User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1307 Ratings

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  1. LMW
    Jun 3, 2012
    8
    All I can say is that it is a great, high quality game. However, just keep in mind, that Max Payne 3 has little in common with previous games of that franchise. There is no noir, murky-cold atmosphere, where hope was lost forever. There is also no tragedy, no characters you really miss after their death - almost nothing what made Max Payne and Max Payne 2 so special and memorable. If that doesn't scare you and you are ready for a great, but not authentic Max Payne game - welcome aboard! Great dynamical shooting, nice-looking cutscenes (lots of them), not the worst story (as I said, not much of Max Payne though), vivid high-quality picture and action-apt music / sound effects. Expand
  2. Jun 4, 2012
    7
    A great game, here's what it needed to be more. By most standards this app is awesome, but for me there's a killer dealbreaker: Character develompent. Max and the rest of the characters are weak and one sided, there is no progression, there is nothing to love about them. It reminds me of Breaking Bad, the same static feeling, people passing through life without learning a thing. And the second worst issue is the facial expressions.. they barely exist. Just because everything is done with so much detail, sound, graphics, mechanics .. its just sad to see the feeling, the immersion of the game being the weak point.

    Hope they improve
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  3. Jun 27, 2012
    4
    Giving a score this low to max payne was incredibly hard for me and really depressing. There are just too many problems: the combat controls are terrible (most likely due to it being a **** console port), the shoot dodge system ends up causing more deaths than it saves due to the absurdly long time it takes to get up again, the cover system has the standard sticky-glue type thing where you attach yourself to cover, except that a lot of the cover is destructible so you just end up turning into an immobile target, the game is basically a movie with small linear corridors and billions of quick time events, bullet time runs out so fast its barely enough to get a couple shots off, and I could go on and on and on about the mechanics, but whats really important, as max payne fans know, is the story. The game has always been a semi-interactive story in which the player acts out the fatalistic actions of a man who knows hes going to die. The first game was so over the top that it was memorable. Rockstar tried to capture that spirit, but just ended up with a bland story with a main character who to me just came across as an arse. If the story was good, I could of forgiven everything else, but since the story is horrificly bad, it is hardly worth playing. Expand
  4. Jun 23, 2012
    4
    Ultimately enjoyable, no doubt. Had it been named "Run down bodyguard on a rampage" or "Man On Fire" then I couldn't fault it more than the horrendous decision to not be able to skip cutscenes, and the troublesome bulletime dodging. But this is a Max Payne game. Kudos for getting the right voice actor, kudos for trying to bring back the Noir. Trying is just not enough, when ultimately it fails to deliver the most important aspect of the Max Payne story experience. There are a few cases where the old Max pops up and I truly feel for him, but overall Max is reduced to a reluctant killer. Max was never reluctant to dish out righteous justice. Heck he even killed his only good friend in the name of justice.
    So ultimately, if you want to cash in on the brand name, you have to deliver on that name. And to me Rockstar certainly didn't.
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  5. Jul 4, 2012
    9
    You idiots will never be satisfied with a modern sequel to a classic game. Emphasis on the 'classic'. Max Payne 3 is a great game and a welcome addition to the franchise. If I had to play another run-and-gun no-cover always-diving with dated graphics, I wouldn't be rating this game so highly. The controls in Max Payne 3 are fluid and much improved over the originals. Max's character and voice acting is superb and is a definite improvement as well. The cover systems keeps the game challenging and intense between all the baddies shooting at you. The cut scenes which everyone **** and moans about disguise the loading screens - a modern improvement to an old concept? Whodda thought! The gameplay is extremely satisfying and rewarding, never gets old even after 10+ hours of play. If you're a fan of the previous instalments of Max Payne, please ignore the idiot reviewers who will never be satisfied with anything other than the original games and do yourself a favour - get Max Payne 3! I've already put twice the time into MP3 than I did either of the originals, because I'm enjoying it so much. Haven't touched multiplayer, just because I only know Max Payne for the single player...but I've heard its a decent addon as well. Expand
  6. Dec 2, 2012
    6
    This game has top notch voice acting, from the Brazilian thugs sound amazing to Payne's monologues, everything is of excellent quality. The graphics are good, but the hair and expressions on most characters seem very stiff and plastic.
    The game-play suffers a lot, or rather, it makes the gamer suffer a lot. The third person perspective shooting is poorly made, and frequent deaths occur be
    cause of that, making the game a lot more difficult and very annoying. It is necessary to always maintain your right side clear, because you can't make transitions to a left side stance while aiming, but many times that is not possible, making you take unnecessary exposition to enemy gunfire, and getting killed. On top of that, the game is constantly changing your weapons and throwing the gamer into instant action, meaning that you will have the wrong weapon many times and again getting killed because of that. It is not understandable how a AAA game like this gets released with so many game play problems, that just break the game to a point that it is almost unplayable. Expand
  7. Jun 3, 2012
    8
    The first question everyone asked themselves, is it going to be another console port? Well it runs smooth for me so it has been optimized well but sometimes it sucks up all my memory so then the game crashes... I'm a hardcore Max Payne fan, and I've been waiting for this game a long time. I've completed it on medium, I've tried out the multiplayer so here's my review. The single player is good fun, and it lasted about 7 hours for me. The weapons are nicely done, and the graphics are pretty good. I would had given this a 9 or a 10 if Rockstar didn't shove a huge amount of cutscenes in this game. You cant skip quite a few of them because it just says "Still Loading" when it should be clearly loaded in 5-10 seconds. It just goes, wave, cutscene, wave, cutscene. It's quite annoying since I want to kill stuff and blaze through the levels. As for the cover system its ok, it makes the game more tactical when to shoot and what weapon you'll use. I also hate that when you're being shot at, it makes it unclear where the bullets are if you're not in bullet time. If you're low on health then the enemies sometimes shoot and you have no time to react or anything. You just die. Also bullet time runs out so easily which is annoying, it needs to last longer. Multiplayer is good, it works. You can customize your models which is awesome. The shotgun is overpowered though in deathmatch... Aside from that, the game is pretty good. Its just that the cutscenes are mainly annoying. Expand
  8. Jun 3, 2012
    7
    I felt the need to give this game a but of praise... but also a thoroughly reserved arse kicking.

    This very much has the old Max Payne feeling. It's all there - bullet time, bullet dodge and the story style is very much the same. The problem this time is that there's.... Too. Much. Story. It seems that around every five minutes there's a cut scene. I understand, and appreciate that
    the story is part of the game but geez, it's not mean to be there to (I feel) disrupt the actual gameplaying experience.
    This is made worse when some of the checkpoints have not been thought out properly. I decided to start the SP experience on hard (not a good idea - my Max Payne skills are a bit rusty!), so having to run and gun several attempts to get to the next checkpoint wasn't my idea of fun - more of an uncontrollable opportunity to swear very loudly! Bearing in mind some of the restart points are preceded by cut scenes (which are unskippable) then this can get incredibly frustrating very quickly.
    Still, bad points aside it's a fun game and I can't give it a low score purely on a couple of bad points. But the message to Rock* is -

    FFS PATCH IN AN OPTION TO SKIP THE CUT SCENES!!!!!!!!!
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  9. Jul 13, 2012
    0
    35 gigs of harddrive space required. That's all that needs to be said. Purchased through Steam and downloaded on a 25mbps connection took 3 full days to install, because Steam's download service is so slow (I wasn't even using my bandwidth for anything else). For 35 gigs of space this should have been the best game ever - it wasn't.
  10. Jun 23, 2012
    2
    There is no option for FOV. There is no option to turn off acceleration. It looks to me like the game is just another port. I dont like covering system. Environment is too small for bullettime. Story is not that good. Cutscenes are pain in the butt.
  11. Jul 12, 2012
    4
    Pretty and polished, but extremely frustrating. The devs seem to think "challenge" and "frustrate" are synonymous. They are not. Other reviews have already talked about the constant cutscenes, switching to pistol, shooting in the back etc, so I'll leave that and say THIS GAME IS A RAIL SHOOTER. There is absolutely no freedom - even in the manner you clear the waves of attackers - everything is scripted and you must respond as required or die and try again. This is Dragon's Lair with a gun. Expand
  12. Jun 9, 2012
    5
    Was a bit underwhelmed by this game. After having so much fun playing the groundbreaking 1 and 2 this game direction seems to have moved from run/jump and kill to watch movie. then hide behind something and take pot shots at everyone. Its a good game but not the great game it should have been
  13. unK
    Jun 2, 2012
    8
    It's a different game from Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2. That being said, it's quite a short game, about 6 hours (on medium). This game is like an interactive film. You can pause every millisecond of the action, not very useful btw. Technically, this pc version is really enjoyable. There are lot of graphics options, high-resolution textures, animations and effects (the attention put into the details is truly insane!). Now the gameplay. I think the gameplay is nice, well by default it's ok, mouse works like a charm, you even have a little tutorial at beginning... where it is more complicated is in the Multiplayer. There a lots of movements Max can do, he also can throw grenades, make rolls, use bullet-time, and get some tiny time to aim!
    The cinematic experience is good. Definitely above any classical scenario.
    The whole game is great, but they missed the masterpiece, at least for me.
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  14. Jun 4, 2012
    7
    The game has an interesting shooting mechanic, very nice graphics, a plot (good or bad, it's still obvious somebody thought about it at some point) and BulletTime(TM). All in all this makes for an enjoyable experience. The cut-scenes are an interesting story telling tool, but the implementation is kind of rough. There's just so MANY of them and oftentimes you're struck in the face with a cut-scene before you're done exploring an area. It's still worth playing, although in hindsight I would've waited 'til the price had gone down a bit. Expand
  15. Jun 4, 2012
    10
    I was greatly surprised by my play through of Max Payne 3. All the elements that made the older games great were still present. It was a great example as to why games do not need sandboxes in order to be great. The old fashion scripted game play worked magnificently in the gritty story that is Max Payne 3. From the moment you pick up the action it's a heated ride from start to finish. The story transitions tie each scene together nicely, with zero loading screens I might add. The overall graphics do look amazing but I've grown to expect that with games made by large studios like Rock Star these days. The game play mechanics that make Max Payne stand out worked very well. The bullet time was easy to use as well as the cover and the environmental objects you can use to turn the tide of battle. I've heard complaint of not being able to play through story again because of heavy scripting but I just haven't seen that in my second play through. The enemies appear to react to what is going on around them and have made playing through a second time just as rewarding an experience.

