Why Max Payne 3 doesn’t feel like Max Payne

TechDeville: "Max Payne 3 is a game franchise that first originated in 2001 on the PC, back when it was the best platform for shooters. Remedy Entertainment developed the game, and what a game it was! It set a standard for all future third person shooters and introduced the bullet time mechanic, which has not been used in any other game franchise. It is solely the property of the developers and the franchise itself. This is what distinguishes Max Payne from all other third person shooter games.

Recently, the third installment in the series was released. A wonderful game, without a doubt, but quite different from the previous parts. Max Payne 3 feels different and plays different. It’s the same basic formula, but a new form of execution. Or rather, the wrong form of execution in this case.

Perhaps the changes in the franchise can be blamed on Rockstar Games, who have developed this new installment instead of Remedy Entertainment. Perhaps Rockstar failed to understand what a Max Payne game feels like. Because this didn’t feel like the same Max Payne at all."

[eZJrg6ur]

"Perhaps Rockstar failed to understand what a Max Payne game feels like. Because this didn’t feel like the same Max Payne at all."

THIS. The game was perfectly competent as a TPS, but it did NOT feel like a Max Payne game at all. It felt like another Rockstar 'gritty crime drama' game. Personally it made me utterly unable to enjoy the game.

[NYC_Gamer]

100% agree,R* just couldn't produce the true MP experience...MP3 feels like a solid shooter but nothing like the original MP games made by Remedy.

[Bimkoblerutso]

I still liked playing through it quite a bit, but I completely agree with you. The game lost almost ALL of it's identity.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Edit: Whoops, double post...somehow.

[StraightPath]

Having played all Max Paynes and recently 3. Max Payne 3 reminded me of the previous Max Paynes. Max Payne 3 perfectly made it feel like a Max Payne game with modern elements and rockstars award winning story telling and great characters with great voice acting.

It perfectly felt like a modern day Max Payne to me and how it should be. MP3 was a great and fun game and this is why this is a opinion piece and not fact.

the setting changed to detail environments and had some previous settings with old max payne. suddenly not max payne? and another poor reason of not understanding the language...so you go to a foriegn location everyone needs to know english? making them speak like that made the locations much more realistic.

the character clothing he went to a sun lit location obviously he would wear loose clothing who said he still has to wear a long coat like before? he doesnt need to wear same clothes in order to be max payne.

basically all these points are not very good at all.

[Bimkoblerutso]

No one is arguing contextual incongruities here, only that the context as a whole was not very noir-ish....like, at all.

The constant barrage of cutscenes, the editing, the lens effects, the pacing, the setting, the story, etc. etc. None of it played out like a Max Payne game at all. Sure, they wrote it into the story contextually and it does make SENSE, but that doesn't mean that it feels like a Max Payne game. It's very much a gritty action/crime setting in line with a lot of R*'s other games.

[mafiahajeri]

i personally loved ghe game and it did feel like max payne to me. His attitude his sarcastic remarks it all felt like a max pqyne game to me. The setting was great and different and i loved it. maxs story in new york has been told and i see no deason to go back there. now the thing is people love to nitpick about games when a new dev takes the helm. Also ive noticed a rapidly growing trend of old games that have got sequels this gen being berated this gen for not being like the old games. They dismiss the gane because its not a %100 like the original just because they think they now what the game is supposed to be. Devs are better off not listening to these "hardcore" fans or all games would be exactly the same, but dont worry they wont because they only amount to less then 15% of the gameing community...

[Knight_Crawler]

Have to agree...Its felt diffrent in a bad way but I expected that since Remedy was not the developer - its like Sony giving Uncharted to Media Molecules just would not feel the same.

IF anyhting Alan Wake felt more like Max Payne.

[unchartedxplorer]

I never played any MP games besides MP3 but I do agree that max's look was just aweful. I also preferred the missions back in new jersey than in sao paulo.

[JellyJelly]

"max's look was just aweful."

There's an option to play it with a classic Max Payne skin.

[unchartedxplorer]

Really? How? Does it effect the cutscenes? And is there something that gets rid of that aweful flashing at the cutscenes?

[Crazyglues]

well the multi-player is broke, and I mean Broke, because it's a lagfest, it's awful..

What could have been an awesome multi-player is suffering from all types of problems, and serious lag.. I mean there is lag on everything once you play with someone lagging your whole game is messed up, which is really sad.

I thought a big company like Rockstar would be on top of this and fix the problems.. boy was I wrong..

