An action movie to join

Max Payne is back: After a long pause, which has gone even to the aged protagonist not unscathed, he is forced by his infamous sense of justice to usurp from its own lethargy and to venture a new beginning in Brazil. As the reviewer does not use the multiplayer mode of the game, the following discussion relates solely to the single player mode and here primarily on the story mode.

GRAPHICS:

As a pleasant change from half-baked console ports to "Max Payne 3" presents itself as a title, which calls for both high-end systems as well as average hardware still allows a considerable spectacle, and thus serves the PC as a platform without compromising. I want to allow myself no judgment on the graphical quality compared to reference titles, recognized, however, that was working here very carefully: The animations were created with great care and act accordingly consistently realistic, physics calculations do a good job and the venues be credible. Whether in an exclusive nightclub, the football stadium of Sao Paulo or the favelas: Developers afford not only no graphical Schnitzer how bad textures or large clipping errors, the scenes are designed in great detail and seem so authentic that it is not the inclined players would be surprised if he put himself on the plane and could visit all places. Schnitzer, which would harm the immersion, one searches in vain.

SOUND:

The care of the development does not stop at a spectacular graphic display, the soundscape is entirely at the service of immersion and was created with great professionalism: Both the soundtrack as well as the background noise and sound effects leave nothing to be desired and the high cost in synchronization raises the question whether Rockstar would the German players really done with a setting in German a favor: Most German synchronizations in the video game area are of inferior quality, while here the Italian-American mafia to Brazilian politicians the voice actor one and all act stylish and breathe the life figures. Such elaborate synchronization with professional speakers would without a corresponding charge in the German version does not realize and everything else would have seriously damaged the atmosphere of "action film to play along."

CONTROL:

For innovations Rockstar Games makes in staging the title, playfully but the inclined players expected known: A solid cover system, which called for the number of typical slow motion and the legendary breakneck leaps, "Shoot Dodge," There are no new elements. All the more pleasing that the implementation is clean, although it may now and then happen that the collision detection Disabled going rapid in coverage, but such sites are the exception, and at no point a game crucial problem is. In addition, you can tell the controller that it is designed from the ground up for the PC: keyboard and mouse allow the necessary precision without sacrificing, suffered the console gamers.
There are departures at best in the B-note, laser targeting systems look pretty and are also realistically staged, playful but inconsequential and far more efficient than the target in the HUD. Since the laser pointer but leave off and you have to grant them also that they do not also have to compete with the precise destination of a HUD in real life, but this blunder can be forgiven, since the player no harm in it not to use.

GAMEPLAY:

Max Payne 3 is presented in the game sections as largely conventional third-person shooter, but this at a high level. The convincing AI and the extensive physics calculations force to tactically clever approach: Who holds the head of the cover at the wrong moment or behind a cover stays for too long, which is being dismantled by various machine guns and assault rifles, can be found just as quickly in hopeless situations again as the player who Shootdodge maneuvers used to just jump into the room, to be subsequently taken by the survivors under fire until the aging ex-cop aufgerappelt again.
If you have, however, recorded once, notice how much there is also this aspect of the game in the service of the total production: to cower behind only the coverage does not lead to the goal, the player must rather develop a feel for when it's time is, jump out in the best tradition of the action genre and off the onrushing opponent with an equally breakneck as spectacular maneuvers. A simulation will not be the game despite all realism in the representation.
Playfully support risky maneuvers by the fact that Max after a fatal hit gets the opportunity, in a few seconds the person in charge to shoot enemies, making him a dose painkillers and the rest of the adrenaline bar costs in case of success and saves him in return life. The system is balanced prohibits, inter alia, that Max is after this rescue operation on the ground, resulting in senseless forward storm remains on its own.
A storage system in the classical sense of the players while looking in vain that numerous and useful set checkpoints make such but actually superfluous and prevent frustration by unnecessary repetition the problem on which you previously failed.
Incomprehensible is the design decision, why the numerous opponents can use grenades, but not Max. While such destruction tools are not necessary to be successful, an abortion they had not done the fighting. After putting the enemy grenades not as inflationary one, that is why ever would jump out of coverage, also work the enemy with missiles of all kinds is not nearly as accurate as with their firearms, so that not every attack of this kind of danger is ,
Less in the service of production are exaggerated at times even for the action genre enemy hordes and "intermediate bosses" in the form of armored soldiers with portable machine guns, also had the game of quieter moments outside of cutscenes benefits. The player is not for the Wretched - if an area is exempt from opponents, you can look around there even at rest - in the service of power construction are these "breaks" but not, therefore, suffers from the game in a genre typical gaffe: There is so much filled with action, that the voltage ultimately suffer. Less would have been more here.

The plot of the game is typical for the genre rather simple, but also not offended the player with logic holes and similar craft errors as outrageous twists. The Action does not care about particular realism, the characterization and the course of action, however, are all of a piece and are neither tried nor placed. The presentation as a retelling of the events of Max seems credible and allows the protagonists much space to live out both his cynical way and to show authentically how awkward he is in direct contact with his fellow men sometimes. Max is not the unapproachable, always clean, and cool action hero, but has led many rough edges and anything but a happy life and you take him as a player as well as of how you look in a Marcelo the slightly underexposed rich playboy or in Raul can the little man who has fallen into too great events recognize.

DRM:

Max Payne requires a Social Club account that it must be linked, also takes on the launcher to contact the servers whenever it detects an active Internet connection and is not prevented by a firewall actively. When an available patch is always recognized, refuses the Launcher to start the game until the patch has been downloaded and installed. Among the few positive aspects of the part that it is still possible, even fully to start the game and play, if the computer is not connected to the Internet, an online compulsion therefore does not exist, and is no game disc required.

DIFFERENCES FOR AMERICAN VERSION:

Who suspicious squints out that Max Payne 3 has been cut in Germany despite a lack of youth released, it should be noted that the only change is that the player can not kill civilians. This should not only for mentally mature audience of the game not be a problem (it is rather the question of why there has to be at all a version of the game, in which there is such a thing possible) but also fits the protagonist: Max Payne is here in the role of the classic action hero, and such an effort on principle no innocent overboard.

CONCLUSION:

Especially in times, where in particular the market for casual gamers is growing and the traditional video game industry eats at steadily rising production costs in the profits, Max Payne 3 is a clear exclamation sign that traditional platforms still have a lot of potential for development and a more conventional game by outstanding Staging for top titles can progress.
However, Max Payne is not a game for everyone: Away from the lack of youth released, the game is aimed at an adult audience, which also can understand the game as a whole and enjoy. Max Payne as a broken, yet righteous action hero eludes many adolescents as popular figures, on the other hand, the long cutscenes for pure shooter enthusiasts a disturbing factor: Those who want to primarily focus on the game scenes, will in the long run despite the lack of loading screens of disturbed feel the long cutscenes. After all, is entirely controlled with the arcade modes and collecting items in the game sections also this clientele.
Who appreciate a successful overall staging know and can sympathize with a broken heroes like Max Payne, will find a game that was not spilled but padded, not only in terms of the budget but also the consistently professional implementation. Even though you can fret over some details, even if the game at some point would have something better may be, it remains whining at a high level: In the area of ​​production Max Payne 3 sets benchmarks against which to measure future title must. As media, film and game have come a step closer.