it a lot. Later on however, I switched to KB/M and the fun began. Dishing out headshots while flying though the air in bullettime never gets old :D

Another great point about the game was its difficulty. I played on medium and even then a couple of bullets can kill you quite easy when you are not careful. On the other hand I never got stuck in the game, because it adjusted the difficulty basically on the fly. After your first death you will get a little health back, then you will get some more ammo and finally painkillers get added. I think this is a great way of helping the player to get along without taking away the feeling of accomplishment, because you get exactly as much help as you need to make it though the situation.

TL;DR: Max Payne 3 is a great game you should play!
 

Vitor711

Member
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Gameplay is 10/10 but I have issues with the story and Max's character. Something I don't see mentioned a lot is how well this game transitions from cutscene to gameplay. A lot of people hate on the unskippable cutscenes, but the transitions are the most fluid I've ever seen. Naughty Dog gets praised for how "cinematic" they've made their games, yet there is often a harsh transition from gameplay to cutscene, often accompanied by a split second flash of black, and a noticeable difference in cutscene/gameplay character models. Max Payne 3 is just so much more fluid. Also Health's soundtrack is awesome.

Agreed. But the fact that so many of those cutscenes are unskippable is BS and ruined replay value.

It's a shame, because the game itself is so damned good and, as a Brazilian, seeing Rockstar's usual wonderfully keen eye for satire applied so well to my country was wonderful. Everyone actually 'looked' Brazilian. Some had weird Portugal portuguese accents and a few of the Brazilian actors were horrendous, but I still appreciate it.

The videos and inside jokes on Brazilian novellas, the news etc. were some of the best satire Rockstar has ever done. It's a shame they don't get praised enough for it.

Also, the story felt like a natural continuation of Max's character. MP2 remains my favourite game of all time but the story was derivative as hell too. The Man on Fire comparisons don't hurt the game as much as some people think.
 
This was the sequel I was waiting for and then some, I love this game so much and just as much as the first two.

I FUCKING LOVE YOU MAX PAYNE GAMES.

Almost as much as Metal Gear...almost.

The thing I love about these games the most is the gameplay, it's like playing out Hong Kong Action movies in video game form.

For a long while I didn't think this project would ever come out, I remember when Stranglehold came out and it was kind of like playing a spiritual sequel to MP2 for me, but I still yearned for a true sequel that had at least had max as a character and the gameplay.

For me, Max Payne 3 had both and people hardly ever mention the beautiful transitions into gameplay or the level of detail in everything from the characters, to the levels and even the firearms in the game is mind boggling. I played this on my PC on maximum settings at 1080P/60FPS and I just love how it feels when you shoot dive and kill 5-10 dudes, the fluidity of gunfights makes the game so damn good.
 

YoungHav

Banned
I bought the PS3 one digitally... no problems throughout the game maybe..just maybe your PS3 is dying? :(
Naw my PS3 is alive and well. This is the only game it's ever happened to, was infuriating as hell because I was looking forward to that platinum. All my stats hit zero and I had beaten it on the hardest difficulty available during the first playthrough.
 

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
I have a lot of things to say about this game... But I'll just put it like this: It was a decent TPS but a mediocre Max Payne entry.

I disagree very strongly with this mostly because of how fucking well they handle Max Paynes character and his arc throughout the game. Quite frankly I empathised with him a lot more in MP3 than I ever did in MP1 and 2. Admittedly some of the goombas suffer from the Dan Houser style of writing but absolutely not Max himself. Plus James McCaffrey did a blinding job too. It has my favourite Max performance from the series as well as the best gunplay. Sam Lake did a much better job with memorable villains/side characters though.
 
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