Max Payne 3

[Atrophy]

Okay, Steam Winter Sale is coming up in two hours.... soon Max Payne 3 will be on sale (or at least it will be at some point during the sale). Is it worth it? I usually don't ask these questions, I read a couple of reviews (both negative and positive) then make a decision. However in this case I truly can't make up my mind. I usually go for the procedurally generated (i.e. Minecraft), open world (i.e. Skyrim), incredible story that you can influence (i.e. The Walking Dead) types of games, but I also loved AC3 and enjoyed the movie-like experience and constant cut scenes. I just am not sure about this game because I do not want to play another cover shooter.

Please do not let the wall of text dissuade you, I really would like your opinions and thoughts on the game. :)

[Tritagonist]

Seven lines is a wall of text now? What will become of this culture!

Anyway, the reasons I have held off on Max Payne 3 have been the constant mention in reviews of incessant cut-scenes and a combat-system that is marred by dodgy cover & camera control. Pretty much every critical reviewer mentions these elements as being major hindrances to their enjoyment, leading me to believe there is something to it.

[Sketch]

Max Payne 3 is an amazing shooter that is hampered by cutscenes, which may or may not be a big deal. I didn't find it so bad, but the game is worth playing for the physics. Everyone who says its a cover shooter is playing it wrong, seriously if you do get it just dive around and enjoy it, I think at the end of the game on a normal difficulty play through I'd killed about 16 people from cover. And that was on Xbox. It's also an excellent port. I really recommend it for the low price it'll be.

[Ravelle]

I really enjoyed it, it's pretty hard but it's a good third person shooter that looks amazing. Like mentioned above it's pretty cut scene loaded but once you've accepted that and just enjoy the narrative and story it stops being a bother, that is unless there's a cut scene just before a checkpoint and you'll have to watch it every time you die.

I didn't have trouble with the cover and camera Tritagonist mentioned, I had more problems with the amount of damage you take and how little med-pills you come across.

The story isn't all that original and is pretty much the same as Splintercell Conviction or the movie Taken but it's more about Max himself and how he deals with it all.

Last sale it was on for 10 bucks or something so it's almost a no brainer.

[Kiril]

Its on Gamersgate for €12 at the moment - http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-MP3/max-payne-3

I have the tab open for the last 2 hours wondering if I should get it.

[neema_t]

I liked it quite a lot. Cutscenes are annoying but more because they lie (I don't believe that the game takes THAT long to load, which the excuse that pops up if you try to skip prematurely) than because of the interruption. Oh and arcade mode doesn't remove the cutscenes so if you take a few tries to get a gold or platinum score you'll waste a lot of your life watching Max being all sad.

But all in all it's a bloody excellent game for the £7.50 it was in the Autumn sale, I think I'll be buying the season pass if it's 75% off again... Maybe.

[Nalano]

The story isn't all that original and is pretty much the same as Splintercell Conviction or the movie Taken but it's more about Max himself and how he deals with it all.

I wouldn't sully Max Payne by comparing it to either of those, Taken especially. Taken's a ridiculous American revenge fantasy and Max Payne is a deconstruction of ridiculous American revenge fantasies.

Also, you get to shoot a Jersey guido. That's worth the price right there.

[Spider Jerusalem]

i bought it on release, played it about 75% of the way through before i just couldn't take it anymore. if you don't mind downloading 30gb, and can put up with (albeit well done) cutscenes, it's worth a ride for a tenner. i didn't like it as much as the earlier games (i think the addition of cover was a step backward, and the bullet time isn't as plentiful), and it didn't really /feel/ like a max payne game most of the time (save for the flashback sections in the city), but it's fun enough i suppose.

the multiplayer is complete shit, in my estimation. so you can skip the dlc.

[Atrophy]

It looked quite "wall-like" when I was posting it, but on further review I agree. What is this world coming to? Other than certain death at the end of the Mayan Calendar.

