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[gblues]

I picked up the Max Payne games for dirt cheap ($12 and change for all 3) during the Rockstar Steam sale a week or so ago, and I've been playing the hell out of 'em over the last few days.

Max Payne

Sadly, due to sloppy programming and changes in the Windows API, mouse control in anything newer than XP is broke as hell. Even at the lowest sensitivity settings, it jumps around like a rabbit on cocaine. Navigating can get very disorienting because of very choppy turning.

Applying the various mouse-acceleration fixes helped a bit, but it was still pretty annoying.

Fortunately, the game itself is brilliant. The comic-book narrative is superb, the story is engrossing, and the gameplay is pretty challenging. You can tell PC was the lead platform because the gameplay seems designed around frequent quick-saving. Max is very squishy, and it's not uncommon to get shot to hell even with all the fancy bullet time moves.

The end of the first act in the Ragnarok theater was pretty fucking trippy. Not as trippy, however, as Max' dreams. I got a chuckle out of the second one: "Max, wake up. You're in a computer game."

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Among whatever other improvements Remedy put into the engine, the mouse issues from MP1 are absent. I also appreciated having shoot-dodge mapped to a separate key from bullet-time, which cuts down on the accidental-shootdodging.

MP2 is short and sweet. I loved playing as Mona. I loved the expansion on "Lords and Ladies," as well as the new TV shows "Dick Justice" and "Address Unknown." The narrative played it really fast and loose with the timeline, which got confusing, but overall it worked really well.

Probably would've been upset if I'd paid $60 for it, but at under $3 it's awesome.

Max Payne 3

I've only played the first couple missions of MP3. Not enough to really form an impression, other than the game is damn beautiful. I don't mind the cover mechanics so far, and I actually really like the use of bullet time in place of where your typical game might put a QTE sequence, like when you have to shoot the rockets being fired at your helicopter.

I'm also thrilled they got the same voice actor for Max. The writing so far seems about as strong as MP 1 & 2.

 

[EatChildren]

"I had a dream of my wife. She was dead. But it was alright."

 

[CLBridges]

Very good trilogy of games, my fav still remains as Max Payne 2. 3 is pretty good, but those unskippable cut scenes, oh boy. I had a blast with the multiplayer in 3, good times.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Max Payne 3 will quickly test your patience with cutscene upon cutscene, so, yeah, get ready for that. The shooting mechanics are great, but the game doesn't really want you to play it. You rarely feel connected to any particular stretch of gameplay because there are so few real stretches of pure gameplay.

The soundtrack is amazing though, and those few moments where they let go of the reins for 5 minutes is probably my favorite TPS gameplay of all time.

 

[BFA]

Max Payne 3

I've only played the first couple missions of MP3. Not enough to really form an impression, other than the game is damn beautiful. I don't mind the cover mechanics so far, and I actually really like the use of bullet time in place of where your typical game might put a QTE sequence, like when you have to shoot the rockets being fired at your helicopter.

I'm also thrilled they got the same voice actor for Max. The writing so far seems about as strong as MP 1 & 2.

Prepare for massive disappointment. But in any case, it's nice to see newcomers jumping in. Max Payne is one of my favorite series of all time.

 

[UrbanRats]

"I had a dream of my wife. She was dead. But it was alright."

Max Payne 3 was just a bad nightmare. :\

Spoiler

And i say this having enjoyed the game, but that ending was just too perfect.

 

[Glass Rebel]

I only recently finished the whole trilogy after starting MP1 years ago. It still holds up amazingly well and has one of my most favourite themes in gaming:

Max Payne 1 Main Theme

 

[black_13]

Probably would've been upset if I'd paid $60 for it, but at under $3 it's awesome.

really? I will gladly pay $60 for a shorter but well crafted game than a long boring one that stretches everything.

To me Max Payne series still has some of the best dialogue, writing, and fun shooting experience of any game.

 

[Typographenia]

Played MP2 before MP1, and it was really difficult to get into. Max Payne 2 is just a much better game in almost every aspect for me. Man, I need to replay it some time.