    Truthfully this is a solid game on it's own. I have yet to try out the multiplayer yet, but as it stands on single player, I would recommend this game to any action hero fan.
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  16. Jun 5, 2012
    10
    Absolutely superb game. beautifully optimised for PC with loads of lovely DX11 goodness added. Wonderful looking game and every bit the Max Payne I wanted it to be. If you liked the first two you must get this. Good to plaY!@!!
  17. Jun 12, 2012
    9
    Spectacularly good. The graphics are excellent, the framerate is smooth, the levels are detailed and expansive. The gunplay mechanic is absolute perfection and I love the new visceral level of violence. The cover system is great and the robust gunplay as a whole facilitates different play-styles depending on what you feel like at the time. For me this game is a new benchmark for shooters.

    Best of all though - and this is where most other games fall flat - is the solid writing and story delivery. Finally a game where I care about what I'm doing and why. Max Payne is realised in all his resigned, nihilistic, down-and-out glory; a violent, alcoholic John Proctor. Stylistically Rockstar have pushed things with some lovely video filter effects (that emphasise Payne's - typically hungover - state of mind) and a very clever treatment of the comic-book story presentation pioneered by Remedy that integrates flawlessly with the in-game action. Combined with the lively South American setting it all works brilliantly.

    Executed to such a high level in every respect, I enjoyed this even more than the previous Max Payne games. Amazing job Rockstar, loved it!
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  18. Jun 12, 2012
    10
    Best game i've played since a lot time, thanks you Rockstar. Great scenario, great style, great shooter. A real AAA game. I hope GTA V will the same caliber.
  19. Jun 20, 2012
    6
    Nice game. The core gameplay is respected, gunfight are really fun with shootdodge and level design is nicely done. But this game is too narrative. Too much. I prefer play than be a spectator when i plan to play. I like keep hands on avatar, open doors, climb ladders, that sort of things. Cover ? Cover is useless in Max Payne, bullet-time is his cover. This is no Gears of War. Why do i gain pills when i die ? Where's challenge ? Why do you push me to the credits, I want play this game, retry when i lose !

    But where is the Max Payne's dark atmosphere ? Where are dream levels ? The story is only oriented to action and vulgar (GTA inside).

    Multiplayer = no need, bad, cheaters....

    It's a pity, the core were really good...
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  20. Jun 23, 2012
    1
    TOO MUCH CUT SCENE, but the few places were there is game play it is good, you feel his age, and it is not helping him. Biggest complain is the cut scene thing.
  21. Jul 1, 2012
    5
    I had to laugh at all the 10's. Rockstar had all their employee's, friends and relatives write reviews. I loved Max Payne 1 & 2 but this is crap, for all the reasons listed in the other reviews. I like to play a game not watch it. Do yourself a favor and wait till the price drops if you just have to have it. It won't hurt as bad when you find out what I'm telling you is true. Take all the 10's, 0's and 1's out and you will get a good idea of a correct score Expand
  22. Jul 22, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing. I love it, and play through the campaign all the time. I have no idea why everybody hates it so much for the cut-scenes. In the description of the game, it used the word cinematic. You want cut-scenes? Play Metal Gear Solid 4. You have to appreciate and play through the Max Payne trilogy in order to like this.
  23. Jan 30, 2013
    6
    Positive things are nice graphics, movie-like gaming experience and quite ok storyline. Negative things are that cutscenes may start even if you don't want to proceed on level yet (no warning) and ALWAYS after cutscene Max changes his rifle to pistol, which is...aaaargh! At it's worst, Max Payne 3 is continous repeat of itself: walk-shoot-cutscene-walk-shoot-cutscene (boring!), mixed with average storyline. As a whole, this game ain't nothing new or special, just a shooter with slow-motion and nice graphics. Expand
  24. Jul 8, 2012
    4
    I played the PC version of this game. The graphics are very good for the PC version, but the game is very tedious and boring. The dialog is boring (a group of guys with fake accents), the story is boring (dude meets spoiled rich girl, dude tries to save spoiled rich girl), the shooting mechanics are boring (all weapons sound almost the same and handle the same). Apparently it is possible to kill guys at long range with 1 shotgun blast :(. I first tried medium difficulty and then I lowered the difficulty to easy, muted the volume so I could finish it and toss it in the trash can. I tried single player and multi-player. Both are extremely boring. The fact that cut-scenes cannot be skipped is a joke. They are the most boring part of the game. The game would be more interesting without them. This game is not worth $60, and also not worth $30. There is a good chance that this game will be in the bargain bin in 6 months for $20 with no multi-player community to speak of.

