Just finished up chapter 5. Rockstar have been seriously impressing me on the tech side, this game looks stunning. RDR felt like it was doing crazy things for an open world game, so it's nice to see the similar attention to detail on a more linear affair.
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Max Payne 3 |OT| Funny as hell, we couldn't decide on a sub-title
- Thread starter NotTheGuyYouKill
- Start date
Patrick Bateman
Member
Just started with the game and I can't see the reason for any bad reviews thus far. I like the end, even though I died OFTEN already.
I'm waiting too. I have to go food shopping soon.
He's been pretty early all week, today... no sign of him. :/
samus4ever
Banned
The attention to detail in Max Payne 3 is blowing my mind. At in the end of chapter 5
when the boats were catching on fire in that chase sequence the people were actually jumping out of the boats before they exploded. I don't think I've ever seen something like that before in a video game
RadioHeadAche
Member
Did you adjust the sensitivity?
I play with 6 vert speed/6 horiz speed/5 accel, IIRC. Free aim and no target tracking assist. It took me a few minutes, but I loved it once I got used to it.
Weapon-specific crosshairs also helps because the reticule is easier to locate and track.
He's playing your copy of the game.
No health regen and FF on.
Net_Wrecker
Member
I haven't had the "one more match" itch in multiplayer for years. This game does it. It just feels so good killing and shootdodging real people. Even better when like 3 of my teammates have the same idea and we all ragdoll on top of each other :lol
Net_Wrecker
Member
Discotheque
Banned
Yeah I'm really anxious about this too. On one hand...I played the first two on PC. It feels like tradition at this point and I aim better on shooters with mouse/keyboard.
But on the other hand....the multiplayer. PC communities don't generally accept much in the way of MP modes these days.
MMaRsu
Member
^ yeah, I played around with settings and I think all three sliders are on "6" right now. I just wanna know how others are configuring the sliders, the aim assists, etc, so I can try some recommended configurations
9/9/6 for me
I always thought that he looked a little shifty.
RadioHeadAche
Member
What didn't you like about the story campaign?
Buckethead
Banned
If my copy doesn't come today I'm going to get drunk, take some pills, and do some murderin.
So my copy is on its way, and just received this fantastic email that has to be shared! Ah, gotta love Australian customs/postage regulations:
Which isn't too much of a surprise - should be thankful it's coming at all...and that the game wasn't banned outright. I had the Saints Row 2 bullet-shaped USB and the lid for it got confiscated when I took it with overseas.
Anyway...it's gonna be a loooong (and pen-less) weekend without Max. Have fun the rest of you!
Which isn't too much of a surprise - should be thankful it's coming at all...and that the game wasn't banned outright. I had the Saints Row 2 bullet-shaped USB and the lid for it got confiscated when I took it with overseas.
Anyway...it's gonna be a loooong (and pen-less) weekend without Max. Have fun the rest of you!
I thought the game pushed you into cover too much as it progressed. It has some fantastic levels that facilitated the run-and-gun(like, basically anything set in New York) but it came to a hard halt towards the end.
Multiplayer has none of those issues though since no one else seems interested in stop-and-popping.
RadioHeadAche
Member
Yeah I can agree with that. A friend told me that cover would be used solely for a short time (to reload and then jump out) because enemies would quickly run to the side to find you. While that was the case in several instances, as you said, there were many points in the game (particularly the last few chapters) in which cover was the only means of survival. It's not horrible, but it's not great either.
For the special edition, yes. Maybe they're referring to some kind of preorder bonus specific to stores in their region?
SafeinSound
Member
Today is my Friday. Cannot wait to come home and beat the single player this weekend.
RadioHeadAche
Member
I always liked preorder bonuses that are actually useable. You can never have too many pens.
I've ordered from Shopto, sod the game it's that t-shirt I'm waiting for!
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
Shopto?
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
Any idea what size it is they send out? I'd prefer Large, although I can manage a Medium.
I have no idea, it's only going to get covered in paint the next time I decorate so I'm not bothered.
Sleepy Buddha
Member
Amazon uk still hasn't dispatched mine. Seems I'll only get it next monday...
...GOD DAMMIT!!!
...GOD DAMMIT!!!
AwesomeSauce
MagsMoonshine
And the credits roll. Completed the game.
I'll say this now. If there's not any other Max Payne game... I'll be satisfied with how this one finished.
Ok, time for my thoughts. Now that I've finished the game, I'm gonna coalesce them here.
