This is truly a fantastic game. Max Payne 3 is a great shooter with an extremely fascinating script and storyline that totally succeeds in delivering a perfect noir tale! The pacing is just the right speed and I personally had no trouble playing this game nonstop for more than a couple of hours. The graphics, full of detail and constantly very colorful and at times and very beautiful as well. The characters, brimming with interesting personality traits all while delivering quick, intriguing, and sometimes very funny lines. The action and gameplay, a huge amount of fun that never grows tiring and always works well and correctly. And Max Payne himself, as engaging and engrossing a character as ever while also being voiced wonderfully by James McCaffrey. With an endlessly fun multiplayer and an incredibly involving story this comes up to make this game is yet another triumph to add to Rockstar's list!… Expand

Why do I keep getting interrupted during gameplay for a cutscene. There is no way to become immersed if if every two minutes I'm stopped to watch cuts for sometimes longer than I just played. The gameplay is frustrating, the gun mechanics are not great, and the bullet time is way too short.

All that i can say about this game is that it is exactly what I've come to expect from Rockstar. Play through single player once and a little multiplayer - very polished - addictive gameplay and awesome multiplayer. Must buy - it's just too bad for the games sake it was released on console the same day as Diablo 3.

This game is ABYSMAL. The story is bad, the textures are nonexistent, the voice acting is terrible, the writing is terrible, Max never shuts up, and dear god this game is visually offensive. During every cutscene (and during some gameplay) there are these blue scanlines that keep flashing on the screen and stupid popup words. All sorts of visually awful things, it's like Rockstar saw Kane and Lynch 2 and said "this is what we want visually." The gameplay is ok, what little of it there is. This game does the whole MGS thing except even worse because every 4 minutes of gameplay (sometimes less) you run into a cutscene. I have NEVER in my life had gameplay interrupted more times than during Max Payne 3.
all in all I can't recommend this game at all to anyone. It's pretty bad.… Expand

ROCKSTAR has done a fine job of envisioning Max Payne for a new audience; unfortunately (for some of us), it is NOT the Max Payne of yore. While the gunplay is frenetic, the hit-detection and collision must be a bit off at times as headshots often fail to keep adversaries on the ground. Stylistically, Max Payne 3 is a visual tour de force but with incessant cutscene interruption, gameplay takes a backseat. Other foibles, including Max often switching weapons after the conclusion of many cutscenes, forces the player to readjust and modify every approach. REMEDY, originally, made the player FEEL like Max Payne. (In fact, for this writer, the original Payne was the first game played from beginning to end in one melodramatic, grit-filled, approximate, 12.5 hour odyssey.) -THIS Max Payne game is not player-driven, has its own inertia and cadence, often forcing the player to "watch" much of the story instead of allowing the player to "become" part of the story. With future patches, any uneven gameplay may be smoothed-over, but this game is NOT "really" Max Payne. -It's a revisionist Max Payne for the new century, for a new audience, for a new aesthetic with a distinctly odd level of player-challenge and forced-variety. It may well be, that THIS Max Payne will be MORE about multiplayer or future DLC than any possible tense solo experience like its now-distant origins? BUT, categorically, wasn't the original Payne, a hardboiled noir experience that each player embraced which, in turn, contributed to rock-solid immersion, creating the iconic Max Payne experience? Wasn't the linear single-player trek of the original Max Payne, the film noir-like quality, the immersive gunplay and strong characterization wrapped within limited player-choice, the KEY to player-identification WITH the onscreen Max Payne? Sure, while it was an empowerment fantasy, the player BECAME Payne during the journey. With Max Payne 3, the player gets to "watch" a version of Payne, on rails, dynamically forged and sent headlong, careening into one fubar situation after another. Less player-driven and much more like a snowball rolling downhill at controlled speeds, this new Payne IS interesting but not very fun.… Expand

Max payne has always been my favourite game but i was a little worried about the third part bcoz it wasnt remedy making the game but no disrespect to Rockstar they are awesome specially i thnk so after playing max payne 3 it is an awesome game gr8 story driven action heart pumping gameplay and brilliant multiplayer i must say i am thrilled after playing it and have to say rockstar have not let us down again and hasnt let the game die instead has made it famous… Expand

Absolutely every bit as good as RDR and the multiplayer is better. It's a masterpiece and how the metascore isn't as higher than RDR's is beyond me. Max's story is compelling and with the gameplay is outstanding. I'll be playing this game long into the summer.

The overall gameplay is great with good shooting and bullet time. The normal difficultly brings up a satisfying challenge and some of the parts are hard to get by. The damage system is just right, where aiming at the head does provide a huge difference in damage. There is also a lot of extra content, like New York Minute. I would give this game a 10 but aiming on the left side I have had some experience with shooting through walls.… Expand

Max Payne is always been one of my most favourite franchises and this sequel is the best of the picking, with slick visuals, great shootouts and SLOW MOTION. You will have a lot of fun and with absence of loading screens it brings a breath of fresh air to cinematic games. With about 12 hours single player and a ton of replayability as well as two arcade type modes you won't get bored on your own. If you do then you have multi-player which is amazingly fun and challenging. There is not regenerative health in the single player and it is hard so if you are expecting a call of duty, look elsewhere.… Expand

Max Payne 3 is Totally Awesome in every way.
Now I was never a fan boy of this series way back in the XBOX/PS2 day's,but so far I'm loving everything this game has to offer.The single player is fun with great Voice acting and awesome gun play.the story does start off kinda boring, but after awhile Max Payne 3 is all out guns blazing balls to you're face action that doesn't hold you're hand.Ohh and let's talk about the multi-player *which is Totally AWSOME*there was allot of love put into the multi-player It's waaay to addicting and the lvl up system is a great addition to the none stop action on screen.If I could give this game a 9.75 I would But instead I'm giving Max Payne 3 a 9 out of 10.this is a contender for Game of the Year.… Expand

graphic in this game is great but it isn t the best ever,gameplay and AI is REALY THE BEST EVERRRRRR,game is short but story is great I so love this game keep up the good work Rockstar

Finally! Much years for have a new Max Payne, and this third part is really amazing. The graphics are AWESOME!!! the stroy is excellent, and have a great development, the gameplay is perfect, the sound effects cool. Max Payne 3 is an awesome sorprise.

It's amazing game! I'm realy happy becouse can play. Na ten tytuÅ

you're not goona beleive that this game can make you feel like an accion hero no matter who you are you have to play this incredible game its a whorty sucesor for the other to games of the dearest max the most dearest of all my friend jeje

Really love Max Payne 3 a lot. I am on chapter 3 of the single player and it has me so engaged. I can't recall the last time I was into a single player of game this much (Maybe Bulletstorm). The multiplayer is really fun as well. I think this is for sure a must own game. Even if your not super big on shooters you will enjoy it due to it's great story, cut scenes, graphics and voice acting.

My thoughts in a nutshell: Clunky controls, terrible presentation, on-rail shooting segments that don't belong in a Max Payne game, bland story, bland characters, no use of subtitles for foreign language speaking characters, multiplayer that doesn't need to exist, and a failure to capture the Noir feel of the past games. This game should have been made by Remedy, not Rockstar.

What makes Max payne 3 so great is that it stays true to the older games while still feeling new and fresh. When it comes down to the graphics, animations, and very addictive gameplay its pure gaming gold. Max payne 3 is one of the best games to come out this year and should be expirenced by any gamer. The only thing i diddent really enjoy is that it is very linear. Like the parts where it shows Max drinking in his appartment why dont we get to play that part instead of just watching it in a cutscene. But anyway it is a fantastic game.… Expand

This game is simply awesome. We have been waiting too long for new maxe payne but we made it and as the result is very good game with nice graphic and with good gameplay. Story is not longer as it can be but still good. Max gets little bit older but he can still shoot and with combination of bullet time and story you get nice continue of previous chapter.

I don't know the game, so I cannot comment on them. However I'm here to make a note that every user review scored under 5 were trolling. Just check their profile. Some dude rated skyrim a 0 and diabolo 3 a 10. Some dude rated Max Payne 3 xbox a 0 and Max Payne 3 ps3 version a 10, and many others. C'mon why do people post those trolling reviews on this site?

This game is awesome. The campaign is spectacular. The multiplayer is marvelous. So far...best game of 2012.

The campaign definitely delivers on the sense of accomplishment because it will try you. You're gonna die a lot before realizing that the game isn't cheating, you DO have enough ammo, but you just have to play better. The way the story is presented is nothing short of a movie blockbuster. It emotionally drew me to the plight of Max Payne and it compelled me to fight for him. Well **** done, Rockstar.

Oh yeah, the multi-player. The most engrossing multiplayer I've played to date. The amount of achievements that result in XP are almost innumerable. They definitely put enough into the multiplayer for it to last for a year, easy. It's worth $60 bucks. Trust me.… Expand

I have been waiting for this game for a long time now, all i can say now is Freaking awesome!!!! At first the gameplay takes a bit of getting used to, the way the characters move as you can feel the weight of the character and there weapons. Its pretty awesome.

