Max Payne 3 is a third-person shooter video game developed by Rockstar Studios and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third title in the Max Payne franchise and was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2012 and for Microsoft Windows in June. Development is led by Rockstar Vancouver in collaboration with the New England, London and Toronto studios. This is the first game in the series that was not developed by Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment and not written by series creator Sam Lake. The lead writer of Max Payne 3 was Dan Houser, who was also the writer of Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Bully.
Gameplay
Max Payne 3 is a third-person shooter in which the player assumes the role of its titular character, Max Payne. Max Payne 3 features a similar over-the-shoulder camera as its predecessors, with the addition of a cover mechanic, while also retaining much of the same run-and-gun style of gameplay. Max Payne 3 also marks the return of bullet-time in action sequences, for which the franchise is notable. In bullet-time it is possible to see every bullet strike on an enemy in detail. New to the series is a "Last Stand" mechanic, which gives the player a grace period after losing all health during which time the player may kill the enemy that wounded them in order to continue playing, however this mechanic is only usable if the player has one or more bottles of painkillers in their possession.
Max Payne 3 retains the shoot-dodge mechanic from the previous games in the series. Players are able to stay grounded after a dive, which enables them to shoot 360 degrees around. Rockstar has blended physics and animation, so that when a player dives, they do so appropriately according to their surroundings. Through advanced use of the Euphoria dynamic animation engine, shooting and killing enemies in Max Payne 3 will look noticeably more realistic than in any preceding Rockstar game.
New to the series are cinematic action movements, interactive cutscenes which transition seamlessly into continuing gameplay. Moreover there are no loading screens across gameplay and cutscenes.
Multiplayer
The game's online multiplayer features maps and modes that dynamically change within a match, as well as reward, ranking and clan systems.
Max Payne 3 will let players form private crews with friends, or join public crews. Players can be a member of up to five at the same time, and completing tasks as a crew will gain XP points for the player. Among the crew features promised are persistent Feuds, that see the player scrapping with opposing gangs who've killed someone on the team. Social Club integration connect play across multiple titles, starting with Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V. By playing both games multiplayer "crews" that the player set up in one will be carried over to the other.
Setting
According to Rockstar's Sam Houser, it was their intention on starting a new chapter of Max Payne's life with the game. "This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever." Since the last game, the press release states Max has left New York City behind and has "drifted from bad to worse." The press release then goes on to say Max has been double-crossed in this new city and he is searching for the truth and a way out. The game is set in São Paulo, Brazil, where Payne is working in the private security sector for a wealthy local family, set eight years after the events of the second game. Max Payne now works in executive protection for the wealthy Rodrigo Branco in the hopes of escaping the memories of his troubled past. When a street gang kidnaps Rodrigo's wife, Max is pulled into a conspiracy of shadowy, warring factions threading every aspect of São Paulo society in a deadly web that threatens to engulf everyone and everything around him.
Plot
Nine years after killing Vladimir Lem, Max Payne has retired from his job in the NYPD, moved to Hoboken, New Jersey and has developed an addiction to alcohol and painkillers. Max gets into a confrontation at a bar with Anthony DeMarco Jr., the son of a local mob boss, and Raul Passos interjects, hoping to recruit Max for a private security job in South America. Max initially resists, but when he becomes a target for mob hitmen after he kills Anthony Jr. in a bar fight, he agrees to accompany Passos to Brazil.
Max and Passos work for the wealthy Branco family in São Paulo, made up of three brothers: the businessman Rodrigo, the politician Victor, and the partying Marcelo. During a party held in Rodrigo's penthouse, Rodrigo and his wife Fabiana are kidnapped by a street gang called the Comando Sombra, but Max saves them. Fabiana, her sister (and Passos' lover) Giovanna, and Marcelo are later again targeted at a nightclub by the same gang, who successfully kidnap Fabiana. Max and Passos bring ransom money to the gang at a football stadium, but the deal is ambushed by an outlaw right-wing paramilitary group known as Crachá Preto, who steal the money. Max and Passos decide to raid a Comando Sombra base to save Fabiana, but the gang escapes with her.
