Max Payne 3

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 994 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 736 out of 994
  2. Mixed: 155 out of 994
  3. Negative: 103 out of 994
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  1. FatherDoom
    May 15, 2012
    1
    Why do I keep getting interrupted during gameplay for a cutscene. There is no way to become immersed if if every two minutes I'm stopped to watch cuts for sometimes longer than I just played. The gameplay is frustrating, the gun mechanics are not great, and the bullet time is way too short.
  2. bugbear1
    May 16, 2012
    4
    ROCKSTAR has done a fine job of envisioning Max Payne for a new audience; unfortunately (for some of us), it is NOT the Max Payne of yore. While the gunplay is frenetic, the hit-detection and collision must be a bit off at times as headshots often fail to keep adversaries on the ground. Stylistically, Max Payne 3 is a visual tour de force but with incessant cutscene interruption,ROCKSTAR has done a fine job of envisioning Max Payne for a new audience; unfortunately (for some of us), it is NOT the Max Payne of yore. While the gunplay is frenetic, the hit-detection and collision must be a bit off at times as headshots often fail to keep adversaries on the ground. Stylistically, Max Payne 3 is a visual tour de force but with incessant cutscene interruption, gameplay takes a backseat. Other foibles, including Max often switching weapons after the conclusion of many cutscenes, forces the player to readjust and modify every approach. REMEDY, originally, made the player FEEL like Max Payne. (In fact, for this writer, the original Payne was the first game played from beginning to end in one melodramatic, grit-filled, approximate, 12.5 hour odyssey.) -THIS Max Payne game is not player-driven, has its own inertia and cadence, often forcing the player to "watch" much of the story instead of allowing the player to "become" part of the story. With future patches, any uneven gameplay may be smoothed-over, but this game is NOT "really" Max Payne. -It's a revisionist Max Payne for the new century, for a new audience, for a new aesthetic with a distinctly odd level of player-challenge and forced-variety. It may well be, that THIS Max Payne will be MORE about multiplayer or future DLC than any possible tense solo experience like its now-distant origins? BUT, categorically, wasn't the original Payne, a hardboiled noir experience that each player embraced which, in turn, contributed to rock-solid immersion, creating the iconic Max Payne experience? Wasn't the linear single-player trek of the original Max Payne, the film noir-like quality, the immersive gunplay and strong characterization wrapped within limited player-choice, the KEY to player-identification WITH the onscreen Max Payne? Sure, while it was an empowerment fantasy, the player BECAME Payne during the journey. With Max Payne 3, the player gets to "watch" a version of Payne, on rails, dynamically forged and sent headlong, careening into one fubar situation after another. Less player-driven and much more like a snowball rolling downhill at controlled speeds, this new Payne IS interesting but not very fun.… Expand
  3. StarlessBB
    May 15, 2012
    3
    This game is ABYSMAL. The story is bad, the textures are nonexistent, the voice acting is terrible, the writing is terrible, Max never shuts up, and dear god this game is visually offensive. During every cutscene (and during some gameplay) there are these blue scanlines that keep flashing on the screen and stupid popup words. All sorts of visually awful things, it's like Rockstar saw KaneThis game is ABYSMAL. The story is bad, the textures are nonexistent, the voice acting is terrible, the writing is terrible, Max never shuts up, and dear god this game is visually offensive. During every cutscene (and during some gameplay) there are these blue scanlines that keep flashing on the screen and stupid popup words. All sorts of visually awful things, it's like Rockstar saw Kane and Lynch 2 and said "this is what we want visually." The gameplay is ok, what little of it there is. This game does the whole MGS thing except even worse because every 4 minutes of gameplay (sometimes less) you run into a cutscene. I have NEVER in my life had gameplay interrupted more times than during Max Payne 3.
    all in all I can't recommend this game at all to anyone. It's pretty bad.    … Expand
  4. ROK8
    Jun 18, 2012
    2
    Sorry Max (or Rockstar) this game is just not fun to play! The controls are very awkward and the flow or balance of the game is not great. Yes, the story, graphics and certainly the voices are great, but playing the same sequence over and over because you missed the targets because you did not see tiny, tiny trigger pixel, or run out of bullet time is just boring. To give context I am aSorry Max (or Rockstar) this game is just not fun to play! The controls are very awkward and the flow or balance of the game is not great. Yes, the story, graphics and certainly the voices are great, but playing the same sequence over and over because you missed the targets because you did not see tiny, tiny trigger pixel, or run out of bullet time is just boring. To give context I am a great fan of the series and the ground breaking impact it has had. This installment is just not nearly as good. Had I not pre-ordered and played as trial version first I would not have bought the game. Sorry.… Expand
  5. ganmai
    Jun 2, 2012
    2
    Although the visuals are certainly impressive, and the game earns points for me for its focus on story, it has one horrible, glaring flaw: it is un-necessarily HARD.

