INDIA Exclusive: Max Payne 3 Preview

A decade ago, most of the good shooters were first-person, featuring unimaginative plots with stereotypical, one-dimensional characters. That’s when a little-known independent developer named Remedy Entertainment changed the complexion of the genre with Max Payne, blending thrilling gunplay, cinematic noir-styled presentation, and compelling characters. Ten years on, the third-person shooter genre that Remedy pioneered has evolved into a whole different beast, with franchises like Gears of War and Uncharted pushing it to new heights. So what better time than now for Rockstar Games, who published the first two games, to take it upon itself to raise the bar once again. This time, they’ve taken over development duties from Remedy as well for this iconic series’ long awaited return in Max Payne 3.

Fans were quite miffed by early screenshots of the game, which showed a bald-headed Max Payne sporting a wife-beater in an unfamiliar surrounding; a total 180 from the suit-clad, perpetually hung over NYPD detective in the dark, sombre setting of New York City. I had the opportunity to get a glimpse into what Max Payne 3 holds in store, and while not much has changed from those images or the trailer that followed, they don’t quite tell the entire story either.

Max sure loves diving

A large part of Max Payne 3 plays out in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Max now works in private security after leaving the NYPD, but my first look at the game was from an early level set in New York. While there’s no indication of how long after Max Payne 2 this game is set, Max did look a fair bit like his old self; untidy black suit, bottle in hand, full head of hair, et al. The level began with Max in his dingy, unkept apartment, drunk and wallowing in self pity. Here, the quality of writing and storytelling that is the hallmark of every Rockstar-developed game comes to the fore. A verbal exchange with an old acquaintance, although brief, exudes dry, sarcastic humour and reminds you once again of Max’s cynical, glass-half-empty outlook on life. It’s here that you realize that even in the unlikely event that Max Payne 3’s gameplay fails to bring the magic, Rockstar’s penchant for delivering gripping storylines filled with great characters definitely will.

Moments later, a firefight ensues and any doubts I had about the once revolutionary Bullet-time mechanic being outdated were quickly dispelled. With Rockstar’s own RAGE graphics engine and the Euphoria physics engine working in symphony, Bullet-time looks so good that it’s almost poetic. Max moves with eerie realism and every animation, from transitioning between cover to replacing an empty clip in his 9 mm, is silky smooth. Max stumbles over to the door as a bunch of mob goons take aim from the rooftop across the corridor outside his apartment. A shoot-dodge is initiated and Max lunges forward in slow-mo and turns sideways mid-air as enemies unleash a barrage of gunfire. In a great showcase of the game’s environment destruction, gunfire shatters glass and chips away wood from window panes as Max racks up headshots and dispatches his enemies in almost-effortless style. It’s all very John Woo, minus the flying doves.

Rocking a sweet Hawaiian shirt

That brings me to the many changes Rockstar has made to the combat in Max Payne 3; some to bring it in line with modern-day third-person shooter conventions, and others simply because they work well with the game. The first of these is the limit on the number of weapons Max can carry. These now only include two single-handed guns to be used individually or by dual-wielding, and one double-handed weapon. What’s really cool about this is that Max can be seen carrying all these weapons at all times; even in cutscenes. To add to the realism, choosing the option to dual-wield from the Read Dead Redemption-style weapon wheel will drop the double-handed weapon that he’s currently carrying, bringing a bit of risk and strategy into the weapon selection.