The final video was an exclamation mark to everything that had led to this point. I released my finger from the mouse. And then it was uploaded. Edit: Yes, I know I didn't use the widescreen fixes for MP 1&2. I didn't even think to look for them cause nothing stood out as strange to me when I was playing. Most people haven't noticed anything either and I think each game looks just fine without the fixes. If you put my footage side by side with another's then yes you can tell the difference, but it's really not a big deal. If you'd like to see more of my content, here's the Critical Nobody playlist - bit.ly/2M3r65U
I used to want a Max Payne 4 but now I realize I really don't. His story is over and he's earned some rest. Now a spiritual successor, I'd be down for that.
A female protag could still get away with the name Max, and there are other spellings of Payne that sound the same obviously. I think R* could definitely get away with just calling it Max Payne 4
Max Payne 3 easily has the best shooting mechanics of any 3rd person shooter. Max Payne 2 has the best story. and Max Payne .... well it has that face.
Nope, the 1st games story is arguably just as good, and personally a lot better for me. It encapsulates what the Max Payne games were meant to be, the second game improves on mechanics but after recently replaying both games I can safely say the story for 1 is definitely better overall.
@@dredddpatrol Yeah but most of what you mentioned plays almost no major role. The dream sequences aren’t in your face and aren’t good by any means, but once you’ve done them a few times they’re a piece of piss.
@@dredddpatrol Also to compare max Payne 2 to China town is just insulting, the story is MP2 is just so convoluted and Mona and Max’s bond is just so hamfisted.
@@playz452Max Payne 3 is bad ass though son. It’s definitely different, but I went in with low expectations and I was surprised at how they merged the stories, and I’ve now played through it 3x it’s great. It’s really a great story, if they had kept max in New York the plot would have been what? Anyway to each their own, I was 11 when Max Payne came out, took me forever to get past the dreams I remember being stuck between part 2 and 3 for weeks. When #2 came out I had to wait a few months, and I bought a used copy from blockbuster, good times man.
@@RTXWorld-m2h because random nobodies on the internet deciding what is and isn't canon is dumb. "I only like the first two" is fine, I disagree in that I like the third one too. "1 and 2 are the ONLY games" is stupid
Max Payne 3 becomes a lot easier when you shoot through walls. All you have to do is aim at a head. If you crosshair is red, the shot will hit, even if you are standing behind something without using the cover system.
@@Asterious_ Good news is that's starting to change, I've seen a lot of games recently have measures against that by making bull, MGSV, Fornite, and Easy Red just to name a few
Yeah.. making the game harder and harder if you quickload while dying without letting the death animation end... the game thinking you never died so it gets worse by the second. Love it
A couple of months ago I did a perma death run of Max Payne.. literally took 7 restarts w/ the last one being AT the helicopter rooftop when I killed myself w/ the grenade launcher 😭
The truth split my skull open, a glaring green white washing away the lies. fragmented still shots made up my past, words hanging in the air like balloons. I was watching a critical nobody video. Funny as hell, it was not the most horrible thing I could think of
The max Payne 3 version The fu ckin truth broke the fu ck out of my bald head just like those mother fuc king painkillers broke my old, decrepit body. I was watching some fu cking fat guy review some dumb ass game on TH-cam. It was the most re t arded thing I could think off.
I personally love the animations and movements in MP3. I love how he carries the secondary weapon in his left hand, and it feels like a physical object. For instance after he has dived to the ground, he tucks the gun under his arm whilst he picks himself up. Little things like that bring me happiness 😁
@@AydarBMSTU Yeah, to bad life can be like gta where you just magically pop out a rocket launcher from thin air. Those darn "realistic" mechanics in life.
Fun fact for Max Payne 2 is that if you open the properties on Steam and type -developerkeys in the launch properties, when you're playing, you can press page up and down to switch between character models, including a specific one of Mona Sax that is fully modelled, and I mean fully... Edit: Also, just to add, P will pause the game and rotate the camera around the model, if you really wanted to... Appreciate the character models... Edit: Or as BluAuber has said, pressing F3, which should change the camera style, which all I could ever find said it was C, but it never worked, obviously this is why.
27:05 It's explained in the game why Max is like that. He was constantly drunk and on pills. That's the reason why he makes a lot of stupid decisions. It's even said in one of the first missions where Max jumps out the balcony to save a women from kidnappers. And after he stopped drinking i'm pretty sure it's said in the game that it still afects his mind and body.
@@katzarkul FR. It's amazing on its own, and even then, as a Max Payne game it's still incredible. So it's not eternal winter and night time. Whatever. It's still a very Gothic, noir vibe, with incredible, unique shooting mechanics
I know this comment is kind of old but I do want to also bring up that he made stupid decisions in the older games. Going head on by himself has always been something Max has done, whether it's infiltrating a drug company or the head of a crime family, he'll always do it with little hesitation. "A man who has nothing to lose" is kind of Max's motto, and that's what makes him incredibly dangerous. This is described perfectly in MP3, he's aware of his stupid actions but he goes along with it anyway because that's just how he's always rolled.