It seems the bigger these games get the worst the support for the game becomes.. Maybe the code for these games is just too long - whatever the problem is it's sad because these companies are killing their own sales..

I told every one I know just rent the game, don't bother buying it because the multi-player is broke and you will not enjoy it for more then a few days.. and replay value on this one is Lame, once your done your done.

It's hard to want to go back and do it again when it's the same thing every time... There was a lot that could have been done here to really add replay value but none of those things were done, so it's a one trick pony..

and sadly that get old really quick..

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[iGamerZERO]

I loved the single player story ! And I'm
Still playing the MP which I really really like ! Bullet time in MP works surprisingly well...

[MysticStrummer]

Developers must have a tough time. Gamers either complain about a series not changing over time, or they complain when it does change over time.

[roadkillers]

It was missing a jump button and the comic panel cutscenes. I don't remember how smart the AI was in the previous games, but they rarely ever miss a shot. Great story telling and realism, but has plenty of flaws.

[Fez]

Changing an environment and the hairstyle and clothes of a character is not enough to change the FEEL of a game. The core mechanics (gameplay, weapons, bullet time) are still there and the gritty story remains. 3 games with the same dark NY setting is imo too many. The series needed to move forward.

"He realized he was too drunk and needed to get serious. But tell me, what does that have to do with shaving your head off?" Clearly he wasn't thinking straight at this point in the game and impulsively shaved his head. What's the problem? And he was hardly fat, just a bit older and out of shape.

And unless you wanna retcon the series you can't have Mona. Hardly a negative anyway. Got a better backup character as replacement in my opinion anyway.

If this article was written about MP2 the writer could have made the points "Adding an unnecessary female protagonist - MP1 was all about you and Max Payne blah blah blah Mona was rubbish blah blah blah playing as a female isn't right for the series..." "Max isn't Max - The character design of Max has changed from 1 to 2 bring back original Max blah blah blah..."

Weak points all round. Max wasn't changed that much compared to 1 to 2 and the style and pacing of the games are the same.

[mafiahajeri]

agreed it felt like a max payne game also these same guys complaining would still complain regardless of ig being in brazil or anything else. theres no satisfying them...

[Gran Touring]

I definitely agree that MP3 bares little resemblance to the previous games in the series. I feel like it's the same situation we had with Crysis 1 and 2 (and subsequently 3) where the sequel seems so derivative, it feels like a reboot, or even a new IP altogether. However, with MP3 and unlike Crysis 2, the game is actually very good under its own accord. It takes the series in a completely different direction, but regardless, it's still a thoroughly entertaining experience.

[KING85]

I have to agree it felt a bit different than the previous entries in the installment, but that's not necessariy a bad thing. If they had made it similar to the previous entries some may have argued that there's been no progression. I enjoyed it, so I guess the ol proverb to each his own is applicable.
On a side note I would like to address the author's take on the characters speaking "Brazilian". The Brazilian language is called Portuguese and it's not gibberish as he would like us to think, just as English is not gibberish to someone who wouldn't understand. It's simply a language that some people may not understand. When you write an article be careful with the use of language because quite frankly the author came across as an uneducated and angry. Those two combinations do not bode well for any person.

[MeatAbstract]

I've played all the Max Payne games. Max Payne is still, to this day, one of my favourite games with a great atmosphere.

So I'll say that I loved Max Payne 3 despite the new style and setting. It's worth noting that Noir is a broad term and doesn't have to be a bleak, urban snowy setting to portray it.

I thought the gameplay was fluid and addictive and the story interesting. Max still remains a great, great character. It bothered when people got annoyed because he shaved his head and doesn't wear his leather jacket for most of the game. Well, Max's character goes beyond simple 'image'. He has depth.

So yes, I love them all and I dunno how many playthroughs I've done of MP3. Can't get enough.

[SithAzzazzin]

If you want the game to feel like No1,2 then go play 1&2. I loved both but after playing Np3 I booted up the other 2. While I had fun going through them they felt dated n old n as soon as I blasted through 2 I threw 3 back in. (Fat ps3). R* did made the right choice in moving away from New York. What's to differentiate it from the other 2? This story was about what happens to our heros. its not. always sunshine n butterflies. Like us they get older n move on. the people who complain about language if you went down there would you be able to understand. that same confusion is displayed in the game. Embrace the change or risk turning MP into another COD. if you like every installment the same go play COD n let Max's story evolve.