As Max and Passos discuss the situation with Rodrigo, Victor and Armando Becker, the local battalion commander of a special police unit Unidade de Forças Especiais (UFE), Crachá Preto raid the Branco offices. An unknown assassin breaks into Rodrigo's secured office and assassinates him. A bomb then explodes in the building, but Max escapes, learning that Fabiana is in one of São Paulo's favelas and that Max was the true target of the raid.
Blaming himself for everything that happened to the Brancos, Max chooses to abstain from alcohol and shave his head to disguise himself for another rescue attempt of Fabiana. Local detective Wilson Da Silva informs him that Crachá Preto had nefarious links with Rodrigo, who hired them to clear out villages on a piece of land he wished to turn into a retail development. Da Silva explains he thinks the UFE and Victor are all connected to Max's predicament.
Max finds Fabiana with Marcelo and Giovanna, who were also kidnapped when trying to pay the ransom for Fabiana themselves. Comando Sombra's leader Serrano executes Fabiana and escapes with Giovanna and Marcelo. As Max gives chase, the UFE raid the favela; he witnesses the Crachá Preto and the UFE exchanging money for those who were arrested in the raids for an unknown reason. Max finds Marcelo and Giovanna in the hands of the Crachá Preto's second-in-command Milo Rego. Marcelo is burned to death in a gang-like ritual manner so the UFE can have an excuse to raid. Max kills Milo and saves Giovanna. Passos later arrives to pick them up by helicopter, but flees with Giovanna and leaves Max behind, who is saved by Da Silva.
A flashback shows Max and Passos in the Panama Canal protecting Marcelo at a yacht party that is raided by guerrilla pirates. Max finds them trying to gain access to a hidden stash within the boat. Max is unsure what the contents were, but it is clear that it is no longer there; Max later found Marcelo and Passos trying to drive away with the unknown cargo. It hits Max that he was recruited by Passos to be the "fall guy" for whatever illicit activity the Brancos were involved in.
Da Silva informs Max about a rundown hotel where the Crachá Preto and the UFE are seen entering with prisoners, yet none leave. Max discovers it is the base for a black market organ theft ring and corrupt UFE officers were being paid to transport arrested individuals for organ harvesting. Max finds Serrano as one of the victims and spares him, allowing him to take revenge on the surgeon performing the harvesting. Max sets explosives to destroy the entire complex, and Passos manages to kill the Crachá Preto leader Álvaro Neves before he shoots Max. Max discovers Passos was unaware of the plan to set up Max. He forgives Passos, who leaves Brazil with a pregnant Giovanna, asking Max to get over his past and move on.
Da Silva concludes that Becker and Victor are behind everything and asks Max to handle it, as there is too much corruption for Da Silva to stop them legally. Max battles his way through the UFE building, discovering that Becker's UFE unit are the perpetrators for Rodrigo's assassination. Victor explains to Max that he wanted more money from his brother for his political campaign: he told the Crachá Preto to ambush the money exchange at the stadium, which went toward funding the organ harvesting ring, the profits of which helped fund his campaign.
Victor and Becker escape to the airport with Max in pursuit. After an intense shootout, Max arrives at the hangar where Becker and Victor are preparing to board a jet. Becker tries to use a grenade launcher to kill Max, but ends up burning himself with his left arm severed when Max shoots at one of the fired grenades. Eventually, the player can choose to kill Becker or let him die from his wounds. Max then grabs the grenade launcher and, with Da Silva's help, uses it to disable Victor's plane. Da Silva persuades Max to spare Victor so he can live in shame. Victor taunts Max, who responds with breaking Victor's leg. A week later, Max watches the news on a beach in Bahia. It reports that Becker's UFE battalion have been disbanded indefinitely due to their ties to the organ harvesting ring, while Victor is found hanged in his cell. The last shot of the game is Max walking along the beach, enjoying his vacation and ready to move on with his life.