@@katzarkul It would have been to Close to LA Noire if they did that. Honestly Maxpayne 3 is a unique Noire game as its not the generic Type you see in most games or movies. Gamers always seems to Bitch when they do not get what they want you can see that With Last of us 2. Rockstar open does something differnt with Their games which some people dislike Such in the case of Manhunt 2, Or GTA4 after San andreas. Maxpayne 3 is an amazing TPS its unfornate that did not sell well Therefore Rockstar are less likely to try other New IPs that game they were making called Agent seemed cool. The RDR series are some of my favourites and I love GTA but would love to see other titles as well. At the end of they day you can not please everyone.
Max payne needs to rest, he has been through enough problems. Also, while all games are great, I will personally never forget the office shootout in the third one. God that was awesomely done.
The amount of time Ive done and redone that arena !!!!!! Just to do it in different ways messing around with the whole arsenal. So much satisfaction when you know where all the enemies are in the arena, true john wick stuff
Fun fact: the original Max Payne was one of the first games to use projectile modeling for every single bullet. Part of the reason bullet time was implemented was so that Remedy could show this off, since slowing time would also slow the bullets. Beyond the games themselves, this series also has a special place in my heart since one of my favorite bands, Poets of the Fall, wrote one of their first songs, "Late Goodbye", as the second game's theme. In fact, they appear in a lot of Remedy games, since frontman Marko Saaresto is a close friend of Sam Lake (Saaresto is even in the first game's comic panels as Vladimir Lem - that's him at 6:08 - and in the "Lords and Ladies" show in the second).
@@ayrtonjoga i also think half life 2 has great physics too. But nothing can beat the euphoria ragdoll in gta 4, I've never played it but I've seen it in action and it's awesome.. I really like ragdolls in games
@@pastelfromgreece9603Half-Life 2 physics has great physics too, I just wished people gave a little more credit to Max Payne 2, but I agree about the Euphoria in gta 4, I've played it and it's awesome, I spent a lot of hours crashing cars and bikes because it's very fun to watch
One of the best things about Max Payne 2 is Kevin Conroy is a random voice among some of the goons and is in one of the TV shows in game. Kevin Conroy is also the voice of Batman in the Animated Series, the Arkham Games, Injustice, etc. Now imagine you're playing the game and you hear Batman call you a "stupid fuck."
Kevin Conroy I have no idea how he got the job as a cleaner/cammando. Guess James, and Sam called Kevin, and started having conversations about getting the job.
@@icravedeath.1200 RIP James McCaffrey, voice of Max Payne. Can't believe we lost two voice acting legends little more than a year apart from one another.
Max payne 3 was very emotional because its like seeing a edgy 2000s super hero becoming old and wash up in the real world but still has his charm and witty dialogue. Its definitely a 10/10
I agree, I've played the 3 entries and they all are great I love MP2 and it's the best one in regards of story but I have a special love for MP3 for introducing me to the trilogy, and also for having me hanging by the skin of my teeth on Minute of New York Hardcore on more than one occasion. Max Payne 3 is unjustifiably hated upon
@@alanmendoza9509 Terrible loading times even with the most modern SSD and graphics/RAM/CPU. Dialogue and cinema style directly stolen (not an homage, directly stolen, frame by frame) from the film Man On Fire. Plot directly ripped from Man On Fire. Force-limited weapon pool for no reason. Incoherent plot (MP 1+2 had some insane plots but in the universe, they made sense. MP3's story still makes absolutely no sense to me and I've played it 5 times) a terrible colour palette (purple and green motion blur designed to give you a headache during gameplay) and almost every single gun feels the same. If anything, the love for MP3 is totally unjustified.
@@Shamino1 Terrible loading times? Just seems you have a shit PC I press start and the game loads up in like three seconds and I like the effects I like to think its what Max is seeing cause he either drunk or downed too many painkillers it really fits the game well.
@@Shamino1 What a terrible opinion. MP3 is a bloody masterpiece, the gun mechanics are far deeper than anything prior, the story about closure and how washed up Max is is criminally underrated, the music fits the narrative extremly well, and overall the ludo-narrative harmony is brilliant from beginning to end. Yes, the video artifacts can be annoying, but it's a visual representation of his addictions and mental issues. Couldn't disagree more.
@@omarsheriff51 I liked Man On Fire as a movie. It didn't need to take over Max Payne. Max Payne being 'washed up' isn't criminally underrated, it's just criminal. A retread. That was the plot to Max Payne 2, but at least they explored it with characters we cared about- not generic Brazilian Heiress A, B, and C. I fail to see how you can demonstrate in any tangible that the gunplay mechanics are any better except in the ragdoll physics department- but they likely kept your weapon limit at 3 so you, the player, wouldn't realize how samey every single gun feels.
