It's been nine years since gamers had a chance to relish new Bullet-Time sequences. Max Payne 3 continues the dark and gritty melodrama of the titular former New York City detective Max Payne, and is the direct sequel to Max Payne 2.
Max Payne 3 is being developed as a cross-studio collaboration between Rockstars Vancouver, Toronto, London and New England, in a collaboration labeled Rockstar Studios. Max Payne 3 is set to be released on May 15, 2012 for North America, May 18, 2012 for Europe and May 29 for PC. It will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Where does Max Payne 3 take place?
Max Payne 3 departs from the melodrama-tinted skyline of New York City and lands in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Will the new setting change the style of the game?
According to Rockstar, the new setting in Brazil should hardly affect the noir style of the previous games. Sao Paulo will still be plenty dark and dangerous. Rockstar also mentioned that a few levels could take place at night or in the rain, and pointed out that achieving a "noir" kind of feel is more about style than about a specific location or color. [1]
Rockstar goes on to note, "To us, and especially after such a long absence since Max Payne 2, to simply continue Max’s story in New York City was nowhere near as interesting a challenge as taking that same character and pushing him to his absolute breaking point in a very dangerous and exotic locale many, many miles from home. There was simply nowhere for Max to go in New York after Max Payne 2."
They don't believe that the noir style is exclusive to New York. It's a certain visual and narrative style that they believe Max Payne 3 will exhibit.
What is the plot of Max Payne 3?
The third installment is set 12 years after the previous game. Max, now a disgraced former NYPD detective, has never truly recovered from the events of the original games, and he still constantly wrestles with his inner demons and keeps them at bay with painkillers and alcohol. He's definitely at the bottom of a long downward spiral, scarred physically and psychologically.
Story trailer
Max finds himself in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil after accepting a job offer from an old colleague from the police academy days, Raul Passos, whom he meets in New York. Max and Passos work to protect a wealthy businessman by the name of Rodrigo Branco, and his family: his beautiful trophy wife Fabiana Branco, and Rodrigo’s younger brothers, Victor, an aspiring politician, and Marcelo, a party-loving playboy. All family members are part of Sao Paulo’s wealthy elite.
When Fabiana is kidnapped by a gang known as the Comando Sombra while under Max’s protection, Max’s past demons return in full force and he sets out to secure her return. As a result, Max finds himself on the streets of unfamiliar city caught between rival gangs, paramilitary squads and the city’s elite police as he searches for the truth and fights for a way out.
If I've never played any of the Max Payne games, will I be able to enjoy Max Payne 3?
You might not fully understand Max Payne's character and his legacy when you begin, but key elements of his character and back story are revealed as the game progresses, and you can still enjoy the game for what it offers: Hong Kong action cinema-inspired fun a dark story about an ex-cop on the edge in a place he doesn’t know, descending into his own personal hell.
Is Max Payne 3 a sandbox-type game like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption?
No, the Max Payne series has always followed a more structured path, allowing the strength of the narrative to pull you into its world.
What kind of game engine is Max Payne 3 using?
Max Payne 3 was designed using the RAGE engine, which has been previously seen in games like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Red Dead Redemption, and NaturalMotion's Euphoria animation and behavior technology.
Will there be more Bullet Time?
Bullet time fans, rejoice as this Max Payne staple will be making a return to Max Payne 3. The newly improved third iteration of this mechanic will also include a number of other features that have to do with animation and interaction with the environment to ensure the gameplay feels distinct.[2]
What's the bullet cam?
The bullet-cams let you know when you’ve taken out the last enemy in a specific area or wave. In addition, players can control the speed of each bullet in a final-kill cam, and the cameras are dynamic, depending on how you take the shot.
There is also a new feature called Last Man Standing:
If Max is fatally wounded while carrying painkillers, Max will automatically enter Bullet Time, and the reticule will automatically swing slowly back toward Max’s enemy, giving Max the opportunity to return fire. If successful, Max will receive a small boost of health at the cost of 1 painkiller and any accumulated Bullet Time, giving him the chance to survive the fight. It’s not the most effective use of a painkiller but it does help in a hectic firefight.
What's environmental bullet time?
