Max Payne 3

[Remus]

Unskippable cutscenes. Cutscenes that you can't exit the game from. **** you.
Oh yeah, and stop switching my weapon after a cutscene. I went to considerable lengths to get this AK47, and now I'm suddenly using a pistol instead. **** you again.

Definitely this. I also hate the extensive amount of flashing and double vision effects. It really started to make me feel uncomfortable after a while.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Since I did one playthrough, the unskippable cutscenes didn't bother me (bar this one moment when I had to watch one 3 times, cause the game crashed twice in the same spot) - probably will in playthrough 2. As for weapon switching - I found this annoying as well, but you make it sound as if you lost your AK47, when you can switch back to it.

The cutscenes do bother me, though. There's times when I want to quit the game to do something else. Now. But wait, I can't, because you can't actually get to the menu in a cutscene.

 

[Unfocused]

The cutscenes do bother me, though. There's times when I want to quit the game to do something else. Now. But wait, I can't, because you can't actually get to the menu in a cutscene.

I'd say "press ALT+F4", but then again I'm not sure when the game saves.

Today I replayed the first chapter and even though I started the second (got to a playable part), after I quit the game and restarted it a while later, I was taken back to the last part of chapter one. Not only that, but it didn't register that I picked up the second golden Beretta part so, since I wanted to have it, I had to play the whole (thankfully, short) first chapter again.

Yeah, there is some stuff that needs fixing.

 

[Laivasse]

Today I replayed the first chapter and even though I started the second (got to a playable part), after I quit the game and restarted it a while later, I was taken back to the last part of chapter one. Not only that, but it didn't register that I picked up the second golden Beretta part so, since I wanted to have it, I had to play the whole (thankfully, short) first chapter again.

Yeah, there is some stuff that needs fixing.

Sounds like the problem I was having with save games. Deleting my profile info from My Documents allowed me to start saving again, but if you've already completed a whole run through and built up a load of stats that might not be a good solution for you.

 

[Gargantou]

Max Payne 1 also had unskippable 3D cutscenes, but that wasn't a problem since there was barely any 3D cutscenes in that.

I know that because I just replayed it in one sitting today, good times. Going to be doing 2 tomorrow then 3 the day after that.

By the way, if anyone wants to play some multiplayer with me, my Rockstar Games Social Club username is Gargantou.

 

[sixteenth]

Maybe I'm just terrible? I die every 2 seconds in this game. I gave it up. It switches my weapons at random, drops guns at random, audio cuts out at random, etc. I wish I could return it.

 

[Remus]

Maybe I'm just terrible? I die every 2 seconds in this game.

No you're not. it's definitely challenging even on easy. I just had a ragequit after dying over a dozen times at the same spot. Granted it's near the end of the game, but holy shit.

The game can be fun, but it's almost like it's designed to piss you off and just generally make you feel uncomfortable.
Let's see what makes me rage in this game:
- enemies that don't have any body armor refusing to die unless you get a headshot. Example, guy with nothing but a tshirt and pants, and I empty an entire clip on him (30 rounds). The guy falls on the ground twice, eventually I manage to get a headshot and he dies in one hit... WTF
- Max constantly loosing his weapons in a cutscene.
- Max constantly switching to the worst possible weapon after a cutscene.
- The game switching camera angles at random. (I like to play with the camera over the right shoulder)
- Too many ****ing cutscenes, Jesus!
- As I mentioned earlier, annoying visual effects used way too often: double vision, flashes, glowing, etc. Especially in cutscenes.

I'll play till I finish it, but I doubt I'll ever touch it again.

 

[Laivasse]

Actually despite all the annoyances I'm still loving it. Chapter 13 was a massive bitch but the rage has not deterred me. In fact I'm voluntarily replaying bits even after dying on them a dozen times, in order to find alternative ways of winning shootouts. Had to drag myself away from Chapter 14 just now. My progress has totally slowed, but no matter how unforgiving it gets it's never as unfair as the first Max Payne.

Still, one thing I hate, and a large part of the reason I'm restarting checkpoints voluntarily, is the way the game babies you by giving you free pills if you die too often on a section. Gunfights are no fun if they're just a series of 'last man standing' scenes, fuelled by a never ending pill cabinet. I'd rather succeed properly ('Restart Checkpoint' restores you to the state you were in when it first autosaved). I'd rant over how elementary it should be to let us switch this off, but tbh that would be a waste of rage compared to the save games issue.