3 is definitely my favourite. I love how heavy and worn Max feels, he's old now, he's hurting all the time, and if he's not drunk or high on painkillers he's in a shootout. It's edgy as hell, and it appeals to that younger me who still loves the edge
^ This. I love how 3 feels like what would happen if you put Max in the real world. The stylish noir vibe is replaced with harsh, realistic cruelty that contrasts so well with Max's brooding, action hero style.
@@ThePieManLikesPie Just so you know 3 is very much noir, it's a misconception that it isn't. This isn't an attack on you, but it's usually misunderstood by those who don't understand the genre, played Max Payne 1 and 2 and suddenly think they understand noir. This is a genre long established before those games. Hell even blade runner is noir.
Max Payne's Colt Commando is one of the most OP weapons in video games. As soon as you get it game turns into a point & click adventure where you enter the room, bullet dodge and click on every head you see.
Because of MP3, and everything I loved about the game, the music done by Health made me become a huge fan of their music. Really awesome band and I thought the soundtrack was top teir perfection.
I absolutely LOVE these games. Have for a very long time. Even the third one. It's very different than the first two, but it's a good game. Btw, I can't imagine Max's voice being anyone, but James McCaffrey. He was the perfect choice.
What you think is the problem with MP3 is actually strong points IMO (disregarding story and abundant cutscenes). You actually have to think how would you use the shootdodge instead of just abusing it with no care. You have to use cover in addition to shootdodge to effectively shoot enemies while avoiding damage. There's an actual layer of strategy to clear the levels now, instead of just shootdodge. Chapter 13 level design showcases this, for example. In fact, you really have to use the cover and shootdodge to great effect in higher difficulties, else you might as well just turn off the game. Thanks to this though, I think gameplay wise MP3 is the best MP game, and one of the best TPS ever made. MP1 is relatively clunky, while MP2 is too easy. Finishing MP3 hardcore is one of the best feelings I got from gaming period, aside from finishing Sekiro recently.
This is apparent when you play on Hardcore you really need to think about using shoot dodge making sure you land in cover is important. You really have to think on the fly which I love.
You are absolutely right blinding jumping into shoot dodge without cover or a plan once you land gets you killed, I like how its designed so that you can't just rely on it all the time you have to use other strategies to come out on top.
I've got some history with this series. The first two games were one of the few things that my old crappy laptop could handle back in the early 2010s. It was by far the darkest and grittiest story I had ever experienced, and it helped me get through some dark times of my own. Thanks for taking the time to play them and cover the series Craig.
Honestly, with all the smaller issues I have with the 3rd game, I think it may be my favorite one when it comes to gameplay. I think for me, it's the fact that he feels weighty in combination with the animation that triggers something in my ape brain that feels good. That being said, 2 definitely had the better story in my opinion.
If you do every Metal Gear game I highly recommend splitting it up. You could do MGS1-3 in one vid and then the rest or whatever but it's entirely up to you. Doing ALL of the Metal Gear games in one video feels like it would be an absolutely Herculean task the likes of which would be at least 6 hours long and bring any man to there knees
I'd love a 6 hour video honestly. Patrician videos are my favourite and that dude just released a 12 hour analysis of TES4. Shit, I'd pay for a critical nobody 6 hour video
@@senecastoictruths Not quite, yeah he did talk about every game but his video was almost entirely focused on the creation, development, and reception of each game and not really reviewing them. Although that video is pretty good
@@carljohnson6183 True, they did the same for max payne 1 when you interact with objects. Only max payne 2 had more action but less cutscenes or visual novels.
I feel like every Max Payne brought something new to the table, the third one in my opinion got way too much crap. Yes, I agree it's really different from the first two but it's not bad by any means.
Max Payne 3 is my personal favorite just came at the right time in my life. I was angry, frustrated, depressed, and lost. The story and grim nature gave me a good outlet to relieve some of my frustrations out. My dad died maybe 6 months before this game came out. This game just captured my state of mind at the time perfectly
I played Max Payne 3 after getting cheated on so I know how you feel about finding something to relate to and to channel out my anger and frustration. After playing it again with a fresh and more positive mental state, I did see massive flaws. However, I still enjoyed the game
@@brandontran4180 oh no doubt I know the game has a lot of flaws. I’ve played it basically until the end of the ps3 360 generation. I just don’t care. Some of my favorite games are flawed majorly. But I’ll never not associate that game with that point in my life and I’ll never forget about it.
@@Delby5 I agree!! Max Payne 3 holds a special place in my heart by giving me a different perspective in life. I still enjoyed the game despite the massive flaws
Max Payne has slowly become one of my favorite series. Thanks for analyzing the series, Craig. I may love MP2, but I still think the highs of the third game are my favorite part of the series. That final level with the Airport remix of Tears... Wonderful.