Environmental bullet time is essentially a new bullet time variant that will allow the player to have full control of Max during the event and is akin to quick-time events in other games.
Is Rockstar doing anything else to reinvent the third-person shooting controls?
Targeting and thousands of animations work to ensure that Max can smoothly aim and move in any direction without ever taking the reticule off the target, including while vaulting over obstacles or shootdodging in any direction.
For the first time in the series, Max will optionally be able to take cover during combat. He's got a few additional slick move sets: Max can shoot prone in 360 degrees, smoothly pick up weapons while rolling to avoid gunfire, and carry out contextual melee kills that are activated by the right trigger.
Max's loadout allows him to dual-wield any combination single player weapons such as an smg, pistol or sawed-off shotgun.
Is there going to be multiplayer?
Yes, Max Payne 3 will multiplayer modes called Gang Wars and Payne Killer, along with the standard Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.[3] Multiplayer will hold up to 16 players and will feature an XP-leveling system that will reward players with weapons, weapon upgrades, items and special abilities called Bursts.
Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Video
Will Max Payne 3 retain the graphic novel style expositions?
In an interview with IGN, Rob Nelson, art director at Rockstar, says, "All of the cut-scenes are motion captured, in-engine, but some are also "comic book" style as well. The graphic novel style cut-scenes of the previous Max games were one of the hallmarks of the series, giving a unique aesthetic to story transitions as well as putting a spotlight on what was going on in Max's head. The graphic novel cut-scenes are back for Max Payne 3, but instead of a static panel or page, we're creating an almost motion-comic feel that blends in-game footage, text and Max's iconic monologue, which are over laid on the game to produce something that is pretty amazing and really helps give the game a digital noir feel."
Will there be a collector's edition available for Max Payne 3?
The special edition will be sold in very limited supply. In addition to the game disc, the special edition will include:
Statue of Max Payne wielding dual pistols
Original game soundtrack
Artwork
Bullet keychain
Multiplayer DLC that includes 8 classic characters and a weapons pack called Disorderly Conduct
The special edition will be available for pre-order through April 2, 2012.
Will there be any pre-order bonuses for Max Payne 3?
Max Payne 3 will follow in the footsteps of a growing industry trend in offering exclusive content for pre-ordering from specific retail outlets. GameStop is offering the Cemetary multiplayer map. Silent Killer, a multiplayer loadout pack, is offered through Tesco Entertainment. If you order through Zavvi, you receive an exclusive Max Payne 3 bullet pen. Zavvi and Tesco are both based in Europe. No other bonuses have been announced.
For Max Payne, the tragedies that took his loved ones years ago are wounds that refuse to heal. No longer a cop, close to washed up and addicted to pain killers, Max takes a job in São Paulo, Brazil, protecting the family of wealthy real estate mogul Rodrigo Branco, in an effort to finally escape his troubled past. But as events spiral out of his control, Max Payne finds himself alone on the streets of an unfamiliar city, desperately searching for the truth and fighting for a way out.
Featuring cutting edge shooting mechanics for precision gunplay, advanced new Bullet Time® and Shootdodge™ effects, full integration of Natural Motion’s Euphoria Character Behavior system for lifelike movement and a dark and twisted story, Max Payne 3 is a seamless, highly detailed, cinematic experience from Rockstar Games.
In addition to an expansive single-player campaign, Max Payne 3 will also be the first entry in the series to introduce a thorough and engrossing multiplayer experience. In a unique twist, Max Payne 3 multiplayer delivers a compelling experience that dynamically alters maps and mode progression for all players in a match. Along with traditional multiplayer modes, Max Payne 3 will also include a deep reward and leveling system, persistent clans and multiple strategic load-out options.
Developed across Rockstar Games Studios Worldwide, Max Payne 3 standard and Special Editions will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 on May 15, 2012 in North America and May 18, 2012 in Europe, with the PC version launching on May 29th, 2012 in North America and June 1st, 2012 in Europe.
pics:
http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/screens
To me, seems like a epic game. I liked the old max paynes.
My overall about it by studying over the pics and stuff seems like it will be more of a single player then multiplayer like the regular max paynes. Only thing different will be the graphics and better missions. The graphics ARE BEYOND the old style which is great. But graphics don't really make a game.