 

[EatChildren]

I replayed both prior to Max Payne 3. Love the themes and writing of both, but ultimately enjoyed Max Payne 2 more, even if it isn't perfect. I feel Max Payne too often suffers from trial-and-error mechanics and cheap encounter design that pressures you to make heavy handed use of the quick save/load keys. I don't mind hard, but I do like to feel I have some control.

Max Payne 3 was just a bad nightmare. :\

Spoiler

And i say this having enjoyed the game, but that ending was just too perfect.

It was. And even though I can appreciate (even if it annoys me) Rockstar's intent on taking the series in a new direction, totally ignoring the closed story arc of the first two games is their dumbest offence. Supremely lazy, really.

 

[PetriP-TNT]

Haven't played MP3 but MP1 & 2 are superb: really inspired me when I figured out that there can be AAA-games (the grade, not the modern thing) coming out of Finland and not just the States or Japan

 

[Aleph]

Yep, MP1 and 2 are excellent games. I especially liked the Ragna Rock level on MP1, along with some of the "demonic" themes the game has, and with certain references to Norse mythology... It made the game feel really dark, moody.

You can also try some mods for MP2, there are a couple of good ones.

Edit: an interesting observation: Max Payne's character model is based on a different person in each game.

 

[BHK3]

1 and 2 were amazing games, 3 was a total unfun glitchy hunk of shit though, terrible writing too.

 

[Xander51]

To the OP, give Alan Wake a try after you're done with the Max Payne games. Remedy built quite a bit on their work in MP2 in Alan Wake, and there are some cool homages/connections.

This is one of my favorite franchises, and although 3 was a little divisive, I totally dug it. After years of being convinced 3 would never exist, I was happy it finally released and was a well-made thing. I was also really happy that it had many of the proper Max Payne elements, even if the story didn't fully jive with what came before.

 

[dark_inferno]

Max Payne 1 + 2 are two of my favourite games. And then came Max Payne 3 and ... yeah. R* didnt cared about what made MP so good.

MP3 had a horrible Story,horrible Characters and horrible Atmosphere compared to MP1 or MP2. The only thing that i could remember being good was the gameplay.

Im glad that MP3 wasnt a blockbuster to R* when it comes to money. Now Max can rest in peace.

Edit: an interesting observation: Max Payne's character model is based on a different person in each game.

In the third one he was based on a 5 years old. No more intelligent monologues. No more sarcasm. Only bullshit coming out of his mouth.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Got an entirely different experience out of MP1 and 2 than I expected; ended up disappointed in the gameplay for each. Glad you enjoyed them, OP. Stick with MP3 and you'll experience some of the best shooting mechanics in gaming, perhaps the best "regular guy/John Woo-style" TPS gameplay available.

It was. And even though I can appreciate (even if it annoys me) Rockstar's intent on taking the series in a new direction, totally ignoring the closed story arc of the first two games is their dumbest offence. Supremely lazy, really.

What would have given Max true closure at the end of MP2 though? I took it as him accepting the deaths of his family while MP3's about him dealing with/accepting who he is. Him still being caught up about his his wife and daughter in MP3 wasn't a sign that was ignored.

 

[UrbanRats]

It was. And even though I can appreciate (even if it annoys me) Rockstar's intent on taking the series in a new direction, totally ignoring the closed story arc of the first two games is their dumbest offence. Supremely lazy, really.

Yeah.
I even appreciate the obvious improvements in R*'s storytelling (compared to GTA IV, for example) and despite the usual heavy handed approach of several awkward "social critiques", i even liked a lot of moments.
Sometimes little things, for example i love how after

Spoiler

rescuing Rodrigo Branco, in the first level (from the van) you're soaked wet, and Pasos tells you something like "Max, you're a mess" and Max instead of being a snarky dick in return, like i was expecting from most videogames (including R*'s) he just shrugs with a guilty face, like saying "i'm sorry, i've done my best"

, it just feels so honest.

He kinda looks like a (murderous) puppy in that game, lol.