Max Payne 3 also makes me wonder if this (Besides bullet time of course) is an early feel to what GTA 5 will play like..hmmm something to consider. As you can carry over your multiplayer Gang/crew over to GTA 5, which is also a cool feature and obviously will keep the multiplayer alive that time. The multiplayer also has quite a few weapons and attachments and gadgets to unlock as you progress to you rank 50. And a few cool features, like when you die you get to see how many times and where you were shot. The other cool feature i like is the Vendetta action, where if the same person keeps killing you can put a bounty type thingy on there head, but dont let them kill you again.

The single player is just epic if you are a max payne fan, if your not then its still epic. Yes the FMVs are a bit annoying at first but you do get used to it and sucked into the world of max payne 3. And for the 12hrs of single player thats longer than any shooter i have played this year. Theres also plenty of reason to keep playing the single player once finished, like the time challenge in arcade mode.

All i can say is Buy or at least rent max payne 3, its Outstanding!!!!!… Expand

The graphics and gameplay capabilities are simply top notch. The detailed gameplay plays fantastically because of of good controls and weapons. Visuals are far from being the most important thing, but its worth mentioning for a title that looks so beautiful. How about the story? Well, its got a great script and and the characters are well developed. This is another satisfactory game from Rockstar. Now that this has been released, can you guys start work on Bully 2?… Expand

Initially I never played any one of the Max Payne games before, so I do not know the gameplay and story of the other games. In May Payne 3, Max is a former policeman and the events take place 9 years after the second game, with the opening showing a low down Max, between alcohol and painkillers, remembering the tragedies of his past, mixing scenes of this and of the present, in his apartment in Brazil.From the Main Menu, we have the options: Story, Arcade, Multiplayer, Settings, Xbox Live Marketplace, with the Social Club fire with Start. Starting a game, we see New, Continue, and Grinds Chapter Select (statistics collectibles) and start a game when you select the difficulty from Easy, Medium, Hard, Hardcore and OldSchool (the last two blocked, released when finished with Hard), and then the targeting system options, from Hard Lock, Soft Lock and Free Aim.The game's graphics are very realistic, with details that go up the pores in the skin of the characters, the graphic details of blood and bruises are ultra-realistic. When you fire the bullet time with the right analog button, the screen goes into slow motion, black and white and can aim at enemies, the shots are realistic too about the damage and injured body part, and we see detailed splashes of blood and bloody footprints, not to mention the occasional Bullet Time itself, with the camera following the bullet's path, as we see in Sniper Elite.I'm from Sao Paulo and I can say that the "recreated" city it's not like that: they mixed São Paulo with Rio de Janeiro, creating a stereotype that many foreign people have of Brazil. We don't have bananas trees everywhere, and the buildings blend several areas of the city, in a fictional version of the city - like other detail like the stereotype image of the people, musical taste and culture of people we have here (yes, we like football, but it's not like a religion). The game's story is being told it with the graphics engine, and and scenes sometimes raw and visually distorted, showing the mental changes in Max, by alcohol and analgesics. Often the scenes go by a comic cut and mixed with cinematic action sequences.In the audio, the game uses orchestrated track, and melancholy narratives, dialogs are very well staged, and have a line of narrative, told by Max, heavy and dense. The voices of the enemies, in Portuguese, are very good, but not so polished: they have a mixed accent of other regions, and some are convincing, other like the actor were reading something (or acting badly) but dubbed dialogs are concise in the dialogs.The action is of a 3rd person shooter with pre-defined scenarios, full of action, with very fluid motion capture: you use the traditional mechanic to advance through the scenarios shooting at enemies and using objects for cover and to jump over them. The scenarios have intense firefights, where you should use Bullet Time to kill the enemies and try not to be killed.The saves the game are of the area of fixed checkpoint kind, and automatic - the good news is that they are very frequent, and usually at the beginning some action sequence, restoring your life.The shots damage scenarios, and it is well done, and each material has a kind of reaction that affects the bullet, for example in a parking lot, was in a shootout, and entered a sequence of Bullet Time, while a shot a thug in the face another shot hit a water pipe that was on the wall, splashing water. The materials react realistically and cartridges fall to the ground.For a comparative example, who has not played Max Payne before, looks like a "Kane and Lynch" in steroids. In shootouts, sometimes entered the Kill Cam, which shows the bullets of different weapons realistically reaching the enemy, and you can make the time pass more slowly with A and continue shooting for more multiple hits.The life is represented by a figure in white, that diminishes, and becomes red to death: there is a partial regeneration, depending on the checkpoints - in most cases you should use the Painkillers with dpad-up or use the Last Stand Kill, where you at brink of death, hits the enemy in Bullet Time and if kill him, gets a lot of life back.The game allows the use of multiple weapons fired in a "wheel" of weapons with LB, and can use a Dual-Wield of different weapons - and in the scenarios we find pieces of golden weapons, which are the collectibles of the game, and course "collectable" statistics (enemies killed by rifles, shot on legs, etc).

The Multiplayer mode has also been discussed by critics as excellent, I look forward to test it - it have a competitive feature, based on clans and the gameplay based on what we see in the game, complete with Bullet Time and Kill Cams.Overall this is another great work of Rockstar, a great 3rd person shooter, with great graphics and well written story, and an incessant action, which although not innovative, promises a great game full of action until the end.… Expand

This is a great game! and would be seen as a one of the best rockstar games so far. The dark noire style of telling a well wrote story based on a has been cop with a bad case of depression which is hidden by his addiction to pain killers and contently getting into problems that are not his to resolve. All in all just a Max Payne 3 is a masterpiece.

As you always expect with a Rockstar title, this game is excellent. They've taken the core mechanics of the Max Payne series and put their own spin on it. Bullet time was tested in Red Dead Redemption and perfected for this title.

Without going into any details or spoilers on the story, this reminds me a lot of the film 'Man on Fire' - great intense action throughout. I've yet to experience the multiplayer, but even as an offline single player title you'll get plenty of bang for your buck. Complete the game to unlock Old School and Hardcore mode and there's also an arcade mode to keep you busy.

Overall a brilliant, polished experience that Rockstar continues to deliver game after game. A must buy!… Expand

The 9 year wait sure was worth it. Max Payne is back in style in this dark gritty sequel. Awesome story if you care for Max. Game-play is top notch, soundtrack greatly complements whats going trough Max´s head. Multiplayer is surprisingly fun with some in depth customisation. This game is just a bucket full of fun that is sometimes cut short by cut scenes but that is just one gripe. Would recommend to any 3rd person shooter fan.… Expand

WOW! amazing story, fluid mechanics and unbelievable graphics! this game has set the bar so high for its competitors its almost not fair. The way in which R* has decided to tell this new tale is incredible, the story jumps through time seamlessly, and really shows off what Hollywood cinematic 's should look like in a true "AAA" next gen game. Bravo Rockstar...Bravo!

I was originally a little worried when I heard the changes Rockstar were making to Max Payne, then more worried about the introduction of multiplayer. Then I just played through Max Payne 3 in a night and can say I absolutely loved it as a fan of the series and character. Sure some small things bother me like the absolute lack of any painkillers through levels, which really forces you to stick to cover more than I would like, but that is overshadowed by a powerful return by Payne in character, story, and narrative. I loved this game and can say I was wrong to ever doubt it.… Expand

How anyone could have a negative comment about this game beats the hell outta. NO... this is not the same Max Payne games of old. Why would it be!? The last Max Payne to come out was 10yrs ago! Some of the cut scenes are long however they keep you engaged.. This game is GOTY (Game Of The Year) material hands down. The single player campaign will suck u in and the multiplayer is fast action.. fun fast action. The different multiplayer game modes keep the action lively. This is a MUST OWN game. Very much worth paying full price for. If you have a open mind, love playing games that feel like yourre watching yourself play a role in a movie, love a fun fast action shooting multiplayer, and love playing games that give you challenge, then you need to check this out. You will not be disappointed.… Expand

Admit it. This game is a failure. The singleplayer mode features a story which has no connection with the first and second Max Payne game, and the plot is boring as hell. You will never want to play again. What about multiplayer? It's even worse than not having a multiplayer mode at all. It's just deathmatch, and only deathmatches. So basically, all you can do in a multiplayer game is run and shoot. I can't believe it's a Rockstar production! So disappointing! I gave 3 points for its fancy graphics. That's all.… Collapse

