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So we're probably never getting a new Max Payne game huh?
- Thread starter MauroNL
- Start date
BadAss2961
Member
Isn't Remedy way over the hill? Don't know why people think bringing them back for anything more than writing would be a great idea.
Anyway... Perfect trilogy as is. The first two are classics, one of my fondest settings and stories in gaming... and the third is simply one of best shooters ever made. I appreciated MP3 going in a different direction instead of just trying to ape the Remedy games which probably wouldn't have felt genuine.
The Max Payne style just needs a successor.
Anyway... Perfect trilogy as is. The first two are classics, one of my fondest settings and stories in gaming... and the third is simply one of best shooters ever made. I appreciated MP3 going in a different direction instead of just trying to ape the Remedy games which probably wouldn't have felt genuine.
The Max Payne style just needs a successor.
I think that among other things that it could have done better, Max Payne 3 really would have benefited from a story that 1). did more with its supporting cast than violently murder them at every opportunity (the only character's name I can remember is Fabiana, and that's only because it's a track name on the OST) and 2). that if it wasn't going to attempt the same kind of loving ribbing on film noir as the first two games were able to achieve, which I had not problem with since I think that Remedy was able to get as much material out of that as they realistically could have between those two titles, then to try a different route with handling the integration of humor rather than completely jettisoning it for an experience that's all relentlessly noisy yet strangely hollow brutality. It's too long a game to succeed for very long on that given route, and Dan Houser has never been a talented enough writer to do more than poke at the surface of the themes he clumsily integrates into the fabric of the narrative he had put together here, leaving you with little to hold onto other than whenever the game decides that aping Tony Scott's style is simply too subtle and has the subtitles literally spell out what they're going for.
As a die hard Max Payne fan since the beginning. This game was more niche than most realize. Rockstar of all people buying the IP and us getting a 3rd Sequel was a fan's dream. Max Payne 2 ended brilliantly so yes it did not need a sequel, but getting this AAA max budget sequel which still continued the story in a way that makes sense. (If you ignore 2's true ending) did not upset me. Rockstar took bullet time to the next level. Max still screwed up the entire story just like his character. I do wonder why they bought an ip that really only had one last story to tell. One of the higher ups must have pushed for it.
ScaryShark
Banned
Max Payne 3 is a masterpiece. Easily one of the handful best games of that entire gen. If the series is dead I'd be really sad but to go out on a game of that caliber instead of dying off slowly or with a bad game is a better fate than most series get.
While I agree that Max Payne 3 was a good action game, I wouldn't name it Max Payne, but rather Big Bald Dude or something. For me, Max Payne ended with Max Payne 2. And I'd sacrifice a lot to see a sequel to that. I'd even would accept a reboot, as far as it would pick up that lonely journey through the night flair. Hell, I feel dropped 15 years back on time even if I think about that. Not a single action shooter had that emotional impact on me since the first installment.
The fact that so many people are claiming that Max Payne 3 is the best third person shooter ever made is actually making me a bit sad, because it means my taste is so fundamentally different that I might not get another shooter that I will really enjoy. Max Payne 3 was actually the game that convinced me that Rockstar simply does not know how to do a pure action game, because while they seemed to tick all the boxes technically, it just isn't even nearly as fun as the old games to actually play. In fact, I had far more fun with Alan Wake, purely as a shooter, than I did with MP3.
Nah, MP3 is miles ahead in every department.
It really was good. So impressive for the time technically as well. I really wish rockstar had kept that team making more linear, story focused games. I think they shut down rockstar Vancouver after it shipped. It's influence on the GTA 5 aiming/gunplay model is so clear. I hope they make another one but I don't know if it would be a reboot or a sequel to 3.
endlessflood
Member
Story-wise, I agree completely.
I'd love to see the first two games get properly remastered though. I'm assuming complicated licensing issues probably make it unlikely, but I would love to play updated versions of those first two games.
-MD-
Member
Yes.
Alby Duckett
Member
I enjoyed Max Payne 3 but it was definitely not what I wanted out of a Max Payne game. I love the first two since it's a high octane run and gun style game with no cover mechanics. The plot perfectly complemented that since it was about a desperate man constantly on the run.
Max Payne 3 was mostly a cover shooter, especially in the second half of the game, where you die incredibly fast and are forced to manage ammo for bullet sponge enemies (I think dudes with vests and helmets were an annoyance near the end).
I really like Max Payne 3, but if there was ever a sequel, I'd have very little interest unless it was Remedy making it since their style of gameplay is way more up my alley.
Max Payne 3 was mostly a cover shooter, especially in the second half of the game, where you die incredibly fast and are forced to manage ammo for bullet sponge enemies (I think dudes with vests and helmets were an annoyance near the end).
I really like Max Payne 3, but if there was ever a sequel, I'd have very little interest unless it was Remedy making it since their style of gameplay is way more up my alley.