    I seems that Rockstar tried to emulate call of duty in 3rd person. I can honestly say that this game gets my vote for the most disappointing game of 2012 so far. I am giving the game a 4 out of 10 simply because of the graphics. The game has nothing else going for it.
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  25. Jul 29, 2012
    5
    I'm glad I bought this game on deep discount. The shooting and carnage is fun and pretty but there are so many other terrible things that made my teeth grind. I usually play single player on high difficulty to extend the playing time and challenge, but dying and repeating LONG unskippable cutscenes of boring dialog ("I'm such a drunk, I'm so pitiful, let's go shoot some baddies" x repeat 1,000 times) was just too much. I lowered the difficulty about half way through and it was still too boring to finish. Also, the way women are depicted is absolutely pathetic. All they do is scream and run into gunfire. In one scene, a female character actually drives your vehicle into a building. A big, obviously stationary building. "Help me Max, help me!" Eye rolls all around. Expand
  26. Jun 18, 2012
    6
    PROS: ()Good story and voice-acting; the game still retains its personality like the previous games, () Great and realistic graphics, although the design could've been more inspiring, () Fun action. CONS: It's the small things that ruin this game. () Shootdodge is practically useless as your mouse sensitivity changes drastically making you unable to aim; Shootdodge stops once you hit a wall, and there are rarely instances where you're fully out in the open without obstacles; you are also very prone after Shootdodge, still with strange sensitivity, making you much easier to be shot. () Occasional stutter, especially in the cutscenes, () Mouse sensitivity sometimes change drastically without a reason, () Game switches your weapon to sidearms every time a cutscene ends, while you are mostly put in an open gunfight directly after cutscenes; this made the action sometimes frustrating, () Can be too hard for a lot of people, even in Easy difficulty, () Many features of the game are useless; sprint only adds to your runspeed 5-10%, rolling is not too useful, many rifles to choose from but they don't feel different, () The game lacks any too satisfying moments like memorable boss fights or creative ways to kill enemies. Expand
  27. Jul 16, 2012
    5
    First, this isn't Max Payne - it's Gears of War, only without the good shooting and smooth controls. Second, this isn't a game - it's a movie, a machinima with short game segments thrown in. I think there isn't an uninterrupted sequence of play, longer than two minutes. And even then, you're constantly bombarded with Payne's witty musings, as if the writers were afraid you'd forget what a smartass he is ... As for the gameplay itself - it's very mediocre. I tried playing with a M/KB and gamepad and both didn Expand
  28. Jun 2, 2012
    8
    As a long time Max Payne fan, I admit I was a bit dubious when I originally heard that Rockstar was taking over development of the series. I'm not a Rockstar fan. I've never understood the excitement over their games, as I've always found each of them very mediocre in many ways. Because of this, Max Payne 3 has been a wonderful surprise. All the elements of the previous Max Payne games are here. Bullet Time is very well designed to give you just the edge you need to survive the sometimes impossible situations, but does not make the game overly easy. I even enjoy the direction that they took Max's character in, as it makes his character seem more real. While Max may be the hero that can survive impossible odds, he does not win every time. Instead of being the stereotypical action hero who cannot lose no matter what the odds may be, Max doesn't always win.
    On another note, while I absolutely understand the complaints about the campaigns constant cut scenes and sometimes abrupt transitions back into the game play, I found it a fantastic storytelling technique. In many games, the transition from a cut scene to game play is very abrupt, and the cut scenes usually break immersion for me. With Max Payne 3, this is not the case. You easily transition from the third person prospective into a cut scene with ease. The only bad that I have noticed so far involve mostly technical issues. The PC release has more then a few that should have been fixed by the release of the game. While this isn't exactly a new situation for a Rockstar game, the games technical glitches do make it difficult to enjoy the game at times. Most of the technical issues do not seem to be present on the console versions of the game either. All in all, while this game may not be Remedy's Max Payne, I would still suggest this to anyone who enjoyed the first two games, although it may be worth waiting a few weeks for the PC version, at least, while Rockstar irons out the technical issues.
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  29. Jun 23, 2012
    5
    I really like Max Payne series. One of the best. And I admire Rockstar Games' work. But HOW THE HELL THEY LET THIS HAPPEN ?! First I bought the game and played the story my jaw on the ground..It was really stunning. Then I tried Multiplayer... What the hell ?! There were hackers all over the servers, in every game.. That makes the multiplayer unplayable and annoying. I give 5 because of the storytelling and graphics. Rest is rubbish Expand
  30. Jun 25, 2012
    4
    Firstly to the haters.If anyone of you havent experienced or played max payne game before then to be literal YOU WONT LIKE THIS A BIT because max payne games have always been linear and in service of narrative cinematics while retaining dark atmosphere.I have been playing max payne since its original release 2001 and still do with lots of awesome mods created by fans specially for Max Payne 2.Max Payne 3 didnt feel like a max payne game at all to be honest and die hard fans might agree with that.ITS JUST A LINEAR AND OVERSCRIPTED GTA IV TO BE SPECIFIC.NOIR STYLE,DREAM SEQUENCES,DARK ATMOSPHERE,FEELING OFMAX PAYNE CHARACTER ALL ARE GONE.in the first two games we actually felt the resonance of the tensed situations and feel of a max as a character.To be specific Max Payne 3 is a sheer disappointment.Remedy will regret the loss of such iconic character by rockstar and its GTA fanbase.PROS:Terrific voice acting and level design,,great shoot outs CONS:Not in any way feels like a max payne game.even the story is cliched with predictable outcome,no dream sequences,no character feeling,Mona Sax is completely forgotten in the latest installment.Overall IF I WERE NEW TO MP SERIES THEN I WOULD HAVE RATED IT 9 BUT AS A DIE HARD FAN OF THE SERIES FOR A DECADE I AM DISAPPOINTED.SAME THING HAPPENED TO SPLINTER CELL SERIES WHEN CONVICTION WAS RELEASED AND NOW MAX PAYNE.START WORRYING ABOUT 47 Expand
  31. Jul 12, 2012
    0
    Cutscene loading time was annoying. Story was stupid and dull. All depth has been removed from Max as a character. The final kill is awful little kid **** (at least you can turn it off by playing the game on its hardest setting). Most of the gameplay, however, is **** perfected. Best 3rd person shooter in existence(only for the raw shooting experience). If you dont agree youre probably a noob. Youre probably like a woman driver. Something just didnt click. If any of the above drawbacks stopped you from repeatedly enjoying this game time and time again, you just suck. Expand
  32. Jun 3, 2012
    8
    So far, this game has been a lot of fun. First, the graphics are pretty, and the game play is surprisingly fluid on my mid-level machine. The story is interesting, well-written, and characters seem to interact well (for a video game). This is a rarity in the gaming world, and I find that a breath of fresh air. Now for the downsides. Every once in a while, I experience crashes and glitches. The cut scenes seem to abruptly start and stop. So I am trying to move Max around, and realize it is a cut scene. Then the cut scene ends without warning, and I realize people are shooting at me. Slight annoyance. Oh, and lastly, the price is very steep; $59.99. Is it worth the price? I would say yes, if and only if you are willing to live with the cut scene stop and go and the DRM, which is slightly less annoying than Diablo III. Expand
  33. Jul 21, 2012
    6
    I am or was the biggest Max Payne fan, but after playing 3 I can't help but point out the flaws in this game since they stick out like a soar thumb! First, it's a port. The games core design was for console gamers and with this comes a whole load of issues. The biggest issue I find in this game is the mouse control. Even with the mouse acceleration turned off it still jerks around hindering my aim! Accuracy in MP3 is so bad that the sniper rifle and other precision weapons are useless. The only effective weapon is the shotgun, but even that is crap even at close range! Aiming is practically useless not only because of the lack of control, but because aiming doesn't zoom in enough or it does zoom in, but you can't move. Talking of moving, why can't Max run!? Running involves speed and yet R* can't get that right! Even the AI can run faster than Max can! I don't even know why R* put a cover system in this game. It's clunky and sticky! The cover system always restricts my movement which is the point of the game, being mobile and dodging bullets! Talking of bullets, where was all the fancy gun physics which R* showcased in their demos? Bullets don't drop at range in this game nor do they penetrate the target like they should. The amount of times I'm denied a head shot because the NPC puts his hand in the way was too frequent as was the amount of times buckshot from the hip completely misses it's target at mid to close ranges. High calibre rounds should penetrate through limbs, even body armor! The loading times are basically covered up by cut-scenes and boy there are a lot of those. If there is anything that does this game justice it would be that the graphics are really good and the slow motion effects are good as well, but that's basically it. Everything else is either a half-arsed or complete crap! Which has really destroyed my expectations from R* and GTAV! To sum this game up; if your a Max Payne fan and you really can't keep hands away from MP3, get the CONSOLE version. The PC one is duff! The overall gameplay is restrictive. Much like what Capcom does with their games, R* had gone for an Arcade style shooter rather than the Bullet Simulator that was promised. MP3 is an all right game, but it's no where nearly as good as MP2 or even Max Payne for that matter. Expand
  34. Jul 8, 2012
    2
    This could be a 9/10 or even a 10/10 score, but I decided to make it a 2, since my gameplay experience (with the latest NVIDIA drivers and the first patch installed) was pretty much like this: bug, bug, bug, crash, freeze, freeze, bug, crash, crash, freeze, bug. Judging by the infrequent and inefficient patching it seems that the developers dropped the testing stage completely when they rushed to release the game on time. ROCKSTAR QUALITY/STABILITY/TESTING/BUGTRACKING GUYS SHOULD CONSIDER PERFORMING SEPUKKU! Collapse
  35. Jun 5, 2012
    9
    If you liked the previous games of Max Payne, you should get this one too. One of the best games this year so far. Its almost perfect in my opinion, but 30gb on hdd needed? Damn, that's too much for a tps. Anyway, this game is great and im giving just 9 because of the bugs and hdd requirements.
  36. Jun 6, 2012
    10
    This is a great example of how videogames are made in 2012. This game has everything - superb action, great story, fascinating cutscenes, which make the game more like a movie than a game, perfect graphics and optimization, memorable soundtrack... This is the kind of game that can truly be regarded to as ART. The best 12 hours I've spent on a game in a long time.
    Multiplayer is also very
    good and interesting, the idea of slowing down the time during an online play is brilliant. Looking at Alan Wake, I think if Remedy had the chance to make Max Payne 3 on their own, it would be almost the same game.
    And for those of you who didn't like the game because "it's not good old Max" - well, it shouldn't be good old Max, it's been almost 10 years, so if you don't like it - do better, Rockstar doesn't owe you anything. THIS is how you make games in 2012, baby! Well done, Rockstar!
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  37. Jun 13, 2012
    9
    Really enjoyed playing this game and thought that the £30 i paid for it was well worth what i got in terms of a overall package in return. I can see that a lot of people are slating the game on its mechanics/cutscenes etc, and i can see why, especially if you've never played the Max Payne series before. The cutscenes masking the loading is a great idea i thought, it explains more of the story and embeds itself well into the whole feel of what the game is in its entirety. I've always played Max Payne because i want it to tell me a story, because i am actually interested in the events which befall Max given the events of the previous two games. At first i was worried when the whole story was taken away from NYC, but to be honest rockstar have done a great job in moulding all the new games features into a totally new location. It feels authentic to play. I have also started playing multiplayer, and aside from encountering the odd hacker (unlimited HP) and a few slight problems with the matchmaking, the games and game modes them selves are refreshing, challenging and a hell of a lot of fun to play, which is what i think they were going for! There are tons of guns to buy and upgrade and 'Bursts' to use in game which improve your efficiency on the field, all of which are good fun to work towards. Overall i am pleased to have bought and played MP3 and hope to continue on the multiplayer. I think that the mix of excellent writing, gameplay (minus a few bugs, hence the 9 score!) and good looking graphics is enough to keep most MP3 fans happy. Pc users can also expect better graphical options over the console versions, so if you're running a top end rig, crack up the graphics in DX11, the look great!! Expand
  38. Jun 13, 2012
    4
    Summary: Rockstar, in its latest breathless desperate attempt to come across as a trendy auteur filmmaker, has once again completely spoiled what could have been a pretty good game.
    Pros: Refreshing protagonist, fun gunfights, colorful level design.
    Cons: Abysmal save system, overlong unskippable cutscenes (the 'you can't skip them because you're loading' cop-out is false, since the leve
    ls will load in seconds when you start from a checkpoint), unremittingly linear progression that means any clue or collectible missed past a checkpoint requires sitting through another long unskippable cutscene you've already seen once or twice before (you will want to beat your head against a desk at this), pretentious and overdone 'film effect' interjections seemingly trying harder to emulate 'b-movie made for cable cop action movie' than film noir, *constant* interjection of headache-inducing RGB-split video effect, plainly stupid text overlays of bad dialog meant to add impact but really only getting in the way. Expand
  39. Jun 13, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es la primera vez que encuentro esto para "Juzgar" online y ante personas con criterio; puede ser la primera vez en esopero jugando no es mi primera vez y MAX PAYNE 3 satisface todo lo que un joven en sus vacaciones de verano necesita para alejarse del aburrimiento y de los malos habitos como son muy comunes aqui en Colombia que si no es futbol es plomo y no el elemento quimico como tal, vicio robo y desastre lo que podemos vivir de forma "sana" en los videojuegos como este y otros en especial de la saga rockstar games ;) que siempre me mantiene entretenido en "Cosas malas" que a la vez son muy buenas". Excelente juego Expand
  40. Jun 24, 2012
    1
    The worst game i have ever played..... I am a huge fan of Max Payne but with this one it is **** now. Thanks Rockstar..... I did buy the first Max Payne for my tablet 100 times better than this garbage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  41. Jul 3, 2012
    5
    Its no doubt superb game even though the game play is a bit choppy. However that is mainly due to keyboard mapping not making much sense. Game is enjoyable with game pad as well. After finishing the game on hard difficulty, I must say it is also a lengthy game. Considering it takes a whopping 26gb space with most of the dlc content, it is not shocking. Although the Max's comments are pure drunken poetry in motion, majority of the time Max plays himself, almost at every event cut scenes take over and you wait as the game throws you back into the action, sometimes right as you get shot at. I cannot tell you how many times I have died while playing hard difficulty because I am looking at an awkward direction while getting shot at after cut scenes. More over, gameplay is choppy because it often decides to switch 3rd person view from one side to another, it gets you killed during forced slow motion moments and around the corners often. Not to mention diving into the direction automatically after losing health and losing sight of the enemy which you need to kill to survive, while having 5 pain killers is pure epic fail. Similar things happen when you are out of ammo, or shot in the back and you watch Max try to turn his weapon around to shoot the enemy, as you slowly fall on the ground and die. But as you get angry at the game play, before you know it there is a long cut scene which makes you forget it ever happened.