This is a fucking fantastic game. On all fronts. It has some minor issues here and there, but I can forgive them because of how good this game is, and how much I enjoyed playing it.
Story
Alright, so I'll be upfront. This isn't much like Sam Lake's writing. But you know what? That's a good thing. Dan Houser and his writing partners play to their strengths and we get a better result than if they'd simply tried to ape the poetic metaphors that Lake wrote. This is a fantastic character study of a man who has tried to drown out his past in booze and pills trying one last time to get something in his life right, to do some good, earn some redemption for his past sins. And it's written so well. At times it is shocking and brutal and twisted. The second act in particular had me cringing and slack-jawed at what just happened. And through it all, Max is there, in the thick of the blood and filth trying to make his way through a place that he can't understand where most people want him dead.
If you've played R*'s games this generation, you know that 'America' is a big theme that runs through their games. GTA4 is about the American immigrant experience. RDR is about the American West in the early 1900s. Max Payne 3 is about an American abroad. Dan Houser seems to love writing about America and it's flaws and triumphs. He does the same thing here, as Max descends into a world unlike America. But here's the thing... doesn't matter where you go in the world, there's always the good people and the evil people that need dying. Luckily for us, Max Payne 3 isn't a huge critique on America abroad. Houser tones that aspect down in favour of taking a look at this horribly traumatized and downbeat addict who's chasing the biggest high of it all: Redemption.
This is what's fantastic about Max in the game. No matter how horrible everything becomes, he's still the hero, the good guy, even if the lines become grey. He needs to be the hero. I've grown tired of R*'s sometimes hypocritical criminal protagonists who are just out for themselves. John Marston was a step in the right direction, but Max's return marks the first true 'good guy' this generation for Rockstar. I love that. Even at his angriest, when that old familiar feeling comes back... you still root for him. You still want him, need him to win. An amazing story.
There are a couple of negatives of the story: Most of the side cast isn't fleshed out well. I wish Houser and Co. had written more scenes with them so we could get a good look at their personalities. Though there was a good scene with Rodrigo and Passos is a good sidekick in the missions he appears in. There's a couple other characters, but I won't spoil them here.
Also, there's a couple one-off characters that clearly just stepped out of a GTA game. It's hilarious, but it's a bit jarring. That said, they're only in the game for a minute for a comedic relief scene and it is amusing.
Alright, and the acting. James McCaffrey, sir you are phenomenal. I think this is best portrayal of Max yet. He's no longer closed off emotionally. But he's numb. And as time goes on, he grows angrier. Tired of all the shit happening to him. Still with a wry sense of humour and fatalism, he continues on to the bloody end. And McCaffrey ably voices Max as all this happens. It's great.
Loved the final scene in the game as well. I won't spoil it... but I really liked it.
Visuals
Amazing visuals in the game. Condensing the RAGE engine into a linear shooter is fantastic, and every shootout just looks amazingly gorgeous... like a massive Heroic Bloodshed shootout. Every encounter feels fresh, every enemy you attack feels unique (though I admit in the later parts of the game, all the goons began to look same-ish). Max himself looks and animates pretty great. I love how he changes so many times throughout the story, wearing different clothes, sporting many injuries marking the passing of time. From Trenchcoat and Tie Payne to McClane Payne, all his looks are great. NPCs don't look quite as good, but it's okay.
The atmosphere in the game is second to none. Every location feels unique, from the high-class to the low and grimy, scummy bits in town. It's fantastic.
Also, the glitchy effects... I love them. They give a disorienting feel as Max gets more fucked up on booze and drugs, but it works for me. I really like them visually.
Sound
The game sounds fantastic. The gunfire sounds realistic and powerful. The voice over work is great.
But I gotta say it... HEALTH is fucking amazing. One of the best soundtracks in a game I've ever heard. The music puts so much into the mood. It's very rare that music and atmosphere and gameplay mesh together so well, but it's beautifully done here. It's that great. At two or three points, a song with lyrics plays, and it's fucking awesome.
Gameplay
So... so fun. Bullet-Time and Shoot-Dodge are as fun as I remember, and coupled with Euphoria, this is a shooter fan's wet dream. Every gun fight feels realistic and bloody and at times, a desperate struggle for survival.
Regarding the checkpoint issues... I will agree. Honestly, they didn't bug me too much (I did this playthrough on Medium), but I can see how some people can get frustrated. But it didn't bug me much, so I don't consider it a problem for me. Another issue is after last man standing, when you hit the cover button, Max stands before hitting cover. While that never got me killed, it did freak me out. Woulda been nice if he scrambled for cover when you're nearby.
