Max Payne 3 (360, PS3, PC) Preview
Posted by John De Large on 10.20.2011
The highly-anticipated Max Payne 3 hits consoles and the PC this coming March! But how is it looking so far? 411's John De Large checks in with his first-look preview of the game!
While at this years New York Comic Con, I stopped by Rockstar to witness a gameplay demonstration for Max Payne 3. Max Payne 3 (or the demo, at least) starts off in Max's crappy studio apartment in dark dreary Hoboken. After the events of Max Payne 2, Max is down on his luck and drowning his sorrows before he's interrupted by his friend Raul who suggests working in Brazil. Max is then further interrupted by Anthony DeMarco, a mob boss looking to avenge his son's death at Max's hands. Max fights his way out of the building with some help from a series staple, Bullet Time (TM) and a hobo with a shotgun that "baptizes," a few mobsters with fire (see also: the hobo detonates a bomb that he's been wearing in a crowded hallway).
Later, Max finds himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil looking like Walter White (sans hair, but with a beard). With Raul's girlfriend Giovanna in tow, he must defend her from a local militant faction that wants them both dead. While the bright sunny landscape and vibrant colors seem like an odd choice of scenery for Max, the bullets whizzing past and the bullet time will have players feeling like things are just right. The best part of the whole Sao Paulo level though, was easily jumping onto a warehouse crane and watching Max spray the insurgents with a hail of gunfire as he descended to the ground -- all of it in Bullet Time, no less!
Speaking of Bullet Time, it's been upgraded since Max Payne 2! Players who use Bullet Time will notice more realistic movements when diving through the air or moving in slow motion, thanks to Natural Motion's Euphoria character behavior system (try saying THAT three times fast). Also, players who are lucky enough to have a painkiller on hand, but not lucky enough to use it before they die get to catch a break. Those that would otherwise be killed will automatically have Bullet Time activated for them and they'll even get a little health to go with it.
As for other new tweaks and twists, Max can only hold three weapons at a time now. He can wield two single-handed firearms that can be dual-wielded and one two-handed weapon like an assault rifle or a sawed off shotgun. On the upside, players can see everything that Max carries, all weapons will appear visible on Max -- even during cutscenes. Max Payne games usually don't encourage running and ducking, but Max Payne 3 is the first Max Payne game to offer a cover mechanic, which is a completely optional feature. Gung-ho players can still stick to their run-and-gun style, relying on Bullet Time to take down everything in their way.
And the last twist? Well, it's also another first for the Max Payne franchise. Max Payne 3 will feature a full multiplayer mode that will perfectly complement the single player story mode. It was just announced and I saw nothing of it at Comic Con, so I have nothing to report on it yet, but stay tuned and we'll let you know what as we see and hear more about it.
So there you have it, Max Payne 3, available this March for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC! Stay tuned for more on multiplayer mode!