    This may be an appealing characteristic for some; if you like that aspect of the game, then please, by all means ignore this review. However, if you are like me, and believe that the primary characteristic of any video Game    Although the visuals are certainly impressive, and the game earns points for me for its focus on story, it has one horrible, glaring flaw: it is un-necessarily HARD.

    This may be an appealing characteristic for some; if you like that aspect of the game, then please, by all means ignore this review. However, if you are like me, and believe that the primary characteristic of any video Game should be that it is Fun, then do not waste your time with this game.

    I am not a bad gamer. I would fancy to say that I am pretty good. Yet somehow, even playing this on the Easiest difficulty, with basically automatic aiming, I found myself dying at least six times on each sequence. This is not fun.

    Having had an absolute blast with GTA4, Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire, I am severely disappointed in Rockstar's latest offering.    … Expand
  6. Bullfrog1983
    Jun 20, 2012
    3
    I played Max Payne 3 on hard - here is my response to that.

    Max Payne 3 like the character is a washed-up, painkiller addicted, whiskey-soaked piece of trash that bears no similarity to the previous two games. Gone is Max Payne's sly wit and slow brooding style of narration which is replaced by a long-winded chatterbox who never stops **** about how awful his situation is - even though    I played Max Payne 3 on hard - here is my response to that.

    Max Payne 3 like the character is a washed-up, painkiller addicted, whiskey-soaked piece of trash that bears no similarity to the previous two games. Gone is Max Payne's sly wit and slow brooding style of narration which is replaced by a long-winded chatterbox who never stops **** about how awful his situation is - even though Max could quit whenever he wanted and go home. At times during the game Max speaks to himself with more than one voice at once, causing a cluster **** of gibberish that is unrecognizable and quite annoying, especially when it spills over into a cut-scene.

    The cut-scenes in the game are a huge letdown, removing the comic book style (the coolest type of cut-scenes to date in video gaming in my opinion) and rubber stamping the game with Rockstar's patented Grand Theft Auto/Red Dead Redemption/L.A. Noire formula which is worsened by frequent buzzing/color dysphoria in the picture and the absence of player controlled subtitles. Another annoyance is scripted cut-scenes in the game where the game takes control away from the player to show what Max wants to look at. This is increasingly annoying as the game continues, most prominently when Max needs to cover his cop friend with a sniper rifle. The reason why it is so annoying at this point is there IS no reason for them to take control away from the player - the game is not automatically sniping for us, so why does it take control? When situations like this occur in the game it just causes anger, confusion, or annoyance.

    Enemies who used to be a dime-a-dozen thugs who go down after a single head-shot or shotgun blast are now zombie-like enemies who take two shotgun blasts to the chest and fall down ... only to rise again to shoot Max in the back for a quick kill. No matter how stealthy you are in Max Payne 3 your enemies will always know exactly where you are even if using a silenced weapon they will find you unless it is a scripted sequence in the game. The A.I. in Max Payne is really good at shooting through the invisible walls that sometimes block your bullets which increases their advantage over you with their zombie-like vitality. The A.I. is also surprisingly well designed, and many times as Max Payne I found myself surrounded on all sides and the Rockstar programmers deserve to be congratulated on that at least. An unfortunate part of the programming is the hit-box detection, which I will illustrated through an example: In a helicopter sequence where Max covers a woman - he has a laser-guided high powered rifle that takes out enemies in one shot, super easy right? Wrong. Three people witnessed my shooting and no one could believe it as the person I was covering got executed over and over again despite my gunfire going directly through the enemies chasing her, guided by the laser sight on the gun. I wasn't even going for head-shots mind you, direct shots to the chest without any flare or style. It just didn't hit. Some of the controls in the game are stupidly assigned like either of the two buttons dedicated to bullet time. Having a thumbstick used for something that important in the game is just unforgivable in design, and perhaps owning the first two on computer skews my perspective - but having one key for both slowing time and diving (if pressed while going in a direction) seemed a lot more intuitive than the controls of the game which often saw me diving over railings or into the water causing death which put me back to the last **** cut-scene that I saw 30 bad guys ago.