Yet, i wish they had made something of a reboot, cutting the ties with the previous games, kind of like DmC did, so you could appreciate their take, without having to fit it into the MP1+2 universes, which also feel very different in tone, as well as having a great closure.

What would have given Max true closure at the end of MP2 though? I took it as him accepting the deaths of his family while MP3's about him dealing with/accepting who he is. Him still being caught up about his his wife and daughter in MP3 wasn't a sign that was ignored.

Yeah but all that was implied in 2's ending.
You don't need to spell every single epilogue out, look at the master of endings, John Carpenter, they're so good because he leaves things open a bit.

 

[gblues]

Max Payne 3 will quickly test your patience with cutscene upon cutscene, so, yeah, get ready for that. The shooting mechanics are great, but the game doesn't really want you to play it. You rarely feel connected to any particular stretch of gameplay because there are so few real stretches of pure gameplay.

The soundtrack is amazing though, and those few moments where they let go of the reins for 5 minutes is probably my favorite TPS gameplay of all time.

As far as interruptions go, would you say it's better, worse, or on par with MGS4?

 

[jsnepo]

Max Payne

Sadly, due to sloppy programming and changes in the Windows API, mouse control in anything newer than XP is broke as hell. Even at the lowest sensitivity settings, it jumps around like a rabbit on cocaine. Navigating can get very disorienting because of very choppy turning.

Applying the various mouse-acceleration fixes helped a bit, but it was still pretty annoying.

I have Windows XP as my 2nd OS just to play Max Payne and Far Cry without visual and sound issues. This mouse control issue you are talking about is present even in XP. It almost makes the game unplayable because the camera just shifts from one angle to another.

 

[Berto]

Amazing games, loved them all the way until real ending when Mona dies and Max accepts his family death.

And then there's a thing called Max Payne 3 pretending to be a Max Payne game.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I'm a huge fan of the series. My personal favourite was MP2, but I thought Max Payne 3 was an excellent continuation... I don't get the hate levelled at it, frankly. It's a revisionist take on the Max Payne series and it really works! The game is mechanically awesome, the writing is not quite as good as MP2 but makes up for it by being far less hammy, and the whole game is peppered with some incredibly subtle (and some not so subtle) references to the originals; R* clearly love the IP. Max is, for all his world weariness, an incredibly likeable character. My only disappointment was the lack of MonA sAx... but I get to play as her in the excellent multiplayer, so it's all good.

As far as interruptions go, would you say it's better, worse, or on par with MGS4?

Nowhere near as bad. Chapter 3 was the only time that I personally got annoyed with not being able to skip 'em.

Also, if you can, download Kenneth Yeung's Kung Fu patch for the original and Mona the Assassin for MP2. They are really impressive mods....

 

[Dyno]

As far as interruptions go, would you say it's better, worse, or on par with MGS4?

Oh god no it's in a tier lower than MGS4. That game stands alone. The cutscenes at least are short, they simply become unwelcome because the game is challenging even on normal difficulty so if you wanted to get your golds and platinium you're stuck watching them. It's a mistake to have them unskippable on the higher difficulties.

Max Payne 3 is a game loaded with great shooting, great atmosphere, great music, and many 'oh wow' moments. It's firmly fixed in a genre that other TPS like Uncharted, Gears, and all the rest don't even touch so a gamer will find it fresh and yet familiar.

It runs a bit long but play it. It's worth your time and is one of my favourite Rockstar games.

 

[Village]

Ah yes, The Punisher games I have found quite enjoyable.

I do think that 3rd one isn't bad though.

 

[TheSeks]

The writing so far seems about as strong as MP 1 & 2.

No. Pax Mayne 3 is no where on the level of Max Payne 1-2. It goes downhill REALLY fast.

Also prepare to have Euphoria get in the way of fun by having you be a bullet sponge as Pax. Slowly. Gets. Up. From. The. Ground. due to Euphoria's stupid animations.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Max Payne 1 + 2 are two of my favourite games. And then came Max Payne 3 and ... yeah. R* didnt cared about what made MP so good.

Harsh. Out of interest, what would you say made Max Payne good...?