Max Payne 1 has a special place in my heart as my first proper pc game in a gaming rig. Played together with my cousin so loads of nostalgic memories for it. MP3 on the other hand came at a time in my life where i was in the dumps. Flunked the test for university, my gf at the time had not only dumped me but moved to another country and life in the house was hellish. I was at the time severely depressed and at the bottom of the metaphorical barrel as max was in 3. So you have this mix of early childhood nostalgia and good times juxtaposed with just the most grim shit there is which combined to be a potent mix for some potent personal catharsis. As I played 3 and got invested in the story and saw how max went down and down in this rabbit hole (set in my country no less) this meta 4th wall narrative began with each stage of the game i played (on the hardest difficulty since i had heard rockstar had made the game easy) where me the player was experiencing Max's woes even tho I don't drink/do pills. Culminating at the end of the game where max outright says he's going to die in the airport, by that time it was nearing new years eve for me and i was so deep in the pit that a part of me thought that i was going to kick the bucket as well, cause fuck it life is a shit anyway right? I think the music in the whole level was the primer for the aforementioned catharsis, you have the deep brooding tone of FUTURE, reading the player for max's final stand. Then comes TEARS which should be by all accounts his send off tune, max died a hero for people who don't give a shit and never will. But max refuses to give up, he pushes thru and then you have what has to be my favourite piece, MAX FINALE where he transcends his grief and pain and sorrow for that final mile above and beyond everything he had done so far. there's this one comment in the video for the in game version of the track that says the song is the "deepest, most desperate howl of Max's sou"l and that always resonated with me because in my desperate mental state it became my own. Watching Max win, and have a honest to god moment of walking into the sunset happy was when it all clicked for me and ever since then its been better, sure shit happens but like the woman in the weather channel said "Its dark in some places but its sunny everywhere else" Fuck me this was one huge ass comment. also HEALTH fucking rocks
Coming here to pay some respects to James McCaffrey. Absolute legendary portrayal of one of the most legendary characters of all time. He will be sorely missed
I'm playing through these right now and have to agree with your perspective. Great reviews! Looking forward to the remakes of MP1 and 2. RIP James McCaffrey.
Spoiler: non is as good a stealth game as Chaos Theory. You may like it more, and think it's a better game and that's completely subjective. But as a stealth game, it's hard to argue with objectively superior stealth systems.
I liked Max Payne 3, though the tone is jarring in comparison to the first two. It really highlighted for me how a lot of Rockstar's writing is kinda one note, " The American Dream gone Bad" shit with the same cynical, witty dialogue that doesn't suit Max Payne that much.
I probably would've liked 3 more if it hadn't been a Max Payne game, and the writing was easily the number-one reason. Compared to the first two, it's so prosaic and simplistic. Nothing comes close to the beautiful poetry of lines like, "I had a dream about my wife. She was dead, but it was okay."
Imo Max Payne 3 had some of R*'s better writing alongside GTA IV, but I agree their style didn't fit the character very well. "I wouldn't know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister." I was always put off by that line. I really liked the monologue after the tram shootout though.
Said HELL YES as soon as I saw this video on my feed. Max Payne 1 remains as one of my all-time most memorable gaming moments. Playing the demo in the summer of 2001 was something else entirely--the presentation was so mature and professional, like a movie, and the bullet time effect made my jaw drop...never had seen anything like it in a game before. It even impressed my parents at the time, who thought that video games were just Mario and Pac Man. MP2 was fantastic, and MP3 was a solid entry in its own right...even though it's basically the 2004 Tony Scott remake of Man on Fire (glad to see this mentioned!). Definitely hard to choose a favorite. MP1 has the most nostalgia. MP2 was the most outright fun with the Superman bullet time. MP3 has the attention to detail + the best feeling shooting.
The first Max Payne is always a core memory unlocker for me. I can feel the cold of the basement we were living in, and smell the stereotypical musty basement smell and remember watching my dad play it after I did my homework. Edit: I too have recently played through it again, and was talking about it with my dad, we shared our frustrations over trying to get past those GOD DAMN BLOOD TRAILS.
mp2 is the legendary game, if id ever want to replay a max payne - it will be the one; the string music theme is also amazin and hard to confuse with anything
I’m so glad you mentioned the man on fire thing! I always thought they were so similar but I’ve never seen anyone else compare the two before so I thought I was just convincing myself somehow 😂
Third is the most favorite even though the first one is the first game I bought myself on release. In third headshots are soo satisfying and since I'm not the brightest tool in the shed I understood the whole story only on a third playthrough.
Max Payne 3 has the most satisfying third person shooting combat I’ve ever seen, hands down. When you start playing the game more and more you start being able to pre-aim headshots without even using bullet time and it’s just so goddamn fun.
