Review Fix 2011 New York Comic Con Coverage: Max Payne 3 Sneak Peek

It may not be the recipient of the type of love that the Red Dead series gets or have the accolades of even the downloadable content of the Grand Theft Auto games, but hardcore gamers know better.

“Max Payne,” regardless of a less than stellar sequel and a film many gamers [and movie-goers alike] would like to forget, was at the forefront of all of the high quality action-shooters of the X-Box/Playstation 2 era. With a great story, excellent voice work [thanks to the uber-talented James McCaffrey, who is also back for voice duties this time around] and the revolutionary gameplay mechanic known forever since as “bullet time,” the game has been copied and covered more times than Frank Sinatra.

Because of this, many expected Rockstar to deliver a sequel early in the 360 and PS3 generation. However, these dreams never came to fruition and it appeared the game might remain as more of a symbol of innovation, than continue its legacy.

But after nearly a decade, Rockstar’s unsung hero is finally getting the next generation treatment it deserves and is primed for a March 2012 release.

It’s about damn time.

From the demonstration at this year’s New York City Comic Con, Rockstar has delivered a title that is easily in the same league as any of its best games over the past half decade. Visually gritty, with smooth animations and a definite noir kick, “Max Payne 3” is like a Frank Miller graphic novel- on painkillers.

With refinements made to the bullet time system, which continue to allow Payne to shoot in the air and now, from every angle possible and even while in the prone position, the possibilities are nearly endless here. Additions to the gameplay structure, which allow Payne to get in a few more shots once his health is gone [with a chance to come back with just enough health to shoot some more] are a great modern day touch. Hundreds of hours was also spent refining everything from animations [characters walk and run more realistically here than perhaps any game ever created] to motion comic-inspired cut scenes as well.

The end result is a “Max Payne” for a new generation of gamers.

In 2001, the bullet-time innovation was enough to guarantee the game’s success.

Ten years later, Rockstar, thanks in part to the success of the Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead, and LA Noir franchises, isn’t going to rest on its laurels.

Regardless of the name recognition this series has, which would surely induce decent sales, the work needed to make “Max Payne 3” truly special is obviously being put in.

Don’t worry old schoolers though; the game still has the same feel that made you fall in love with it. It’s just a bit more stylish than it used to be.

Calm down. It’s not “Devil May Cry” stylish either; more like “Reservoir Dogs.”

With a host of improvements, enhancements and classic gameplay elements, on a new console, this title is going to not only bring back a ton of nostalgia for veteran gamers, but it’ll ultimately introduce a ton of younger ones to a series they’ve probably never experienced.

Taking place in both New York and Brazil, the environments make the game go from a hard-boiled cop drama to a steamy South American drug-induced adventure, rather quickly. Both surreal in their own way, it’s easy to fall in love with the dark and musty New York City rooftops and skyline and the colorful and deadly streets and factories of Brazil.

The change in scenery also has a huge effect on Payne. Rather than give away small inklings of the plot, lets just say they are both emotional and physical. With all the frenetic shooting to be had, it’s easy to forget the emotional journey this character is on through the course of this game.

Like the host of other Rockstar titles, “Max Payne 3” too looks to be an adventure that will be worth playing and remembering.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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