 

[sixteenth]

Also, wtf with the automatic dive when you're about to die? If anything it leaves you open to get hit by more bullets.

Speaking of bullets, with how bent this game is on ammunition, there actually isn't enough around to satisfy single player gameplay. I run out of ammo all the ****ing time.

EDIT: LOL. One of the "exit" responses (upon exiting the game) read: "I've invested too much in something I cannot return".

Absolutely perfect.

 

[Gargantou]

I am finding it very annoying the way the mouse movement is slowed down when you're throwing yourself and such.

In Max Payne 1 the mouse speed was constant no matter if crouching, tossing yourself or lying on floor (right before getting up.)

 

[Remus]

Finished it... and overall I am dissapointed with it.

Besides what I already said, what bothers me is the lack of charm, humor, surreal elements and great memorable characters.
Here it's just serious and depressing all the ****ing time. The atmosphere simply is not like the Max Payne I know and love at all.

Verdict: 7/10

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

I played the first 2 games about a month ago in preparation for this and I really can't understand why people are being so butthurt about how Max Payne 3 plays.

This is hl2.net Nicky, a place where people will lap up dog shit like anything Bethesda related, but hate anything that is actually good. I thought you'd known this by now.

Started a run on New York Minute Hardcore. Have to beat the game in one sitting without dying. God help me.

Also, for those annoyed by unskippable cutscenes, they're actually skippable. I don't know what key pc players have to hit, but I know it works for the ps3. Though the cutscene will just say "still loading..." until it gets to a point you can skip it in some cutscenes, while it's instantaneous almost in others.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Also, for those annoyed by unskippable cutscenes, they're actually skippable. I don't know what key pc players have to hit, but I know it works for the ps3. Though the cutscene will just say "still loading..." until it gets to a point you can skip it in some cutscenes, while it's instantaneous almost in others.

If you press Esc during a PC cutscene, it pauses the cutscene until you press Esc again. And my complaint was more that you can't get to the game menus during a cutscene, like if you want to quit.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Yeah. Same if you pause on ps3. The action is relegated to the button for rolling/sprint or reloading, so it may be the equivalent on pc. But yeah, no, I understand that complaint for sure. I don't see any reasoning behind it.

 

[Stormy]

Hitting Enter seems to skip cutscenes on the most part. Tho you still need to watch the big story ones.

 

[Laivasse]

Also, wtf with the automatic dive when you're about to die? If anything it leaves you open to get hit by more bullets.

It's not when you're about to die, it's what happens instead of death if you have painkillers left. The fact that it leaves you prone and vulnerable is deliberate, the idea being that you're supposed to have just barely survived that one shot. It's not supposed to be a shootdodge or assist you with movement.

 

[Stormy]

Really loving it

Would love a bit more humour but did see a captin baseball bat boy cartoon =D

 

[Laivasse]

So I finished it earlier and it's hard to know how to feel. The core gameplay is so enjoyable it's virtually impossible for this not to be my GOTY. All the same, some really moronic design decisions come close to screwing up the entire thing. The 'cinematic' flavour R* have gone for seems to boil down to inserting cutscenes every 30 seconds and removing the player's sense of authority over events. Also the story feels like it takes a nosedive in the final third, if only because it's obvious what direction it's going yet it takes ages to get there. Feels like very little plot and script being stretched over multiple environments and padded with countless cinematics.

There is waaaaaaay too much emphasis on shooting gallery type gameplay, either the on-rails-rollercoaster kind or stationary-from-cover. That one is really baffling... you have a beautiful animation engine, great gunplay and good looking destructible environments which are fun to bounce around in, so what do you do? Stick people in a place they can't move from and have them shoot clay pigeons. The nightclub level's on-rails escort shooting was fun. There was another on-rails shooty bit in the middle of the game which I found really thrilling. Beyond that, my tolerance was pretty much up and I really needed to be allowed to play with freedom as much as possible. Even when it's not a shooting-gallery section, sometimes it feels like it's been designed to play like one; a cutscene might start you off crouched in cover with enemy fields of fire making every area around you a deathtrap, so it only makes sense to play that section like a cover-based shooter (using your bullet time to choose shots) rather than like a HK-action-movie-worshipping, Max Payne game. So, so frustrating.