Man on Fire: The Video Game. That's really my assessment of Max Payne 3. It's like Denzel's classic movie but with Max Payne and a different kidnapped girl. All the beats are pretty much the same but the game kicks bareknuckle ass. I booted up the game and started playing on Hard difficulty. Having not played Max Payne in a while it took a while to adjust to the controls and the AI was pretty tough to beat at first on this difficulty so I felt frustrated and wasn't really into the game. But as this train gets chugging along man oh man does it NEVER STOP. And I mean it, the relentless pace of Max Payne 3 is without question insane. If there's not a cutscene going on then bet your ass there is a balls to the wall shootout or a ingeniously designed action set piece to dazzle your eyes and boggle your mind. It's like Rockstar is trying to channel there inner Naughty Dog with this effort. And for the most part they succeed. Where they fail, is in the graphics for me. And before you jump my bones, let me explain. Alot of the game is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. Particularly Max Payne's rendering himself and some of the locales (like when Max switches to that Hawaiin shirt and battles gangs in the slums....GORGEOUS. However, there are FAR TOO MANY framerate jumps and poor textures in this game. And some of the animations look just as bad as they did on GTA4. And that was made five years ago. And the nonstop shootouts CAN get just a tad repetitive although they are a blast to play. Aside from that, where Max Payne 3 really shines is in it's characterization and character development of it's lead hero. This is INCREDIBLY well done. You literally feel like you're in the mind of Max. You feel his pain, his frustration, his addiction, his regret, his inner demons and turmoul. You feel sorry for the guy. So when he kicks ass, you're rooting for him. That's one helluva accomplishment. The flashbacks are brilliantly done as well. All in all the game is seriously fun. The second best shooter I've played this Gen behind the Uncharted series and another GREAT game in the Rockstar library. These guys are just ALWYAS delivering the goods.… Expand

I played Max Payne 3 on hard - here is my response to that.

Max Payne 3 like the character is a washed-up, painkiller addicted, whiskey-soaked piece of trash that bears no similarity to the previous two games. Gone is Max Payne's sly wit and slow brooding style of narration which is replaced by a long-winded chatterbox who never stops **** about how awful his situation is - even though Max could quit whenever he wanted and go home. At times during the game Max speaks to himself with more than one voice at once, causing a cluster **** of gibberish that is unrecognizable and quite annoying, especially when it spills over into a cut-scene.

The cut-scenes in the game are a huge letdown, removing the comic book style (the coolest type of cut-scenes to date in video gaming in my opinion) and rubber stamping the game with Rockstar's patented Grand Theft Auto/Red Dead Redemption/L.A. Noire formula which is worsened by frequent buzzing/color dysphoria in the picture and the absence of player controlled subtitles. Another annoyance is scripted cut-scenes in the game where the game takes control away from the player to show what Max wants to look at. This is increasingly annoying as the game continues, most prominently when Max needs to cover his cop friend with a sniper rifle. The reason why it is so annoying at this point is there IS no reason for them to take control away from the player - the game is not automatically sniping for us, so why does it take control? When situations like this occur in the game it just causes anger, confusion, or annoyance.

Enemies who used to be a dime-a-dozen thugs who go down after a single head-shot or shotgun blast are now zombie-like enemies who take two shotgun blasts to the chest and fall down ... only to rise again to shoot Max in the back for a quick kill. No matter how stealthy you are in Max Payne 3 your enemies will always know exactly where you are even if using a silenced weapon they will find you unless it is a scripted sequence in the game. The A.I. in Max Payne is really good at shooting through the invisible walls that sometimes block your bullets which increases their advantage over you with their zombie-like vitality. The A.I. is also surprisingly well designed, and many times as Max Payne I found myself surrounded on all sides and the Rockstar programmers deserve to be congratulated on that at least. An unfortunate part of the programming is the hit-box detection, which I will illustrated through an example: In a helicopter sequence where Max covers a woman - he has a laser-guided high powered rifle that takes out enemies in one shot, super easy right? Wrong. Three people witnessed my shooting and no one could believe it as the person I was covering got executed over and over again despite my gunfire going directly through the enemies chasing her, guided by the laser sight on the gun. I wasn't even going for head-shots mind you, direct shots to the chest without any flare or style. It just didn't hit. Some of the controls in the game are stupidly assigned like either of the two buttons dedicated to bullet time. Having a thumbstick used for something that important in the game is just unforgivable in design, and perhaps owning the first two on computer skews my perspective - but having one key for both slowing time and diving (if pressed while going in a direction) seemed a lot more intuitive than the controls of the game which often saw me diving over railings or into the water causing death which put me back to the last **** cut-scene that I saw 30 bad guys ago.

Suffice it to say that Max Payne 3 is one tough whiny **** that just doesn't hit what it aims at.… Expand

This game, once you get the controls down to where you are comfortable moving around, taking cover, etc. is definitely worth checking out. I have always been happy with Rockstar because they give you $60 worth of a game. I enjoyed Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV, and L.A. Noire. All of these titles were worth their price. Surprisingly, the campaign in this game kept me guessing. I expected to go in guns blazing most time, but sometimes things happened that weren't like anything I guessed. The multiplayer is also worth checking out. The ease of play within the multiplayer part of the game surprised me also. Most games have camping, elite players, etc. This game encourages everyone to play, and you are rewarded for doing so. Overall, this game is worth playing.… Expand

I have never played a Max Payne game before but this game intrigued me and boy am I glad I bought it! If anyone is doubting buying this because they've never played the series, buy it because it is loads of fun. The story is very cinematic and has a great premise. The story immerses you into the game and makes you want to keep playing. The multiplayer is fun as well but its more fun if you play with a crew. Overall its a pretty good game and I recommend it to anyone who likes third person shooters or shooters in general. Graphics are a 9/10, gameplay is a 10/10, lasting appeal is a 9/10, and story is a 10/10… Expand

7 Planned DLC's already for this game. When did it become okay to hold back content in hopes that you could get more from the consumer later? Sure it isn't exactly new to the industry, Diablo 2 wasn't even finished in the original packaging, you had to get the expansion to finish it out. But now they hold your game hostage in the hopes you will continue to play the game well after you are done with it because of all the extra story-bits they left behind.

Urg, this industry is sad.… Expand

This isnt the Max Payne I remember. Something is just off and what I remember from the computer game ten years back was not improved upon. The dark, bizarre, cold feeling that I was left with is simply not here this go around.

This is an absolutely great game! The Story is really exciting and has some good twists and the voice acting is amazing. Combined with the stunning looking gameplay this is just the best Action Shooter I have seen in a long time. I think Rockstar did a good job at developing the character of Max Payne further, without losing his usual mannerisms and style. Multiplayer is also extremely enjoyable and offers a lot of variety with all the unlockables and different game modes.… Expand

An OK game. Unlike Payne I and II there is not a lot of sneak up and listen to the mobsters then bust through the door and nail them all in bullet time. For some reason the AI always knows where you are regardless of how sneaky you are as if they are alerted to your presence immediately upon entering an area. Payne is constantly talking about something which actually got annoying because if your in a room for more than 5 seconds he is already telling you where you need to go. The enemies did not increase in difficulty much throughout the game either. Payne fought for women he loved, out of revenge in I and II. In II he has no emotional connection to the people he is trying to save other than they pay his bar tab. I love Max Payne and could not give a negative review but it was a pretty poorly made game overall.… Expand

Firstly I'll just say this is a fantastically gripping game. After reading the first bunch of reviews I was considering not buying it, I'm glad I did.

The game plays well, I played through it first time on hard with the no aim aid which made it seem all the more desperate, and that's what this games all about, one mans desperate struggle. The gunplay is solid, simple and satisfying, I personally don't see what else you need here, the plentiful guns make cool noises and you can see the impact they have on enemies. The cover mechanic is like an improved version of what you've seen before in RDR and GTA. The environments are very detailed and the bullets flying around rip it to pieces. There's one stand out level in a big office and there's literally nothing left of it after you finish slaying an army of mercenaries. Brilliant. Doing it all in slow mo just adds to how cool this game looks when your in a gunfight, you feel Max's impacts when you shoot dodge and hit a wall or fly down a set of steps, you kind think **** that looked sore". The story is brilliant, I'm not gonna give anything away but it plays like a thriller/drama (sorry, captain obvious alert), and if that's your kind of thing you'll enjoy it.

I've seen a few complaints about the style of the cut scenes, the words popping up and all that, to me that's just a natural progression from the comic book style of the previous two? I like it and it show the game is moving with the times. The way the camera sort of blurs up and scan lines appear as well is different, not bad or invasive, just different and new. I kinda think that it says something about Max and what he's going through, the guys permanently half cut and addicted to pain meds, maybe it has something to do with what he's seeing or something? Or it's just a random addition and means bugger all.

