Max Payne 3 Catch All

No no no no no NO.

Think I am at the end sequence of Chapter 12 and nooooooo... this whole part has distilled down everything I find annoying and frustrating about the new mechanics and combat design.

Shaky cam, widely spaced apart checkpoints, a timed failure area combined with a boss fight and the janky last stand animations either bugging out or simply not swinging around to aim in time. Aaargh, this is not fun... and I don't know why I keep at this death march just to take a game off my pile.

Grubber788 wrote:
SpacePPoliceman wrote:
JC wrote:

The song in the airport by Health "Tears" is fantastic!

I was talking with a friend the other day about how brilliant that sequence is, just because of the song, and how more games need to do this sort of thing.

I thought it was really effective in RDR too. Seems like Rockstar isn't afraid of that sort of thing--good on 'em.

Doh, that one didn't even occur to us. But yes, good on 'em. I think it's tragic there wasn't equivalent use of King Ring in GTA4.

Finally finished the game and thought it was great. Played on normal so there were a number of times I got really frustrated since I died A LOT. Unless you're some FPS savant, don't be afraid to go on easy mode. That said, if you keep dying, I believe the checkpointing brings you back with extra pain killers.

Moved on to multiplayer (PC) and it's actually pretty fun... if you can get it to work. More often than not, it kicks me out saying something's wrong with my connection. Don't have this problem with any other game, and if the multi weren't so fun, I'd give up on it.

Anyone interested in setting up a Multiplayer crew for this game on 360?

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:

I don't really know what I could discuss without bringing up spoilers but I didn't like the Man on Fire style double image effect that happened every 3 seconds in every cutscene. Towards the end of the game it didn't bother me as much, but I also think they reduced the frequency of the effect.

They do reduce the frequency of the camera glitch effects, starting from the point when Max stops drinking. It's back on full force in the flashbacks but on the narrative timeline more sober means less camera freak-out.

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:

I'm being a filthy skimmer but it seems like I'm one of the only people around that isn't too high on this game.

I don't really know what I could discuss without bringing up spoilers but I didn't like the Man on Fire style double image effect that happened every 3 seconds in every cutscene. Towards the end of the game it didn't bother me as much, but I also think they reduced the frequency of the effect.

I absolutely love the combat but I'm giving up on the game entirely just a short way in. The lack of save anywhere coupled with the poor choices of checkpoints and unskippable cutscenes, makes this unplayable. I am sick to death of watching the very long transition from jersey to brazil. WHY wouldn't they put a checkpoint on the ground after getting off that boat!? That was just the last straw for me. I had to stop playing with the sound on after a short time when both max and others would constantly harass me for not going fast enough when I was looking around for clues and collectables. Which is another sore point. If you are going to put collectable hunting into your game, why put a time limit in as well?! AND an unskippable cutscene too. I had to repeat the nightclub so many friggin times... Basically anytime I'm not shooting someone, the game is infuriating me somehow.

ibdoomed wrote:

I absolutely love the combat but I'm giving up on the game entirely just a short way in. The lack of save anywhere coupled with the poor choices of checkpoints and unskippable cutscenes, makes this unplayable. I am sick to death of watching the very long transition from jersey to brazil. WHY wouldn't they put a checkpoint on the ground after getting off that boat!? That was just the last straw for me. I had to stop playing with the sound on after a short time when both max and others would constantly harass me for not going fast enough when I was looking around for clues and collectables. Which is another sore point. If you are going to put collectable hunting into your game, why put a time limit in as well?! AND an unskippable cutscene too. I had to repeat the nightclub so many friggin times... Basically anytime I'm not shooting someone, the game is infuriating me somehow.

I do feel your pain. To cut it some slack, they don't do the invisible time limit again until much later in the game. I'm at Chapter 13 and something tells me I'll simply be relieved to be done with the game. The consensus seems to be that playing on Easy with free aim enabled recaptures that old Max Payne vibe but I'm not even sure I could be bothered. It's been a largely joyless experience, punctuated by moments of 'pretty cool' and an awesome soundtrack.

Finally done! Final boss sequence was surprisingly non-aggravating.

Hopped onto some MP (free aim) and quickly learned the SP was worth sh*te in training me up. Noticed significantly more people playing in the soft lock rooms so maybe I'll troll around there some more next time.

As soon as Max puked in the sink I was hooked.

Good lord they've made Max whiny and unlikeable. You don't have to club me over the head with his emotions.

Also, someone clearly watched The Elite Squad 1 & 2.

It's probably not a good thing when i'm playing your game and primarily thinking to myself "sweet Jesus just LET THIS END."

Prederick wrote:

Good lord they've made Max whiny and unlikeable. You don't have to club me over the head with his emotions.

Hey, it's not like 1 and 2 were subtle either.

I bought this on GMG a few days ago and just finished it. What a ride! It was like playing the kind of over the top action movies I love. Really enjoyed it.

There were too many shoot the rocket/grenade out of the air moments, but the fun action movie, slo-mo bits more than made up for those.

I also enjoyed the story and Max's noir-style narration. There is some very sharp writing in there.

I don't know if I'd feel quite as happy with the game for $60, but for $15 I thought it was great.