End game spoilers (gameplay only):

Spoiler

Oh my ****ing god. The final 'boss' is the most stupid and egregious example of what I mentioned above. You start in cover after a cutscene, just like a million times before, this time being bombarded by explosives. Although you are free to move, the game does everything in its power to discourage you from doing so. Even though there is better cover close by, if you move 5 feet from your original cover you'll hit an invisible wall, triggering an instadeath cutscene of one of the explosives hitting you. Seriously un****ingbelievable. To win, you need to guess what the developers were thinking, which is that they want you not to move or shoot the big bad but rather destroy all his less lethal goons. Doing so unlocks the winning cutscene, a QTE-style bit of auto bullet time.

Guess where we go after that? On some RAILS, baby! Still no freedom to move. Then I failed the final on-rails bit by neglecting to shoot at something, because the game removed my crosshair so I didn't realise I wasn't in a cutscene. That's when it occurred to me...

No game should have you sighing wearily at the big finale.

Saved progress is still broken, some horrible textures are noticeable in parts, and multiplayer already seems to be ruled by hackers with no anti-cheat system in sight beyond emailing rockstar and giving them cheaters' names.

And yet for the good bits, which are everywhere and are very very good, I'd still give it a solid 8/10. But with sympathy for anyone angry enough to give it 1/10.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

The weapon switching is really annoying me now. Walk along a street, assault rifle in hand, open a door and BAM! Brief cutscene of Max opening a door and oh look! I'm now carrying my assault rifle and wielding a pistol. Firefight ensues, and I now have to reselect my assault rifle, only I can't. It shows up as red and Max drops it. So now I have to pick it up again before I can use it. **** OFF.
Every. Single. Time. It's like the game only wants you to use pistols or Uzis, and actively discourages you from using the other weapons you can pick up.

 

[Chris D]

Firefight ensues, and I now have to reselect my assault rifle, only I can't. It shows up as red and Max drops it

That's because you selected your dual wielding weapons instead of your rifle, you noob.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

That's because you selected your dual wielding weapons instead of your rifle, you noob.

Nope. I quite clearly select the rifle at the bottom of the circle. It turns red, and he drops it.

DON'T MAKE ME PROVE IT, CHRIS.

 

[Laivasse]

Yeah, it's confusing but the red is to show that you will drop the rifle if you make your current selection. The white highlight is meant to show what you're selecting.

I got sick of the radial menu and drilled myself into using the number keys.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

The highlight of today's playing was me walking along, carrying my usual assault rifle. A cutscene triggered, where Max investigated something on a shelf. He quite clearly and carefully placed the assault rifle on the shelf, along with his pistol, examined the object, then also very clearly picked up the assault rifle again only for the game to decide that no, I wasn't actually carrying one at all. Here's your pistol back. ANGER.

 

[Unfocused]

Protip: If you cycle through the weapons and the highlight is red - cycle the other way, so that it's white - that way you'll select and not drop the weapon. Also, '4' on the keyboard switched to two-handed.

 

[Stormy]

Rather then cycle... press 4 and stop crying.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Who's crying? My main gripe is that the game switches weapons on me all the time. The selection issue is a separate, and less annoying issue that I got round.

 

[stemot]

Games been patched and it's solved all my issues with the PC version. Game launches from Steam, I have mouse control like the original max payne games using -nomouseaccel and my aspect ration in full screen is fixed with -aspectratio 16:10. Games still fantastic btw.

 

[Vegeta897]

Who's crying?

Wah waaaah waaaaah waaah waaaah wawaah. Waah waah waaah, waaaaah waah wah waah, waah waaah wah WAH! Waah waaah wah waaah waah wah waah! Waah wah waah waah waaaah wah. Waah wah, wah waaah waaaah wah waah, wah wah. Waah waaaah wah waah wah waaah. Waah wah waaah wah waah waaaah. **** WAH.
Waah. Waah. Waah. Wah wah waah wah wah waah, wah waah waaah wah waah wah waaah wah wah.

I'm so sorry.

 

[Laivasse]

Cri Mu a Rhover.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

So I finished it earlier and it's hard to know how to feel. The core gameplay is so enjoyable it's virtually impossible for this not to be my GOTY. All the same, some really moronic design decisions come close to screwing up the entire thing. The 'cinematic' flavour R* have gone for seems to boil down to inserting cutscenes every 30 seconds and removing the player's sense of authority over events. Also the story feels like it takes a nosedive in the final third, if only because it's obvious what direction it's going yet it takes ages to get there. Feels like very little plot and script being stretched over multiple environments and padded with countless cinematics.

