The Games We Played: Max Payne 3
By: RJ (@rga_02)
Max Payne 3 sat in my PlayStation 3 hard drive for about close to a year now. I got the game last fall as a part of a Red Dead Redemption bundle PSN was offering for $5. Now as this summer draws to a close I decided to tackle the game in further to slim down my backlog. I didn’t know to expect from the game to be honest. I know that some people enjoyed it and loathed it. Clickbliss’ very own editor-in-chief Omar seemed to enjoy it (after all, why else would they have two copies of the game) – so I decided to play it and throw out my two cents on the game to the sea of nuanced opinions out there. (spoiler: I enjoyed it immensely)
I have varied opinions on the way Rockstar games handle their worlds. For the most part, I do get sucked into the immersive worlds they present such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Red Dead Redemption. Other games such as Grand Theft Auto V or L.A Noire fall flat for me after the first few hours (or I must just dislike the Los Angeles region). Max Payne 3 isn’t as immersive as Vice City nor wasn’t it as stale as L.A Noire. The sights and sounds of São Paulo surprisingly sucked me in. The glitz and glamor of the soccer (football) stadium to the harsh living of the favelas transported my imaginative mind to some new heights. With soccer being my favorite sport, I just wanted to spend a little bit more time in the stadium. I didn’t want to shoot it up; I wanted to look at their trophy showcase. Growing up near Chicago (and being a Sim City nut) – I enjoy the sights and sounds of any downtown setting. During the game while I was shooting the local favela drug lords – I found myself just immersing myself into the city lights by appreciating the surrounding São Paulo skyline. I even found myself enjoying roaming the favelas.
(image credit: rockstargames.com)
The narrative and how the game was presented was just 100 percent (If I could, I’d stick that emote here). A lot of people on the internet seemed to dislike the split-scene presentation that Rockstar decided to implement – but that is what makes this game memorable to me. This game was meant to be like an action film and it did that very well. The game just oozes style. Mix that in with the monologues that Max gives, Max Payne 3 is the best film out there. Eat your heart out David Cage and Hideo Kojima.
It may have the setting and narrative nailed down, but what about the gameplay? Well, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Red Dead Redemption, but it was still pretty top notch. Rockstar games managed to integrate bullet time well with the cover system. There were some times where I just wanted to go full out Rambo, but it was just more satisfying to just slow myself down and go pop pop watching all those drug lords and militia drop.
Max Payne 3 is flashy, immersive and very well made. I regret not playing this game soon enough. In an era of remasters – I hope someone in the Rockstar boardroom has this game in line for a re-release. This time I’ll be there on day one.