Development
The game was originally scheduled for release in late 2009. However, it was pushed back to 2010 alongside several other Take-Two Interactive franchises in order to "benefit from having more development time." In June 2010, the game was again pushed back to 2011. On December 21, it was not present on the 2011-2012 calendar year, and was pushed back again. The game was still in development and not canceled or indefinitely halted when Rockstar released two new screenshots for the game. On September 8, 2011 Rockstar announced a March 2012 release date for the game, with a debut trailer released on September 14. In January 2012, Take-Two delayed the game by two months from its original March release date to May 2012. The publisher said the decision's been made to "ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality."
The debut trailer was released on September 14, 2011. Responding to criticism regarding the decision to abandon the film noir theme of the previous games in the series, the writer for the series, Sam Lake, responded by commenting that the game would "maintain its dark and gritty origins" and that fans of the series would be "in for a surprise." Remedy boss Oskari Hakkinen praised Rockstar's take on the series, and said Max Payne 3 looks "brilliant".
Rockstar conducted research to ensure that the vibe, culture, police, weapons and every element of São Paulo is as authentic as possible. The research team visited São Paulo several times and went to lengths researching the local gangs, police and special forces, including each group's choice of equipment and firearms.
In a November 2011 interview, Dan Houser of Rockstar Games said that despite what the general public might think, Rockstar likes to "spend a bit of time" at the end of projects before deciding what to do next. "Basically we have been meaning to start [Max Payne 3] for a while, but we have limited bandwidth and limited studios, and more games to make than we've started. So suddenly it was a good slot," Houser said, explaining why it took eight years to follow up Max Payne 2. "Also, contrary to a lot of people, we like to take a little bit of time at the end of a game before starting a sequel, so we can wait for the excitement or disappointment and everything else of the experience to shake down and really see what we should do in the next game."
In March 2012, it was confirmed that the PC version of the game will feature DirectX 11 and stereoscopic 3D rendering. The PC version of Max Payne 3 is shipped on four DVDs and the Xbox 360 version on two discs due to the disc size limit; however, the PS3 version ships on one Blu-ray Disc.
Reception
Max Payne 3 has received critical acclaim, with critics praising the improved gameplay. A number of reviews were critical of the sharp departure in tone and style that defined the original games, developed by Remedy.
Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic rated the PC version 88.33% and 89/100, the PlayStation 3 version 86.44% and 87/100 and the Xbox 360 version 84.78% and 86/100.
Game Informer gave the game 9.25/10, stating "As much as Max Payne 3 is a fascinating portrait of a man, it tells a great, action-packed story that runs in-stride with Max's inner turmoil."
GamesRadar gave the game a perfect score of 10/10 and stated "Between its pacing, its presentation, and its excellent gunplay, Max Payne 3 has raised the bar for other action games to follow. Welcome back." The Guardian gave the game a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars and they called it "A masterpiece of underworld carnality, depravity and violence."
IGN gave the game 9/10, and stated "It touches on the disparity between rich and poor, and how resentment and desperation can fester in the slums and the penthouses alike." Destructoid also gave the game a 9/10, stating "Packed with fast action, brutal violence, and a striking cinematic style, all of the stops have been pulled out to make this the most exciting entry in the series to date." Polygon gave the game 9/10, stating "It is uncompromisingly excellent, with a sense of focus that has secured Max Payne's legacy once again."
However, GameTrailers was less-favorable towards the game, giving it a 7.6/10, citing issues with the narrative structure, difficulty and minor gameplay bugs, but applauding the multiplayer modes. Eurogamer gave the game 7/10, stating "All the same, you can't escape the feeling that Rockstar just isn't as good at a pure third-person shooter as it is with the open worlds of Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption, and in this linear context it's much harder to put up with its usual missteps in mechanics and difficulty." Edge also gave the game 7/10, stating "Max Payne 3 might solve the problem of how you manage to reload when carrying more than one gun, but detailing alone can’t change the fact that this is a surprisingly conservative game from Rockstar."
