For the first time in its history, Max Payne 3 was playable at PAX East 2012. Luckily New Gamer Nation was there to give you our impressions of what we saw and what we thought. We are just going to give you our impressions, but if you want more information, check out our preview also take a look at our Top 5 Rockstar Games.
As far as the story is concerned, we learned that Max leaves New York because nothing, but bad things have happened to him there. He decides to go to Brazil to start a new life, but trouble always seems to find Max. Max starts doing some private security work for a colleague he met in the academy. Max and his new coworkers are trying to protect a the Branco Family, a wealthy industrialist family. Unfortunately, the wife of Mr. Branco is kidnapped, and Max is swept up in a conflict much bigger than he ever imagined.
Our Impressions
Max Payne 3 is simply awesome. Both PCS and I took turns playing the game, and we both agree that this game is simply awesome. Bullet time makes a return, and it plays a big part in the game. The enemies in this game are aggressive, and you’ll need to use everything available to make sure you get it out alive.
The controls themselves were reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption but much more refined this time around. Bullet time was easy to pull off, and it lead to some seriously cinematic moments. The controls were otherwise excellent. Shooting was fluid, and getting into and out of cover was quick and easy. I think everyone is really going to like how easy this game controls.
The gameplay itself is everything you’d expect from Max Payne and more. The combat is gritty and visceral. With lots of different weapons, you won’t find yourself short on ways to kill enemies. The one part of the gameplay that really makes the game more engaging is that your health doesn’t regenerate on its own, so it is up to you to get yourself out of sticky situations and doing so was extremely satisfying. There was also a mechanic included in the game where if you were shot in a non vital area, and you were on the brink of dying, you would go into a “man down” mode. The game slows down much like the “bullet time mode” and your goal is to kill the enemy that last shot you. If you manage to kill him, you get your health back, assuming you have a spare pain killer. If you don’t have any painkillers left, you die.
Bullet time itself is just as you remember it. Slowing down time and shooting your enemies in slow motion, seeing every shot, makes this mechanic one of my favorite parts of the game. As long as you maintain line-of-sight on a target, you’ll have every opportunity to take them out. The better you play, the faster the bullet time recharges, so make sure your aim is true. Bullet time also makes an appearance in multiplayer. Unfortunately, the campaign was the only playable part of the game. More details will be released on this later so stay tuned.
The graphics look great and is just as good as anything else we’ve seen on the consoles. Max Payne 3 is built on the RAGE engine, tweaked specifically for this game. There are all new mechanics implemented into the software that make this one of the most realistic shooters we’ve seen at the show. Max reacts to his environment and it pulls you into the environment in ways that only the best games can.
Finally, my second favorite part of the game was the close up cinematics. When you kill the last enemy in the area, players are greeted with a close up kill-cam. In this mode, you see the last bullet fly through the air and strike your enemy dead. You can also slow down time as the bullet moves towards your target and you’ll see exactly where your shot landed. This is extremely satisfying and leads to plenty of moments that will make you shout out in victory.
Max Payne 3 was definitely one of our favorite games of the show, and we definitely think this is going to be a game that you simply can’t overlook. Look for Max Payne 3 to hit the shelves on May 15th for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 and May 29th for the PC.
