Revisiting Max Payne 3

Dane went back to slow-mo.

- Dane Townsend

Max Payne 3, like many pieces of art on the latter end of a trilogy, is a divisive game. Whilst well received by critics and third person shooter players as a whole, many long time fans of the series were unhappy with the new direction that Rockstar took the titular character. Some felt the story was off-kilter and overly depressive when compared to the original Max Payne and its slightly tongue in cheek but still incredibly competent storyline. Others were displeased with the added cover based mechanics and more sluggish gameplay.

I personally came into the series as a whole during the summer of 2019, playing them all within the span of a month. As a result, the first two Max Payne games were very fresh in my mind going into the third installment. In addition, the narrative and characters in the original duology had a lasting impact on me and even my own writing. Even before playing Max Payne 3, I’d have gone as far as to name Max Payne as one of the best shooters I’d gotten my hands on to boot.

Needless to say I had high expectations for the finale of Max’s journey. This time in the backdrop of urban Brazil, a heavy contrast to the Bogart flick inspired streets of New York seen in his roots. Despite the many, many changes made to the regular formula that I’d already been able to observe from videos and trailers, I wasn’t deterred. If Rockstar had tried to emulate Remedy’s unique writing style, I don’t imagine Max Payne 3 would have lived up to its legacy. Sam Lake is a very distinct writer, and Dan Houser of Rockstar is similar in this regard. It would have been a waste of the latter’s talents to try and wholesale copy what Remedy did with Max’s character in the first place, at least in my opinion.