Explain why this game is considered bad?

[Grace5959]

19 hours ago, Crispy78923 said:

I often find online fans of the Max Payne series refer to this game with great contempt. 

I don't remember much about the first two instalments but it seems those who dislike this game are people who feel it's a poor imitation of the prior two. 

So, could someone please (without being aggressive or rude) explain the major issues fans have with this game? Since I can't find any clear reasoning. 

 

Important note: If you don't know, don't understand or just don't have the answer to my question, please do not reply to this topic. I'm so sick of my topics getting responses akin to "Idk just enjoy the game lol". It's just so draining. 

Concerning the poll: Yes, I'm aware I only gave two "black-and-white" answers. That's the point, if you think it's just "okay" then vote for it being good. I'm also tired of people whining about my polls. 

Sorry for the mini-rants. 

( @TheEyeOfSa will assist in enforcing these rules)

I will will I? But I'm just an alt, right?

[Sir-Syzygy]

57 minutes ago, TheEyeOfSa said:

I will will I? But I'm just an alt, right?

You missed the good stuff anyway.

[SkyMason]

On 5/8/2018 at 8:23 AM, NamoPh said:

 

I was mostly referring to the fact that your question had already been answered in the part you didn't quote. Because it seems we're in agreement that the game didn't follow the same approach. Yes it's all just gunplay, but there are hundreds of ways to do gunplay, and MP3 followed the Painkiller approach rather than the Max Payne one. And while I will never argue that Painkiller is a bad game (the first one at least), it was not an approach I particularly enjoyed and definitely not one I was expecting when going into MP3. I believe MP3 did quite a few things right, but combine these differences in gameplay with the differences in presentation you've seen before (no, this isn't all about not being in NY), and it isn't unfair to say that it is Max Payne in name only. Whether that makes it good or bad is a separate point entirely.

 

By the logic of a series is what it is, we would for example have to accept that Metroid Other M is part of the series for what it is, rather than pointing out the fact that it was the game that buried the franchise. Not the same thing obviously, I just want to point out the flaw in that philosophy.

Of course it's unfair to say that it's Max Payne in name only, because how you came to that conclusion is from what you, the individual, want from the series, not necessarily anyone else. Whether you are in the minority or majority with that view isn't the point - things change, and having fresh takes on old stuff is how things stay relevant. Why do you keep mentioning painkiller btw? That's an FPS game, with a completely different tone. That game never stops - MP3 is always being interrupted by a narrative, and there are the onrails/sniper sections to keep it (sort of) fresh. MP3 is nothing like painkiller, I think that's a huge exaggeration.

 

Max Payne 3 isn't that different in structure either, in Max Payne 1/2 you're still going through mostly linear levels killing bad guys in rooms one after the other, solving extremely simple puzzles (if you can call them that) usually with switches/levers, even having the same "New York Minute mode" for players to go through after finishing the game. He has the same inner monologue, the same sad shit happens to him, only it happens to be in Brazil this time. Of course it's gonna feel different, it has different writers and almost a decade had passed since 2.

[OBSTINATIO]

Max Payne 3 is one of my favorite PS3 games – easily in my top 10 of this generation. 

I played through this game 7-8 times by now and I'm still enjoying it. Something I can not say about similar titles like Uncharted or Kane and Lynch...

 

-the gameplay is outstanding, perfect skill curve, endless ways to tackle situations 
-the voice acting is the best I ever experienced  in any game
-music is also top notch, still listening to some of the tracks on Spotify 
-endless content for a game of this kind
-from my point of view very nice story + setting

 

Everything else is also good, but maybe just average. I recommend this game to everyone with no exceptions. Hopefully I get the Platinum soon too. 

[closertim]

I voted yes.  Its a great game.  Not many games I've played through 5 times and still enjoy it.  

[BluesFanUK]

Having recently gone back to it to clear up the MP trophies before the servers close I think this has been one of the least enjoyable experiences i've had in a long time.