@@dreamawake2670 It still played like a Max Payne game despite taking control away from the player a lot and disregarding Max Payne 2. It's more of a standalone title with the branding instead of a true sequel. However, it still had the atmosphere and the gunplay from the past titles
The visual effects you see on Max Payne 3 is not just the side effects of his alcohol problems but also his addiction to pain killers. If you watch the Ending,You'll notice a lot of changes that the game often love to do :- -Max Stops Monologuing -No Visual Effects and the Color Palete changes from Gritty to a more Peaceful and colorful tone which only indicates that... -Max finally stops drinking alcohol,is opt towards Soda and stops taking too much Painkillers -Max looks more healthier,Shares a warmer smile,wore cleaner casual clothes and is finally found the peace he's looking for. This is honestly by far one of my favorite video game ending to one of the most tragic video game character and Remembering how he's also a Rockstar protagonist,I am legitimately happy he didn't get a Bad and Depressing ending which Rockstar has a knack of doing it towards some of their other tragic protaognists
Hell of a job covering the trilogy, and big major props for showing off the proper fixes for the first game! Too many times I've seen folks talk about the first while showing off the broken shoot-dodge mechanics! I have to disagree with you on MP3's shootdodge interruptions though, I always felt that just made the combat so much more engaging because you couldn't just swan dive willy-nilly, it forced the player to be EXTRA cautious of their surroundings.
Best games I ever played. They remind me of my childhood, especially the first two. 'Tears' playing in the airport lounge while battling the corrupt cops was a transcendental experience. Not really because of the music itself, but the lyrics - Max's wife telling him to leave the past behind and move on. I get chills just typing this, even after 11 years.
I think not mentioning the music of these titles is a missed opportunity, since it's probably the one thing Max Payne 3 absolutely excelled at. The theme of course is quite catchy and memorable, but I have basically no recollection of the in-game music of Max Payne 1 and 2, but have fond memories of 3's tunes.
The airport shootout with "tears" blasting still is one of the best uses of music in videogames to this day. I would replay that mission on repeat just for that shootout.
@@lukasvanamelsvoort1319 That was the best moment of the game by far, lots of enemies, more open scenario, epic music blasting in the background, it was great
For me, the best was the first game. It had the best noir atmosphere with snowy NY streets with junkies and ruined buildings all around creating this desperate feeling. Also i liked the story more. While yes, the RNG when shooting could get frustrating, mainly on harder difficulties, other things like the way the dead enemies dropped was better than the shitfest from second game. I remember when i first played the MP2 i really liked the ragdoll, but when enemies flew like 10 meters away, it really looked like something from cartoon. Like when something exploded, the enemies had a tendency to stretch out legs and hands, creating this "star shape" and fly away in that rotating motion and yes, it was hilarious, it really destroyed that serious atmosphere of that game for me.
I booted up Max Payne 2 today just cuz I was bored. Ended up finishing the whole thing in one go. I thought, I always liked it because of nostalgia (I have similar memories like you mentioned in the video lol) but I realized it wasn't just that. It really is a GOAT'ed game.
Max Payne is honestly one of the strangest gaming trilogies. I've always looked at the first two games as one game with 2 parts. And 3 as a separate game entirely. Just a GTA expansion with bullet time and the same voice as Max. It was very strange when 3 came out because even though it was fun to play, and I enjoyed it, it never once felt like I was playing a Max Payne game. They could have just left it being 2 games to be honest. 1-2 have their own unique vibe and the graphic novel cutscenes were among my favorite elements for that Noir style of game. If you play 3 as a standalone game in its own universe, it's better that way. Like you said, its not a bad game by any means, but lacks replayability. Whereas i have played the first 2 mulitple times. If comparing it to movies, it would be like if Lethal Weapon or Man on Fire was a sequel to Sin City.
I think I enjoyed Max Payne 3 the most. It had a strong Die Hard vibe to be, which I truly enjoyed. I felt like I was playing with John McClane instead of Max Payne but I was fine with it.
Great take on first two games. I replay first installment annually, around Christmas. It’s still amazing. But I do not agree with your critique of the third entry. Especially about Max being ’dumb’. 85% of the game he is straight up drunk and drugged. Not to mention he’s clinically depressed. He’s literally lost. I see this trilogy as: first Max - furious and melancholic, second Max - sad and confused, third Max - depressed and desperate. I can agree with overusing distortion effects and cutscenes, but mechanically - third Max is my favorite. It seems very fluid and intense for me.
Max's character still doesn't make sense after MP2 and the guy is dumb as bricks on the third game. You can't bullshit people with the excuse of Max being drunk and drugged and clinically depressed for being stupid when he was exactly like that (minus drunk) and worse on the previous game and still manage to figure out what was going on even if most of it was on the dream levels and in hindsight.
@@tomstonemale you’ve never met alcoholics then. It’s really bad for your cognitive functions. Like very destructive. Few years of drinking will negatively affect your situational awareness, your perception overall and most importantly - it’ll make you delusional. So it’s more of being dumbed down by Kong, than being simply ‘dumb’. IMHO.
