PAX East: "Max Payne 3"

You might think Rockstar would have other games coming out, but not according to their booth, with its huge banners and epic wait to see “Max Payne 3”.

The big question for “Max Payne” fans is whether it plays like “Max Payne” or if Rockstar took the franchise away from Remedy and turned it into another “Kane and Lynch”.

Good news: this is the Max we know and love, mechanics-wise.

First off: yes, there is a cover mechanic. But it’s not a requirement; it’s really just a gameplay option, and you don’t need to use it. Honestly, it’s largely for gamers who haven’t played a Max Payne game: remember, there hasn’t been one for nearly a decade.

But make no mistake, this is still a game where you dive slowly and pump bullets into enemies, and it looks glorious. Rockstar’s graphics engine will probably cause more handwringing, but we’re pretty sure there was an entire team on the job of “When you shoot somebody, make it look exquisitely violent”. You can literally see bullets going into bodies.

In short, fans are in for a great time: the game looks great and plays great. Rockstar has done it again.

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