The multiplayer is a good addition, the action is a lot faster paced than the single player and there is enough customisation and unlocks to keep you playing for a while. So for me this a great fun game with a well written gritty story, greatly satisfying gunfights and slow mo kill cams, plus a long lasting multiplayer. What more do you need?… Expand

I haven't played this game but I bet it's awesome. I mean it's Maximum Payne, pop painkillers while flying through the air in slow motion, **** YEAH! So you play as this guy named Max, and his last name is Payne, and right there you should know what kind of game you're getting yourself in for. Max's wife died, probably because he **** with the wrong guys, and that's made him numb to the world. He tries to fight off all these bad times in three ways:

1. Drink a lot of dark alcohol.
2. Pop painkillers. Lots of painkillers.
3. Shoot dudes in the face.

Literally that's the whole game (from what I've seen, I haven't played it, I don't play any games I just read the most favorable reviews so I can a REAL idea of what's awesome about a game.) When you clear a room full of bad guys you are actually so messed up from all the liquor, drugs, and bloodlust that you can in slow-motion explode a guy's head until it looks like a crushed tangerine. I watched a bunch of gameplay videos of this a month ago and I swear to christ it gave me a horribly debilitating 20-day erection. I had to seek medical help, but Rockstar was so cool that they've agreed to give me a free copy of Max Payne 3 to compensate for the distress they put me through. But like I said, I won't play it. I only read reviews, the truest way to enjoy games. 10/10… Expand

My first impression of Max Payne 3 was that it was just another modern shooter, albeit one with more style than pretty much every other game out there. The storyline seemed to be typical action fare, more "Man on Fire" than "Blade Runner". This was sufficient, but didn't seem particularly interesting. I couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was all about, couldn't help but ask why this game was such a big deal. But then it all came together, first when I noticed that sprinting didn't actually increase Max's running speed. What the heck, I thought to myself, this is supposed to be a third person shooter. The mechanics are supposed to give me options, not push me to rely on the two original mechanics. Then I realized the point of the entire experience: Max Payne 3 doesn't want to be just another modern shooter. In fact, it openly mocks the "innovative" storytelling mechanics of its brothers and sisters by giving Max a subtle awareness of the fact that every action he takes is illogical and stupid (one scene in particular seems to make fun of the Uncharted series by having a very unintelligent side character offer to climb a ladder to lower it for Max). He is a videogame character in the process of realizing that his role in life is to shoot the "bad guys." Slowly but surely the detective pulls the pieces of his life together and embraces his action hero status, and the last moments of gameplay excellently showcase this revelation with explosive success. I have played very few games that have been able to marry the absurd rules of videogame worlds to a script that is truly adult, but the writers of Max Payne 3 have managed to craft a masterful script that never forgets what it is. This is not the cliche action game that it seems to be at first; this is a character study of the most popular archetype in videogaming, the action hero, and an excellent one at that.… Expand

There's no way you can please everyone, but this game certainly does try. It's fast paced and hard to put down. There are a lot of cutscenes but that's part of the gig. This is a rich, detailed, action shooter. Max is at his best when his life is at it's worst. The gameplay is tight, controlled chaos. You get rewarded for taking crazy risks, like shootdodging down a flight of stairs- but with bullettime you can easily take out the 5 or 6 bad guys at the bottom. The story itself is awesome, but this is Max Payne 3- not Max Payne or Max Payne 2. It's a new game with the same old Max. Sam Lake didn't write it- but Max is still Max. He's angry, he's drunk, and he's a hell of a lot of fun to play. The cutscenes are plentiful, but they do a great job of setting the scene and moving the story along in a coherent way. There are no load screens after the initial one. there are some visual effects that can be distracting to some, i suppose. But I barely noticed them as I was too busy watching the story unfold. loved the single player and I started to play it again immediately after the credits rolled.
Multiplayer is a whole other animal. I haven't played much Rockstar multiplayer aside from Red Dead. The multiplayer for Max spins out from the original story and takes place in a real setting. It's not just mindless team vs team deathmatch- while that can be awesome- but this is a different take on it that just fits with max's world. I look forward to playing more, but so far Gang Wars is awesome! Haters gonna hate, but Max is back and better than ever.… Expand

Forget that guys that doesn't know appreciate different ways to present a game. Max Payne 3 have the most recent way to tell us a excellent cinematographic story and a terrific graphics. This game will be remember as one of the better games in 2012. I know that this is no a GOTY (maybe), but is in the level of any good game in this year. Thanks Rockstar for this excellent game and thanks Remedy for create Max Payne.… Expand

Despite the sort of conventional feeling 'last boss' climax, this is one brilliantly made game. The gameplay forces you to come up with a strategy on how to defeat your enemies, because their aim is good too, and it doesn't take that many bullets to kill Max (unless of course you have a bunch of pain killers stashed up). The game enforces perfect aiming when in battle - every shot counts - and this, with the insane amount of enemies that surround you, is no easy feat. I loved how the scenes blended in with the gameplay and that the game's loading was hardly apparent (unless of course you quit, restarted, or beat the game) - otherwise it's nearly seamless. The game's writing is beautiful and the story is simply fantastic.… Expand

First, let's address the obvious. Remedy did not develop this game. It definitely doesn't look much like the Max Payne we all know and love from the past. This doesn't necessarily make it bad, but it is different. You pretty much can get the idea if you're going to like the new look from all the media floating around. I personally prefer the grittier looks of the past games, but this is merely a matter of opinion. That being said, let's get down to the real business. Perhaps I am spoiled by the fluidity of most modern console games, but I found that Max Payne 3 seems to have a huge problem with framerate. For a game that relies so heavily on pinpoint precision when not using the godlike auto-aiming abilities, it can be hard when you're running approx 15fps or less. The tiny dot reticle can easily be lost in all the flying debris and the occasional Rockstar wonkiness of close-quarters encounters hinders the fun as well. When not experiencing aiming issues when trying to do it without assist, there are several times that while using autoaim, I found that I didn't even need to use the sticks. Just press the left trigger to acquire target, right trigger to fire. Repeat. So long as you are pointed in the cardinal direction of an enemy, you'll land a hit. That's a little too forgiving. All that aside, the sound and voice acting is top-notch, and the environments are very immersive. Unfortunately the pushy urgency of the game forces you into the next setpiece, rarely affording you the opportunity to explore the finer details that an artist toiled over. The cover system usually works well, only a couple places does it fail (doorways seem to be hit and miss). The character animations are fantastic and I think sit securely at the top of the heap. Kudos to the mo-cap actors and the artists. The bullet-time effects occasionally take you back to the good-ol' days of Max Payne and the Matrix, but it mostly comes off as a little tired. I only used it when it forced me to, or in a last ditch situation. Overall I think despite it's beauty, story and sound, I'm really not having that good of time playing it. Dare I say it is like Kane & Lynch, except the previous ran at 60fps on console. Maybe another month in the optimization oven would have vastly improved the game, but with the ability to update and patch games these days, perhaps R* will be able to address these issues. My recommendation would be "don't pay full price". I'd pay $40 for it without regrets, but I can't say I'm pleased have paid full-price.… Expand

In the superb Grand Theft series and Red Dead, I can easily forgive a mediocre shooting component
because of their vast,open worlds with numerous, fun things to do. I found this effort by Rockstar to be
Max Painful,i.e., too linear ; frustrating combat involving numb, dumb bad guys, and a yawn-inducing
narrative. Incidentally, I bought Metroid Prime 3 the other day for less than ten bucks and am LOVING
it!! Man, what a stellar, incredible game! Retro, I sure hope you're working on 4.… Expand

Brilliant game, Rockstar delivers once again. Game play is smooth and at it's finest. Euphoria engine should be in pretty much every game I know, Its beautiful. Can't wait to finish it and continue my journey to multiplayer mode, Which offers again something no other game has on-line, slow mo kills in real time. Holllaaaaa

Max Payne real return and this cool.well,the main thing a person looks in any product is that it should be a fun experience worth playing. Max Payne 3 is all of that and much more.

Max Payne bring back memories, Max Payne 2 was one of my favorite games, I've been waiting for this game and hoped that it will not suck.
what do you know, I was right, this game.. this game is god damn awsome.
the animation of Max really makes you feel like you are Max, the graphics are very good but there is some low detail graphics here and there I believe it is because of the limited power of the console and not the actual game.
the gameplay is.. amazing, one of the best - if not the best gun play I've played. the enemies feels aware and the AI is changed based on what kind of enemy it is - oh and btw this game made me learn - flak jacket is one hell of protection.
the sound and voice acting is very good, same old max, dark depressed and sarcastic.
the multiplayer have lots to unlock and load of challenges to complete, the mods are fun to play and bursts make the game interesting.
I will not spoil the story - I will end it here.
this game is great, buy it, play it, have a lot of fun with it.… Expand

I would compare this game to a more mature themed Uncharted 3 - BUT BETTER OVERALL. The graphics are better, the story is better, the controls are better and I'm about to play the multiplayer tonight which seems awesome. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME GAME!