    In short, you do not play Max Payne, he plays himself. You just die here and there. If Max Payne 3 was a movie (and it sort of is) It would have pwned Max Payne the movie, hands down, the story is that good. Game play however is subpar. Good thing they hyped the game up, they will need that money when Brazil namely Sao Paolo sues them.
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  42. Jul 9, 2012
    5
    Its an average Game. Why ? Well the Story is quite nice, and Max has some Bad Ass attitude but that wont wash away all the things that a re so utterly wrong with this Game. First of all the Cutscenes well they were always Special but i dont want to get Pakinson from it. Second worst is the Difficulty, i mean the enemies hit you so hard and so precisely it isnt even fun cause of the lack of Painkillers.

    Third Place of **** gets the Hardware Requirements iam running an GTX680 OCed and well it sometimes laggs, even though the game looks like it was made 2-4 years ago!

    4th. Place is the Scripting it happens WAY too often that enemies spawn behind you or even better IN YOUR FACE with a Shotgun but why ? Has nobody freakin played it and watched over that ?

    5th. Place is stuff like Laserpointers they should help but they make the aiming even more freaking worse i hit a guy in the face about 32 Shots and nothing happened.

    I regret buying this game even though it got patched an i buyed it late to avoid this stuff it didnt help this Game ist NOT RECOMMENDED !
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  43. Jul 15, 2012
    5
    No big deal... boring... graphic sucks.... slo-mo for ???
    Big title... dissapointed... yeah, i play from Max Payne 1....
    but, hey, you try some others game 2012, the Cinematic, Graphic, Scene.... all are greater, higher res textures, everything render more beautifully....
  44. Aug 4, 2012
    10
    Офигенный сюжет, история супер, геймплей на высоте!!! На мой взгляд л;учшая игра в которую я играл 2012 г. Жаль, что играл в пиратку.... Expand
  45. Dec 7, 2012
    2
    This game is once again a proof that you cannot rely on critic reviews to buy games.
    This game is apart from a brilliant graphics extremely bad.
    This was my first Max Payne game so I cannot compare to the previous versions but the story line is bad, the narration is bad, the game evolution is bad, the game features are bad, the aiming is bad, the enemies suck, there is no challenge even
    in the hardest available level.
    In a couple of words, I didn't like this game, it was boring and 12 hours long (for 60
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  46. Dec 14, 2012
    2
    What drivel! It is everything I should have expected from a shooter made by Rockstar. The cut scenes are EVERYWHERE, interrupting the game play every few seconds so there is no flow to the game. I have never had problems with epilepsy but these cut scenes make me want to vomit, with all the "artsy" blurring and fading in and out. I understand that the protagonist is in a perpetual state of intoxication, but you don't need to make me vomit as well. The weapon selection is pure crap and is obviously a port from the console version. I will have my 2 handed weapon selected when, yes, another cut scene interrupts. I am now released back into the action with my pistol selected instead of my more powerful primary and if I roll my mouse wheel the wrong direction, I drop my 2 handed weapon all together leaving me exposed in a firefight without my main weapon. Of course the painkillers are your friend, you WILL take a lot of damage, but they are scarce and not readily available. The controls are awful and clunky. The aiming recital disappears when not in use so when you enter a firefight you will need to fire off around before you can even attempt to aim. I don't like Rockstar to begin with, but after destroying one of my favorite classic games, I downright hate them. Save your money for a worthwhile game, this one is awful. Expand
  47. Jun 8, 2012
    9
    Okay, a few things to be understood about this game before purchasing: YES it is a linear third-person shooter, YES it has a lot of cut-scenes, and I don't find either of those factors to be a problem. Max Payne 3, like so many other Rockstar games, tries to craft a good story, and I find that it does a better job of doing this than most other story focused third-person or first-person shooters. The voice-acting is good, HEALTH did an excellent job with the soundtrack, and the graphics and settings are very nice. The game knows exactly what it wants to be and pulls it off. I did have the game crash on me a few times and there are issues with the "Last Stand" mechanic, but overall I was very satisfied with the experience. Before getting this, be aware that it plays a lot like a movie interspersed with a third-person shooter, but I find it worked very well. If you don't care for cut-scenes than this is not the game for you, otherwise I would recommend Max Payne 3. Expand
  48. Jun 12, 2012
    10
    After finally beating this game, I have many things to say. First, the good things. 1. It's very good visually. It's pretty cool how the bullet actually goes through your character, and out the other side. 2. It's got a GREAT story. I would play through it again just for that. 3. It's true to the game play of the first two Max Payne games. Now for the downsides: 1. It Does WAY too many camera effects. 2. It didn't do any trippy flashbacks like in the first two games. 3. It was sort of predictable, not like the first one. 4. Multiplayer mode has that god awful auto assign for match play. I'm glad I bought it. Expand
  49. Oct 3, 2012
    8
    Ahh Max Payne, too long it has been since we had a fresh installment but like Hitman Absolution that is coming out this year it is great to have a new title in the series. Infact Hitman blood Money & Max Payne 2 are games I so enjoyed they have become mainstays in my games library and I go back to them a few times a year to blast through certain sections again.

    Max Payne 3 is a worth ad
    dition to the series, however despite its amazing graphics and decent story I dont think it managed to surpass Max Payne 2 overall.

    Graphically the game is incredible and the setting is quite good though I enjoyed the Seedy Favelas and the flashbacks to events in the USA most of all. Max Payne was always about gitty urban environments something that seems to have been a little lost in MP3. The Shooter mechanics I found suffered a little in this outting also. A cover mechanic was added which I found added little to the game and I found flind fire mostly worthless as it was innaccurate and did not deter the AI or force them into cover at all thus of no use to open up opportunities to move from cover to cover. The addition of this new mechanic also detracts from what made MP1 and 2 so great which is bullet time. Compounding this Bullet time no longer slowly recharges on its own (unless that was just a result of the difficulty i was playing on) as it did in the previous games but must be replenished by killing enemies.

    As a result this made the gameplay experience feel slower and less like the john woo films the first two games were modelled after. Also slowing the game down even more were the custcenes. is the story good ? yes do the custscenes tell it well ? yes did we need cutscenes so frequently ? no did we need all of the cutscenes ? no like a good film some scenes would be better off left on the cutting room floor and a lot of the internal dialogue could have been conducted while roaming the levels instead of as fixed cutscenes.

