author: Krzysiek Kalwasinski
500 Hours and 10 Years - Max Payne 3 is One of the Games of My Life
It's been 10 years since Max Payne 3 was released. And despite the passing of a decade, this game remains the best third-person shooter.
Whenever I talk about shooting games, I always think of not only the third Max Payne, but also the other two installments of the series as benchmarks. The first part was a real breakthrough, and the second one went a long way to improve the delicious formula. Both games breathed some fresh air into the genre and offered a more serious approach to shooters. It was a new quality not only in terms of gunplay itself, but also the approach to narration. These games proved that the story in seemingly brainless shooters can be more than just an excuse for another gunfight. The story of the fallen cop was not only dramatic, but also incredibly personal. And it worked. It's not difficult to empathize with these stories, to feel excruciating sadness and at the same time rage which was quite empowering in this case. Max Payne could shoot and dodge bullets. Like nobody one else in the business of shooting virtual characters.
"I'd been stuck in the past so long I'd forgotten what year it was."
Despite so many years, it's difficult to find similar games nowadays. The first installments of Max Payne are unique, which makes the prospect of receiving them in a thoroughly remastered version all the more exciting. Should the developers decide to emphasize the serious tones, following the success of part three, these games could incredibly benefit from it. And additionally, they will improve and modernize the gameplay even more. Just to make sure that today's audiences can swallow it. But I already wrote about that.
There's also the question of Max Payne 3. A game that was so much ahead of its time, yet at the same time firmly rooted in the old school. A bit like the very protagonist, who never managed to get over his crushing misfortune, and succumbed to depression and alcoholism as a result. Lost and left completely on his own, he unsuccessfully tried to start a new life. But, after all, "The past is a puzzle, like a broken mirror." You can try to put it back together, but we'll just get hurt.
That's what this game is about. About the attempt to come to terms with the past; finding yourself a new tomorrow. This is why he still has to take the painkillers – there's no point hoping it will just go away like that. This is why we see Max in a whole new environment – except when his memories come back to the not-so-distant past. When he gets drunk senseless, blaming himself for everything he couldn't do. That's why he's lost.
"There's two types of people: those who spend their lives trying to build a future and those who spend their lives trying to rebuild the past."
Max Payne had to change and start moving forward – just like the game he's the protagonist of. However, this doesn't mean that the past hasn't followed him. Max can see it every time he glances back. The past smiles maliciously back at him each time he fails to mend his mistakes. And it becomes a viscous circle. And here we are dealing again with a serious, weighty story, often touching on stuff like human trafficking and such.
And so the only thing that Max has left are his instincts – which mainly boil down to shooting to kill and staying alive. Alcoholism and depression didn't change that. The game practically screams it out loud. No other shooter gives a similar feel of the bullets being real, physical objects that damage and break through surfaces, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.
This is one of the reasons why the gameplay in the third Max is so delicious. The fire exchanges are simply wonderful. Every minute oft this game's action is taken out of the best action movie – provided, of course, that we know how to play it. The thing about this combat system is that the protagonist can die pretty quickly. Yes, Max Payne 3 is a very demanding game and you don't even need to play it on higher difficulty levels to find out.
Although it offers, for example, a significant aim assist, we still have to be careful about everything we do and how we approach subsequent fights. What makes it particularly challenging is the polished AI, which doesn't really let you stay behind cover. Enemies try to surround us, or smoke us out if that's impossible. So,we must keep our wits about and be pretty skillful about moving, choosing targets, and aiming. That seems like something that's not very common in games today. At least when it comes to the AAAs.
"Saying goodbye is painful."
It should be noted that Max Payne 3 is an extremely polished game in all technical technical respects. The blood of killed opponents spills differently on different surfaces. Max's sweat starts showing on his shirt and then gradually fades away. The same thing happens with a rain-soaked garment. Even the animation of clothes, which wrinkle with each movement, makes quite an impression. On top of all that, the protagonist changes during one mission – for example, the bandage he's wearing in chapter five becomes increasingly loosened along with the progress. This attention to detail rivals even the newest games from the same price range.
There are, of course, some glitches – such as with hitboxses (a problem of many third-person shooters). Max sometimes aims his gun upwards instead of reaching out over the cover in front of him. But I've spent nearly 500 hours with this game, and any inconveniences like that appeared rather seldom. Most of them can be quickly resolved, and thus don't spoil the fun.
I've also noticed enemies dodging the bullets in panic, leaping to the sides trying to escape death. But then they can also be taken down with a single shot to the torso, and, for example, fall from the stairs as the result, which doesn't happen in games often. If you shoot someone in the stomach, they will bleed out after a while. There was also extensive destruction of the environment, which makes subsequent clashes even more thrilling. Sometimes, I wish this game was released later, because with today's hardware capabilities, it could have been an absolute smash hit.
Max Payne 3 has provided me with many unforgettable moments, and it continues to deliver, to this day. I come back to this game every now and then, and each time I find myself feeling a kind of euphoria from the very first minutes. Max's introduction narrated over the game's cello theme is one of gaming's finest moments. Which brings me to the question of writing, which is another spot-on element of the production. Almost everything the protagonist says is memorable.
It's a pity that Max Payne 3 did not meet the financial expectations. This was not necessarily due to poor sales, but rather the fact that it was the most expensive video game if the time. And you can really see that. I simultaneously regret and am glad that this was the last installment of this series. On the one hand, it was an apt time to bid our farewells (Max deserves a rest), but on the other hand, it's hard to get enough of these games. There are few games of equally high quality out there, with such refined details and are so respectful to the player as recipient.