Max Payne 3 is real game, a game for everyone who want to have fun, spend a lot of time in front of the tv, and the best of all, play with your friends on multiplayer. The history is very good, and expecially in a dangerous city like São Paulo. The multiplayer is very fun and the best way to play is with your friends. Bullet time is very good and Rockstar did it again, th best game of the year so far in my opinion.… Expand

Although the visuals are certainly impressive, and the game earns points for me for its focus on story, it has one horrible, glaring flaw: it is un-necessarily HARD.

This may be an appealing characteristic for some; if you like that aspect of the game, then please, by all means ignore this review. However, if you are like me, and believe that the primary characteristic of any video Game should be that it is Fun, then do not waste your time with this game.

I am not a bad gamer. I would fancy to say that I am pretty good. Yet somehow, even playing this on the Easiest difficulty, with basically automatic aiming, I found myself dying at least six times on each sequence. This is not fun.

Having had an absolute blast with GTA4, Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire, I am severely disappointed in Rockstar's latest offering.… Expand

Wow. This is very dificult game to rate. The gameplay is awesome. But it is very oftem (almost between each two rooms) interupted by the cutscene. And the cutscenes are terible. They are using "inovative" effect like color filter changes, shaking parts of the screen, doubole and triple vision, etc. And it is overused in such degree that it is literally pain to watch. I stopped the game after 2,5 chapters because I felt sick and get real headache. Never ahppened to me before. So how I can obejctivelly rate the gameplay with good score, if the overal desing does not allow me to enjoy the game? I hope for patch that will let me disable this, otherwise I will sell the game soon. Im not masochist to endure this for 10 hours or so :-(
If you are considering the game, go and watch few cutscenes on the youtube or just the cutscene trailer. Now imagine whole game is like this. And the cutscenes are everywhere.… Expand

I'm from Brazil, and the rich details on all levels and favelas is amazing. I don't live on favela, but i know places like that, and Rockstar did ONE MORE TIME a perfect job. Many lessons learned with Uncharted, but MP3 but the shooter on another high level.

So often regarded as the gold standard of games developers, RockStar seems to be on a bit of a dip in recent years.
GTA and Red Dead were stunning games, then along came L.A. Bore. It was terrible, but I forgave them and looked forward to Max Payne 3.
But I'm disappointed again. Just like L.A. Noire, it's a demonstration of style over substance. It looks and sounds great, but it's so linear it might as well be an on-rails shooter. Those are the moments that you actually get to PLAY the game, cos the majority of your time will be spent watching cut scenes. There were parts during these interludes where I was thinking: Hey! I could be in control of that bit!
The controls are clunky. When you are in control, it doesn't quite feel like you are. It's somewhat disengaged.
This is my opinion after reaching the end of "Chapter 4", so I suppose there is time for redemption.
Quickly played team death match...uninspiring run and gun festival of repetition.

Please RockStar, lift your game for GTA5. I need that to be great.… Expand

Solid gameplay and unquestionably impressive graphics. However, I do feel it's 'been there done that' terrain we've encountered one too many times before.

This is probably the best action game i have played in a long, long time. The Graphics is ok, but the story is awesome, the characters are interesting and the engine the game uses if freaking amazing!

I love Max Payne 3. Maybe some dont and i really dont understand that, i would say that every Max Payne fan will love this game.

I will give it 10 because there to many being totally unreasonable. This game deserves the best score possible. There are too many games out there, which sucks, Max Payne 3 needs to be recognized and remembered as one of the really good action games.… Expand

Max Payne 3 is probably the best 3rd person shooter I have ever played. I know with it being a Rockstar game you're expected to get a well developed, an outstanding quality product and an immersive experience, Rockstar certainly have done this.

To me MP3 makes you actually care about the characters involved in the story especially MP himself, not many games can make you feel emotional for the protagonist or what is happening around them, once again Rockstar deliver for what their renowned for and thats focusing on giving the audience the best experience possible from the campaign. A lot of people are complaining about the cutscene transition, as far as I'm aware this have never been done in a game before and it works so well, there is a good balance of gameplay and cutscences (I didn't notice there being so many cutscenes that most of the game is based around watching rather than playing?) you never feel lost as to what is happening and it's really immersive how you suddenly become involved in the frantic shootouts. I personally don't feel Rockstar have taken away the core of the MP nostalgia, if anything they have developed on it and embraced it and have made it something their own which to me is a great thing, because we all know that the MP franchise (if they continue with any sequels) is in good hands and they will never dissapoint. The multiplayer aspect of the game is a nice and interesting concept because the previous MP games didn't have the kind of technology or experience to discover how bullet time could work in multiplayer. It's a lof of fun and quite addictive and just feels like a scale downed version of GTA 4 with bullet time but that's not a bad thing.

However the real main reason to pick this game up is for the single player, anyone whom is a MP fan or is new to the series, I reccommend this game without shadow of a doubt you will not be disappointed.… Expand

I have waited for this game for quite a while. The first two games were some of my best experiences I had when I owned the original xbox. This game was not what I had envisioned but I was more than satisfied even though there are a few things I did not like. Max Payne feels more real this time around his personality shines through. At the end you get to see an angry and determined Max hell bent on bringing the Payne. The gameplay isn't bad but there are a few small minor bugs/issues/bad ideas that frustrated me. Max can now take cover behind obstacles but it isn't a responsive or swift transgression when you're in a very intense fire fight and you want to move around as quickly as possible. There are moments after a cut scene when Max will switch to a one handed weapon instead of the two handed you were holding. That irritated the hell out of me. The presentation is top notch and is quite possibly one of the best in the history of the xbox 360. Story is told so well that it becomes highly memorable more so than recent 'blockbuster' games. It does get slow having to watch the cut scenes over and over again when all you want to do is shoot baddies. The loading times are also brutal. I don't see much of the old Max Payne series in this game so I would count this as a re-visioned Max Payne and not the one for the first two games. All in all it's a good single player experience and the multiplayer is average not something to really get excited about. "It's Payneee!!!!!" -Max Payne 2… Expand

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 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

Max Payne 3 is one of the best games ever created. The single player story is engaging and sucks you into Max's world. The use of cut scenes is amazing and does nothing but capture a dark and twisted world that keeps you locked into the story. Rockstar has done an AMAZING job with the character and Max Payne 3 could be their best effort to date.

What an amazing game! Im a huge fan of remedy and max payne, and rockstar have done a great job!
Even if you havent played max payne , this is the best TPS of this generation...

Fantastic story, fantastic gameplay...sound is amazing.

Go buy it now!

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love this game, at first I was a little afraid of them going to a more sunny location and that max was bald and me thinking he was a drunk & depressed person, but BOY was I wrong when I got the game. Graphics is nice, story is extremely well done and the gameplay is fun. All the complains about that there is to much cut scenes and sh*t, makes me dissapointed, the Max Payne franchise is based on heavy usage of cut scenes and them dragging out for a bit, that's because of the BIG story they are trying to tell, and not some half baked COD story that makes no sense after the first few hour's.

My only complaint has to be the ending, I felt that it did not give enough closure and also that it was the shortest cut scene of all of the ones that was in the game. They could really have putted a few minutes with him saying why he went were he went and what he is going to do from now on and out.

But anyway, I also have to talk a little about multiplayer. I did not play much of it because of me not getting into matches, all it did was creating a new match with me alone and nobody coming in to it. However I did get into 3 matches and of what I did play I have to say that it is promising and the maps are well build't. Not to big and not to small.

I give this a 10/10! If you're a big suc*er for R* games like me then you have to get this. If not then get it because of the excellent story line that R* have put together, but I have to warn you if you don't like cut scenes much, then this game may not be something for you because of the long cut scenes that the game got (Some even going for 5-8 minutes).… Expand

Those complaining about the game being linear need to pause before they speak. This is not an open world sandbox game by any stretch of the imagination, and it was never intended to be that style of game. If you want to say "Eff the main storyline I'm going to shoot arrows into the knees of guards" stick to a sandbox game. Just because the game is by definition "linear" does not make it a bad game. (some of the best games ever have been completely linear, anyone remember that game super mario 3?) What Max Payne 3 is however, is a well written and action packed adventure epic. I did not find the cut-scenes intrusive, but rather found them to be well done and add a lot to the progressing storyline. However, this may be because I love a good story, and actually like to be drawn into the story instead of desperately needing to keep my fingers moving the entire time (critics who keep complaining about the game making them sit still too long just go back to your stupid COD multiplayer and shut up. leave the rating of games with actual plotlines to your betters ie: people with attention spans larger than a squirrel's). My only beef is that sometimes the cover system is a tiny bit clunky, but in the long run this is rendered null and void once you learn how to master the bullet dodge and slow motion techniques.

In conclusion, this game is absolutely terrific and is definitely worth a buy.… Expand

This game is just EPIC love everything about this game,it's better then 1 and 2 combined the slow motion is just awesome,everything is worked out fantastic so i give this game a full 10 and is forth every penny big plus to Rockstar they did it again!!