It sounds like the game is worth it for $10 if I can find it at that price. I can definitely live with the cutscenes and will look for it in the holiday sale. I am now a bit more concerned with the Size, is it really 30GB? My external Hard Drive passed on to the next world last night and I only have about 60GB of free space on my 1TB HD in my desktop.

[Patrick Swayze]

Max Payne 3 was one of the best games released this year.

I was heavily sceptical but pleasantly surprised after picking it up for £7.50 in the most recent Steam sale.

Yes it has a lot of cut scenes which do become a little invasive further into the game, but the thing is these cut scenes are excellent, far beyond anything else in the industry and genuinely entertaining.

Plus its heavily optimized, looks great and is FUN single player game.

Multiplayer seemed ass mind you.

[Vandelay]

I really enjoyed Max Payne 3. It is easily the best "cover" shooter I have played, as hugging a wall is just another tool in your arsenal and will actually become a hindrance if used exclusively. The feel of controlling Max is sublime too; you really feel like you are controlling an alcoholic middle aged man, who shouldn't be throwing himself around corners.

The cutscenes can be a pain in the arse, occurring as you go through pretty much every door. On the positive side, the action bits are always controlled by you, as far as I can remember and the cutscenes are normally just him walking and talking. I don't remember ever thinking that I wish I was in control of a cutscene.

The major problem with them is not being able to skip them. It says you can, but any attempt to will bring up a "still loading" message. I believe it does this even on SSDs too, so there is something not right about it. This makes replays unlikely (a disappointment considering the number of times I have played the first two games,) and Arcade mode becomes an exercise in frustration too, with each death dropping you back to the start of the level.

Definitely worth a low price though and I personally thought the naysayers were too vocal when this came out.

[Spider Jerusalem]

is it really 30GB?

it's closer to 35gb i believe.

[GunnerMcCaffrey]

Quite possibly, the only thing you truly need to know about Max Payne 3 is that it isn't Max Payne 2, which happens to be 3 freaking dollars (adjust for your own weird currency as applicable) at GamersGate.

As for, Max Payne: Revolutions, there was some discussion about here it recently, and I think what I said earlier still stands.

[Ravelle]

I wouldn't sully Max Payne by comparing it to either of those, Taken especially. Taken's a ridiculous American revenge fantasy and Max Payne is a deconstruction of ridiculous American revenge fantasies.

Also, you get to shoot a Jersey guido. That's worth the price right there.

More in a broad sense really, retrieving person of interest no matter what it takes.

[sonson]

The cut scenes are great, the production and acting is pretty much the best you can get, the shooting is fun for the most part but the game play and the story have basically no connection whatsoever. Could have been something really impressive if they'd thought more about combining the two, but it's a good game nonetheless.

[Nalano]

The cut scenes are great, the production and acting is pretty much the best you can get, the shooting is fun for the most part but the game play and the story have basically no connection whatsoever. Could have been something really impressive if they'd thought more about combining the two, but it's a good game nonetheless.

...how?

Dude. The whole series is self-parodying Noir. You're doing John Woo gunplay while lampshading the fact that you should not be doing John Woo gunplay.

[Ravelle]

...how?

Dude. The whole series is self-parodying Noir. You're doing John Woo gunplay while lampshading the fact that you should not be doing John Woo gunplay.

If you take away the gunplay you end up with Heavy Rain I believe.

[Kadayi]

Production values are extremely high, but the game is just one long bloodbath tied together with a pretty predictable plot. The shooting mechanics and the way Max moves are really impressive (there's a definite weight to things) and the music is great (Tears by HEALTH is a top tune), but I wouldn't say it's a game that begs for a replay. I'd say wait to see if it hits 60-75% off.

[CuriousOrange]

...how?

Dude. The whole series is self-parodying Noir. You're doing John Woo gunplay while lampshading the fact that you should not be doing John Woo gunplay.

The third one took itself a lot more seriously this time round. The first two had a distinct Twin Peaks vibe in them which the third has none of.

[sabrage]

The third one took itself a lot more seriously this time round. The first two had a distinct Twin Peaks vibe in them which the third has none of.

You must've seen a different Twin Peaks than I did.