    Some of the fights are rediculous with waves and waves of bad guys throwing themselves at you and just trying to overwhelm you with sheer numbers which in a half a dozen sequences they irritatingly will over & over again until you get lucky and manage to get through.

    Overall I enjoyed the single player experience. Multiplayer is interesting but the community is quite small and game hard to find in my experience. The other game modes are fun for a while but it doesnt last and there are really no particular missions from the main game I find myself wanting to go back and play more than once or twice and I put this down to the new way bullet time charges itself and the fact the game is designed around more cover based shooting now.

    Worth a look but I still think Max Payne 2 is the best of the series thus far.
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  50. Aug 11, 2012
    10
    I didn't like the first two Max Paynes, but I loved this one. Great game, and one of the most enjoyable I've played in the last few years. I play several different games a week (play, not complete), and complete a good number of them in a year. I think this is the best Max Payne, and the gunplay was just plain fun to me. Although, I didn't like towards the end of the game where enemies all had bulletproof vests and you have to headshot them for a kill. That's never fun. But throwing your arm around a corner and planting 3 bullets in a guy's chest and watching them drop is great fun. Expand
  51. Jun 11, 2012
    6
    If it wasn't for the obstructive cut scenes I would have probably enjoyed the game a lot more. The bullet time mechanics are slightly different and the addition of cover takes some of the the sting out of the flow. Still I really liked the shoot dodging and some of the slow motion set pieces. Difficulty spikes, a mixed multiplayer and a fairly boring story brings things down a bit further. The whole - here's another cut scene of Max getting drunk again - routine just ran about 4 chapters longer than it should have too. I've spent a few hours with multiplayer and while it's ok it's probably not something I'll be playing for long. Expand
  52. Jul 15, 2012
    0
    The story is good, but there are WAY TOO MANY CUTSCENES. The cutscenes start right in the middle of a gunfight. They are annoying. What's worse is there are cutescenes where you are forced to control Max. I dont play these games to control someone who's forced to crawl on the ground, slow as hell.
  53. Jul 3, 2012
    9
    I pre-ordered this game off of steam the second I heard about it. The previous Max Payne games were amazing (or at least from what I remember from my childhood). The graphics in this game are beautiful, words can't describe how happy I was to be able to run this beautifully made game on max settings. The story is very intriguing, I grew are rare close bond with main character that was mediocre. The gunplay and action are a solid 10/10 but the difficultly curve skyrockets after the second level. The multiplayer has problems, while enjoy the customization options for the characters, I don't enjoy the fact that all the guns are useless except for a few extremely overpowered weapons that I've had to use so that I don't break my keyboard in rage. It really takes out the point of buying new weapons when you know the starting ones are the most powerful. Other than Campaign and Multiplayer all the other game modes are a joke. With all the hype this game brought I would have expected and over the top action experience, which I got...in Campaign. The other modes of the game are iffy, tread carefully. Expand
  54. Aug 15, 2012
    9
    Technically it's reasonably well done and what you'd expect. The visuals are better; good character animation and excellent world detail. Together with bullet-time it makes for an enjoyable experience. What sets this game apart though is the story line. Looking at other reviews its obvious you either love it or hate it. Personally I greatly enjoyed Max Payne as the failed anti-hero -- we meet him as a broken man failed both personally and professionally. An alcoholized private bodyguard in a foreign country, who soon learns he is in way over his head. That being said, the story often plays on clichés and stereotypes, and you've got to see it tongue-in-cheek. Max Payne is a hopeless figure and not your typical action hero. Its a mix of Hunter Thompson and Breaking Bad; culture crash, organized crime and constant failure. If you cannot appreciate the dark humor and irony in this premise then you will miss out on the entire story. Expand
  55. Nov 17, 2012
    8
    If you have a decent computer with a little need of epic 'Die Hard' action you will adore this game. The graphics are splendid, the story is great, and the slow-mo dive and shoot action can't be any better than this. The cons involve the cutscenes and replayablity. If you are patient like me, the long cutscenes and conversations won't bother you too much. Others say the cutscenes did too much of the action for you, but trust me, there is enough action to go around. The urge to play the game again lies with you. I personally got a little weary of shooting baddies after about 40 hours and I thought I would last longer. The multiplayer has a sense of Call of Duty in it with perks and such, but with their own twists and some-what original ideas. A semi-con with the multiplayer are the DLC's, which I personally loath. Multiplayer is a challenge, and you probably will rage quit here and there, so if you are a person who likes a challenge and wants to master a game, give this a try. It is quite neat. All in all, a good 8/10 is what this game deserves. Bravo Rockstar. Expand
  56. Jul 7, 2012
    9
    In my 30+ years of gaming this has to be one of the best titles I've ever played. They took the best bits of every bad 80s action flick and ported them into this bloodbath masterpiece. My only gripe, which I'll echo, is of course the narrow environments which don't allow for any real tactics in dispensing the enemy. There were a few glitches but nothing really irritating. Kudos to R*
  57. Jul 15, 2012
    9
    Rockstar have once again landed another outstanding game under their name. Max Payne 3 was an awesome experience and is worth every penny. The game itself performs very well, even on the highest settings I only noticed a performance drop in the parts of the game where there was alot of action going on. The gameplay is nice and the gunplay is pretty damn awesome and there is nothing more satisfying than diving through the air and then watching a bullet accelerate towards your targets skull in slow-mo. But beware, if you're not into cinematic games, don't buy this, as you will likely find yourself getting annoyed as the cutscenes are not skippable. Personally, my only gripes with this game are some minor gameplay issues. Such as the camera switching to the opposite shoulder by itself. There is also times where you will be put into a 'last stand' phase, which involves killing the enemy who put you into last stand - or you die. My only problem with this was that from my experience the only enemies who triggered this were ones that were behind obscure cover and therefore I couldn't kill them. All in all this game receives a 9 out of 10 for incredible gameplay, incredible story and pretty decent graphics. The multiplayer is also okay, but I haven't had time to fully get into it. Expand
  58. Jul 7, 2012
    10
    a perfect sequel to the Max Payne series, greatly optimized for the PC with superb graphic and addicting gameplay. Great storyline as well. This game really deserves a 10/10 score.....
  59. Jun 14, 2012
    3
    After trying to play the Multiplayer for like 3 hours, I got about 10 minutes of actual playing out of this. I get kicked out midgame, I get kicked out right when it is loading, or I spent like 15 minutes in the **** loading screen before the game tells me that the host apparently could not be found. Multiplayer is just unbearable for me at this stage and the campaign is long beaten. 3 points for a meh campaign (short and repeatitive but nice story), 0 points for the god awful multplayer. Expand
  60. Jun 3, 2012
    8
    Another masterpiece by Rockstar. Max Payne 3 exceeded all of my expectations, a worthy sequel to the franchise. The gameplay is satisfying, feeling the impact of each bullet that you fire into an enemy. The graphics are beautiful, and the story is great. It really feels like you're playing an action movie. The downside is that I experienced a lot of bugs, from cutscenes not triggering to continue the story, to random crashes or failing to start up. The health meter, while classic to the series, is really dated at this point. Running around finding "health kits" really takes away from the experience and they really should have implemented regenerative health, like recent FPS games. Expand
  61. Jun 17, 2012
    9
    ELGRINGO - you are an idiot. You admit yourself that there are only a couple of issues and that the game is fun - and one of the issues is that you can't skip cutscenes! Little pathetic boy wants to make a difference so he gives a good game a bad score. You made a difference - a difference in what people think of you, moron.
  62. Jun 17, 2012
    7
    Very good shooter, but it does not seem like a Max Payne's game.
    You know, Max Payne wasnt just bullet time: It had a dark atmosphere, a story of personal revenge, the drug fueled nightmare levels, the witty remarks, it even had a good (albeit dark) sense of humor.

    This is just some angry dude shooting his way out of situations, why didnt Rockstar name it "Badass in Brasil" or somethi
    ng like that instead?
    Anyway...

    Pros: -Great graphics.
    -Good port to pc.
    -Overall fun to play.