Well, I am coming from the standpoint of loving the last two Max Payne games. I had high expectations for this one. Max Payne has style, sure, and it has decent graphics. It even has fantastic voice acting and amazing sound design. However, the most important part is what failed for me. The gun play is..I'll say it....atrocious. Its not sensitive enough at the start, and by the time you've got the cursor going, it's swinging wildly in over aim. It's not lack of skill either, I have no problem with Halo or COD, or any other FPS for that matter. The reticle is TINY for the pistols, which are your go to weapon, similar to how the reticle was in RDR. And I hated it then. It's too small and its only on the screen when you are aiming, so in a pinch, it's easy to lose it in background art. The gunplay just isn't satisfying, it's either the wildly difficult free aim, or the haxorz auto aim, which takes all the fun out of it. I remember MP2 being way more fun and way more dynamic than this game. Anyway, that's my two cents. IMO, it's a rental at most.… Expand

This may be the greatest game I have ever played. The story has so many great aspects to it, and on top of that, the gameplay mechanics are so crisp and refined, you will forget it is a video game. Its multiplayer plays much like the single player, and keeps the immersing experience. Over all this game is a must for all fans of the previous games, as well as newcomers, I did not even hesitate to give this game a 10/10.… Expand

Max Payne 3 is a game like no other. The gameplay itself is pretty simple: shooting people in slow motion isn't new but so fun. Everything works fine; from the cover system to the sootdodge, it is always enjoyable. Where Max Payne 3 really shines though, is in it's way to tell the story. There is a lot of cutscenes but they are all interesting to watch. The transition between cutscenes and gameplay is incredibly well done. You can play for hours without seeing a loading screen. The campaign in lengthy and the higher levels of difficulties are hard enough to bring a challenge. The multiplayer is a real suprise. First I thought it would be lame but I was so wrong. Diving in slowmotion from a building while shooting at the people under you is priceless.… Expand

Literally just put down the control from finishing the story mode. I have always been a max payne fan, so i should get that out of the way to start. On the other hand, this is the first time i have been compelled to write a review. This game was SO MUCH FUN. I got it in hand yesterday, played until I was too tired, woke up and finished it. It hasn't been since God of War have there been so many times where i do something in the game and go "WOAH THAT WAS SO COOL" afterwards. Lots of fun quicktime events. Visuals are great, very "man on fire" feel to it. Story was great also, a lot of twists and unexpected things in the story. Also, a very cool thing is how he carries the weapons and reloads. I know this may seem silly, but it's nice to actually see a game that realizes that you can't just stuff an AR15 into your butt when you aren't using it. If you have three weapons, you actually visualize him carrying each of them. If you have a rifle, a micro smg, and a pistol, you shoot one handed and actually carry the rifle in the other, with the micro smg in a armpit holster. Max will tuck the rifle into his armpit while he reloads. You also can develop a pile of empty clips at your feet if you stay in one spot. This kind of attention to detail often goes missed. Also, you don't notice ANY LOADING. I spend half my time loading in skyrim, and this is just action, cutscene, action. Very well done. I only have ONE complaint. After each cutscene, it defaults to your pistol, which can be annoying if you don't wanna use your pistol, but you get used to it. I could go on and on, but at the end of the day I can safely say that this is one of the best games i have played in a long time, and i play a lot of games.… Expand

Clunky, awkward controls. Overlong, graphically dubious cutscenes.
Migraine and fit inducing effects.
I will never trust another critic score/review again.
This game is complete bollocks.

Absolutely stellar experience, one of the best Rockstar titles to date and incredibly enjoyable. For those expecting a straight up shoot 'em up, it's a lot more than that, and has an intriguing plot with plenty of twists that really keep you guessing. Some people find the cutscenes annoying or aggrevating but I think their frequency is exaggerated, and I felt that they nicely broke up the gameplay.

I initially bought it for the gameplay but quickly found myself hooked on the story and unable to put it down until I'd finished it. The difficulty settings are well balanced, my only real qualm was that free aim was a little tough to get used to, but once you get used to it it is a good system. I personally feel though that the game is meant to be played with soft lock on as targeting distant enemies with free aim is often difficult and clunky.

The voice acting and story telling is excellent, and lives up to the standard you'd expect from a Rockstar game. Multiplayer is an excellent distraction, and the avatar customisation and crew system works really well. The multiplayer modes are fun to play and are best played with friends, particularly the story based gang wars which are incredibly enjoyable when crew rivalries erupt. The burst system lends itself very well to the gameplay, and perks such as sneaky and paranoia are particularly fun. The weight system is also very clever, and working out your ideal loadout and carefully balancing your weight is very fun.

To conclude, the gunplay is awesome, and multiplayer should keep you going long after you finish the story, if third person teamplay is your thing. Don't expect a third person call of duty, I'd liken it to a fleshed out RDR multiplayer with its own twist. While the controls can be a little clunky and the fighting a little samey, the story keeps you hooked and has you guessing until the end.… Expand

i have no words for this game.Excelent story telling, gorgeous graphics and amazing gameplay simply the best product of the decade.thank you rockstar for giving me this game

I want to say that I specially created an account here just to post this review. Being a Max Payne fan all my life, I had some very big expectations from this sequel...till I found it's not gonna be made by Remedy as it was before.
Ok, Rockstar dudes made some incredible games which I have played about all, so I had some mixed feelings but I was a little confident that they will not screw things up. Well they did.
Finishing this game was torturous, really. I will now tell you shorty the story:
Cinematics - Gun Fight - Cinematics - Gun Fight - Cinematics - Gun Fight and the show goes on. There is nothing interesting about this game, not even the graphics and their famous in-house engine. I didn't ask that, I just wanted an incredible story like the first games had. As I said, the story is horrible. All you are gonna do is killing some guys in São Paulo and a few hundreds in New York only to find that you are leaving that cold winter place that everybody acclaimed in the previous games. Trying not to make any spoilers I will just say that the story isn't what you would expect (if you're a Max Payne fan) and that bitter taste of the 1 and 2 drama stories just isn't there.
Even though I would have to say much more about the crappy story I will go to the next part that I hated, the cinematics. Ok, it's 2012, don't do them noir style like we've all loved before but at least don't combine this two genres. Why the hell do we need to have words coming up on the screen? I'm not from an English speeking country and I never fell the need of something like that in any game. In Splinter Cell Conviction it was pretty cool but only there...
Another thing that I hated was the fact that they changed everything. They changed Max's appearance (both physically and clothing style), they changed the interesting Mona Sax( that I hoped it would return as in Max Payne 2 playing the hardest difficulty she wouldn't die) with some guy that talks only with "bro" and doesn't seem interesting AND they even changed the painkillers. Why would they do that?
The AI is pretty dumb and there are a lot of bugs while in some moments there are only two options:

A) Hide behind a single spot while 10 guys jump you.
B) Go like a freaking mad man murdering them Rambo-style.

Testing them both I realised that the B) option is the one that the developers wanted us to do, being the most effective.

I won't waste much time as I've seen that most negative reviews are rated not helpful even though they're mostly right. I don't know what did Rockstar say to those "critics" but they are not saying the truth and they are acting like this is the first game they played.
In the end I just want to say that any hardcore fans like me, even though they've seen this review, they will play the game just to know how Rockstar killed Max. Shame on you Rockstar, shame on you.… Expand

Ignore the rants of "bad shooting mechanics" . If you're not akin to or experienced in 3rd person shooters then more than likely it's not for you but if you've played and enjoyed the Uncharted frachise then you'll enjoy the gunplay and narratives of MP3. The graphics are stellar but Rockstar has just been on one this gen. Hollow-point slugs leave exit wounds and tear the flesh and the gore is awesome. Throughout the story you are constantly interrupted by cutscenes (which can get annoying) but these are needed to drive the plot in MP3 since all of the gameplay is strictly shoot 'em up. The AI is incredible. I've already noticed a few minor glitches but other than that enemies rarely die the same way twice. If you remain in cover while enemies have you pinned w/ cover fire, other soldiers will rush you and flush you out and if you don't progress while enemies are taking cover they'll wait you out and let you make the 1st move. This game is relentlessly difficult even for an avid gamer like me. Constant vigilance is required both in story and multi as enemies can be ridiculously accurate if they get the drop on you. Multiplayer is perfect for anyone who is just into the gameplay. Most mechanics and abilities of Max are translated well into the multiplayer world. Screwing enemy players over w/ a bullettime back-attack never gets old. It's so funny watching them try to turn around in time to shoot back. Altogether Max Payne 3 is a "rental-first" kind of game as it's not for everybody but if you haven't given it a chance, go rent the 1st disc at redbox or something because it's worth a try (*note: If you do happen to rent from redbox, the 1st disc is the only one available. Buddy of mine found out the hard way)… Expand