• Multiplayer is awful, period. Long load times, disconnects, freezing, bad matchmaking, overpowered weapons, bullets bend behind cover, game favours higher level players etc.
• Long unskippable cutscenes
• Gitches galore, just had one walking out of Chp10 and fell through the map, orange screen appeared for 10 mins so had to restart. In MP invisible players are apparently allowed in.
• Unbalanced difficulty levels - Rockstar even acknowledge this by the fact they'll give you painkillers, adrenaline and top up your guns for every few times you die.
• The awful engine from GTA 4 rears its ugly head here. Have time to make a cup of coffee whilst Max Payne gets up from a shootdodge.
• Last Man Standing - useless feature if the enemy is sitting behind cover, which is often the case, on higher difficulties they bum rush you for no reason.
• Game forces you to play Rockstar's way - i.e
  • Ch4 - Reach the bar backdoor too early and an enemy spawns out of nowhere to kill Passos
  • Ch10 - Two snipers appear on the roof as you enter the bus depot, if you don't act quick enough they'll kill Giovanna (who is hiding behind cover!)
  • Ch11 - The final part on Panama is with Passos shooting enemies on a balcony, if you beeline it to the entrance to flank them Passos automatically dies
  • Ch12 - Take too long to kill the three guards who appear on the roof towards the end of the roof quakes and the building explodes with you on it... 

There are one too many instances of those warped versions of quick time events that are infuriating. I want to play the game my way, not how Rockstar want it done, and they have major repercussions for NYM and NYMHC, a mode that should NEVER have existed in the PS3 era, at least on PS4 you can put your game into rest mode and not play 4-5 hours straight.

[MrGarland]

29 minutes ago, BluesFanUK said:

Having recently gone back to it to clear up the MP trophies before the servers close I think this has been one of the least enjoyable experiences i've had in a long time.

• Multiplayer is awful, period. Long load times, disconnects, freezing, bad matchmaking, overpowered weapons, bullets bend behind cover, game favours higher level players etc.
• Long unskippable cutscenes
• Gitches galore, just had one walking out of Chp10 and fell through the map, orange screen appeared for 10 mins so had to restart. In MP invisible players are apparently allowed in.
• Unbalanced difficulty levels - Rockstar even acknowledge this by the fact they'll give you painkillers, adrenaline and top up your guns for every few times you die.
• The awful engine from GTA 4 rears its ugly head here. Have time to make a cup of coffee whilst Max Payne gets up from a shootdodge.
• Last Man Standing - useless feature if the enemy is sitting behind cover, which is often the case, on higher difficulties they bum rush you for no reason.
• Game forces you to play Rockstar's way - i.e
  • Ch4 - Reach the bar backdoor too early and an enemy spawns out of nowhere to kill Passos
  • Ch10 - Two snipers appear on the roof as you enter the bus depot, if you don't act quick enough they'll kill Giovanna (who is hiding behind cover!)
  • Ch11 - The final part on Panama is with Passos shooting enemies on a balcony, if you beeline it to the entrance to flank them Passos automatically dies
  • Ch12 - Take too long to kill the three guards who appear on the roof towards the end of the roof quakes and the building explodes with you on it... 

There are one too many instances of those warped versions of quick time events that are infuriating. I want to play the game my way, not how Rockstar want it done, and they have major repercussions for NYM and NYMHC, a mode that should NEVER have existed in the PS3 era, at least on PS4 you can put your game into rest mode and not play 4-5 hours straight.

Another thing that really sucks about Last Man Standing is that it drains the entire Bullet Time bar. Even if it was full before you took a fatal shot, you lose all that completely.

 

I also agree with everything you say. Especially with the cutscenes. I believe you can skip them on a PC version (based on what I've seen) so why can't you do that in the console version as well?

[pavelbagirov]

Sometimes very long loading times. Micro freeze sometimes 

8 minutes ago, MrGarland said:

Another thing that really sucks about Last Man Standing is that it drains the entire Bullet Time bar. Even if it was full before you took a fatal shot, you lose all that completely.

 

I also agree with everything you say. Especially with the cutscenes. I believe you can skip them on a PC version (based on what I've seen) so why can't you do that in the console version as well?

Because when you see cutscene it’s loading going on ps360 while PC have ssd

[willmill97]

One of the most underrated games of all time. Amazing single player & multiplayer, best 3rd person shooting gameplay of all time. Fight me. 

[OnuR10Ly]

I only played this on PC at release. So i didn't have any technical problems like slow loading or frame rate issues. Yet i still left disappointed by the game. Its wasn't bad at all, its just the story feels so unoriginal. Even back then it felt uninspired. 

 

Also NY is kinda iconic setting for Max Payne game so having the most of the game out of there felt like you are playing some other third person shooter. 

[MonaSaxPayne]

this is a great game

 

easily the top 5 games I played for the entire PS3 generation

[Potent_Delusions]

It's an absolutely fantastic game, a top three game of the PS3 era for me. The only drawback is that some people get technical issues such as freezing in New York Minute Hardcore, which I can see being demoralising, but other than that it's excellent.