@@BerezenkoIlya that's not the point and everyone in the Western World has met alcoholics, dude, don't spout nonsense. The point was the a story works with its own logic, so if Max figured things out when he was at his worst in Max Payne 2, there's no reason for him not to be able to figure things out on his own in MP3. Him being an alcoholic out of nowhere adds nothing to the problem (seriously, there are like 3 direct mentions of alcohol in the previous games and nothing that hints alcoholism) and it only feels like a cheap justification for bad writing (and ripping off Tony Scott's Man on Fire) like Max remembering Panamá after being "sober" but having no problem at all to remember escaping New Jersey with Passos when he was still drunk. What was the point of the stupid glitchy effect if appears even when he is supposed to be sober all the way from when he goes to the favela till the airport? I mean Max fell of a building so hard in MP2, the story starts 3 times with the mansion, the hospital and the warehouse and he also has a bullet in his skull but is alcohol and drugs that messed up his head? Come on. Drugs are also bad for your cognitive functions and Max is still eating painkillers like tic-tacs after deciding to die sober, and that's not how sobriety works at all.
Strangely enough, the first one I played was actually the Gameboy Advance version of the first game. I was just enthralled by it as a kid despite getting stuck on Cold Steel because of the fire jets but it made me play the series on PC proper later on
I can understand why a lot of people don't like Max Payne 3 but it is personally and by far my favorite Max Payne game. Don't get me wrong I love all three games to death but 3's moment to moment gameplay is just SO addictive imo I can't stop coming back to it. (also that multiplayer was so much fun (and admittedly unbalanced as hell) I wish people still played it!)
Same Maxpayne 3 is hands down the best TPS game of all time. Gunplay in Maxpayne 3 and sword play in Ghost of Tushimia are some of the only games I play purely for combat.
@@killar1one Id watch Noah Gervais video on the payne games then cause he also doesnt like the second and goes into detail why. I dont agree with all his points but i think it does a good job showing why 2 can be quite divisive despite alot of OG fans claiming it as the best.
I've only played about the first 8 hours of the third game, with the mindset of it being a GTA-style game. I was in for a rude awakening. I really should go back and finish it though because I was loving the story
I can safely say that NOTHING about MP3 is disappointing or doesn't make sense, yeah I know we all have grown to love that sarcastic badass fighter Max Payne in the first two entries but think of it, he's 45 in the final game, he's older, angrier, more depressed, suffering through mid life crisis, has absolutely no reason to care about life or even try to think about anything happening around him, that's why he simply believes any lie that Passos tells him and never sees major red flags around him, he just never cares to think about it, he just wants any new day to end until he drinks himself to unconsciousness and repeat the cycle again until he finally dies one day. MP3 went for a much more realistic vibe with realistic character traits you'd expect to see on a character who's went through what Max has and this really appealed to me more than other cinematic, unrealistic ways of showing off a character, at least that's my taste.
Interesting. All your critique about MP3 except gameplay/multiplayer, I liked and they felt like logical conclusions of his life. All these extreme cutscene effects, his increased "dumbness" etc ... I love MP3 story and presentation. And that line from the "boss" soldier telling Max something like "who? We came for you! You killed so many of us.!" I remember that hitting me hard
Great review man I miss this series and how games were. Max Payne 2 was a huge moment for me in gaming. Was one of the first times I got immersed in a story. Played it for years as a kid. Then went back and finished part 1. Gotta say years later I played Max Payne 3 day one. I enjoyed the gameplay but the story ruined it for me. Didn't even finish it. Hurts a bit
An elderly nanny once bought me Max Payne 2 as a gift. There wasn't even an occasion, she just felt like it I guess. My PC couldn't run it so my brother took it instead. I'm still salty. But thankful to the nanny!
Max Payne 3 is the best 3rd person “John Woo” type shooter ever made. I got a PC specifically to play this gem and It definitely deserves a remaster on console!
I've only finished the 3rd game and am now playing the first game on PS4. I absolutely love 3 its one of my top 5 games, since I played it first I think that helped me enjoy it so much because I didn't compare it to the first games. That being said I'm really enjoying the first game with the story and the gameplay (except some of the platforming is a really PO)
13:03 THANK YOU! I am one of those people, yet I somehow hear so much trash talk about this game. It is one of my all time favs! I have at LEAST ten times as much play time on Max Payne 2 as the original, and that is just through Steam. Adding my PS2 playtime might double that. It's just THAT good and replayable.
Max Payne 1: Awesome 3rd person shooter with a cool mechanic and a Noir story. Max Payne 2: Refining the systems and the story. Max Payne 3: Melancholic point&click game with an amazing soundtrack.
After playing through Max Payne 3 around five times, I find that when max de-equips his primary and uses his secondary really doesn't mess with gameplay at all since you can easily switch back to it with 4.
I re-played all the Max Payne games not long ago, the amount of work you have to do to get the first Max Payne working on modern computers is so annoying, and then it might not even work. Rockstar needs to release a fix for it, or just re-release/remaster/Remake the game. Max Payne 2 works completely fine for me, ran amazingly, and I'm surprised when I replayed how good it looked, obviously it doesn't hold up to today's graphics but something about it just looks so amazing still, which is good because Max Payne 2 is my favourite game. Max Payne 3 ran fine of course other than random crashes every once in a while, after you get towards the end of the game.