    Cons:
    -Does not feel like a Max Payne game.
    -Not enough weapons, or way too similar weapons.
    -Inability to skip cutscenes.
    -Bad implementation of the Shootdodge ability.
    -Relies too much on taking cover.
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  63. Jun 21, 2012
    10
    Rockstar Games continue the amazing franchise with their awesome game making skills, and they made this game almost perfect, and it fits right in the series.
    The thing I liked the most about this game was that they didn't **** up even one thing, it still feels like a Max Payne game, it's a third person shooter, bullet time is there, the game is as ground breaking as all the games for thei
    r time, storyline is great, Max Payne's voice actor is still doing his awesome job, ****ing Captain Baseball Bat Boy is in the game, the game is very fun and best of all; it's challenging.
    The graphics, animation and sound quality is probably the best I've seen so far and everything works just flawless.
    If you are a Max Payne fan, WHAT THE **** ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Get this game!
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  64. Jun 13, 2012
    8
    Mr. Payne has hit rock bottom. No love, no friends. He has been living his life in hiding for nine years popping painkillers and alcohol, but despite all of this he has aged very well. Resurfacing, and climbing to the top, it truly shines in all directions. With beautiful Direct X 11 added and support for Direct X 9, and Direct X 10 it is amazingly stable for the sheer size of megabytes (Aprox. 30 thousand) it requires. Loading screens are hid as cut-scenes which is more of a downfall then an enjoyment. Breathtaking script, dialog and writing all voiced by the only person who can, James McCaffrey. Unlike the first two you must play by the game's rules and sacrifice your freedom, but for the lack of your freedom, you are rewarded with gory action and a mature dark story. Multiplayer is a new addition and while the game play itself for multiplayer is nothing memorable, it's rewarding in its own way. Selling over three million copies in it's first week alone, it has far surpassed income and player rewards and story then anything that has done in the last five years. It is the platinum of games in an era that has been raped and molested by the Crap of Duty console "gamers." Expand
  65. Jun 11, 2012
    8
    Max Payne 3, a game that with superb graphics and bullet animations, you can see the empty magazines after reloaded, it just amazing and realistic to see these effects. A great storyline with the great dramatic change in the middle of the scene. So what is the selling point of this game? Yeah you got it, slow motion. This was what we expected in this game, bullets flying everywhere with only you dominating the whole timing, expose from cover shooting to surprise the enemies. The most impressive area that I liked the most was the difficulty system, playing normal was very realistic, limited of pain-killers making you had to control the usage. Only one criticism was the price of the game, expensive decreasing the customers to purchase the game. Overall, I think this game was well made but if you are a person which like multiple ways to select and play your game, this won't be your choice. Expand
  66. Jun 5, 2012
    9
    Very fun shooting mechanics with many options, and superbly executed story. Very good graphics for PC with support for DX9, 10, and 11 as well. Very story- and character-driven, just like the first two games. Captures their spirit well, plus it has the Rockstar touch. If MP3 is any indication of what's to come in GTA V, then GTA V will be incredible. A little on the short side, but the writing and characters are brilliantly done, and it does have replay value. Better than Diablo 3? Probably not. But still one of the better games on PC so far this year. Expand
  67. Jun 5, 2012
    10
    After having played the first 5 chapters in the last 100 minutes, all I can say is that this game might just be eligible to win the best 3rd person shooter of all time.. It may not have the noir-type story-line that the 1st installment had, but it makes up for it with brilliant gameplay, graphics, physics and pace..

    The cutscenes which have been criticized by many, are actually a wise ins
    tallment as they draw you away from the bloodshed for a while..

    The girls in this game are HOT..!! Whatever one may say, this game is truly amazing.. The last 10 years seem so far away now.. Definitely the best game I have ever played, probably even better than Gears of War and Max Payne 1
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  68. Jul 12, 2012
    8
    Max Payne 3 is a great PC game in many ways, with a few issues that hold it back from perfection. The first thing you'll notice is that the game is very well optimized for the PC, which is surprising, given Rockstar's history of bad ports from consoles. But even more impressive than the graphics are the animations, which I feel are often overlooked in many games. No longer will you awkwardly bump up against walls, desks, and the like. Max Payne's body reacts extraordinarily well to impacting the environment, shielding his head from walls, sliding down stairs, and tumbling off of furniture. The game engine should be somewhat familiar to those who played Red Dead Redemption or GTA IV; however, those games sacrificed control for the animations. Max Payne 3 does no such thing, as controlling him feels incredibly responsive and natural (unless you stick yourself in an obviously bad spot). Many people have complained about the cover system, to which I say: if you are using the cover system extensively, you are playing the game wrong. Cover is useful for getting out of the line of fire, but ultimately shoot dodge is still king, as it should be. However, the game does have a few faults. Cut scenes, while well-done and smartly covering up loading screens, are too long in general and skipping them is hit or miss (be sure you press enter, not left click, for one thing). There are some bugs I have been experiencing with crashing and losing collectible progress in my second playthrough. And the multiplayer, while fun, seems somewhat tacked on and derivative of other games. Rockstar decided to copy some of the worst features from games like Call of Duty, such as last stand and martyrdom (in the form of booby-trapped bodies). These issues keep me from giving it a 10, but it certainly deserves an 8 or 9. Finally, I understand that it is different in tone and style from previous games in the series, but you have to judge the game by its own merits- and not get stuck in the past, as Max Payne himself would tell you. Edit: After losing significant save progress in both single-player and multi-player for no apparent reason, I have reduced my rating to a 8. I was able to fix my issues eventually, and have enjoyed slightly more than 2 playthroughs of the game, on both Hard and Old School. Expand
  69. Jun 8, 2012
    7
    I am pleased for the game it is, but i wouldn't call it part of the max payne series.
    1. I do not like this new writer, i dont think this story had the dark and depression of the second one.
    2. I also we didnt have enough controll. I really miss the comics of the first 2.
    3. As far as mechanics goes, it is spectacular, and visuals are amazing too.
    4. Multiplayer i think is brilliant. T
    here are a lot of connection issues and hackers, but i do hope they fix that because i would like to continue playing it.
    5. Was there really a need for the cover system?
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  70. Jun 14, 2012
    3
    Really dated gameplay that would be no more than a minigame mechanic in a modern GTA. Obviously Rockstar were staying true to the original and its sequel, but the endless cutscenes, frustrating controls, repetitive gameplay and stupid storyline left me regretting buying this. Critics must be getting some great swag from of Rockstar, because if anyone else published this, it would be panned as out-of-it's-time. Expand
  71. Jun 18, 2012
    10
    This is the best thing ever, I simply cannot fathom the level of amazingness within this entire thing; it's simply orgasmic in all aspects (well maybe no smell, but it's pretty damn close.)
  72. Jul 4, 2012
    10
    A Great game with good optimization, the story and the mechanics are excellent and cinematic are brillant make you feel the pain and the emotions of Max Payne 3 feel like Max Payne and its Max Payne 3, Rockstar Games Make a great job with this game and some bugs or consolers reviews can change this, The PC version is better
  73. Jun 27, 2012
    10
    exellent game with great story and it s one of the difficult games in this generation. great ia and very nice graphics
  74. Jul 2, 2012
    9
    At first I didn
  75. Jul 3, 2012
    5
    Well it's no GTA, no Red Dead, not even LA Noire. I really wanted to like this game as it's Rockstar and after seeing Edge give it a healthy 7 and IGN an impressive 9 (altho they gave Red Dead Undead and MW4 a 9...) I thought it might be better than I expected. However I'm finding it quite tedious, there's no exploration, no decision-making, no intelligence, just here's a nice setting, now shoot some bad guys, here's another nice setting, repeat. With its duck and cover system in a way it's like a beautiful and elaborate whack-a-mole, and I admit it is addictive. But after an hour or so I'm burnt out and the wobbly camera makes me feel a bit nauseous. Pros:
    - beautiful graphics and perfect animation
    - good cinematography and slick presentation
    - slo-mo shootouts are fun, the triumph probly being the matrix-style office scene where everything gets smashed up

    Cons:
    - cheesy predictable dialogue (is it meant to be? like Naked Gun?)
    - constant cut scenes seem a bit unnecessary
    - shaky camera makes you feel a bit wur after a while
    - lack of variety in gameplay, there's only ever one way of doing things
    - too linear
    - lack of intelligence overall Have played up to chapter where he's invading old hotel, can't wait to finish it so I can play something a bit more stimulating for my brain muscle rather than my index finger muscle!
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  76. Jul 5, 2012
    9
    fantastic game...though was a bit boring in the beginning chapters but den d story truly develops and the game begins to rise as well..lovable characters ... gr8 voice play...nice cutscenes and cool music...ol in ol a satisfying game after quite a bit of time...
    hope to see more of such games...
  77. Jul 7, 2012
    8
    What is that not a **** console port coming out of the hands of Rockstar? yup that's right! We finally got a nice polished PC release from Rockstar. (so again: THIS IS NOT A CONSOLE PORT) The best points of the game are the story, the level design and depth of the characters. The story is quite deep, but it really gets to you. And as the story progresses it only gets better. Also no knowledge about the previous games is needed to be able to follow the story. (after all it has been some time ago that MP2 came out). As for the characters; they are worked out very nice. I don't often feel sympathy for characters in a game, but in MP3 I really did. You get a nice insight of the characters as the story progresses. and I was really impressed by the level design. There is a part where you end up in favelas, and man, that's some super level design. a good eye for details and just very lively. I just love it. Than for the cutscenes. I'm not a big fan of cut scenes, but here they just fit in so well. The game is meant to be cinematic. and it's all very story driven. Yes there are some very long cut scenes. But there would be no other way of telling the story rather then this. they also blend in very nicely with the game play. the only downside to everything is that the gameplay is quite monotone. Shoot a 100 gangsters here. shoot a 100 there. Sometimes it's a little spiced up. But generally it's quite repetitive which is a shame. they could have done better. A thing that kinda makes it good. Is the fact that there is no regenerating health. You actually have to manage your health here. Unlike all those casual casual games of these times. But the rest really makes it up for that, big time! I lost my faith in Rockstar with their previous releases. But with Max Payne they really regained all my respect. Job well done Rockstar! Don't hesitate and just PLAY IT! Expand
  78. Jul 9, 2012
    7
    Max Payne 3 is a fun game. It brings back that old feeling from Max Payne 1 and 2. The story is exciting and fun, but does not relate well with the later games well. This game plays like a movie, which I found to be nice and it kept me engaged in the game. The game play is very similar to the old Max Payne games so it was refreshing for me at least. I would recommend this game to people who played the previous Max Payne's or someone who wants a story driven fps. Expand
  79. Jul 15, 2012
    10
    Great and very solid story, great game play, great graphics. It's been a long time since I played such a good game. Rockstar is really the best. Recommended!
  80. Jul 16, 2012
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. I am at a loss for words how some could give this a mixed review let alone NEGATIVE. Anyone reading this with the hopes of finding validation to try the game. PLAY THE GAME, IT IS INCREDIBLE. First off I want to say the people who have given this game a negative score are not only uneducated, but are probably ignorant in real life as well. Ignore the negative reviews, they are from people who probably had a crappy upbringing and never learned to appreciate good things in life.