Soulblighter31
Banned
It wasnt, far from it. The first game topped all the PC charts at the time, selling more than the likes of Diablo Lord of Destruction. There were magazine articles on how well it selling. It was a critical, consumer and comercial hit. Max Payne 2 was the flop, for wathever reason.
This is just one of those numerous nonsense situations that only exist on gaf, nobody in the real world considers this as the best anything. People also grossly have no idea what gameplay means, as per usual. People say this has the best third person gameplay evuuur, but what they miss is that gameplay doesnt mean what they think. They like the simple act of firing the weapons in the game and entering bulet time mode. Thats a singular aspect of the gameplay, out of many. The whole gameplay is that shitty cinematic one - where you walk three steps and you're fragmented by a cutscene, shoot three guys and suffer another cutscene, enter a door, bam- another cutscene. The gameplay as a whole is easily one of the worst in gaming, claiming its the tps king is hilarious to tears.
Sad Affleck
Member
Yeah I agree. I enjoyed it but it didn't really feel like it was part of the same universe as the first two games.
Everything good the game has in gameplay is ruined by the constant, unskippable cutscenes. The fucknuts who made this wanted to do a movie, not a game. On PC it isn't even loading anything and you can't skip those scenes. Completely kills any replay value the game has.
I don't know if there is even 5 minutes of gameplay before another cutscene plays. If that's the kind of shit we would be getting then I don't really want a new Max Payne game. They should give it to someone who doesn't try to be a movie director.
I don't know if there is even 5 minutes of gameplay before another cutscene plays. If that's the kind of shit we would be getting then I don't really want a new Max Payne game. They should give it to someone who doesn't try to be a movie director.
I loved Max Payne 3 even though story-wise, especially after Max shaved his head, it felt nothing like a Max Payne game. It certainly missed that Remedy style and often odd turn of phrase - probably accounted for by the dev team's and Sam Lake's Finnish interpretation of an English noir tale.
Had some of the best third person gameplay I've experienced and I feel that the multiplayer was criminally underrated - loved the hell out of that component.
Having said all that, though, it's time to let it go I think. Let it live on in people's memories and back catalogues rather than trying to shoehorn it back into relevance.
Had some of the best third person gameplay I've experienced and I feel that the multiplayer was criminally underrated - loved the hell out of that component.
Having said all that, though, it's time to let it go I think. Let it live on in people's memories and back catalogues rather than trying to shoehorn it back into relevance.
ZanzibarBreeze
Member
Max Payne 2, one of the greatest games of all time. Max Payne 3, great gameplay but garbage story. Horrible narrative addition to the franchise but for sure an unparalleled third-person shooter.
Simo
Member
It wasn't baseless. Rockstar themselves said they would be going with a different actor back in 2009. The game just underwent a creative overhaul in 2010-2011 and McCaffery was brought back as Max for the voice and did performance capture.
3DRealms was the reason apparently. They still owned the IP when Max Payne 2 was officially greenlit and Rockstar purchased the rights early on and helped with development and research. The issue though is that with 3DRealms having greenlit it, they had final say on all the marketing and evidently stonewalled the majority of the games publicity. Everything from coverage to trailers and even the official site which was meant to be more thorough and interactive but again Realms wouldn't sign off on it.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
I liked the first game an awful lot when it was current (can't recall if I played Payne 2; it's familiar but also distant). Loathed Payne 3. Intolerable cutscenes and writing, misguided tone, sticky cover everywhere, and worst of all, the stupid weapon limit that has ruined more shooter series than this one (cf. BioShock Infinite). Most of the fun in the original was having access to a wide and versatile loadout, realism be damned. Wish I could have gotten my money back, as 75% off was not enough to justify the wasted time and bandwidth, but Steam hadn't implemented refunds yet at the time. I was definitely hoodwinked by all the praise for how the game apparently played, but my experience with it represented a big chunk of what I hate about modern AAA. If that was the prospective direction for the series, it's better off dead.
Because Max is not Max without Sam Lake writing him.
Psychoward
Banned
It'd be a Damm shame if we never get another one, yeah mp3 was different from 1 and 2 but goddamn it's the best action movie game I've ever played, much better than any of the uncharted games. Amazing and unique soundtrack, god-tier TPS gunplay, graphics that still hold up, amazing animations and hit reactions, great pacing (at least on the first playthrough) and while the overall story is a weird rip off of Man on Fire, the voice acting and dialog from MacCaffrey sell it to hell and back.
Loved, loved, loved it. Rockstar made 3 of my favorite games of all time last gen with this, rdr and gta v.
Loved, loved, loved it. Rockstar made 3 of my favorite games of all time last gen with this, rdr and gta v.
Psychoward
Banned
HEALTH made one of the best gaming themes of all time tho
Fallout-NL
Member
For sure.
And while Max Payne 3's gunplay is really good, those fucking cutscenes do ruin it.
Max Payne 3 is a fantastic game but not a fantastic Max Payne game.
Neo Sentai Gafman
Member
I agree with this. MP 3 wasn't necessary.