Great vid! It's always great to see this series get a closer look. As much as I loved the 3rd game, it's the only one I never got to finish. It's a great game, but when looked at with the rest of the series there are a few key differences that make it stand out for better and worse. Personally, those first two games I consider to be the most fun and easy to pick up and play any time. Going into the third game with the same expectations can really hamstring the experience a bit for the unaware. Regardless, all three games are great, but I share many of the criticisms toward the third game made in the vid. Great job as always!
18:05 This reminds me of Urban Chaos: Riot Response on the PS2. There was a certain level where about halfway through one of the gang members jumps down from a ladder the roof in the hallway, right in front of and open dumbwaiter. My brother would spend a lot of time reloading the checkpoint before to mess with the guys ragdoll, we'd always try to get him at just the right time as he was coming down to fall right into the dumbwaiter shaft.
...deader than Max's family that was dark... love it Also, just wanted to say that the parts I liked most about Max Payne 3 were the New Jersey chapters as they felt most like MP1 and 2. And another thing. I hate that MP3 really does away with everything that happened in 2, especially only mentioning Mona in one sentence saying that it was a mistake or smth.
The final video was an exclamation mark to everything that had led to this point. I released my finger from the mouse. And then it was uploaded.
Edit: Yes, I know I didn't use the widescreen fixes for MP 1&2. I didn't even think to look for them cause nothing stood out as strange to me when I was playing. Most people haven't noticed anything either and I think each game looks just fine without the fixes. If you put my footage side by side with another's then yes you can tell the difference, but it's really not a big deal.
If you'd like to see more of my content, here's the Critical Nobody playlist - bit.ly/2M3r65U
Just because you did this video, they'll release Max Payne 4 or an remaster or spin-off hahahaha just to make your video obsolete
@@SmokeAnPlay Yes They Will
Max Payne Kung Fu mod. Have you tried it out?
Was "exclamation mark" supposed to foreshadow for MGS???
Critical, you should play Death to Spies! It's a Russian stealth trilogy, with the third one being Alekhine's Gun.
I used to want a Max Payne 4 but now I realize I really don't. His story is over and he's earned some rest. Now a spiritual successor, I'd be down for that.
A female protag could still get away with the name Max, and there are other spellings of Payne that sound the same obviously. I think R* could definitely get away with just calling it Max Payne 4
A Mona Sax game would be a perfect spin-off title
If you are interseted in a similar game, there is John Woo's Stranglehold available on Gog.
Or a remake in the Northlight engine. I'd kill for that.
@@phalxor you’re on that crack bro 😂 3 has the best gameplay by far and the story isn’t bad
Max Payne 3 easily has the best shooting mechanics of any 3rd person shooter. Max Payne 2 has the best story. and Max Payne .... well it has that face.
Yeah....
Max Payne One is the Best One
Nope, the 1st games story is arguably just as good, and personally a lot better for me. It encapsulates what the Max Payne games were meant to be, the second game improves on mechanics but after recently replaying both games I can safely say the story for 1 is definitely better overall.
@@dredddpatrol Yeah but most of what you mentioned plays almost no major role. The dream sequences aren’t in your face and aren’t good by any means, but once you’ve done them a few times they’re a piece of piss.
@@dredddpatrol Also to compare max Payne 2 to China town is just insulting, the story is MP2 is just so convoluted and Mona and Max’s bond is just so hamfisted.
Say what you want about Max Payne 3. That soundtrack is damn good, especially during the Airport shootout.
HEALTH's score really elevated Max Payne 3's atmosphere. I really can't imagine anyone else but them composing the score
Tears still sticks with me after all these years
@@balotelli5572 That track is a banger!! Gets you pumped for the airport shootout
HEALTH did a great job, and later also worked on GTA Online on the Arena War soundtrack
It's the best pure third person shooter.
This hits so much knowing that James McCaffrey (The legendary actor of Max Payne) just passed away.... rip James
Dammit, so sad to hear that. I missed it completely somehow.
In my opinion the only max Payne games for me are 1&2 Payne to the max
@@playz452Max Payne 3 is bad ass though son. It’s definitely different, but I went in with low expectations and I was surprised at how they merged the stories, and I’ve now played through it 3x it’s great. It’s really a great story, if they had kept max in New York the plot would have been what? Anyway to each their own, I was 11 when Max Payne came out, took me forever to get past the dreams I remember being stuck between part 2 and 3 for weeks. When #2 came out I had to wait a few months, and I bought a used copy from blockbuster, good times man.
@@robertmcwhinney2061it's his opinion , why does it bothers you, tho i think it's a billshit opinion still it's his opinion
@@RTXWorld-m2h because random nobodies on the internet deciding what is and isn't canon is dumb. "I only like the first two" is fine, I disagree in that I like the third one too. "1 and 2 are the ONLY games" is stupid
Max Payne 3 becomes a lot easier when you shoot through walls. All you have to do is aim at a head. If you crosshair is red, the shot will hit, even if you are standing behind something without using the cover system.
