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193 people found this review helpful
5 people found this review funny

Recommended

0.0 hrs last two weeks / 15.0 hrs on record

Posted: 28 Dec, 2020 @ 12:24pm
Updated: 7 Dec, 2022 @ 10:10am

Lucid, Organic, and Raw.

feel free to watch this review in video form<<< click me

Max Payne 3 and its presentation make it one of the greatest shooters I have ever played.

Many other first and third-person shooters come off feeling stiff and artificial, no matter how esteemed the Game or Gameplay.
There comes the point where we, as players grow conscious, realise that we are indeed controlling hardened tough guys, protagonists who may or may not let the odd grunt slip out of their inanimate lips upon taking damage.

Max Payne 3 has made me realise that our Gordon Freeman's and Master Chiefs all lack emotion; visual and verbal feedback informing the player that they control a person, a living human being. Not a bunch of code that lets us sit on the shoulders of our favourite video game protagonists.

Games lack moments that humanise the characters on the screen, Moments that, if included in a Game's design, Story, and Gameplay, would help grow the assemblage of 1 and 0s that the developers are trying to sell to us into real people.

Max Payne 3 has these moments, and that is what makes it great. The Game's presentation and Gameplay are a trip - Lucid, Organic, and Raw. Playing the Game feels like a dream, literally. Everything feels so real, is so real.

Max's fluid animations blend seamlessly into one another, dynamically reacting to player input, making the Game feel authentic and visceral.

I find it astonishing how gunplay remains smooth and intuitive despite being so heavily animated - the shooting mechanics are some of the best I've seen to date; it's just so satisfying.

Shooting someone isn't something that just happens - it's impactful. You won't see enemies merely rag-doll after being shot; they react to their injuries, clutching their wounds, squeezing their eyes shut with pursed lips; every death feels unique, with a weight that is felt. A life that Max and I have taken.

Perhaps that's just the Game's masterful presentation talking as it imprints on my mind, adding depth and subtle details that may not be there at all.

Admittedly levels feel claustrophobic, and the Game itself is exceptionally linear, with many areas and battle arenas feeling limited. It would've been nice to see more areas like the Nightclub and the Airport that offer more room to move around; however, the levels have benefited from this design choice and are extraordinarily detailed with incredible fidelity.

That aside, Max is a man in pain; I got that much.

However, you don't just see his pain in cut-scenes, but throughout the Gameplay.

Many Games fail to convey how the protagonist feels during the most crucial part of any Game; the Gameplay. They abandon the emotion; it's only allowed for cut-scenes and dialogue, right?

Wrong.

Max doesn't walk. He pulls himself around, dragging his clunky feet, always moving nonchalantly - even when he leaps into the air, there's no grace to be seen; Max ends up falling to the floor like a pile of bricks - struggling, as he staggers back onto his feet. The youthful nature seen in previous instalments made you feel like Neo from the Matrix. Now, It's all gone.

Max's movements; they're unhurried; he's tired, he's in pain. Max is now the one looking to buy more sand for his hourglass, or perhaps he's waiting for it to run out?

He's hanging heavy, desperately hauling himself from altercation to altercation - shootout to shootout. Through his animations and mannerisms, you see all of this during Gameplay - the feeling of pain, a man whose entire being has shattered into billions of pieces. He's lost everything, and you don't just see this during a cut scene of Max drowning his soul in liquor; that depressing, painful tone is slathered all over the Game.

That tone is why Max Payne 3 is my favourite out of the entire trilogy.

Max Payne 3 has been one of the best gaming experiences I've had in some time.

It's a Game I see myself replaying for its visceral nature, fluid animations and gunplay.

Like many others, this Game is a sublime work of art—the story and storytelling - Max's character progression. Sadly, we won't see a Max Payne 4; it's a shame as I have not felt as invested in a character for a long time; James McCaffreys went above and beyond bringing this character to life. And goodness, the music - Health made sure this Game had a soundtrack I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

As mentioned before, Lucid, Organic, and Raw are the three words I would use to describe this Game. It's engaging and surprisingly intimate; unequivocally one of the Best Games I've ever played.

Rest easy, Max.

