Max Payne 3 - Boxed - PS3

Max Payne 3 is the third main game in the series and takes place a few years after the events of the previous instalments. After his work as a DEA agent and detective with the New York City Police Department, protagonist Max Payne moves from Hoboken, New Jersey, to São Paulo, Brazil. Looking for a new life and to leave his past behind, he works in private security for Rodrigo Branco. When Branco's wife Fabiana is kidnapped by a street gang during a rooftop party, Payne sets out to rescue her, but events quickly spiral out of control. He still drinks heavily, and although the drawn comic-book panels are gone, the cutscenes still retain the panel look and drive the story forward using the in-game engine, complete with the series' signature inner-monologue voice and film noir elements. Partway through the game, Payne also swaps his trademark suit or trenchcoat for a bearded, short-haired look with a shirt. Compared to the previous game, and due to the setting, the visuals are also often much brighter.

The game is played as a third-person shooter, in which Payne is often overwhelmed by enemies. To survive, the series' signature bullet-time mechanic is essential. When activated, time slows down and he can jump, dodge, shoot and target multiple enemies in sequence to take them out. Its duration is shown by a bar on the right-hand side, which takes some time to refill. If Max ends up lying on the ground after a jump, he stays in that position and can quickly shoot in any direction. Defeated enemies drop weapons that can be swapped for or emptied for extra ammunition. Multiple weapons can be carried, and a radial menu allows you to quickly select a different one. Payne is also able to dual-wield pistols, and uses shotguns and automatic weapons. The gameplay includes a cover mechanic, letting you take cover near virtually any object. From this safe position, you can aim and shoot, or lean out. To survive, cover must be used constantly, and often specific body parts, such as headshots, are required to take out enemies quickly. Health is shown by an outlined figure on the right-hand side. When Max is shot, it fills up with red. To avoid dying, he must pick up and take painkillers, which are available in small supplies.

Certain objects in the environment can be examined for clues, and flashing buttons can be shot to open doors and gates. For a cinematic effect, there's a bullet cam that follows the projectile until it hits. The player can manually slow down and rotate the camera before continuing to shoot. Not the entire story is told in chronological order. Some parts play out in flashbacks, and alongside locations like restaurants, clubs, rooftops, docks, hotels and the favelas, there are also sequences in which Max shoots from a helicopter or from a boat travelling down a river. The cutscenes often blend seamlessly into gameplay. Alongside the main objectives, shooting style is rewarded through grind achievements, and golden weapon parts can optionally be collected to form sets. The main scenario is supplemented by an Arcade mode and the New York Minute mode, which unlocks after completing the game once.

Completely new to the series is the multiplayer mode. Alongside regular deathmatch games, there's a Gang Wars team mode, focused on earning experience, using perks, defining your own loadouts and so on. The games include variants of capture-and-hold and capture-the-flag. It also includes the bullet-time mechanic, where activating it affects every enemy in the character's line of sight. Crews created within Rockstar's Social Club environment can be carried over into other games.