| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | 7.00 |
| Overall | 7.00 |
|
I have never been too fond with the Max Payne series, I find the games to be very shallow and repetitive. With Rockstar handling the third game I was hoping for a much better game. Well the final result is that Rockstar stayed way too close to the Max Payne formula while dressing it up with great graphics, amazing physics and animation. Its still incredibly repetitive but at least the gunplay is some of the best of any game. Like all other Max Payne games your entire goal is to shoot everything that moves. There is no exploration, no strategy, no character building, no managing weapons, nothing even resembling deep gameplay. Its almost an old arcade game where you simply shoot everything while getting to the end of the stage. If you want a game with actual great level design and varied setpieces this is not the game for you. About 90% of the game is fighting the same dude (in different skins, or maybe *gasp* armor!! Wow enemy variety...) in an area that so happens to have a bunch of chest high walls. This game at least has a few scripted moments which makes it better than the first two, though compared to what other third person shooters do with their scripted moments this game feels like a high school play. Shoot other cars while someone drives you is about the most exciting setpiece you will see. The only reason I enjoyed this game is because the gunplay is phenomenal. This maybe a one trick pony but it is one hell of a trick. Firefights come alive with entire rooms being destroyed by gunfire. The animation of Max coming in and out of cover is the best I have ever seen. The aiming feels fantastic, cover works to perfection and every gun has a great authentic feeling. Max has his signature bullet time power allowing you to slow down time while you jump around like a crazy person. Its still a blast jumping over cover, a gun in each hand and managing to kill 4 guys before hitting the ground. This game is really long, like 12 hours of the same action repeated over and over again. At least the environments you visit are extremely varied and the story while basic is decent enough to want you to murder everyone in your path. I did not care for the odd storytelling decision of having important words from the dialogue appear on screen, I much preferred the noir style Payne. There is a multiplayer component that I did not have a chance to play so note that this is a single player only review. Once you beat the game you unlock arcade mode where you can play levels to get the fastest time or score the highest points by keeping combos alive, or scoring headshots. This makes the game far more interesting and I wonder why this isnt the default option. Max Payne 3 is still a very repetitive shallow game but Rockstar upped the ante with their excellent gunplay system and animation. If only they would take this gunplay and put it into a game that has a giant open world and has loads of variety. I really hope they do that. |
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Posted by Dvader Thu, 25 Jul 2013 03:34:56
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 13:16:38
Disappointing review, I always wondered about this game, it sounds too much like originals - like a fun rental.
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:29:52
A fun rental sums it up perfectly, GG.
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:19:03
It got pretty good reviews but wasn't successful commercially. You think word of much affected it? Or did Rockstar just spend too much on it?
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:56:15
It good in many ways but after about an hour, you realize this is it. There's very little gameplay variety. It just gets tedious to play at times. That's why it took me nearly two months to finish.
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:38:24
Glad I skipped it, they should have made Bully 2.
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