There is waaaaaaay too much emphasis on shooting gallery type gameplay, either the on-rails-rollercoaster kind or stationary-from-cover. That one is really baffling... you have a beautiful animation engine, great gunplay and good looking destructible environments which are fun to bounce around in, so what do you do? Stick people in a place they can't move from and have them shoot clay pigeons. The nightclub level's on-rails escort shooting was fun. There was another on-rails shooty bit in the middle of the game which I found really thrilling. Beyond that, my tolerance was pretty much up and I really needed to be allowed to play with freedom as much as possible. Even when it's not a shooting-gallery section, sometimes it feels like it's been designed to play like one; a cutscene might start you off crouched in cover with enemy fields of fire making every area around you a deathtrap, so it only makes sense to play that section like a cover-based shooter (using your bullet time to choose shots) rather than like a HK-action-movie-worshipping, Max Payne game. So, so frustrating.

End game spoilers (gameplay only):

Spoiler

Oh my ****ing god. The final 'boss' is the most stupid and egregious example of what I mentioned above. You start in cover after a cutscene, just like a million times before, this time being bombarded by explosives. Although you are free to move, the game does everything in its power to discourage you from doing so. Even though there is better cover close by, if you move 5 feet from your original cover you'll hit an invisible wall, triggering an instadeath cutscene of one of the explosives hitting you. Seriously un****ingbelievable. To win, you need to guess what the developers were thinking, which is that they want you not to move or shoot the big bad but rather destroy all his less lethal goons. Doing so unlocks the winning cutscene, a QTE-style bit of auto bullet time.

Guess where we go after that? On some RAILS, baby! Still no freedom to move. Then I failed the final on-rails bit by neglecting to shoot at something, because the game removed my crosshair so I didn't realise I wasn't in a cutscene. That's when it occurred to me...

No game should have you sighing wearily at the big finale.

Saved progress is still broken, some horrible textures are noticeable in parts, and multiplayer already seems to be ruled by hackers with no anti-cheat system in sight beyond emailing rockstar and giving them cheaters' names.

And yet for the good bits, which are everywhere and are very very good, I'd still give it a solid 8/10. But with sympathy for anyone angry enough to give it 1/10.

Pretty much exactly how I feel. Your words on the combat are completely correct--often times it just doesn't make sense at all. Probably my GotY thus far, not that that says much. Also the MP could be better.

 

[Gargantou]

Anyone else bummed out by

Spoiler

the Inner Circle having no role in the game? After all, they played important roles in both Max Payne 1 and 2's stories.

 

[Unfocused]

^I don't even remember what that was.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

http://maxpayne.wikia.com/wiki/Inner_Circle\

Can't say I really miss 'em

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

I honestly believed and hoped that by the end of the game

Spoiler

Max would be dead, though it never happens.

 

[Stigmata]

Anyone else bummed out by

Spoiler

the Inner Circle having no role in the game? After all, they played important roles in both Max Payne 1 and 2's stories.

This actually makes me want to not buy the game.

 

[Gargantou]

This actually makes me want to not buy the game.

You should buy it though, it's a great game in terms of gameplay and stuff.

But for all I care, they could have changed the lead character and called it something like "Grand Theft Auto: The Shooter" in terms of storyline and presentation of said story.

 

[Stigmata]

True true, I'm always a fan of gameplay over all else, so I'll probably still pick it up... I just really loved the supernatural conspiracy-laden tone of the first two. The game is just bound to feel a little hollow to me. I'm sure I'll enjoy it immensely regardless.

 

[Laivasse]

I just really loved the supernatural conspiracy-laden tone of the first two. The game is just bound to feel a little hollow to me. I'm sure I'll enjoy it immensely regardless.

There is no question that MP3 might disappoint anyone who comes into it expecting the dream-like intrigue and conspiracy themes of the first two. Get your pulpy dark ultraviolence cap on and you will still enjoy it, and Max still felt like the same character for me at least, although there's less for him to be poetic about.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

This just in: Rockstar is not, and never will be Remedy. Sure, I understand disappointment with that departure -- but the years of distance between titles and handing over of the rights made this inevitable. Just like Laiv said, there's plenty to be enjoyed here with its own brand of charm thrown in.

 

[Barnz]