Ramblings of a 3D Gamer: Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3

Settings:
Nvidia 3D Vision Driver
Direct X 11 - Ingame settings only - SSAO instead of HSAO

2D
Cons
-Level design feels uninspired.
-Combat is actually worse then MP1/2[explained]
Pros
-Great cinematic scenes/narrative
-Soundtrack.
-Max is actually an interesting anti-hero which is rare.
Rating: B
Explanation: *Edited*
Max Payne 3 as a movie is something Id go to theaters twice for and own on Blu-ray. A+
However, its not a movie. Its a game, if I wanted to watch the story I'd youtube it. Save money/time.
Max Payne as a series is known for bullet time. The diving effect where time slows down and you shoot at enemy as bullets slowly come to you. It was based on the Matrix 1 which came out at probably a similiar time frame. Max Payne 1/2 didnt really offer any amazing gameplay mechanics besides this but it was fun.
Max Payne 3, is a reboot. Everything non-gameplay related is MUCH better. However the only change to gameplay. Is cover system and difficulty increase. You go into 3 thinking you can jump and dive/have fun with bullet time. Sure you act like an idiot you will be punished just like in other games. It works for the first level. Then you die.... and die again. You quickly realize cover is needed at almost all times. You shoot enemies to ground, they can get back up, they can shoot from ground. This is a terrible mechanic. You are forced to use cover almost always. Bullet time becomes a mechanic where you activate. Popout of cover shoot an enemy and pop back out. Diving unless "caught" out of cover becomes suicide. Diving at enemies, swerving out of bullet fire was fun. Pop shots is not. Im not sure if this was a feature to "enhance" multiplayer. But it killed singleplayer for me.

3D
Cons
-Doesnt add much to gameplay.
-Story scenes are constantly interrupted with 2D cinematics.
-Miscellaneous. Water/motor boat stage is broken. The light effect in "scenes" are 2D. Some people have issue with the "scene" motion blur.
-Cant use seperate setting for story/gameplay.
Pros
-Certain elements such as debree, bullets, glass shards add to excitement in confrontations especially during bullet time.
-Issues generally do not get in the way.
-Story scenes that are 3D are wonderful
Rating: B
Explanation: A/A- for 3D compatibility. Down to a B for aesthetics. Its has almost no issues outside of settings but I truly find that 3D offers very little outside of story scenes. Which are constantly interrupted with low quality 2D .AVI's. In combat, the camera is far away from Max to highlight from feet to head combined with level design which is all flat edges and barriers. Not to mention you only have one convergence setting for a drastic difference [cinematic/ third person.] It just doesnt add that much to 3D. You don't feel like in Skyrim 3D where you are going through a cave with glistening water on the walls and archaic symbols. You just feel like your navigating cubicles trying to get to your desk.
If interested in a video review check s3dgamerzone.com

4 comments:

EincrouApril 8, 2013 at 6:34 AM
I agree big-time with everything you said about MP3 benefiting very little from S3D. I said the same in my video review of the game.

I had completed the game first in 2D, but when I went back to replay it on the hardest difficulty in 3D, I felt almost nothing extra was added to the experience.

I almost feel a bit guilty for this, especially for a game that has developer stereoscopic support. Unfortunately, something about MP3 does not lend itself very well to a providing a breathtaking stereoscopic experience.