The new Brazilian setting of Sao Paulo does a great job of mixing up the background for the grossly over-the-top fire fights while keeping the gameplay strangely familiar and different concurrently. Initially, long-time fans perceived this as a negative sign of unnecessary, inappropriate change to an accepted formula, but this has turned out to be false. Max Payne 3 also presents a brand new setting for a series very firmly established in the New York/New Jersey area. Sporting his new look for 2012, Max does his signature shootdodge move. The game still has the depressing narration, comic book panels, and the tongue-in-cheek humor (however it takes a much more back seat position this time around), but it also has the spices of Rockstar mixed into its flavor with intensely cinematic cut-scenes that make you feel as if you're watching a movie with interactive sequences that also do a great job of masking load times, which further engrosses you into the experience. Don't get me wrong, this is still a Max Payne game, but more like.”Max Payne Modernized Remix” with sharply written dialogue that leaves you perpetually wanting more. And that's not to say that's a bad thing and it's not that markedly different. Obviously the game was not written by Remedy's Max Payne creator Sam Lake, but despite this written by Rockstar's Dan Houser which presents a darker tonal shift to an already extremely grim franchise. The third in the Max Payne trilogy marks the first time that famed developer Remedy (who developed the first two titles as well as the critically-acclaimed Alan Wake series) hasn't had their trademark splashed onto its development cycle. However, nine years after its predecessor's release, Rockstar ultimately brings us Max Payne 3 and I believe it goes without saying that this was no small effort that they chose to endure. Its sequel, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, released two years afterwards to critical acclaim and mild commercial success. Honestly, I'm willing to bet playing a game like that at such a young age (as well as countless other Rockstar games from as far back as I can remember) had a significantly bad impact on my upbringing, but it was an amazing experience nonetheless that also shaped my taste for quality video games of cinematic style. I played through the first Max Payne when I was eight years old, back in 2001. Following soon after the premier of the first Matrix film, and not long before the second, Max Payne was one of the first video games to truly capture what it felt like to be a badass action movie hero (or arguably anti-hero) in interactive form.
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