Max Payne's home has always been on the PC. The original 2001 game and its sequel
debuted on the PC, and though they received console versions--some of
which captured the excellence of their PC counterparts and some of which
didn't--it was on PC that he first made his mark. Times have changed
for Max, and his latest outing hit consoles first and PC second, which
may raise concerns about whether, this time around, it's the PC version
that feels secondary and the console versions that feel definitive. As
it turns out, such concerns are unfounded. Max Payne 3 is just as
gorgeous and intense on PC as it is on consoles, and the pinpoint
precision offered by a mouse makes the PC version the best way to enjoy
this brutal and haunting shooter.
He takes cover these days, but Max can still put bullets into brainpans with the best of 'em.
Wherever you go, there you are. It's a truth Max Payne knows better than
anyone. Fleeing his New York life to take a job working security for a
wealthy family in Sao Paulo, the hard-drinkin', pill-poppin' Max finds
that his demons come along for the ride. Though the details of the plot
add up to your typical story of conspiracy and corruption, of the rich
and powerful preying on the poor and helpless to become even more rich
and powerful, the writing, acting, and presentation elevate this tale
well above a boilerplate video game crime story.
It's hard to stay ambivalent once you see the horrors being suffered by
the innocent here, and you'll likely want to see Max's quest for
vengeance through to its conclusion just as badly as he does. Max
reveals a complexity here not seen in earlier games, as he hits rock
bottom and must either stay there or face his demons head-on and make
himself anew. Other characters, too, reveal a surprising humanity. You
might be tempted to write off Marcelo, the youngest brother in the
wealthy Branco dynasty Max is hired to protect, as the shallow playboy
he often appears to be. But in moments of disarming honesty, he reveals
to Max a depth that lies beneath the facade he presents to the world.
Cutscenes use multiple moving panels to pay homage to the
graphic-novel-style storytelling of previous games without feeling
beholden to it, and the considered use of blurring and other visual
effects echo Max's state of mind, perhaps making you feel as if you're
the one who has been hitting the bottle a little too hard. James
McCaffrey does an excellent job reprising his role as Max, bringing a
wider range of emotions to a character who has previously often been
one-note. The writing is terrific; Max's world-weary wit is as bone-dry
as ever, and as he ruminates on things like loyalty and loss, much of
what he says has the sound of hard-earned wisdom. Subtle touches
throughout the game make Max seem convincingly alive, such as the
complex look that crosses over his face at the start of one stage when
bloodshed seems inevitable; it's as if he dreads what's coming, but does
his best to mentally prepare himself for it.
These characters are flawed and not always likable, which makes them all the more interesting.
Max Payne 3 has far more sunlight and color than earlier Max Payne
games, but the menaces Max faces here are at least as dark as those he's
faced before. The locales Max has to gun his way into or out of are
alive with authenticity and detail. Nightclubs throb with dance music
and light shows; children play soccer in the favelas; run-down hotels
are packed with leftover junk from their earlier days of luxury. And
it's not all tropical locations and bad Hawaiian shirts for Max Payne
here; a few great flashbacks that take place in Hoboken, New Jersey,
reflect the snowy weather and urban atmosphere of earlier Max Payne
games, as well as Max's previous fashion sensibilities, and connect his
new life with his old one.
Max hasn't lost his ability to blow bad guys away by the hundreds, but
in Max Payne 3, reflecting modern sensibilities and perhaps his own age,
he takes things slower and makes judicious use of a new cover mechanic.
Yet the addition of this currently common element doesn't mean that Max
Payne 3 feels like every other third-person shooter. Far from it. The
game is differentiated from its contemporaries by several qualities, not
least of which is its unflinching violence. Bullets visibly tear
through bodies, leaving holes that spurt blood as your enemies die. Each
encounter with a group of enemies ends with a bullet cam, showing your
final, fatal bullet soaring through the air and striking its target in
grisly detail, and giving you the option to pump excessive, unnecessary
ordnance into the poor bastard. It's a cathartic and satisfying way to
end each firefight.
Bullet time, the defining mechanic of the Max Payne series, lends
gunplay a cinematic intensity that remains exhilarating from the start
of the substantial campaign until its finish some 12 hours or so later.
When bullet time is enabled, you can see every pellet that bursts forth
from a shotgun, every bullet that whizzes past your head. Windows break
apart beautifully; concrete shatters to reveal the rebar underneath; and
all other sorts of believable destruction to the world around you takes
place as you and your enemies try to gun each other down.
Max hasn't forgotten how to fly.
Bullet time slows your enemies down significantly, letting you aim and
fire faster than they can respond. But despite the significant edge this
gives you over your foes, they are no pushovers. They make smart use of
flanking tactics, so you need to stay aware of what's happening on all
sides, and, yes, you need to make effective use of cover. There are
still situations aplenty where an old-fashioned head-on approach can get
the job done, but by and large, you need to approach combat in Max
Payne 3 a bit more defensively than in past games. This measured
approach allows for individual moments to stand out; rather than losing
yourself in a constant flurry of gunfire, you can take satisfaction in a
particularly skillful shot, and lining that shot up with a mouse is
easier with the precision afforded by a mouse than it is with a gamepad.
The wholesome-looking quintet has joined Justin Bieber in
the affections of girls everywhere, with their puppy eyes, trendy
haircuts and rather good voices. And the boy band's new album delivers
on the brief, vaguely catchy songs that appeal to both the romantic and
the wild side of teenage girls.