Just picked this up during the Steam Sale and I'm definitely getting into it. Not sure if its because I'm older now, but it seems a lot harder (on Normal) than the previous 2 iterations. For some reason I also feel a lot "dirtier" playing this vs. the previous. Maybe the narrative is improved or because the gfx/presentaion are much better than the older its more immersive, but I feel a lot less good about killing everyone than I did with the first 2.

Anyways, I think I'm still pretty early in, chapter 4 or 5. I like it so far, just hope I don't get so depressed that I don't finish it.

This is like somebody took Man on Fire and smashed it together with that new movie called Savages, but they kept Tony Scott's directorial style throughout.

I went into it knowing I was not interested in a particularly challenging experience at the moment, so I threw it on easy and I've been having a blast.

*Finished it. Had a great time. Playing on easy allows you to play it the way you played the original Max Payne games. With lots of blasting and tons of slow motion.

Goddamnit, Rockstar. At least Ubisoft releases enough games that their bullsh*t account/DRM thing has some purpose. You guys release a game like once every three years. Nobody uses your social club. It is bad enough that the guy who does not give a sh*t about DRM is about to blacklist you for pulling this crap. I wouldn't have bought this game if I knew it was duct-taped on to this terrible system.

Finished it on Normal in 2 sessions (PC). I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed pretty much everything about it! On the PC you could skip cutscenes so that never bothered me much if I had to redo the section.

They mixed up the mechanics enough to keep it exciting for me, the combat was tight (love the mouse and keyboard!), and I liked the story pacing. Def worth the 17 clams I paid for it on GMG this weekend!

I'm warming to this game. I purchased it in the GOD sale. The mechanics can be annoying but at the same time the fights are interesting and the story is getting interesting. Also, with a bald head, Max looks, and even sounds, a little like Walter from Breaking Bad, which is never a bad thing.

Edit: Finished it. REALLY enjoyed it. Some minor frustrations that teetered on the edge of major frustrations but I had some superb fights and lots of over the top action moments. The ending especially was fantastic.

I have played SP multiple times on 360 and PC. I still think it is one of the best action/shooter campaigns of the last several years.

CptGlanton wrote:

I have played SP multiple times on 360 and PC. I still think it is one of the best action/shooter campaigns of the last several years.

I nearly skipped it. I'm so glad I didn't.

Quit and deleted this from the Xbox and my game history about 3 hours in. I recognize that it has great production values, but I just wasn't having much fun. I no longer cared about Max as a character, and the exercise in frustration that is called gameplay finally broke my camel's back.

Thankfully I borrowed it and hadn't gotten any achievements yet. :p

It'd be a dull world if we all liked the same games, although it would be a little easier for games publishers if we did.

After a very long hiatus, I have finished my Old School play through. Aptly named setting.

Dear Max Payne 3. If I can play all the way to Chapter 14 without knowing that the annoying flashlight and utterly broken Laser sight can be toggled off then yes, some of that is on me. But a lot of it is on you, too! Why would you even turn them on by default?
And speaking of Chapter 14. If you're going to storm an airport with guns. Why not consider storming an airport with guns and a vest like you used in the last chapter? You know, the chapter where you were getting shot again and again and again?
The only reason we are having this conversation is because I was having lots of fun up until that conveyor belt room. Sure, I made you die... a lot, but I was having fun in the process. But what's the deal with the enemies that can shoot me before I can see them? I needed a break so I booted up Psychonauts. And now I'm almost up to the Meat Circus and I'm remembering all the old wounds of that little trainwreck.

Kisses,
Rezzy

Heh it definitely had some harsh difficulty spikes. I don't remember the conveyor belt room that well, but the stadium shootout in the seats was pretty infuriating. Still liked it overall though.

Finished it up. Had a much easier time once I realized I could jump off the conveyor almost immediately. I swear I was hitting buttons before but Max wouldn't stand up until after passing through the arch. Between that and turning off the laser sights on the rifles that last level was much more fun.

Rezzy wrote:

Finished it up. Had a much easier time once I realized I could jump off the conveyor almost immediately. I swear I was hitting buttons before but Max wouldn't stand up until after passing through the arch. Between that and turning off the laser sights on the rifles that last level was much more fun.

The shootout in the airport lobby right after that conveyer part was easily my favorite moment of the game when that song starts up. I think I replayed that whole section 3 or 4 times just to have a running gun battle with that music playing.

That was very much "WE OWN THIS NOW" moment from Rockstar, but yes, highly enjoyable.

After a vow not to buy any new games this year, I decided to finally play this (PC)

Runs amazing on my R9-280x and I'm having a blast. Just an nice old-school shooter, and I'm pretty much using nothing but pistols.

I finally played this. As a shooter, it's mediocre. As a Max Payne game, it's dismal.

They took a series about dynamic run-and-gun shooting and bolted on a sh*tty cover system to make everything slow and tedious. They skimp on the bullet time so you have no choice when it comes to the cover system.

No more overwrought noir narration, which is what made the games stand out stylistically. Instead we get Max Payne droning on about his sh*tty life.

Too many cut scenes that can't be skipped. I try to skip some and it just says "Still loading" all the way to the end of the cut scene.

This is the only game where having a laser sight on your rifle makes it worse! Gah!

I played Max Payne 2 full through on every difficulty level. This one I did on medium and I'll probably forget it in a week.