[Hysteria]

its really an excellent game in every angle , the only thing that I really hate are the flashy blurry lights during the scenes . 

[Null_Spectre]

34 minutes ago, Hysteria said:

its really an excellent game in every angle , the only thing that I really hate are the flashy blurry lights during the scenes . 

Same, was hoping it could be switched off in options. Wouldn't be surprised if it's migraine inducing for some.

[kenseizenkai]

I didn't vote, 'cos I don't consider Max Payne 3 (MP3) to be ether good or a bad game. Sure game has it's moments & Max's voice over is always excellent, but there are a lot of bad things too.

 

First, the elephant in the room: the multyplayer mode. The game didn't need a mp mode. Remember, both Max Payne (MP1) & Max Payne 2 (MP2) DIDN'T HAVE any kind of mp mode. Developers only put it the game, 'cos "It was style at the time" as immortal Abe Simpson would say.

 

Second, weapons & mechanics. Both MP1 & MP2 have been made as 100% arcade 3rd person shooters (TPS), which means you can carry & use every weapon you collected (Black Jack, Baseball Bat, Berettas, Desert Eagles, Sawed-Off Shotguns, Combat Shotguns, Uzis, MP5, AK-47, M4, etc.) In MP3 you can only carry 2 small weapons, 1 big weapon & grenades, so you have to constantly look out for ammo & switch weapons. Developers wanted to make MP3 more "realistic" & yet Max still uses painkillers to replenish health. Realistic indeed.

 

Third, story & setting. I'm going to compare Die Hard & Max Payne here. Why didn't A Good Day to Die Hard work? Because John McClane left the American soil. Like John McLane, Max Payne is an American icon & developers should've left him on American soil. It's hard to believe that Max lost his job & couldn't find work anywhere in the USA, so he had to move to Brazil of all places to be a bodyguard. Why couldn't he be a bodyguard in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles or Miami? I know developers wanted to send Max to an exotic location, but it's not like USA doesn't have exotic places.

 

Anyway this review is getting long, so I'm gonna stop here. Piece!

 

EDIT: Typos.

Edited August 3, 2021 by kenseizenkai

[x7251]

I enjoyed the game. 

[sepheroithisgod]

I think the real question is how didn't it win GOTY all those years ago. I remember being very confused since it was definitely the best game that year I played.

[RayIshimura]

On 7.5.2018 at 2:38 PM, PooPooBlast said:

I voted no. There exists no such thing as a game that's bad objectively. Take my opinion with a pinch of salt because I never played the previous games but I did watch summary videos to get caught up on the story. 

 

Loved it a lot despite giving me hell on the way to plat ( still haven't platted it yet). 

Your wrong, the culling 2, the amazing spider man 2 (the game), Sonic 4 and many more can prove that there can be a objetivly bad game and I would implore you to refine your critical standert.

 

4 hours ago, willmill97 said:

One of the most underrated games of all time. Amazing single player & multiplayer, best 3rd person shooting gameplay of all time. Fight me. 

It sold over 4 million copies in a year and got pretty good reviews, if this is your standard for "underrated" what game isn't?

 

1.The story has many plotholes and contrivances that at a certain point you just have to assume that everybody is mentally challenged. For example: 
the main villain's plan to make max take the fall for being unable to protect the Brancos but why would he hire a man who has killed overs thousands of people single handly? was no other down on his luck cop available? why not take Passo ? the Plot hitches on this fact.
 In chapter 4 the son of a mob boss decides that the best guy to fuck with is a guy how is know to have murdered over a thousand criminals, which he must know because you cannot tell me he wouldn't consider what happened in the first 2 games. BTW this is the event that makes max leave to go to brazil, if this wouldn't have happened the game wouldn't have happened.
there a more and you will probably find them because

 

2. the game has many unskippable cutscenes and it's questionable if they even are, the game says its loading but because of the pc version, we can tell that the loading time is set because they are the same on both systems, at least in my experience and because we can tell when a cutscene is prerendered. So the game is lying to you but why? some have presumed it's because of scripting but I assume that it's because the devs wanted you to see all the work which whet it the story and the cutscene.