    Anyway, back to this amazing piece of PC gaming goodness. This game delivers its single player campaign in amazingly gritty, smooth and polished game play that I have come to expect from Rockstar Games. The campaign is fast-paced, its brutal, its everything you would ever want from a Max Payne game. Maximum Pain at every corner, behind every closed door.

    While the storyline may seem confusing in the beginning (switches in timeline), everything will make sense as you fight your way through bleak city streets, urban guerrilla favelas and high rise apartments. This game takes you seamlessly from environment to environment without making it feel weird or without flow.

    The game has no loading times if played in one sitting from start to finish, it is like playing an amazingly awesome action movie. I had no issue with the constant cut-scenes and dialogue, it keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times and you are waiting with baited breath to dive back into the unrelenting action.

    Rockstar means it when they say they delayed this game to make it good, they have made it great. They have redefined the Max Payne franchise and taken the storyline and gameplay to a whole new level. This is without a doubt the BEST Max Payne game I have played since the franchise started.

    Again, ignore the haters, play the single player and you will enjoy it. I haven't tried multiplayer yet, that will be next on the agenda.
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  81. Aug 24, 2012
    9
    Wow, i'm completely thrown off by so many negative scores on the game.
    I really don't want to focus too much into all this negative criticism but I have to say that I understand now why games like call of duty which is pretty much a copy paste year after year has become one of the most succesful, best selling games but this same gamers are the ones that give Max Payne 3 a very low score b
    ut eat the **** that EA defecates every god forsaken year.
    Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.
    I have played all of the Max Payne games and I have to say that this is the best of the franchise.
    The story is compelling, interesting, the one liners are sometimes cheesy but work well with the character. Max can be a bad ass at times and others a bit pathetic, and that makes it feel totally human.
    There has been complaining about not being able to skip cutscenes, apparently the game loads the map while playing the cutscenes, so you dont see a friggin "Loading game" screen ever. I rather see the story than a black screen, thank you very much Rockstar.
    Talking about Rockstar there is one thing that really muddles the narrative, the constant flash of the screen, and the highlight of certain words that the characters are saying, I have a hard time trying to describe this. I mean it's fine for a while but after 10 hours of gameplay, it gets old and by the time you get to the end, you hate it.
    The graphics aren't ground breaking but look well enough, I was amazed about the amount of details put on the scenery, specially when playing through the favelas, evidently they put a lot of work into making them look realistic. I played in a 40 inch screen at 1920x1080 and game looks very nice and plays smoothly and I dont have a high end video card.
    The controls are responsive most of the times, cover works fine, despite what some people might say, although there is one flaw, going from cover to cover sucks big time.
    One thing I dont understand is the laser beam on the weapons. it just doesn't work well, its more an annoyance than anything else. I dont get why should we have it when i'm playing in third person and I have a **** dot on the middle of the screen. the dot beats any laser that the guns may have, that is just silly.
    The game mechanics are true to the series, they added some little tweaks here and there like the infamous last stand, it is all good to me in this matter.
    The difficulty of the game might be frustrating to some people, if you dont like to die, well you won't be happy because you die a lot, you can't just ram the whole game through your enemies, there are times where you have to think how to approach them. In hard difficulty the games offers a challenge unlike other games. I think games are too easy nowadays.
    In conclusion, the game is solid fun, the story is interesting, Max Payne is an interesting character and the narrative i'ts well done, it's action packed, lots of guns and little secrets and rewards to collect throughout the levels. So there is plenty of contect.
    The game took me about 15 to 20 hours, playing in hard.
    I highly recommend this game, you can get a digital copy online (google it) for as low as 20 bucks.
    peace out!
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  82. Jul 17, 2012
    10
    This is one of the best games I have ever played. Ignore the negative reviews if you are on the edge. Everything about this game is amazing. The story behind it is superb, the game is almost perfectly put together. If you let the fact that you can not skip the cut scene's ruin a game for you don't buy it. But the cut scenes are absolutely amazing and add to a great story. None of the cut scenes and you are never sitting in your seat waiting to play. Overall this is one of the best games I have personally played in a long time. Expand
  83. Aug 7, 2012
    9
    The best 3rd person shooter I have ever played. The action is breathtaking and violent, writing is superb (I've never heard such great dialogues in a shooter game, some quotes are just genius), every single detail is perfected. I already completed this game twice, and gameplay still offers a challenge.
    Why 9, but not 10? Even though the story is totally awesome, maybe Rockstar gone to far
    with an amount of cut-scenes.
    Despite this, Max Payne 3 is flawless.
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  84. Jul 28, 2012
    3
    Too many unskippable cut scenes break any sort of rhythm the game might otherwise have achieved. You'll rarely have more than one or two fight sequences between cinematics, so you start about a third of the battles in a stupid position with the wrong weapon equipped wondering if you've got control yet.

    I gave up after a few hours. Maybe there are things in the later parts of the story o
    r the multilayer that redeem it, but I quit when i was forced to do the second sniper mini-game only half way through chapter 3. I loved the first game and would replay sections over and over so i could get the perfect head shot or diving uzi spray. But i can't face this. Yes it looks lovely and it certainly has a plot, but this game has more in common with Resident Evil 5 or Time Crisis than the original Max Payne and as a gamer that likes to get really immersed in a game, playing this felt like I was at my mates house taking it in turns to play one life each on Call of Duty. I think it could be modded into something playable, but Rockstar have put so much emphasis on polish and style that i've uninstalled it until someone independent makes a patch. Expand
  85. Jul 31, 2012
    9
    Max Payne 3 is a great addition to the Max Payne series. Do not let these other whiny reviews ruin your hopes for Max Payne. The biggest complaint I'm seeing from people is about cutscenes - well, had any of you actually played the old Max Payne games, you would realize that Max Payne was told through dozens and dozens of comic book style noire frames, as well as lengthy cutscenes. These ARE Max Payne, and the cutscenes, while lengthy and numerous, are *extremely* well done. Everything from the voice acting to the animations are top notch quality, better than nearly any game on the market, and the developers did an amazing job of telling Max's story. The game play is - very much like the old Max games - extremely intense and fast paced action, broken up by the ability to bullet time, and cutscenes to give you a breather. The only fault I can give this game is the MULTIPLAYER - it is absolutely terrible on PC, and clearly designed for console gamers. While it looks good, and has some nifty features, the entire experience is marred by a complete lack of balance (the most powerful pistol in the game is a .32 revolver, doing nearly TWICE as much damage as a .50 cal desert eagle.....) Any fun that *could* be had in a multiplayer game is immediately ruined when someone high enough level to have unlocked either of the 2 sniper rifles joins the game.Both are 1 shot kill, semi automatic, and one can even hold 20 rounds. Its literally a 1 shot killing machine with 20 bullets and little to no recoil, even a finger shot will kill someone. Not to mention the fact that games that allow people to go into third person and hide behind cover are cheesy enough to begin with, pair that with the superior aiming ability on PC platform and you have a recipe for disaster. All and all, Max Payne is a superb game, and worth every bit of the 39$ I paid for it on steam summer sale, the single player is phenomenally well done, and is a MUST play for any oldschool Max Payne fans out there!