No. Pax Mayne 3 is no where on the level of Max Payne 1-2. It goes downhill REALLY fast.

Also prepare to have Euphoria get in the way of fun by having you be a bullet sponge as Pax. Slowly. Gets. Up. From. The. Ground. due to Euphoria's stupid animations.

Come on, now; don't let nostalgia get the better of you! I love the originals, but some of the writing was the worst kind of purple-prose, and the Euphoria engine really makes you feel every slam into the wall. That at least, is a massive improvement over the animations of the original.

 

[ascii42]

Ought to play through 1&2 again on something better than the PS2. I enjoyed them perfectly fine there, but everyone says the XBOX and PC versions are much better.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Ought to play through 1&2 again on something better than the PS2. I enjoyed them perfectly fine there, but everyone says the XBOX and PC versions are much better.

PC ones are far and away the best. You also get access to some pretty amazing mods.

 

[SniperHunter]

I hated this series, absolutely no thinking required. Just barge into room after room, clearing brain dead AI with slow motion. I lost many brain cells trying just by playing the first two games.

 

[Noisepurge]

pfff, Max Payne 3 was awesome! Great shootouts and and good game overall.

Also be sure to play through Max Payne 2 three times to get the real ending!

 

[Village]

Ought to play through 1&2 again on something better than the PS2. I enjoyed them perfectly fine there, but everyone says the XBOX and PC versions are much better.

Loads. Both of those games work on my 360 too.

 

[The Dutch Slayer]

to bad about your mp1 experience

Max Payne (1, PC) with Kung Fu Mod 3.0 is my fav game off all time.

Best story ever told in a video game one the most fantastic settings (underground NY).
Gameplay is impeccable, and unmatched only but itself.

 

[sflufan]

"I had a dream of my wife. She was dead. But it was alright."

The only time a spoken line in a videogame put me on the verge of tears was this one.

 

[Persona86]

Harsh. Out of interest, what would you say made Max Payne good...?



Come on, now; don't let nostalgia get the better of you! I love the originals, but some of the writing was the worst kind of purple-prose, and the Euphoria engine really makes you feel every slam into the wall. That at least, is a massive improvement over the animations of the original.

It's all about atmosphere, the first two had much better atmosphere in my opinion.

 

[Screaming Meat]

It's all about atmosphere, the first two had much better atmosphere in my opinion.

Fair enough. I think MP3 has a very different atmosphere from the other two which were coming from a similar place to each other, but I really enjoyed it. It seemed to cover a few different ones depending on where you were in the game.

Did you recognise the baby crying at the cemetary...? Sent chills down my spine.

Max Payne (1, PC) with Kung Fu Mod 3.0 is my fav game off all time.

Why has no one poached it for ideas? It's criminal.

 

[derFeef]

Max Payne from Remedy <3
May Payne from Rockstar :-/

The only thing that bothered me in MP2 was the transition to a different Max, but I guess Sam Lake was too much of a public figure then so it would have been weird again.

 

[Navidson REC]

Any tips on getting this (MP 1 specifically) to run properly on Windows 7?

I got Max Payne 3 for 5 bucks but wanted to experience the series in chronological order (I'm a huge Alan Wake fan, so I pretty much have to do this anyway), so I downloaded MP 1 and 2 from Steam.

It seemed normal at first, but then I noticed that most of the sound was either buggy or even missing. Didn't really have the time to try to fix it yet, but maybe someone here has a solution or some tips for me.

 

[Contra11]

max payne 3 was great for what it is "run and gun" .. i played Max Payne 1 & 2 after 3 and it feels undeniably dated

 

[AcceptableGhost]

Ought to play through 1&2 again on something better than the PS2. I enjoyed them perfectly fine there, but everyone says the XBOX and PC versions are much better.

MP1 and MP2 were designed for the PC.

 

[RionaaM]

Amazing franchise. All 3 games are fantastic, with the second one also being excellent, and the first one a timeless classic.

The games are full of metaphors and dark poetry. So great.

"I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings."

 

[Komo]

I absolutely loved MP 1 & 2, but 3 felt like too much of a stretch.