    Suffice it to say that Max Payne 3 is one tough whiny **** that just doesn't hit what it aims at.    … Expand
  7. EE061003
    Jun 24, 2012
    4
    Firstly to the haters.If anyone of you havent experienced or played max payne game before then to be literal YOU WONT LIKE THIS A BIT because max payne games have always been linear and in service of narrative cinematics while retaining dark atmosphere.I have been playing max payne since its original release 2001 and still do with lots of awesome mods created by fans specially for MaxFirstly to the haters.If anyone of you havent experienced or played max payne game before then to be literal YOU WONT LIKE THIS A BIT because max payne games have always been linear and in service of narrative cinematics while retaining dark atmosphere.I have been playing max payne since its original release 2001 and still do with lots of awesome mods created by fans specially for Max Payne 2.Max Payne 3 didnt feel like a max payne game at all to be honest and die hard fans might agree with that.ITS JUST A LINEAR AND OVERSCRIPTED GTA IV TO BE SPECIFIC.NOIR STYLE,DREAM SEQUENCES,DARK ATMOSPHERE,FEELING OFMAX PAYNE CHARACTER ALL ARE GONE.in the first two games we actually felt the resonance of the tensed situations and feel of a max as a character.To be Max Payne 3 is a sheer disappointment.Remedy will regret the loss of such iconic character by rockstar and its GTA fanbase.PROS:Terrific voice acting and level design,,great shoot outs CONS:Not in any way feels like a max payne game.even the story is cliched with predictable outcome,no dream sequences,no character feeling,Mona Sax is completely forgotten in the latest installment.Overall IF I WERE NEW TO MP SERIES THEN I WOULD HAVE RATED IT 9 BUT AS A DIE HARD FAN OF THE SERIES FOR A DECADE I AM DISAPPOINTED.SAME THING HAPPENED TO SPLINTER CELL SERIES WHEN CONVICTION WAS RELEASED AND NOW MAX PAYNE.START WORRYING ABOUT 47… Expand
  8. paddystudmuffin
    Aug 9, 2012
    3
    Very average game. Outstays its welcome by chapter 10 even though it's short which tells you that gameplay gets boring quick. A couple of good chapters tho. Definitely not a keeper.
  9. METACRITTER
    Jun 3, 2012
    0
    A rail shooter written by a child with a knack for the hackneyed. I wondered how Rockstar was going to fudge this up and now I know. Horrible narration by a whiney Max Payne in a setting that doesn't make sense, we find ourselves surrounded by characters cast in a such a bad light that they are utterly unlikable.

    Then there is the game engine. if I die I quickly restart and replay the    A rail shooter written by a child with a knack for the hackneyed. I wondered how Rockstar was going to fudge this up and now I know. Horrible narration by a whiney Max Payne in a setting that doesn't make sense, we find ourselves surrounded by characters cast in a such a bad light that they are utterly unlikable.

    Then there is the game engine. if I die I quickly restart and replay the same segment over. I leap through the air using bullet time to take out my enemies and to show how innovative it is I fall asleep before I hit the floor.