Sure Max got a new look, he´s older now but not rusty enough to stop shooting bad guys with style, again. The only bad point for me is that using cover is much better than jumping around and use bullet time, this and the long cut scenes are a big difference to the first 2 games, that only had comic-strips between the chapters. The story and the characters are very cool, the graphics could be better but I love them because they´re really beautiful and when you play Max Payne 3 you feel like your in an John Woo-movie. The game-play is fast-paced and the controls feel very smooth. The sound is just perfect and the voice acting is great too. When I bought the game I did´nt thought about it`s multiplayer-part at all, but after 2 playthroughs I tried it out and now I´m addicted to it`s great multiplayer-mode. You can unlock and then buy lots of weapons and you can then unlock mods for them. In addition there are so called "bursts" (for example bullet time) and equipment-slots, helmets and body-armors. You can also play with to one handed weapons, for example an Mac 10 in your left and an desert eagle in your right, just imagine that. haha... Max Payne 3 is just fantastic and surely a must-have!… Expand

I was bit nervous going into Max Payne 3. Linear experiences and good gunplay mechanics usually end up being brushed aside or falling short in most of most of Rockstar's games. But, as I should have realized, Rockstar has a thing for quality and Max Payne 3 is no exception. The linear gameplay allowed Rockstar Vancouver to focus its detail in a narrower setting and it looks beautiful. Technically, it's the best game I have ever seen on a console. Major props should given to the sheer level of detail that was put into this game. All the animations are beautiful, and watching cover being torn apart before your eyes is breath taking. Seeing Max evolve as a character both physically and internally also pays out in a big in big way. As you progress Max will Slowly become more, and more of a wreck. His beard will start to grow, his hair will become messier, and he will get scarred up. Watching him evolve is one of the best parts of the game. With that said, the story is somewhat of a mess. It isn't necessarily bad, it's just confusing. I recommend playing through this game twice if you really want a good grasp of the story. The gameplay is very simple, but very satisfying. Watching bullet time play out in slow motion is both visceral and astounding. Once again, the detail in bullet time is fantastic.
However this game is not for the faint of heart. The combat can be incredibly difficult and frustrating at times. A retry screen with the words 'DEAD' will plater your screen hundreds of times, especially if you choose to play on a harder difficulty. The cutscenes are also long and there is a lot of them. Didn't bother me, but if you are one of those players who doesn't care much for story in a videogame I would definitely pass on this one. Overall Max Payne 3 is a beautiful and rewarding game that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Rockstar games and is looking for a challenge.… Expand

Beautiful visuals, intense gameplay, good use of Max's old fashioned Bullet-Time, and an awesome multiplayer. Yes the story is linear, DUH. It's not an open world game or RPG, not all games are giving into the genre, and Max Payne is sticking to it's drama cutscene filled, intense firefights and twists in the plot to make it the great game it is. The multiplayer is ambitious and something new out of not just the 3rd person shooters but shooter multiplayers altogether. Using bullet time and other perks like Paranoia are awesome ways to lose track of time while dual wielding Uzis and wiping out an opposing gang.… Expand

Being a fan of both the Max Payne franchise and Rock Star Games I was excited to see these two come together. However, after playing the game I am very disappointed with the final product. Game play is extremely linear and interrupted by cut scene after cut scene. The game play does not have the Max Payne feel to it, and some how Bullet Time has become boring. I made the decision to purchase this game based on all the reviews I read on this site and now regret it. This is my first review and also the first Max Payne/Rock Star title that i will not play through to the finish. Its just too boring. I give it a 4 for the voice acting and the graphics.… Expand

Having never been a huge fan of the MP franchise, I bought this one as more of a time filler than anything else. This, so far, is one of the best titles of the year. Graphically the game is very good, with the searing heat of Sao Paulo brilliantly conveyed. The presentation is what we've come to expect from Rockstar, but this time they've really outdone themselves, the game has a very gritty grind house feel which I personally think suits the dark nature of the story and is a great refreshing change. Maybe a word of warning though, this game is very, very violent - the effects are graphic but done so much better than anything I have seen before. Sound design is spot on and the gameplay is great fun, cover mechanics and bullet time make this game a hoot. There is a lot of fun to be had out with the single player with some great variations on the campaign. Special mention to multiplayer though, it is brilliant, loads of game modes and really good pacing make this a very very enjoyable title!… Expand

Great game. Pure fun. The acting is good, the graphics are good, and the sound is great. Haven't played much multiplayer because i don't like interacting with the little foul mouth 10 year old that populate the land of Xbox live but the little bit I did play was pretty fun. The only downside is the long unskippable cutscenes. There great the fist time around but on your second or third play through it gets very annoying. Still a way better game then I expected.… Expand

What a disappointment, I was really looking forward to this game but it wasn't as good as I expected. Don't get me wrong is not a bad game, but its just as good as "reviewers" make it to be. First of all its incredibly frustrating, the check points doesn't make sense, they are either to far apart or even too close to each other. Worst of all at one point I finished a chapter and began the other one, so I turn off the game and when I turn it on again I didn't started in the chapter that I started, It started in the last checkpoint of the last chapter, because as turns out the unskipable and long cut scenes don't count as a checkpoint so you have to wait till the scene is over and you start playing till you the new chapter officially began, even tough that at the beginning of the cut scene its says that you started a new Chapter. Secondly somethings just doesn't make sense in the game, like for a example at 1 time Max put a "home made" silencer in a gun, but that was just pointless because no matter what you do you are gonna face 2 guys and even if you use bullet time and kill them both with the silencer the other guys will magically hear it and go after you. Other thing that don"t make sense it's that when you are with your partner he tells you that he is gonna "cover you" but he only do for a couple of shots then he does nothing, even tough that he is gonna act like he still is covering you. Last but not least is the AI, Im all for smart AI but the AI is so smart to the point of being ridiculous, they never miss and they use cover way better than you, plus sometimes there are almost a dozen of them at the same time and when you are trying to kill the ones in front of you some of them will sneak beside you and shot you. I cant believe that this game got so many positive reviews and just a few "mixed ones" but on my opinion this game its only just average and a rental only.… Expand

A rail shooter written by a child with a knack for the hackneyed. I wondered how Rockstar was going to fudge this up and now I know. Horrible narration by a whiney Max Payne in a setting that doesn't make sense, we find ourselves surrounded by characters cast in a such a bad light that they are utterly unlikable.

Then there is the game engine. if I die I quickly restart and replay the same segment over. I leap through the air using bullet time to take out my enemies and to show how innovative it is I fall asleep before I hit the floor.

Then there is a cutscene where Max Payne searches for a complaint while the camera flahses strange colors like I spilled water on my PC. Now a **** viewfinder over a boring environment. Why are we here. Who are these people. Who cares. I don't.… Expand

One of the worst shooters I've played in a while, but let me break it down:

The good: The story has some interesting twists and turns, and creates a nice setting for Max to develop as a character. Also the game as a whole is relatively polished and the graphics are decent.

The bad: Everything else. I enjoy the comic noir thing, and loved the first two games, but Max just whines throughout the whole game. He spend the entire game pitying himself and killing people. He doesn't progress, he just whines and whines and whines and goes on about how things couldn't get any worse but they will anyways. Terrible character writing for Max, not to mention the helpless women who scream after every gunshot no matter how many they hear. Most importantly, though, the gunplay is terrible. Bullet time works, technically, but you're not given enough, and bullets travel slower than people move. The time from when you fire to when the bullet hits the enemy is enough time for them to jerk enough to turn a headshot into a near-zero-damage shoulder graze and the enemies react inhumanely quick.

The "level design" looks nice, but scene after scene after scene you're thrown into a bunch of enemies, which should be fun, but time after time you're given no cover, or insufficient cover, and left to deplete your bullet time while getting hit anyways. Nearly every bit of cover you get you'll get hit around, which makes careful play pointless and virtually as functional as charging in with no care whatsoever. Random headshots kill you, and the longer you try and actually play carefully the more likely someone is to score one on you. Enemies fire accurately through tons of environmental obstacles you can barely see them through, and ALL of your progress is entirely linear giving you no freedom in approach. This game succeeds at little aside from having a solid budget.… Expand

This game is 80% cutscenes, 10% will to play, and 10% gameplay, and 100% crap story.
This game was the fall of rockstar. Graphics don't make a game, stick the gameplay.

