Colours are quite vibrant for the most part and work well in contrast with the game’s bleak narrative, whilst attention to detail is also particularly pleasing through all the beautifully rendered locations from sunny Brazil all the way to the flashbacks of Max’s dreary suburban New York past. The visuals have the unmistakable Rockstar touch splashed all over them and are reminiscent of recent Grand Theft Autos and Red Dead games, albeit considerably nicer. Of course, a side effect is that the story does take up a lot of your precious gameplay time with cutscenes and dialogue, but it’s still Max Payne 3’s strongest aspect and you’ll definitely want to see it through right until the end regardless. The supporting cast, at first glance, may also seem a touch generic but are eventually fleshed out well and remain pretty convincing even in the more embellished action scenes. The narrative can be a little familiar and expected at times, mainly because of its genre and presentation, but Max Payne 3 feels more like it’s paying homage to classic action-thrillers of the past rather than just rehashing old ideas.
For example, his inner monologues are often alcohol-fueled ramblings full of self-loathing and backwards reasoning, but the acting and dialogue is so well realised, they bring depth to the characterisation and pull you into the story wholeheartedly – especially when Max is forced to make some hard choices that consequently result in changes to his perspective, and his appearance. Whilst Sun laden Brazil is a stark contrast to the older games’ dreary suburban streets we only get to see a little of this time round, the titular character’s anguish of losing his wife and child remains omnipresent and it’s Payne’s intricacy that makes the game so compelling. Nothing ever goes smoothly for Max though, and it quickly becomes evident when Blanco’s trophy wife is kidnapped on Max’s watch and all hell breaks loose into a mess of betrayal, corruption and violence.
Along with Max’s unshakable turmoil, a lot of the series’ staples such as the blockbuster-esque bullet time mechanic and the customary downbeat noir-inspired atmosphere make a return, but how far has Max Payne really come since its predecessor? We head off to the darkest depths of Sao Paulo to find out.Įssentially, Max Payne 3 is about a troubled ex-cop who’s been employed as private security for one of Sao Paulo’s rich businessmen, Rodrigo Blanco.
So when we knew that they were taking on another chapter in a Max Payne series that had been absent for almost a decade, anticipation and curiosity was never going to be in short supply. Let’s be honest, Rockstar could hype a ball of string and most would stand up and take notice.