    Then there is a cutscene where Max Payne searches for a complaint while the camera flahses strange colors like I spilled water on my PC. Now a **** viewfinder over a boring environment. Why are we here. Who are these people. Who cares. I don't.    … Expand
  10. Extant
    Jun 4, 2012
    4
    Is the shooting fun? Yes. Are the graphics nice? Yes! Do I wish I could play for more than 30 seconds without being interrupted by cutscenes? YES! When I am playing, it is enjoyable, I think, but the action comes in such short bursts between cutscenes I can't get involved in the game. It's a perpetual game of "just the tip," never letting me go too long on my own. The first two Max PayneIs the shooting fun? Yes. Are the graphics nice? Yes! Do I wish I could play for more than 30 seconds without being interrupted by cutscenes? YES! When I am playing, it is enjoyable, I think, but the action comes in such short bursts between cutscenes I can't get involved in the game. It's a perpetual game of "just the tip," never letting me go too long on my own. The first two Max Payne games perfectly melded gameplay and storytelling, whereas this does so incredibly clunkily. I am taken totally out of the game, and can't enjoy what I think is actually pretty good gameplay. Not to mention the visual "style" of the cutscenes is so blatantly trying to be "cool" it makes me literally nauseous. The saving grace is that the multiplayer is quite robust and enjoyable (and not interrupted by cutscenes!), so I think that's where I'll be spending my $60 worth of time.… Expand
  11. SNESLIVE
    May 17, 2012
    4
    My thoughts in a nutshell: Clunky controls, terrible presentation, on-rail shooting segments that don't belong in a Max Payne game, bland story, bland characters, no use of subtitles for foreign language speaking characters, multiplayer that doesn't need to exist, and a failure to capture the Noir feel of the past games. This game should have been made by Remedy, not Rockstar.
  12. moifoi
    Jun 10, 2012
    1
    This game is 80% cutscenes, 10% will to play, and 10% gameplay, and 100% crap story.
    This game was the fall of rockstar. Graphics don't make a game, stick the gameplay.
  13. Neth3rtwist
    May 21, 2012
    0
    This isnt the Max Payne I remember. Something is just off and what I remember from the computer game ten years back was not improved upon. The dark, bizarre, cold feeling that I was left with is simply not here this go around.
  14. raahsnavj
    May 17, 2012
    1
    7 Planned DLC's already for this game. When did it become okay to hold back content in hopes that you could get more from the consumer later? Sure it isn't exactly new to the industry, Diablo 2 wasn't even finished in the original packaging, you had to get the expansion to finish it out. But now they hold your game hostage in the hopes you will continue to play the game well after you are7 Planned DLC's already for this game. When did it become okay to hold back content in hopes that you could get more from the consumer later? Sure it isn't exactly new to the industry, Diablo 2 wasn't even finished in the original packaging, you had to get the expansion to finish it out. But now they hold your game hostage in the hopes you will continue to play the game well after you are done with it because of all the extra story-bits they left behind.

    Urg, this industry is sad.    … Expand
  15. Jbrizzy
    May 29, 2012
    4
    DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!, Rockstar really needs to get it together because i have not been satisfied with anything they have made( sans ballad of gay tony dlc) since they put out GTA San Andreas. Every title since then has been hyped up garbage hidden by beautiful graphics. In this game their are Cutscenes everywhere, it wouldnt have bothered me if the gamplay wasnt repetitive, but it isDONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!, Rockstar really needs to get it together because i have not been satisfied with anything they have made( sans ballad of gay tony dlc) since they put out GTA San Andreas. Every title since then has been hyped up garbage hidden by beautiful graphics. In this game their are Cutscenes everywhere, it wouldnt have bothered me if the gamplay wasnt repetitive, but it is so yea. And the story really isnt that engaging sense majority of the time you will be watching cutscenes.There really arent that many weapons either , and finding the golden parts to them really doesnt change anything but their appearance. This game also is kind of like yet another call of duty clone. Last time i checked Max Payne didnt need cover, but ole well. I will say it was a good effort to make Max Payne relevent again, but the wait definitly wasnt worth it.… Expand
  16. gamer187
    May 26, 2012
    0
    Disappointing on 360 poor controls poor story line and cut scenes destroy game-play throw away multi player Rockstar need to rebuild there programming and gameplay huge let down not worth a rent really 3rd person COD clone gone wrong.
  17. alien5
    Jun 10, 2012
    0
    One of the worst shooters I've played in a while, but let me break it down:

    The good: The story has some interesting twists and turns, and creates a nice setting for Max to develop as a character. Also the game as a whole is relatively polished and the graphics are decent. The bad: Everything else. I enjoy the comic noir thing, and loved the first two games, but Max just whines    One of the worst shooters I've played in a while, but let me break it down:

    The good: The story has some interesting twists and turns, and creates a nice setting for Max to develop as a character. Also the game as a whole is relatively polished and the graphics are decent.