Straight up amazing. As a fan of the original two games which I still have and played in the weeks before the release of 3 I can honestly say this game blows me away. The visuals are fantastic as is just about everything else from the narrative to the controls. You are quite literally the death dealer personified thanks to the fantastic bullet time Rockstar has implemented in this iteration of the series. The cut scenes are gorgeous and done with fantastic visual effects that depict Max's internal struggle with his addiction and demons from the past. Everything is just over the top. I honestly was not expecting much from the multiplayer in this game as I bought it for the story and single player campaign but again Rockstar has delivered the goods in a big way. The maps are great, although they could use a few more but it's early still. There are tons of customization options for your characters and weapons. They also have a great perk system based on adrenaline from kills that has 3 levels of effect for each perk. All of the options combine to allow you to create fantastic load outs for your character. If you are a long time fan of Max or even if you have never played the series before MP3 is a MUST have for any gamer.… Expand

Max Payne 3 is a great game and contains loads of fun. The singleplayer story is well written and voice acted, again Rockstar games raises the bar for what I think is a good 3rd person shooter. The gameplay is really fun and the realistic guns add a lot to the game. As I said before the story is awesome, Rockstar proves that you can have a gritty noir game in a city that is foreign. To add to the overall package the multiplayer is also very fun and will keep you playing for lots of hours to unlock guns. Max Payne 3 is one of the best games this year and if you miss out on it your going to regret it.… Expand

This game is amazing, you should buy it. Best TPS of all time IMO. If you are a fan of the Max Payne games then you shoud definetely pick this up. Mutliplayer is stellar too.

I beat the original Max Payne when I was in high school and have been a long time fan for many years. I just finished Max Payne 3 and it's amazing. Everything is good about the game but the story is the best part, you really feel like you are Max and you're making a stand. Buy this game, you won't regret it!

Best shooter of the year?
Another Excellent game from Rockstar, only that this time it feels more like a movie. GAMEPLAY:
This is what every TPS should take as an example. The twist here, that sets this game apart from other, is the bullettime. whenever a fight gets too tight you can trigger it, the time slows down and you shoot as many heads as you can. Kill-cams help the movish experience of the game. The level design is also great, and make most fights feel different from one another, letting the game not become too repetitive. I am almost done with the game, and I am still happy whenever my shoot-dodge(trigger bullettime while jumping, really cool, might be ineffective) is successful. The difficulty was a little hard on me, however, I did played it on hard so I guess it's my fault. What pisses me off about it is some insane difficulty spikes that took me about 20 times to get through. But I liked what they did with it, which is giving me more ammo and painkillers(Can also be called an extra life) after you die a couple of times. Near perfect.

STORY:
The story itself is... Pretty generic action movie story. A big conspiracy, with betrayals, corruption, and dead people.
However,where the story really shines is in the writing, written from future Max's point of view, being both bitter-funny and badass. I enjoyed what he said most of the times, although it does get somewhat cheesy after a while. Some characters are pretty annoying, which kinda make you hope they will die.

Generic, yet fun.

MULTIPLAYER:
Maybe I didn't played with it enough, but take a word from a single-player guy: the MP is great.a great variety of mods and awesome maps that make sure that no one camps too long -a problem that many TPS suffers from- while rewarding flanking. Here the bullettime mechanic changed, and instead of just slowing time down it can reward you with a couple of different bonuses, like bonus health and bigger guns. Character progression and customization is as well as most games. Great multiplayer, provides a lot of gameplay time. GRAPHICS:
It may not be BattleField 3, but the graphics are excellent. Colorful, detailed environment and people, and a realistic design make sure you will enjoy the game. Seeing the bloody wounds on your enemy's head in slow-mo is also great.

Not a single bad thing about them.

SOUND:
Great soundtrack, both the drums during the action scenes and the music outside of it is great. The voice-acting is terrific, with Max's actor in the lead. REPLAYABILITY:
Despite its average-lengthed campaign, it does provide a lot of hours with its great multiplayer and arcade modes (I didn't played them much but they do seem fun), collectibles (some of which helps you action wise) and achievements that make you want to play it again.

Worth your money. Definitely.

TECHNICAL ISSUES:
I ran to almost no bugs and glitches, except a few minor ones.


REAL SCORE: 9.25… Expand

Gripping action and awesome bullet time mechanics! Max Payne 3 is a lot of fun. Granted the story is not very long and you can plow through it in a day or so. But I plan on playing through it again and again because the action is damn fun! The game is fantastically cinematic and the story is pretty well written too even though Max's life takes turns for the worst repeatedly. I really recommend you check this out and a side note, the multiplayer is pretty fun as well!… Expand

DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!, Rockstar really needs to get it together because i have not been satisfied with anything they have made( sans ballad of gay tony dlc) since they put out GTA San Andreas. Every title since then has been hyped up garbage hidden by beautiful graphics. In this game their are Cutscenes everywhere, it wouldnt have bothered me if the gamplay wasnt repetitive, but it is so yea. And the story really isnt that engaging sense majority of the time you will be watching cutscenes.There really arent that many weapons either , and finding the golden parts to them really doesnt change anything but their appearance. This game also is kind of like yet another call of duty clone. Last time i checked Max Payne didnt need cover, but ole well. I will say it was a good effort to make Max Payne relevent again, but the wait definitly wasnt worth it.… Expand

The first two games nailed: the drama, noir aspect, the traumatized protagonist, bullet time mechanic and just the overall feel of the game was spot-on. Going into Max Payne 3 I knew the setting had changed and that Max was starting out a new life in Sao Paulo. The first few moments shows us that he still had his painkiller and drinking addictions and still suffered for the death of his wife and child, so it wasn't all sunshines and flowers. Fast forwarding he is working as a bodyguard for a rich family. The plot is pretty simple in scope but thanks to the impressive writing and voice acting it all takes a new depth not found in other stories. Max delivers his story in monologue that are heard during the game. He shows wisdom and delivers his lines with a lot of impact. Gameplay is another solid point, shooting feels accurate and powerful. The bullet time mechanic is well implemented and is put to great use, though sometimes using the shootdodge may leave you vulnerable on the ground for a few seconds. The gameplay feel really like the Max Paynes of the past. Thought the game presents a challenge and you'll die a lot if you don't use the new cover system. Walls crumble and glass breaks, the destructible enviroments help you feel the chaos that involves a real shootout and after you have finished one you can take a moment to grasp your work. Sound is a very important factor and Rockstar gets it right gunfires have a crunch to them and the slow motion ''wooshes'' sound awesome, plus the soundtrack by HEALTH is brilliant and fits very well. Rockstar is known for making incredible graphics, and Max Payne doesn't disappoint, the game is filtered through various effect that may be a little distracting for some players but the overall detail edge to each enviroment is impressive. Everything looks pretty and realistic. Overall Max Payne 3 is a solid game, it goes back to the old days of non-regenerating health, and features a stellar story with lots of interesting characters and plot twists, the graphics lend it a real life feel and the sound desing and soundtrack help you inmerse in this world. Oh and the multiplayer is great fun. I definately recommend the game to fans and non fans of Max.… Expand

Campaign is nice, im 4 hours into it and its good, but the multiplayer is fantastic, i should give this game a 10 because of the trolls giving it a 4 or less but whatever, if you like third person shooters and online shooters this is a must buy, i dont give 2 **** what everybody else says this game is a solid 9 and that the end of it.

After a bit this playing the same Rockstar game over and over gets old. Grand Theft: Auto, Horse, Facial Expressions and Slow Motion. They are making the same product over and over. Trivial story, amazing polish but it is like polishing a turd, and the now famous "awesome multiplayer" (gaming media uses this when they want to say the game is crap and it is hard to evaluate what one person's take on multiplayer is to the next) that will entertain for two weeks max. Pass. Wait for games, not products.… Expand

Very average game. Outstays its welcome by chapter 10 even though it's short which tells you that gameplay gets boring quick. A couple of good chapters tho. Definitely not a keeper.

Rockstar has done it again! Max Payne 3 is just another great game that Rockstar has developed! The gameplay is very smooth, and transactions from gameplay to cutscene or cutscene to gameplay is very well done as it is the smoothest that I have ever played. I did not play any of the earlier Max Paynes so I was a little bit worried that I would be lost in the story. Thankfully this wasn't the case I was able to pick the game up and play, as well as know what was going on. The multiplayer is extreamly addicting and fun to play. With so many different modes like, Gang Wars, Team Deathmatch, and just plain old deathmatch (free for all) THE VERDICT: Max Payne 3 is a great game and I suggest that everyone go out and buy it. The game is even better with friends. Nothing like kicking back with a couple of buddies and playing some Gang wars (which will give you alot of cash, and XP! Stay thirsty gamers… Expand

this game is addictive and lots of fun. I enjoyed the story(although some might find it a bit predictable), the combat is also great(although, I would have liked to be able to carry a few more weapons, and at least 1 or 2 explosives). The only problem I had with it is that I couldn't put it down and now I am finished with the game (only 4 days after I got it). Though, I can see me playing it again sometime in the future.… Expand

the best narrative and voice-acting I've experienced in the last 2 years in a videogame, Caffrey's voice and narration will doubtlessly shock you. The soundtrack is pretty nice and electronic. The controllers are a bit awkward but yeah