Viqor played Max Payne 3

Pushed through to the end of the game. Where as the Remedy-made Max Payne games had a very noirish feel with John-Woo action trappings, Max Payne 3 feels like a gritty modern action movie through and through: more Casino Royale than Hard Boiled. It suits its own sense of style quite well, with the visuals working together with the story to create a grimy, brutal tone. By itself, the story isn't bad either, beginning with a kidnapping and escalating out of control from there. It's a bit predictable, one or two betrayals are very easy to call from nearly the beginning of the game, but it moves the story along briskly and gives Max a reason to keep killing people. Which is good, because Max himself is really only periphery to the story. Previously, the games have revolved around Max, dealing heavily with his personal revenge, betrayals, and inner demons. This time around, it seems like Rockstar meant for his drinking and painkiller addiction to serve as that tie-in, but it ultimately falls short. As a character, we learn very little about Max beyond the immediate: why he's in Brazil, why he's protecting these people, and why he does what he does in the story are all explained, but everything else is largely ignored, including the shift in his personality and his dependencies. Not answering these questions can work as a stand-alone title, but as part of a series, one with established character and fiction, it's difficult to just accept the changes without any further context.