    The bad: Everything else. I enjoy the comic noir thing, and loved the first two games, but Max just whines throughout the whole game. He spend the entire game pitying himself and killing people. He doesn't progress, he just whines and whines and whines and goes on about how things couldn't get any worse but they will anyways. Terrible character writing for Max, not to mention the helpless women who scream after every gunshot no matter how many they hear. Most importantly, though, the gunplay is terrible. Bullet time works, technically, but you're not given enough, and bullets travel slower than people move. The time from when you fire to when the bullet hits the enemy is enough time for them to jerk enough to turn a headshot into a near-zero-damage shoulder graze and the enemies react inhumanely quick.

    The "level design" looks nice, but scene after scene after scene you're thrown into a bunch of enemies, which should be fun, but time after time you're given no cover, or insufficient cover, and left to deplete your bullet time while getting hit anyways. Nearly every bit of cover you get you'll get hit around, which makes careful play pointless and virtually as functional as charging in with no care whatsoever. Random headshots kill you, and the longer you try and actually play carefully the more likely someone is to score one on you. Enemies fire accurately through tons of environmental obstacles you can barely see them through, and ALL of your progress is entirely linear giving you no freedom in approach. This game succeeds at little aside from having a solid budget.    … Expand
  18. Haus_Man
    May 24, 2012
    4
    Being a fan of both the Max Payne franchise and Rock Star Games I was excited to see these two come together. However, after playing the game I am very disappointed with the final product. Game play is extremely linear and interrupted by cut scene after cut scene. The game play does not have the Max Payne feel to it, and some how Bullet Time has become boring. I made the decision toBeing a fan of both the Max Payne franchise and Rock Star Games I was excited to see these two come together. However, after playing the game I am very disappointed with the final product. Game play is extremely linear and interrupted by cut scene after cut scene. The game play does not have the Max Payne feel to it, and some how Bullet Time has become boring. I made the decision to purchase this game based on all the reviews I read on this site and now regret it. This is my first review and also the first Max Payne/Rock Star title that i will not play through to the finish. Its just too boring. I give it a 4 for the voice acting and the graphics.… Expand
  19. JabbaTheSlush
    Jun 2, 2012
    1
    After a bit this playing the same Rockstar game over and over gets old. Grand Theft: Auto, Horse, Facial Expressions and Slow Motion. They are making the same product over and over. Trivial story, amazing polish but it is like polishing a turd, and the now famous "awesome multiplayer" (gaming media uses this when they want to say the game is crap and it is hard to evaluate what oneAfter a bit this playing the same Rockstar game over and over gets old. Grand Theft: Auto, Horse, Facial Expressions and Slow Motion. They are making the same product over and over. Trivial story, amazing polish but it is like polishing a turd, and the now famous "awesome multiplayer" (gaming media uses this when they want to say the game is crap and it is hard to evaluate what one person's take on multiplayer is to the next) that will entertain for two weeks max. Pass. Wait for games, not products.… Expand
  20. Munchies
    May 19, 2012
    1
    Clunky, awkward controls. Overlong, graphically dubious cutscenes.
    Migraine and fit inducing effects.
    I will never trust another critic score/review again.
    This game is complete bollocks.
  21. Tzipi
    May 22, 2012
    0
    I want to say that I specially created an account here just to post this review. Being a Max Payne fan all my life, I had some very big expectations from this sequel...till I found it's not gonna be made by Remedy as it was before.
    Ok, Rockstar dudes made some incredible games which I have played about all, so I had some mixed feelings but I was a little confident that they will not screw    I want to say that I specially created an account here just to post this review. Being a Max Payne fan all my life, I had some very big expectations from this sequel...till I found it's not gonna be made by Remedy as it was before.
    Ok, Rockstar dudes made some incredible games which I have played about all, so I had some mixed feelings but I was a little confident that they will not screw things up. Well they did.
    Finishing this game was torturous, really. I will now tell you shorty the story:
    Cinematics - Gun Fight - Cinematics - Gun Fight - Cinematics - Gun Fight and the show goes on. There is nothing interesting about this game, not even the graphics and their famous in-house engine. I didn't ask that, I just wanted an incredible story like the first games had. As I said, the story is horrible. All you are gonna do is killing some guys in São Paulo and a few hundreds in New York only to find that you are leaving that cold winter place that everybody acclaimed in the previous games. Trying not to make any spoilers I will just say that the story isn't what you would expect (if you're a Max Payne fan) and that bitter taste of the 1 and 2 drama stories just isn't there.
    Even though I would have to say much more about the crappy story I will go to the next part that I hated, the cinematics. Ok, it's 2012, don't do them noir style like we've all loved before but at least don't combine this two genres. Why the hell do we need to have words coming up on the screen? I'm not from an English speeking country and I never fell the need of something like that in any game. In Splinter Cell Conviction it was pretty cool but only there...
    Another thing that I hated was the fact that they changed everything. They changed Max's appearance (both physically and clothing style), they changed the interesting Mona Sax( that I hoped it would return as in Max Payne 2 playing the hardest difficulty she wouldn't die) with some guy that talks only with "bro" and doesn't seem interesting AND they even changed the painkillers. Why would they do that?
    The AI is pretty dumb and there are a lot of bugs while in some moments there are only two options:

    A) Hide behind a single spot while 10 guys jump you.
    B) Go like a freaking mad man murdering them Rambo-style.

    Testing them both I realised that the B) option is the one that the developers wanted us to do, being the most effective.

    I won't waste much time as I've seen that most negative reviews are rated not helpful even though they're mostly right. I don't know what did Rockstar say to those "critics" but they are not saying the truth and they are acting like this is the first game they played.
    In the end I just want to say that any hardcore fans like me, even though they've seen this review, they will play the game just to know how Rockstar killed Max. Shame on you Rockstar, shame on you.    … Expand
  22. HarpLeaf
    Jun 20, 2012
    0
    Fantastically done. its fun, graphics are wonderful, story is very good and long singleplayer and multilayer experience. might truly be the best third person shooter out there. no joke. Great buy, worth every penny.
  23. kartana
    May 19, 2012
    3
    The problem with Max Payne 3 is, that it is not Max Payne. Cover: Max Payne doesn't need cover. The bullet time IS his cover. Taking cover is also way more effective than bullet time due to the narrow environments.
    Effects: the Kane & Lynch aesthetic is terribly distracting. Controls: clunky and unresponsive. Graphics: ok, but nothing special, the animations are awful especially in multiplayer.
  24. StupidName
    Jun 18, 2014
    1
    This game is awful, pure and simple. I'd rate it higher if it was a movie. Because basically that's what you're getting. Enjoy having a five minute cut scene to start your level that you can't skip? This game is for you. Enjoy having a cut scene mid level that you can't skip? You're really going to love this game.
  25. osprey
    Jul 21, 2012
    2
    Another ROCKSTAR disappointment. I keep hoping for another Red Dead experience from them and get games that fall short by a mile. This game failed to engage me and even irritated me. I wanted a film noire type mystery shooter maybe like Condemned with atmosphere and good writing and acting and challenging shooting but got none of this in this game. It comes across like a bad acid tripAnother ROCKSTAR disappointment. I keep hoping for another Red Dead experience from them and get games that fall short by a mile. This game failed to engage me and even irritated me. I wanted a film noire type mystery shooter maybe like Condemned with atmosphere and good writing and acting and challenging shooting but got none of this in this game. It comes across like a bad acid trip and isn't even a fun one. ROCKSTAR I know you can do much better please deliver next time.… Expand
  26. WaffleFox
    Mar 11, 2013
    2
    When I started this game I just loved the bullet time mode. It was so cool to see the bullet's in slow motion as they pierce your enemies. Seeing the bullet from it's point of view when shooting the last enemy in the area was also very satisfying. However that's the only entertainment available. It didn't take long for bullet time to become a necessity rather than a cool addition. InWhen I started this game I just loved the bullet time mode. It was so cool to see the bullet's in slow motion as they pierce your enemies. Seeing the bullet from it's point of view when shooting the last enemy in the area was also very satisfying. However that's the only entertainment available. It didn't take long for bullet time to become a necessity rather than a cool addition. In just about every fight it is needed to survive as you will die in a few shots. Not only that but healing items are hidden throughout the game, you have to search for them as if they are skulls in Halo. The bosses are very plain and boring. Not going to say what they are but they are all basically the same thing. At the end of cutscenes you are forced into the open, regardless if you are behind cover or not. Just about everytime this happens, baddies are already shooting at you, causing you to lose unnecessary health. The music, oh gosh the music...this is the only game to give me a headache because of the music. My head was pounding so much that I had to shut off the music completely. It's not music, it's just noise. All I heard for the music was the same sound over and over again and some person singing. Ugh, this game is just terrible in my opinion. Beat it and never played it again.… Expand
  27. Raizulee1
    Apr 22, 2013
    1
    This game is one of the most overrated games I ever play and let me explain why I think this game is overrated.
    1st: The targeting reticule is the worst I seen in all shooter games, and the shooting mechanics can be bad at times with it unbalance shooting mechanics.
    2nd: Max moves so slow and sluggish and even worst when you on a prone position while moving from the floor to cover and    This game is one of the most overrated games I ever play and let me explain why I think this game is overrated.
    1st: The targeting reticule is the worst I seen in all shooter games, and the shooting mechanics can be bad at times with it unbalance shooting mechanics.
    2nd: Max moves so slow and sluggish and even worst when you on a prone position while moving from the floor to cover and get shot while doing it. This makes the game less fun to play and even annoyingly frustrating at times.
    3rd: There is so many unskipable cutscenes (which destroy its replayability completely) and even the cutscene it's self wasn't that good of a cutscene and some cutscene can be cheesy and lame at times.
    4th: Max narrative are too much and can be annoying at time and half of those narrative are lame and unnecessary.
    5th: Glitch encounter on the Xbox 360 version from Max get stuck on cover to game freezing in the cutscenes.
    6th: Lighting distortion and highlighting unwanted words on screen can be very annoying.
    7th: Story is good but some of the plotlines are lame, unoriginal and predictable.
    8th: Why Max never killed the guy who shot Fabiana and let him go?
    9th: Boring and Unbalance multiplayer.
    10th: The game is generic and very linear.    … Expand
  28. Chris1982
    Oct 8, 2013
    0
    Maxe Payne 3 killed every good aspect that it's predecessors had.

