Charts Genres Community
Charts Genres Community Settings
Login

Max Payne 3

Developer / Publisher: Rockstar Games
29 May 2012
Max Payne 3 - cover art
Glitchwave rating
3.67 / 5.0
0.5
5.0
 
 
1,194 Ratings / 2 Reviews
#728 All-time
#22 for 2012
Nine years after Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, Max Payne takes an offer from a man named Raul Passos and leaves behind his life in Hoboken, New Jersey, and becomes a private security contractor in South America. He is hired to protect the Brancos, a wealthy and influential family in the region. But Max gets more than he bargains for when he becomes entangled in a grand government conspiracy.
There was an error saving your submission.
Rate / catalog Rate / catalog another release
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
2012 Rockstar Take-Two  
2xDVD
XNA 7 10425 39608 3
2012 Rockstar  
Blu-ray
XNA 7 10425 37606 1
2012 Rockstar  
4xDVD
XNA
Show all 4 releases
2012 Rockstar  
Download
Write review
Title
A change in developers makes for an extreme change in priority. Max Payne 3 is so divorced from the last two that, honestly, it barely even works. The biting nu-noir aesthetic is swapped out for the Houser monologue ad nausem, with so many recursive and ironic takes on everyone around Max without the proper dissection of his own character, and a shooting system that can't decide whether it wants to maintain the Matrix-isms of old or go right into the cover shooting era. Amazing presentation carries it all, but I remember feeling so burned by the end.

EDIT: The shooting works better than I remember but my opinion of the story remains mostly unchanged. God, is this a Houser brothers script, and while it pokes at biting commentary of capitalism and colonial exploitation, it just feels exploitative in its own right, going around in a foreign country shooting people of colour in a manner that portrays Brazil as a backwater shithole. It's not Resi 5 bad but it's pretty close. Shooting is fun and dynamic but also gets a bit repetitive. I dunno, it feels like an even lower rent Kane & Lynch with Max's monologue style awkwardly shoved on top.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Lowlander2 2023-03-05T12:55:22Z
2023-03-05T12:55:22Z
3.0
2
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
commentary
en
Expand review Hide
Title
Already One of Rockstar's Weakest Modern-Era Titles, Max Payne 3 Hasn't Aged Well
Max Payne 3 is a game I have mixed feelings about. When I first played it as a teenager, I remember enjoying it, mainly for its intriguing story. Upon revisiting it today, however, I have to say that I was disappointed. In my view, this is a pretty much textbook example of the kind of mainstream teenies narrative shooter that really hasn't aged well.

When compared to what Rockstar have proved themselves to be capable of, both prior to Max Payne 3 and since, the execution here feels thin, with all of the less flattering tendencies of their in-house writing style (the facetiousness, for example, or the tendency towards bad taste vulgarity and caricature in the presentation of people and places, or the occasional whiff of sexism) and not enough of the care, seriousness of intent, and complexity that's become the hallmark of their most exceptional mature works. The narrative has a certain amount of ambition, touching as it does on the relationships between institutional corruption and weak governance, entrenched class division and poverty, and crime in modern day Brazil. Even with that said, though, I can definitely see why some would accuse the game's presentation of Sao Paulo of having a certain 'white gaziness' to it. From start to finish, Brazil comes off looking like an irredeemable barbarous shithole, and the character from whose perspective the story is told (i.e. Max Payne) is both white and very much a disparaging onlooker. The amount of wanton, indiscriminate violence Max himself engages in also undermines any moral point the game's story might be trying to make. And, finally, there's just a general lack of subtlety and restraint that pervades the whole production - take the overuse of visual effects in every cutscene, for example, or the rushed pacing and bombast of the direction and plotting.

The biggest problem for me, however, is the way the superficially more serious narrative tone robs this instalment of the playful, parodic qualities that made the first two Max Payne games work so well. In some ways, Max Payne 3 feels less like a true Max Payne title than just a Hauser brothers script with a Max Payne skin, and without Remedy's tongue-in-cheek vision, the dissonance between the linear, arcade-y third-person shooter game design and fictional elements is much more difficult to excuse. In my view, the first two Max Payne games just about managed to function well as works of fiction due to the way the gritty, John Woo influenced gun fights and (in the second game in particular) immersive level design blended seamlessly with the tone of the narrative. But here, the inherent limitations of the narrative shooter genre are on much more stark display, which leaves the experience as a whole feeling dated. There are far too many minor cutscenes breaking up the gameplay, for example, which only emphasises the feeling of disconnect between the game itself and the story, and, by the end, all of the levels just blur into one endless linear shooting gallery without any real attempt at variation or immersive story-telling. Even the combat doesn't feel as good, nor as stylish, as in the originals.

To be honest, I'm struggling to find much to compliment here, beyond the fact that it's well made, isn't outright awful in any particular respect, and has some interesting (albeit not fully realised) ideas. Overall, this is one best left for the archives, I think.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Mysteron5 2023-11-18T21:46:28Z
2023-11-18T21:46:28Z
2.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide
Title
the physics system is so fucking cool, the small little details like holding your backup gun in your other hand (cause how would you put it on your back without a sling anyways?)

the gunplay feels fucking fantastic, the cover system is ok, the biggest gripe is UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENES, so i'll probably never play through it again. but the story is actually entertaining, the first time you watch the cutscenes theyre fun, but like I said. GUNPLAY. the map design is decent-good too.

