Est. 1998
Playing Out of Control Gaming

Retro reviews, vintage hardware, classic PC builds, and modern ways to keep old games alive.

Search the Archive
Home Games Max Payne Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3
Max PaynePCPlayStation 3Xbox 360Shooter

Max Payne 3

Developer: Rockstar Studios · Published by Rockstar Games · 2012
Bullet-time noir gunplay in sun-baked Sao Paulo.
ShooterThird-PersonActionNoir
Not yet reviewed
About This Game

Max Payne 3 is a 2012 third-person shooter developed by Rockstar Studios and published by Rockstar Games for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the third entry in the noir action series created by Remedy Entertainment. Set years after the earlier games, it finds the haunted, drug-addicted former NYPD detective Max Payne working as private security for a wealthy family in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where a kidnapping plunges him into a violent conspiracy amid the city's slums, nightclubs and corruption. The game retains the series' signature 'bullet time' slow-motion gunplay and cinematic dive mechanic, paired with a gritty, grounded tone, a euphoria-physics-driven sense of weight and impact, and an unbroken, seamless presentation that blends cutscenes and action without loading breaks. Rockstar reimagined the franchise's comic-book noir as a sweltering, sun-bleached thriller while preserving Max's hard-boiled, self-lacerating narration. It also introduced a robust multiplayer suite. Critically acclaimed, Max Payne 3 won praise for its visceral, polished shooting, technical achievement, story and atmosphere, though some longtime fans missed the original games' New York noir setting and lamented the heavy use of cutscenes. It stands as a high-water mark for third-person shooting and a worthy, distinctive continuation of the series. It proved to be the final entry in the series, with developer Remedy moving on to new properties.