    The story is an absolute disgrace, it's as if you're playing a 3rd person shooter that's based on a very bad Chuck Norris B-movie. What's left of the character Max Payne is an alcoholic mess who just can't shut up for less then 5 minutes. The ongoing self pityness of Max Payne made me sick and irritated. The amount    Maxe Payne 3 killed every good aspect that it's predecessors had.

    The story is an absolute disgrace, it's as if you're playing a 3rd person shooter that's based on a very bad Chuck Norris B-movie.

    What's left of the character Max Payne is an alcoholic mess who just can't shut up for less then 5 minutes.
    The ongoing self pityness of Max Payne made me sick and irritated.

    The amount of cut-scenes is absolutely frustrating, there's not even 3 minutes of gameplay without a cut-scene.

    The graphics are a huge disappointment and the fact that it's running at 30fps makes it even more regrettable.
    The controls are stiff and the bullet time makes no sense anymore.

    Don't buy this game it's a waste of money, time and a good mood.    … Expand
  29. DatGamingCritic
    Nov 18, 2013
    3
    This game is ABYSMAL! It's so bad with is cut scenes every 2 flipping seconds. IGN gave this game something like a 7 or 8. But I suppose IGN give out 8,9 and 10 like motherf**kers. Sorry for the language. Needed to get that out. But MAX PAYNE 3 is not. I REAPAT not a good game. Reason... There cutscenes. To many. It's graphics are not anything special. It's meant to be sad. I just laughedThis game is ABYSMAL! It's so bad with is cut scenes every 2 flipping seconds. IGN gave this game something like a 7 or 8. But I suppose IGN give out 8,9 and 10 like motherf**kers. Sorry for the language. Needed to get that out. But MAX PAYNE 3 is not. I REAPAT not a good game. Reason... There cutscenes. To many. It's graphics are not anything special. It's meant to be sad. I just laughed at the sad parts. Reason... It is such a bad story it made me laugh. The gameplay (when there is some) is rubbish and so is the guns. They feel terrible. Not a good job Rockstar.