The game is paced so well too. I'd grown tired of 5-6 hour shooters, and Max Payne clocks in at about 10, but it never overstays it's welcome and it feels paced just perfectly. One of the best campaigns I've ever played.
Other stuff
All the easter eggs R* put in is great. So many nods to the old games. Also love the little touches in the main menu, where when you start it up after a save, Max is shown in the background of the menu in whatever location he's in in the story and with whatever clothes or look he has. It's a great little touch. Piano music in the menu is nice too.
And those... are my thoughts that I just sort of vomited out my head. And the credits are still rolling!
Actually they just ended. As I typed the previous statement.
I realize I might not be the most objective sounding person for this review as I've been hyped for over a year for this game and I've been waiting for an MP3 since the ending of MP2 when I was like 13 or 14 or something. But you know what... this game just met all of my expectations. It's grim, it's a mature tale, a fantastic character study about one of my favourite fictional protagonists. It's well told and well acted. It plays well.
One of my favourite games of this generation. That's official. It's good to have you back, Max.
Hold on a sec guys, I gotta call Angry Fork.
Dude, I was going to post my review since i just beat the game, and a lot of what i thought lines up exactly with yours.
Just gotta say the game was freaking amazing! Well paced, engrossing story, fantastic depiction of Max Payne, and amazing soundtrack.
I couldnt help but feel freaking pumped up when "tears" started playing in the airport shootout. R* does it again with nailing the right music at the right time, also the synth soundtrack in Panama was amazing too.
I love it when a game just sucks you in and next thing you know 3-4 hrs pass by and I'm still playing, totally losing track of time. I told myself before i started that i would play till 12:00AM, but ended up playing till 3:00AM when i started at around 10:00PM.
The way the bullets hit enemies is just so good. No shooter comes close to matching the brutality and detail of shooting up people like this game does and I never tire of it.
Loved all the little touches, and loved everything Max was saying. The lines he spouted were delivered perfectly and some of the lines he said just had me grinning.
the end when Victor says he is going to walk, so Max breaks his leg and yells out but with a limp! how could you not love that? And the last scene was great, finally at a beach and some time to relax. It was a well deserved ending
The sound-mix was fantastic using Dolby Headphone with either my DT770s or HD555s.
One of the best games I played this year, and not just that but also a fantastic Max Payne game. Sure it felt a little different, but also extremely familiar.
Sorry for the rambling of thoughts
Just had to get it out of my chest after beating the game.If you are into collecting the golden weapons, then the pacing sort of gets killed, which is why I didn't bother with it the first time around. I'm replaying it again for the second time now and will concentrate on collecting the shit.
This is the first time in my life I finish a game and start again straight after....it's that good..
This is the first time in my life I finish a game and start again straight after....it's that good..
AgentOtaku
Member
Same thing with Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The collectibles KILL the pacing in that game and I advise everyone to avoid them in their first go.
AwesomeSauce
MagsMoonshine
Honestly, I like it.
After clearing a room of bad guys, I tend to run around the room looking for collectibles or little easter eggs which this game has plenty of. It also helps that this game oozes atmosphere and the detailed environments make exploring more enjoyable IMO.
Glad I went with my gut and ignored the reviews. It's Max Payne.. If you enjoyed the first two, MP3 is a joy to play.
The trophy/achievement system is also nicely done. I'm three chapters in and no cheap trophies for completing a chapter etc... they actually put some thought into it.
The trophy/achievement system is also nicely done. I'm three chapters in and no cheap trophies for completing a chapter etc... they actually put some thought into it.
Vinterbird
Member
Has anyone played this on easy and normal? Curious to see if easy just lowers health of the enemies or makes them stupid (ala Halo). If it is just adjustment of damage, I might as well go easy since I just want the experience.
abracadaver
Member
Is it possible that the pc version is so big because it has the prerendered cutscenes in 1080p ?
StickyFingers
Member
I just got back from Dixons with my copy of Max Payne 3.
Installing it now.
Now to make some food. Running around in the city made me hungry.
Installing it now.
Now to make some food. Running around in the city made me hungry.
haha, don't even joke about that!
batmandarkknight
Member
is anyone else having the issue of levels not saving in MP? i keep going back to level 1.
and i cant see to see any of the crew members in the lobby.
and i cant see to see any of the crew members in the lobby.