Net_Wrecker
Member
I'd love another game with these mechanics used in a campaign that's actually worth a damn. Max Payne 3 is a mess. I have no idea how they play tested that game for as long as it was in development and thought it worked as a linear campaign. The storytelling is ridiculously intrusive and lacks creativity (it's all Man On Fire flash, no heart, no subversion, no playing with the medium), level traversal/progression is basically nonexistent as nearly everything not involving shooting enemies is taken out of the player's control, and MANY encounters are forcibly started in basic cover shooting style as you come out of a cutscene with the wrong weapon in your hands posted up against something. There are so many potentially great scenarios that get their legs cut out by the overbearing nature of the game's presentation giving the player no room to breathe. It's the worst kind of action game structure.
The best thing to come out of this is HEALTH's amazing soundtrack which is honestly a top 3 game soundtrack for me.
Unfortunately though, it seems like Rockstar's only in the mega million dollar budget open world business now, and has done away with their more interesting, small, linear outings, so I doubt we ever see a Max Payne successor. Best we can hope for is Remedy to make another action shooter, or MachineGames to put some bullet time in Wolfenstein 2.
The best thing to come out of this is HEALTH's amazing soundtrack which is honestly a top 3 game soundtrack for me.
Unfortunately though, it seems like Rockstar's only in the mega million dollar budget open world business now, and has done away with their more interesting, small, linear outings, so I doubt we ever see a Max Payne successor. Best we can hope for is Remedy to make another action shooter, or MachineGames to put some bullet time in Wolfenstein 2.
SonicVolcano
Member
The first one is still my favourite. Loved the story, the characters and all those boss fights.
Triggerhappytel
Member
I didn't particularly like the game but I would definitely check it out if it got a high-quality remaster like GTAV did. It was technically stunning for its time.
Messofanego
Banned
Max Payne is dead. There is nothing left to tell. I would prefer it stays that way.
https://youtu.be/dPuJzq3oIU8
"This was a late goodbye. Thirteen years after I'd gotten my revenge, it finally caught up with me. It'd been a long time to bear the pain.
My blood painted the snow red - a gruesome slushie - dissolved all the scattered painkillers, and leisurely dripped down to the sewer, mingling with the bile of the city, becoming one with it.
I can see them now, my wife and my baby.
Honey, I'm home."
https://youtu.be/dPuJzq3oIU8
"This was a late goodbye. Thirteen years after I'd gotten my revenge, it finally caught up with me. It'd been a long time to bear the pain.
My blood painted the snow red - a gruesome slushie - dissolved all the scattered painkillers, and leisurely dripped down to the sewer, mingling with the bile of the city, becoming one with it.
I can see them now, my wife and my baby.
Honey, I'm home."
HitchcockInTheZiplock
Member
Max Payne 3 was the best shooter on last gen. Needs a ps4 port. I also got into Max Payne nostalgia mode recently. Purchased the bundle on Steam. Bought Max Payne 1 on ps4 as well. Watched a bunch of old retrospectives on it before I dived back in. It's prob my fav. franchise. But keep in mind Max Payne 2 -> 3 took 8 or 9 years, so maybe there's still hope.
Funny reading this thread as I recently replayed MP3 for the 5th/6th time (I've spent nearly 50 hours playing the game on PC alone, doesn't count my 360 and PS3 playthroughs), still as fuckin great as ever and you wouldn't think it was over 5 years old, on PC at least. I'd probably put it as my favourite MP game with 2 close behind. I would take another sequel in an instant but it ended in such a good way I'm good if they never make another one.
zerokoolpsx
Member
Max Payne 3 had better gameplay, but that was it. The story was pretty bad. I liked the older Max from the first two games. Not this new Max with his life in a bottle rave moments and feeling sorry for himself. The other games, you could identify his goals from the start, but not Max Payne 3. It was like he was winging it. Rockstar really tried to distance themselves from the first two games with this one.
It didn't feel like a Max Payne game to me. After MP3, Max Payne is dead and let it stay dead.
It didn't feel like a Max Payne game to me. After MP3, Max Payne is dead and let it stay dead.
Funny timing - i just nearly finished my first PC playthrough of 3. Had to uninstall for hard drive space.
I modded out all the prerenderes cutscenes so it just skips from end-of-level to the beginning of the next level immediately.
Probably cuts out like an hour of cutscenes.
Makes the pacing just bearable.
Whoaaa a mona sax game
The gameplay is 10/10. It's the pacing and structure that's a slog. Unskippable cutscenes, and many of them where 30-60 seconds of gameplay would have sufficed. I detested that.
I modded out all the prerenderes cutscenes so it just skips from end-of-level to the beginning of the next level immediately.
Probably cuts out like an hour of cutscenes.
Makes the pacing just bearable.
Whoaaa a mona sax game
The gameplay is 10/10. It's the pacing and structure that's a slog. Unskippable cutscenes, and many of them where 30-60 seconds of gameplay would have sufficed. I detested that.