    Overall
    -Bad Story
    -Bad campaign
    -Not Much GamePlay Just Cut Scenes
    Score 18/100    … Expand
  30. Broyax
    Apr 17, 2017
    3
    Une suite fidèle à l'esprit Max Payne pour le meilleur et pour le pire... et surtout pour le pire. Toujours tout en anglais (ça fait chier) et toujours cette litanie pontifiante du Max qui a pris de la bouteille (!) dans cet épisode. L'alcoolo est encore plus assommant que d'habitude à l'ouvrir (!) sans arrêt pour un oui ou pour un non comme un vieux juke-box rayé.

    Max Payne 3 est plus    Une suite fidèle à l'esprit Max Payne pour le meilleur et pour le pire... et surtout pour le pire. Toujours tout en anglais (ça fait chier) et toujours cette litanie pontifiante du Max qui a pris de la bouteille (!) dans cet épisode. L'alcoolo est encore plus assommant que d'habitude à l'ouvrir (!) sans arrêt pour un oui ou pour un non comme un vieux juke-box rayé.

    Max Payne 3 est plus difficile que Max Payne 2, la faute à une imprécision terrible au pad, quels que soient les réglages (pourtant nombreux) ou quelles que soient les assistances activées. La disparition des sauvegardes manuelles n'améliore pas le tableau, un tableau déjà bien pitoyable comme peut l'être Max le tocard pleurnichard.

    Certes Rockstar a ajouté la visée à l'épaule et un système de couverture mais ça ne suffit pas, surtout que le réticule change de place (!) quand on épaule (c'est du n'importe quoi...). Bien sûr le "bullet time" est toujours bien fait et la réalisation générale est de haute volée mais on n'est pas non plus transporté par ce semblant de scénario griffonné sur deux feuilles de papier-cul.

    La suite de trop donc, d'autant que le second épisode n'était pas mirobolant, loin s'en faut.    … Expand
  31. foxmart
    Apr 5, 2021
    3
    I honestly would've rated this two or three points higher but I want to account for all the fanboys giving it a perfect 10 (some who admit they're giving it a higher than deserved score to make up for all the haters.. ironic).

    The game is not *terrible*, but like other low score reviews, I agree that the gameplay is not good either. The character actions are difficult to control    I honestly would've rated this two or three points higher but I want to account for all the fanboys giving it a perfect 10 (some who admit they're giving it a higher than deserved score to make up for all the haters.. ironic).

    The game is not *terrible*, but like other low score reviews, I agree that the gameplay is not good either. The character actions are difficult to control (movement, aiming, gun selection, etc), and just when you're feeling confident and getting the hang of things after successfully handling a shootout you get hit with yet another cutscene that immediately makes you lose control of Max. Then, just when you start to follow the story of that cutscene, you're put right in the middle of a bunch of enemies with no idea of precisely when you gain full control and take action.

    It feels like you're taking part in the story in a haphazard way, never really being able to fully enjoy a cutscene without feeling anxious that you could be put in a shootout any second, but then never really getting into the game as a player because you're also arbitrarily taken out of control just to go over another cutscene.

    It wouldn't be so bad (but it'd still be bad) if the story itself was good, but it's just mediocre at best, the dialogue gets tiresome, and overall it doesn't have that classic Max Payne feel like the original.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
16
#16 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 80 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 80
  3. Negative: 1 out of 80
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Jul 8, 2012
    90
    A compelling, down and dirty bullet basket populated by real characters and visceral gunplay. [July 2012, p.55]
  2. TeamXbox
    Jun 26, 2012
    90
    The presentation is top-notch, the game feels like you want it to never end while you're playing it, and the multiplayer gives it longevity that will stick around for a good while.
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  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 20, 2012
    87
    Max Payne 3 is a great action-movie experience with life-like characters that Rockstar is famous for. It does fall a bit flat on the actual action part, however. The controls on consoles are confusing and hard to get used to. Still very much worth a play-thru. It's also one of the best looking console games in the current generation. [June 2012]
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