8/10
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
darkrecollections 2020-09-03T20:40:01Z
2020-09-03T20:40:01Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide
Title
Less talking, more shooting
There is so much potential in this one, but it was handled really poorly.

What the game does right is its shooting mechanics. It plays like one of the best controlling third person shooters out there, and the slow motion mechanic is just the cherry on top of the cake. Enemies react in a very gory and satisfactory manner to your gunshots, and they are fun to fight against due to the strong AI and high damage. The shooting is dynamic enough by making the player stick to cover but using slow motion to fly through the air. Its intense, stylish, and a lot of fun.

Unfortunatly, this fun is interspersed with some of the most intrusive and annoying cutscenes i have ever seen. Its to the point that the game will take control away from the player every hallway. And these are unskippable, greatly decreasing the replayability of the title. Not to mention that Max's self loathing and weird visual effects in them make them grating before long.

Max Payne 3 offers great gameplay, but is unfortunatly dragged down due to its insipid and dull story and intrusive cutscenes.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Threntall 2016-11-27T01:06:14Z
2016-11-27T01:06:14Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide
Title
One of the best 3rd person shooters of recent memory that happens to be constantly derailed by interminably long, boring and annoying (that strobe effect) cutscenes.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
she_esh 2016-04-03T08:51:59Z
2016-04-03T08:51:59Z
3.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide

Catalog

Relinquish Max Payne 3 2024-03-28T16:09:22Z
2024-03-28T16:09:22Z
2.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Obywatel Max Payne 3 2024-03-28T15:48:40Z
2024-03-28T15:48:40Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
OffModel Max Payne 3 2024-03-26T16:54:41Z
2024-03-26T16:54:41Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
kikiMaxx Max Payne 3 2024-03-22T09:31:39Z
2024-03-22T09:31:39Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
bebe12345 Max Payne 3 2024-03-20T11:52:24Z
2024-03-20T11:52:24Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
grandayy Max Payne 3 2024-03-16T17:48:11Z
2024-03-16T17:48:11Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Joey0 Max Payne 3 2024-03-14T08:40:29Z
2024-03-14T08:40:29Z
2.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
eliottstaten Max Payne 3 2024-03-14T00:48:02Z
2024-03-14T00:48:02Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Sam360r Max Payne 3 2024-03-13T20:47:29Z
2024-03-13T20:47:29Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
bewater Max Payne 3 2024-03-12T01:09:22Z
2024-03-12T01:09:22Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
itspizzateim Max Payne 3 2024-03-11T03:31:05Z
2024-03-11T03:31:05Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
vosklitsatelny Max Payne 3 2024-03-09T13:20:59Z
2024-03-09T13:20:59Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Content rating
ESRB: M
Player modes
1-16 players
Media
4x DVD
Multiplayer modes
Deathmatch / FFA, Team play
Multiplayer options
Online
Franchises

Comments

Rules for comments
  • Be respectful! All the community rules apply here.
  • Keep your comments focused on the game. Don't post randomness/off-topic comments. Jokes are fine, but don't post tactless/inappropriate ones.
  • Don't get in arguments with people here, or start long discussions. Use the boards for extended discussion.
  • Don't use this space to complain about the average rating, chart position, genre voting, others' reviews or ratings, or errors on the page.
  • Don't comment just to troll/provoke. Likewise, don't respond to trollish comments; just report them and ignore them.
  • Any spoilers should be placed in spoiler tags as such: [spoiler](spoiler goes here)[/spoiler]
Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.
  • Previous comments (38) Loading...
  • possayy 2023-12-15 09:40:42.233103+00
    peak action gameplay but holy shit is the story a slog. it's trying way too hard to recapture the charm of the originals and fails pretty miserably, it mostly comes off as very pretentious. also why did they feel the need to mention max is an addict like every 4 seconds, whether you're collecting the pills or not
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • DungeonessSpit 2023-12-22 21:58:04.71711+00
    The dialogue is so dumb and cliched that it’s funny, that’s always been part of the game’s appeal to me
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • ... 2024-02-22 23:18:07.194676+00
    Removed by user
    This post was removed by the user.
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • ... 2024-03-03 09:59:57.506648+00
    Removed by user
    This post was removed by the user.
    • TheRealJimMorrison 2024-03-09 11:59:22.564514+00
      tf are you on about? xD
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • ... 2024-03-11 18:32:31.746603+00
    This game's aesthetics are literally pussified Kane & Lynch 2. From the video effects to the soundtrack, it seems like Rockstar saw that game and knew they couldn't be as anti-commercial, so they settled in on a safer, more generic and mild version of the style presented in Dog Days.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • More comments New comments (0) Loading...
Please login or sign up to comment.

Suggestions

ADVERTISEMENT
Examples
1980s-1996
23 mar 2015
8 apr - 12 may 2015
1998-05
Report
Download
Image 1 of 2