Forums > Submission Feedback > zippdementia's Max Payne 3 review

Now, I haven't beaten it yet, maybe halfway through -- currently having trouble on the part with the drive by motor boats. Playing on hard and just wasn't in the mood when the checkpoint took me so far back.

Anyways, I agree that this game pretty much says all it needs to say by the first chapter. There's no new pull to the mechanics, and so far the set ups haven't been notched up to a much higher level of intensity. But I think I'm appreciating the storytelling a lot more than you did, it felt like an important aspect of the game as opposed to an interruption.

Like that bar scene, it took control away from the player for a long time, longer than what feels appropriate for a game that people seem to look at as a one big firefight. But when the girl gets hit in the face and control swings back to the player, I see the reticle on the enemy and it's sort of at that moment where I understood Payne's character. The game told me to shoot, because of all the things Payne didn't give a shit about it, he still didn't like to see a girl get swung at.

From what we've discussed in the past -- talks over FF and all -- I get the feeling you're not a huge fan of cutscenes in gaming, or at least how they're handled. You make good cases for why, and I'd probably agree about Max Payne 3 not doing anything too special with the concept, but eh -- so far it's pretty cool. Otherwise I'd have ditched it to play more of the awesome multiplayer.

Sorry I haven't finished it yet, I know I might be missing the big picture.

Mobius 1, engage...

Hey, thanks for posting, holdthephone! You aren't the first person to enjoy Max Payne's cutscenes more than I did. Did you play the older Max Paynes? They were a big reason I had trouble with this one's scenes. I felt like I knew what was coming chapters before it did. I'd be curious to know what you think about the ending of the game and whether it leaves you emotionally satisfied or not. Story is always interesting to talk about, because people have such a diverse variance in how they like a story to be approached. Glad you're enjoying the action!

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Alright after getting much further I'm more in line with your views. I stand by what I said earlier, but it seems the 2nd half of the game is sinking to the levels of MGS4.

Before, the action came at pretty meaty lengths, where I felt the cutscenes were more concise and even the long ones had some significance to the game. But while entering the São Paulo segment was cool, as it progressed from there I definitely saw where you were coming from. Literally 10 second bursts of action followed by some really winded dialogue from Payne, usually just him repeating how clueless his is. They give you control for enough time to turn the next corner and then it's another 3 minute scene of this nonsense.

Same applies to the flashback chapter in the graveyard. I just finished both of these and I'm astonished at how much fun I wasn't having. Truthfully I have little desire to finish because of this, which is okay because I didn't pick the game up to review anyways ^_^

And no, I've never played a Max Payne as being very young I wasn't interested, plus I've always thought bullet time was tacky aside from The Matrix. Going into Max Payne 3 though I really enjoyed the character, and the humor. I wasn't taking it too seriously because the game didn't seem to take itself to seriously (i.e bullets making bloody swiss cheese of your jacket) -- but now it seems very serious and bad at being so.

Enemies getting beefier now is also getting annoying. Game no longer rewards me for headshots since everyone has magical helmets on. And half the game's cutscenes leading to me ducked behind cover in some kind of espionage approach is just weird. Didn't strike me as the game to just open up with cheap pot shots after each cinematic. Send me flying through more windows or something please!

Mobius 1, engage...

I didn't want to say it in my last post, because I didn't want to spoil anything and I didn't know how far you were, but you are exactly in line with my experience if you started feeling this way at Sao Paulo. That's where I pretty much locked in on the feelings that eventually became the review. And now I think you know which bar sequence I meant. It's right after he shaves his head. It's like they ran out of ideas for the action and so... everyone gets helmets.

There's still nothing quite as awesome in terms of balls-to-the-wall action and certainly nothing as good visually in the genre as Max Payne 3, but it is such a rental.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."