Rockstar Minimizes Max Payne 3's DLC

[Scene: a darkened alleyway. MAX PAYNE struggles to stand, clearly dazed and more-than-slightly drunk.] Ugh, what happened? How did it get his bad? One moment, I was riding high in Brazil and taking the nearest highway exit onto easy street. And the next...? My sales had gone south, and I'd swerved into the seedy gutter of an industry where three million shipped units is barely even good for a pack of cigarettes and a cheap bottle of booze. And now I'm practically bleeding DLC, digging my way out of one grave and right into another. Hah,  I guess the joke's on me - like a seagull with two fully cooked turkeys for wings flying against the crashing waves of inevitability. You know what I mean?

So yes, Max Payne 3's now consolidated its plan for a total of six paid DLC packs down to four, with Local Justice - which has been available on consoles since the beginning of July - making its PC debut on August 9 for a reduced price of $5.99. September, meanwhile, will see the Hostage Negotiation pack roll out, while both Painful Memories and Deathmatch Made In Heaven will drop in October - all of which will run you $9.99. Content from previously announced packs New York Minute (which includes co-op) and Trickle Down Economics will now be sprinkled among the remaining DLC.

If, however, not spending money is more up your conveniently cover-laden alley, Rockstar's also tossing a freebie your way in the form of the Disorganized Crime pack - which includes the Hoboken Rooftops map and fun bits and bobs for Score Attack like explosive rounds and a headshots-only mode. Sounds even more painful than what's already on the table - which seems to suggest that Max Payne had, in fact, previously not doled out sufficient suffering for it to truly be considered maximum. Unless, of course, he's simply raising the bar - taking the maximum level of pain to new heights.

We may never find out. What I very much plan to set my hard-boiled sleuthing skills to, however, is the effect this will have on Max Payne 3's Rockstar Pass. As Rockstar points out, the pass still grants players access to all the same content at a 35 percent discount, but it is kind of a switcheroo. I doubt it was done with ill intentions, but it's still a bit disturbing that season passes essentially grant publishers the power to pull the rug out from beneath content we already spent money on - especially when angry customers take issue with that and Rockstar responds by saying "There’s no such thing as a purchase agreement as you describe." Again, the monetary bottom line shakes out the same way this time around, but it's still food for thought.