3.the Cutscenes are filled with random words being highlighted, kinda like a bad youtube essay, and are for the most part in a language you a lot of people will not understand. I know why they did it its because the game wants you to experience what max experiences (except for 1 time in chapter 3 where they translate the villains for no reason, in one of the dumber moments in the game)and make you feel lost and in the setting but It's still bad because they could have added something like wind waker where you unlock the ability to speak the lost language on second playthroughs but no you don't get to understand most of the dialogue in this story with 37:90 mins of cutscenes

4.the game never gets a good pace going, it always stops and starts, never having any levels with you just going through and just playing the game, it makes stuff like NYM which is supposed to rush you almost seem like a joke with how often the timer is stopped for the story

 

which is a shame because the Gameplay is fucking great, same with the cutscenes, the music, the dialog and many other things.
It has massive flaws but the rest of the game is just so strong that it balances out, the question maybe should have been if the game is good enough to justify making a sequel to a finished story, which changes the meaning of the ending and then tells a worse story... or something like idk.

[z99f]

Well, from my understanding this game was underrated... at least by the standard set by other Rockstar games. Overall, when it comes to MP3, I think the experience will be very different for those that have played the original games and those that haven't. I think that there are many hardcore fanboys (and girls) that didn't want Max's journey to continue, so this game was definitely unwanted by those folks and automatically gets a bad rap.

 

Whether or not this game deserves all the hate that it gets... well idk. I don't think judging games based on nostalgia alone is fair (I'm not saying everyone does that, but there are definitely some that do - I've been guilty of it too). Sure this game has many flaws and it is far from perfect, but you can't deny that Rockstar tried really hard to create something new and refreshing for people that did not necessarily play the original games back in the day. Seeing as this was going to be a 'AAA' title for consoles, it makes sense that they would change things around. Rockstar was working with new hardware, experimenting with new ideas, and trying to handle a new target audience; of course the game was going to be different.

 

I think people need to focus more on the positives and less on the negatives. I for one, did not mind watching the cutscenes over and over as I really enjoyed the story along with Max's voice acting. Everyone will have their own likes and dislikes. Personally, I disagree with all the hate this game gets. I feel it's unwarranted on many levels (while some of the criticism is spot on). 

Edited August 2, 2021 by z99f

[PooPooBlast]

2 hours ago, RayIshimura said:

Your wrong, the culling 2, the amazing spider man 2 (the game), Sonic 4 and many more can prove that there can be a objetivly bad game and I would implore you to refine your critical standert.

 

Okay ?

Edited August 2, 2021 by PooPooBlast

[CouponCrusader]

Loved max payne 3 shame to see the servers close been having fun with the online 

[dieselmanchild]

6 hours ago, Hysteria said:

its really an excellent game in every angle , the only thing that I really hate are the flashy blurry lights during the scenes . 

The flashing lights and blurry images remind me so much of that Denzel Washington movie ‘Man On Fire’ about ransom kidnappings in Mexico City. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if the developers of this game were inspired by that movie.

 

The interesting parallel between Man On Fire and Max Payne 3 is that the main protagonist in both movies, John Creasy and Max Payne, are both burned out, guilt ridden, and suicidal. Both are ruthless killing machines that operate under a steady haze of drugs and alcohol in order to function and cope with the daily trauma they endure. I think it’s quite likely that this disorienting visual style was deliberately chosen to portray the hazy, dissociated state of mind these characters find themselves in every day.

 

I agree with everyone who loved this game. I think it’s one of the best single player stories I’ve ever played, and I found the visuals, the exotic locales, and Max’s witty, nihilistic monologues and observations about his predicaments were among the most interesting lines of dialogue I’ve ever heard in a video game before.

[War-Heed]

I started this at the end of last year primarily for the mp boosting, now since rockstar announced the server closure it jumped to the top of my backlog. The sp In my eyes is one of the best games I've played,  abeit many years old and forced to play for trophies (probably hate it at the end of the grind). But the way the game is done is beautiful imo. The gunplay is top notch - not without a few glitches here and there and max is the antihero he always should have been. Totally regret leaving this until the last minute, as In my eyes this is one of the games that should have been a must play from me from day 1. Wtf

[DJ_KamurochoVibe]

The only bad thing about MP3 is graphics is terribly outdated and deserves a full remaster for PS4 like LA Noire. But knowing it's by R*, they will only stick to GTA Online and RDO.

[AJ_Radio]

31 minutes ago, DJ_KamurochoVibe said:

The only bad thing about MP3 is graphics is terribly outdated and deserves a full remaster for PS4 like LA Noire. But knowing it's by R*, they will only stick to GTA Online and RDO.

 

You can't compare a game from 2012 to the stuff of today, especially now with 4K, 60 FPS being the standard. For a PS3 game, Max Payne 3 looks fucking fantastic. A definite seal of quality in the graphics department.