    Graphics - 10
    Gameplay - 8 (the weapons are TOO accurate in single player, makes the game too easy)
    Sound - 10
    Voice Acting - 10 Multiplayer - 3
    Replayability - low

    Overall I give it a 9/10
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  86. Aug 3, 2012
    9
    This is the most fun I've had in a game in a while. The graphics are great, and so is the gameplay. The story wasn't by the same people as Max Payne 1 and 2, so you can expect different. They story was excellent in my opinion. Multiplayer is fine, but if you aren't that great at Max Payne you might die a lot. The same goes for singleplayer. The game is a bit difficult, but the checkpoints are plentiful. Expand
  87. Oct 2, 2012
    10
    Great game, loved every second of it all must get this brilliant game, it is so much fun just get it it is awesome get it now omg its so good i love it i am gonna go play it now bye!! :)
  88. Jan 4, 2013
    0
    I have been playing shooters on pc since Doom and Wolfenstine 3D and I must say the mouse aiming is just plain retarded. It just feels wrong like when you move it jumps 10 pixels at a time. Absolutely disappointed with rockstar on this one. I am so glad I only paid $14 with steam sale! I was a huge fan of MP 1 & 2. In multiplayer on any pc shooter "soft aim lock" should not even be an option this is not xbox360 us pc gamers do not need any type of auto-aim, then again with the retarded mouse movement maybe we do on this one..... Expand
  89. Dec 30, 2012
    4
    I gave it a 4/10 because I kept getting stuck in cover, so it was unplayable. I couldn't get further than the football stadium. Also, the normal level is quite difficult, you die all the time, then all those cut scenes are annoying. I did want to like it though.
  90. Jan 11, 2013
    5
    The first word that comes to my mind when describing the game: mediocre. I just finished playing on hard difficulty level. I was just a kid when the first Max Payne came out, but I did play it again at a later time also. It was not that polished, but still an enjoyable experience. Max Payne 2 on the other hand was spectacular. The action was flawless, shooting was really fun and the story went on smoothly. I did not expect this third installment to be a masterpiece like the previous one, but I still did expect an enjoyable piece of action. Luckily, I got it from Steam sale and did not pay full price.

    The narration was repetitive and did not do really anything to move the plot. Cut scenes were really annoying, not only stopping any shooting action you might have had going on, but also putting you to some stupid starting position for the next fight. If you played Deus Ex: Human Revolution stealthily and were screaming during the first boss fight, that is the feeling you will be often having playing Max Payne 3.

    Controls were frustrating at times. The cover system is flawed as changing cover (by diving jump for example) is impossible, you always have to exit your current cover first and risk getting shot. Luck is heavily involved in most of the firefights, especially if you have to change cover (because the scripted nature of the game forces you to). I did not have problems getting head shots, but sometimes one bullet just was not enough and when there are more than five guys shooting at you, you need lots of painkillers to even try those head shots. Painkillers, or luck, or preferably both. Some scenes were incredibly frustrating and required many tries just to learn by heart from where and when the next enemy was going to appear. It happened too often that there were still one or two enemies standing, I had no ammo left, my health was almost gone and without painkillers, I had to make a run for the nearest weapon, exiting my cover. At that point, it was simply a matter of luck whether I made it or was shot. And usually it was the latter, which really was not fun after certain amount of retries. Even after succeeding, you did not get any enjoyment from an exciting firefight, you only felt you were glad it was over. The point of painkillers was simply that, given enough retries, you could make it to the next checkpoint. In the previous games, having lots of painkillers enabled one to try out some imaginative ways of dealing with the enemies, resulting in more fun; having no painkillers forced one to play it safe. Here, it is just pure luck and eventually you will run out of it, painkillers or not.

    The game also has good points, however. The graphics and sounds are fine, if nothing spectacular. A few scenes and even one or two cutscenes were genuinely fun. The game mechanics are simple enough that having all those weapon select wheels etc. from the console world did not distract too much. During my over ten-hour run, the game crashed just a couple of times. Still, I feel like cutting all the boring levels, dropping all the unnecessary cut-scenes and fixing a couple of frustrating firefights, the game would have been five hours at max a ride, but hugely more enjoyable. I would not recommend this, at least not with the hard difficulty level. Instead, try out Max Payne 2 if you fancy some nice shooting action.
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  91. Oct 31, 2012
    3
    Max Payne 3 can't decide whether it's a game or movie. It does both elements exceptionally well, but switches between them every 10 to 30 seconds. The first hour is pretty fun, but after that you'll come to loathe every unskippable cutscene or bulletcam sequence.

    You will have to constantly battle the game for control. Half the time you can't tell whether you're in control or in a cutsc
    ene, because running, jumping and bullet time get disabled for no apparent reason, Max walks along a set path regardless of the direction you're looking, or the camera forces you to look at something.

    To make matters worse, despite the constant theme of urgency, every level contains collectable pieces of "Golden Guns" that you have to explore every corner to find. As accidentally triggered cutscenes have a habit of blocking off visited locations, this quickly becomes tedious.

    In short, this game is exceedingly frustrating. If Rockstar released a DLC that removed all the cutscenes, I'd buy it in a heartbeat; but until then, I regret paying money for this junk.
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  92. Jul 2, 2012
    10
    I absolutely loved this game. I can go into detail about all the graphics, gameplay mechanics, story and so on, but all I will do is URGE you to go and buy this game immediately if you haven't already. Breathtaking, amazing, hypnotic, mesmerizing, indulging - I just love it, and I'm definitely going to play through it again!
  93. Jun 10, 2012
    10
    This is really a Max Payne game. I love it to bits. I am about 3/4 of the way through now and my only worry is a ME3 type ending which will just spoil the entire thing. The game really shows Max's typical Noir side and how he sees the dark side of everything even though he is actually fighting to defend it by protecting the family. The fighting is fast paced with breakable cover - I just hate it when game play is stale with unbreakable cover - and if you use bullet time with it can equate to some amazing moves and matrix style action (Max should be renamed to Neo imo :P). I have played the other 2 Max Paynes so to see the flash backs and the cut scenes associated with them was really nice, you really have to play the other games to understand his Noir and history and a lot of the dialogue (such as the Mona references). On a modern beefed up PC like mine it plays so smoothly on super high gfx and the effects the game has are unbelievable, the scenes look just as stunning as well, almost life like at times (much better than BF3 or whatever). The loading time for my game....well I get none so I can't really talk about that. Cut scenes could be skippable but tbh I play on a difficulty that matches my skill so I have no problems there and neither will you if you do the same. If you MOVE around you will find the game is quite good at utilising cover while making it challenging to make sure your enemies don't flank you (office areas are an example in this game). Coming back to the effects it really shines on those little things like picking up a gun while running, it's these little effects that really bring the fighting to life and makes you feel a part of it all. For me the gaming isn't too scripted, not any more than previous Max Paynes (yes this is Max Payne 3 not some other first-of-the-series game...) and honestly, I like the scripted action, it adds to the fact that Max's life always seemed to read from a horror movie script. I like how the game also sometimes forces you into situations your sane enough to not get into but Max isn't; remember Max is a guy on the edge so jumping into the center of some bad guys isn't unlike him and I like how the game throws you in and expects you in a moments notice be able to fight like a bad ass instead of a camper. I also like the unpredictability of some fights, like you think Max is gonna neatly cover behind some canisters but they fall over, suddenly your moving on a crane up having to shoot all the bad guys as you do. All this and more makes Max Payne 3 an awesome game in my view and a deserving sequel. Expand
  94. Nov 12, 2012
    0
    Probably the worst game released in the last 5 years. It's like they decided to take a dump on the previous titles and make some quick cash. Rockstar should be ashamed of themselves for putting out this crap.
  95. M13
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Game is fantastic. Great story. Best graphics I've seen in a shooter.....or probably any game. If you like story based linear shooters.....then this is the best one in existence right now.
  96. Jul 10, 2012
    10
    I have been playing Max Payne from the beginning. This game is Aewsome! I don't want it to end. Ignore the haters.. just buy it. It is like you are in your own movie and performing. My Hat is off to rockstar on this one. Thanks guys!
  97. Jul 30, 2012
    10
    Awesome game to people who really like other games with Max Payne! This is how a games should be do. Rockstar Games have never done a half product. I love Max Payne and their's other games!
  98. Jun 9, 2012
    10
    With Max Payne 3, Rockstar has redeemed themselves in creating a flawless PC port after their luck with them turned sour. Amazing how a game that's dozens of times more eye-poppingly pretty than GTA4 has managed to run so optimized and smooth. Max Payne 3 is by far the best in the series, and is extremely cinematic, but I for one love that sort of thing. Story means a lot to me, but I seem to find putting bullets in people more fun here than most other games. There is just a charm to MP3 that I can't shake. A magnificent offspring of Rockstar, and it makes me have great expectations from them (especially in the form of PC ports) in the future. Expand
  99. Jun 28, 2012
    8
    Really good gameplay mechanics and level design, great cinematography and action set pieces. Technically a masterpiece... But it lacks the depth and style in terms of storytelling of the previous games... Halfway through the game you start to realise the story is very simple and lacking suspense... I hope we see a seauel that goes back to the engaging storytelling of the first 2 games...
  100. Jun 16, 2012
    7
    This game is good, but has some problems: AI mostly cheats like hell (also being stupid), moving is sluggish, graphics sometimes is buggy (object or texture blinking), cover system work with only selected objects and many more. Of course this bugs are not critical and overall game is good, play is enjoyable, graphics has its moments. Definitely worth buying.
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 30
  2. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Oct 13, 2012
    87
    Max Payne 3 feels like a PC original, in a very good way. [Aug 2012]
  2. Aug 31, 2012
    91
    Its deviation from the mood instilled by its predecessors might annoy some purist fans, but Max Payne 3's undisputed quality standards in all accounts will make them look the other way and enjoy the game as it is. [July 2012]
  3. 90
    Max Payne is god and it really doesn't matter that he is not the fair one. He is the most interesting action character these days and the game itself is one of the best you can get. [July 2012]