Max Payne 3

I played the first two Max Payne games on the originial Xbox when I was a teenager. I absolutely adored them. I also finally played Max Payne 3 all these years later. This game, too, was a lot of fun. I can't quite remember how the second one ended, but I'm pretty sure that Max came to terms with the loss of his wife and child by the end and was ready to move one. So, when the third chapter begins with him still unable to let go, it's somewhat jarring. At any rate, the shooting action is about as good as ever, even if the story is less interesting than the first two.

Dwelling on the Past

The story for the third installment begins with an alcoholic and depressed Max that still refuses to let go of his past tragedies. He carries his scars on his body, his personality, his character, and his very soul. Amidst his drunken depression, he takes on a job protecting rich people in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He thought it would be an easy job in tropical weather, but things took a turn for the absolute worst when the family he was protecting becomes the target of a large criminal gang and he himself is attacked by a literal army of military nutjobs. Things escalate from worst to the innermost circle in hell as the bodies of both guilty and innocent alike pile up.

It definitely retains the gruesome nature of the previous games, but it tries to be more grounded and doesn't lean into fantastical elements at all. There's no wackos trying to bring about Ragnarock, the end of the world. But there are psychopaths trafficking humans and harvesting organs. Oddly enough, I didn't really find myself invested in its story as much. I can't put my finger on why that is. Despite the carnage and human depravity going on around Max, I just couldn't care too much about any of the characters. It was barely anything more than a backdrop to run around and blast bullets into bad guys.

Bullet Time

The gunplay of Max Payne 3 is similar to that of the first two with some additions and modifications. You can now take cover a-la Gears of War, which popularized this sort of play. The number of guns you can carry is limited to two handguns and a rifle. You also have a "last stand" sequence that initiates when your health is depleted and you have a remaining painkiller. The famous bullet time is still fully intact and still awesome. Finally, the setting is vastly different this time around. You are no longer in the grungey and grimey streets of New York. You are alternating between the impoverished favelas and the ritzy hangouts of the wealthy in Sao Paolo. For the most part, these are welcomed changes, especially the entirely different location.

Recommended Romp

The Max Payne series of games are very much "brain-off" type of games. I haven't played the first two since I was a teenager, but I do remember appreciating the story more than the third. At any rate, it's about running through city streets and buildings while blasting bullets into bad guys. I appreciated the first two for its more fantastical elements and its Y2K era grimey city scapes inspired by 90s movies. I didn't fully appreciate the more grounded Nolan movie inspired grit of the third, but still had fun. Recommended for a single play through. Maybe I ought to revisit the first two. It's been over twenty years.