Thank You,
removedmaterial

[h1]Lucid, Organic, and Raw.[/h1]

[i][b][url=https://youtu.be/BJLuWEUdykw]feel free to watch this review in video form[/url][/b][/i][u]<<< click me[/u]

[i]Max Payne 3 and its presentation make it one of the greatest shooters I have ever played.[/i]

[b]Many other first and third-person shooters come off feeling stiff and artificial, no matter how esteemed the Game or Gameplay. 
There comes the point where we, as players grow conscious, realise that we are indeed controlling hardened tough guys, protagonists who may or may not let the odd grunt slip out of their inanimate lips upon taking damage.

Max Payne 3 has made me realise that our Gordon Freeman's and Master Chiefs all lack emotion; visual and verbal feedback informing the player that they control a person, a living human being. Not a bunch of code that lets us sit on the shoulders of our favourite video game protagonists.

Games lack moments that humanise the characters on the screen, Moments that, if included in a Game's design, Story, and Gameplay, would help grow the assemblage of 1 and 0s that the developers are trying to sell to us into real people.

Max Payne 3 has these moments, and that is what makes it great. The Game's presentation and Gameplay are a trip - Lucid, Organic, and Raw. Playing the Game feels like a dream, literally. Everything feels so real, is so real.

Max's fluid animations blend seamlessly into one another, dynamically reacting to player input, making the Game feel authentic and visceral.

I find it astonishing how gunplay remains smooth and intuitive despite being so heavily animated -  the shooting mechanics are some of the best I've seen to date; it's just so satisfying.

Shooting someone isn't something that just happens - it's impactful. You won't see enemies merely rag-doll after being shot; they react to their injuries, clutching their wounds, squeezing their eyes shut with pursed lips; every death feels unique, with a weight that is felt. A life that Max and I have taken.

Perhaps that's just the Game's masterful presentation talking as it imprints on my mind, adding depth and subtle details that may not be there at all.

Admittedly levels feel claustrophobic, and the Game itself is exceptionally linear, with many areas and battle arenas feeling limited. It would've been nice to see more areas like the Nightclub and the Airport that offer more room to move around; however, the levels have benefited from this design choice and are extraordinarily detailed with incredible fidelity.

That aside, Max is a man in pain; I got that much.

However, you don't just see his pain in cut-scenes, but throughout the Gameplay.

Many Games fail to convey how the protagonist feels during the most crucial part of any Game; the Gameplay. They abandon the emotion; it's only allowed for cut-scenes and dialogue, right?[/b]

[i]Wrong.[/i]

[b]Max doesn't walk. He pulls himself around, dragging his clunky feet, always moving nonchalantly - even when he leaps into the air, there's no grace to be seen; Max ends up falling to the floor like a pile of bricks - struggling, as he staggers back onto his feet. The youthful nature seen in previous instalments made you feel like Neo from the Matrix. Now, It's all gone.

Max's movements; they're unhurried; he's tired, he's in pain. Max is now the one looking to buy more sand for his hourglass, or perhaps he's waiting for it to run out?

He's hanging heavy, desperately hauling himself from altercation to altercation - shootout to shootout. Through his animations and mannerisms, you see all of this during Gameplay - the feeling of pain, a man whose entire being has shattered into billions of pieces. He's lost everything, and you don't just see this during a cut scene of Max drowning his soul in liquor; that depressing, painful tone is slathered all over the Game.

That tone is why Max Payne 3 is my favourite out of the entire trilogy.

Max Payne 3 has been one of the best gaming experiences I've had in some time.

It's a Game I see myself replaying for its visceral nature, fluid animations and gunplay.

Like many others, this Game is a sublime work of art—the story and storytelling - Max's character progression. Sadly, we won't see a Max Payne 4; it's a shame as I have not felt as invested in a character for a long time; James McCaffreys went above and beyond bringing this character to life. And goodness, the music - Health made sure this Game had a soundtrack I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

As mentioned before, Lucid, Organic, and Raw are the three words I would use to describe this Game. It's engaging and surprisingly intimate; unequivocally one of the Best Games I've ever played.[/b]

Rest easy, Max.

[I] Thank You,
removedmaterial [/I]

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