 

[woober]

Some of the most fun I've ever had in Max Payne 2. Set pieces were amazing and all the psychotic stuff was amazing.

 

[Big_Al]

Love the whole series but I must admit I especially love 3 and I think Maxs character arc in that is bloody marvellous and very strong. The story is admittedly full of Housers typical 'gangsta' characters but I thought Max himself was terrific and his dialogue throughout was great - miserable, self deprecating but still with humour. I empathised with him as a character a lot more in 3 compared to 2 and 1 and the way he gradually changes throughout 3. Gameplay is superb and for the 3 times I played through 3 I never got bored with the cutscenes but I will admit not being able to skip the PC cutscenes is bullshit, they obviously forced that on the player.

As for the 'perfect' ending of two the way I took it is that Max is simply human. He was devastated by the death of his wife and child and despite telling himself it was OK at the end of two I could easily see him getting caught up in his grief again. Sure you could just as easily say (and even be right) that Rockstar just ignored it to make him miserable again but I have no problems at all believing Max could go into a deep, drunken depression again over the deaths of his wife and child.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Love the whole series but I must admit I especially love 3 and I think Maxs character arc in that is bloody marvellous and very strong. The story is admittedly full of Housers typical 'gangsta' characters but I thought Max himself was terrific and his dialogue throughout was great - miserable, self deprecating but still with humour.

I love this one:

Here I was about to execute this poor bastard like some dime store angel of death and I realized they were correct, I wouldn't know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister...

 

[zainetor]

really liked max payne1 and had lots of fun with the matrix mod.
Never played Mp2 sadly
Max payne 3 is nice, but I find it very depressing and those unskippable cutscenes dont help.

 

[bishopcruz]

pfff, Max Payne 3 was awesome! Great shootouts and and good game overall.

Max Payne 3 is one of the best games of last year, probably in my top 5. It is a great shooter, with a fun story and pretty damned nice graphics. And it's Max Payne, just older, fatter, and addicted.

I loved both MP 1 and 2, though 1 was my favorite.

Also be sure to play through Max Payne 2 three times to get the real ending!

Wait, what?

 

[Screaming Meat]

Max Payne 3 is one of the best games of last year, probably in my top 5. It is a great shooter, with a fun story and pretty damned nice graphics. And it's Max Payne, just older, fatter, and addicted.

I loved both MP 1 and 2, though 1 was my favorite.



Wait, what?

If you completed the game on Dead On Arrival difficulty, the ending was different....

Spoiler

Mona Sax survived.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I played Max Payne 1 when it first came out, and really liked it. Didn't play Max Payne 2 until shortly before Max Payne 3 came out last year. I really liked it too.

Max Payne 3, I felt was the best in the series. The change in setting was welcome, Max Payne 3 Spoilers

Spoiler

the 2 New Jersey levels were the weakest parts of the game

, and the gameplay was the best.

 

[cripterion]

Loved all the Max Payne titles, from the gameplay mechanics to the story elements (yes even for the 3rd one!)

 

[jet1911]

Loved MP1. Kun Fun Mod <3
Loved MP2. Cinema Mod <3
Loved MP3. No mod.

I really liked the ending of MP3.

 

[gblues]

Any tips on getting this (MP 1 specifically) to run properly on Windows 7?

I got Max Payne 3 for 5 bucks but wanted to experience the series in chronological order (I'm a huge Alan Wake fan, so I pretty much have to do this anyway), so I downloaded MP 1 and 2 from Steam.

It seemed normal at first, but then I noticed that most of the sound was either buggy or even missing. Didn't really have the time to try to fix it yet, but maybe someone here has a solution or some tips for me.

There's a patch out there that fixes the audio. There's really nothing that can be done about the janky mouse controls. It's just something you have to live with. The thing to remember is that these were absolutely designed with quicksave/load in mind, so don't be shy about tapping F5 after clearing a room.

Even though the camera issues were pretty frustrating, it's still a fun game and a great experience. MP2 doesn't have the same issues as MP1, so there's that.