@@phalxor no u
@@phalxor uh...I think your comment is
Yeah that’s any game where the bullet is hitscan lol
Helló csúb.
@@Asterious_ Good news is that's starting to change, I've seen a lot of games recently have measures against that by making bull, MGSV, Fornite, and Easy Red just to name a few
"trust me when I say: the quick save button will quickly become your best friend". With that statement you defined Max Payne 1 perfectly 🤣
Yeah.. making the game harder and harder if you quickload while dying without letting the death animation end... the game thinking you never died so it gets worse by the second. Love it
Became my best friend playing the original splinter cell games. Lol
@@saschaberger3212 I never noticed that at all.
A couple of months ago I did a perma death run of Max Payne.. literally took 7 restarts w/ the last one being AT the helicopter rooftop when I killed myself w/ the grenade launcher 😭
@@saschaberger3212 wait what
The truth split my skull open, a glaring green white washing away the lies. fragmented still shots made up my past, words hanging in the air like balloons. I was watching a critical nobody video. Funny as hell, it was not the most horrible thing I could think of
😂😂😂underrated
lmao, good max payne 1 reference
The max Payne 3 version
The fu ckin truth broke the fu ck out of my bald head just like those mother fuc king painkillers broke my old, decrepit body. I was watching some fu cking fat guy review some dumb ass game on TH-cam. It was the most re t arded thing I could think off.
Yes..
Nice. I heard his voice as I was reading it.😂
I personally love the animations and movements in MP3. I love how he carries the secondary weapon in his left hand, and it feels like a physical object. For instance after he has dived to the ground, he tucks the gun under his arm whilst he picks himself up. Little things like that bring me happiness 😁
When max has a long gun in his left hand, he tucks the gun under his armpit and consumes the painkiller. The animations and details are brilliant
Little things like only being able to carry 2-3 weapons really did bring annoyance)
@@AydarBMSTU reality can be annoying. Carrying 3 weapons and the ammo for them will weigh you down. Carrying 10...........
@@AydarBMSTU Yeah, to bad life can be like gta where you just magically pop out a rocket launcher from thin air. Those darn "realistic" mechanics in life.
@tieneselpenepequeno okay?
Fun fact for Max Payne 2 is that if you open the properties on Steam and type -developerkeys in the launch properties, when you're playing, you can press page up and down to switch between character models, including a specific one of Mona Sax that is fully modelled, and I mean fully...
Edit: Also, just to add, P will pause the game and rotate the camera around the model, if you really wanted to... Appreciate the character models...
Edit: Or as BluAuber has said, pressing F3, which should change the camera style, which all I could ever find said it was C, but it never worked, obviously this is why.
*He likes em' big... He likes em' chunky...*
time to test that theory
I'm ashamed that I know this.
Suck it, Tomb Raider!
can you do this on crack versions
27:05 It's explained in the game why Max is like that. He was constantly drunk and on pills. That's the reason why he makes a lot of stupid decisions. It's even said in one of the first missions where Max jumps out the balcony to save a women from kidnappers. And after he stopped drinking i'm pretty sure it's said in the game that it still afects his mind and body.
People will nitpick on everything about Max Payne 3 just because it didn't bring back the artistic style of its predecessors.
If anything, it’s probably withdrawal.
@@katzarkul FR. It's amazing on its own, and even then, as a Max Payne game it's still incredible. So it's not eternal winter and night time. Whatever. It's still a very Gothic, noir vibe, with incredible, unique shooting mechanics
I know this comment is kind of old but I do want to also bring up that he made stupid decisions in the older games. Going head on by himself has always been something Max has done, whether it's infiltrating a drug company or the head of a crime family, he'll always do it with little hesitation.
"A man who has nothing to lose" is kind of Max's motto, and that's what makes him incredibly dangerous. This is described perfectly in MP3, he's aware of his stupid actions but he goes along with it anyway because that's just how he's always rolled.
@@katzarkul It would have been to Close to LA Noire if they did that. Honestly Maxpayne 3 is a unique Noire game as its not the generic Type you see in most games or movies. Gamers always seems to Bitch when they do not get what they want you can see that With Last of us 2. Rockstar open does something differnt with Their games which some people dislike Such in the case of Manhunt 2, Or GTA4 after San andreas. Maxpayne 3 is an amazing TPS its unfornate that did not sell well Therefore Rockstar are less likely to try other New IPs that game they were making called Agent seemed cool. The RDR series are some of my favourites and I love GTA but would love to see other titles as well. At the end of they day you can not please everyone.
Max payne needs to rest, he has been through enough problems. Also, while all games are great, I will personally never forget the office shootout in the third one. God that was awesomely done.
Yeah that part is probably one of the best just straight shootout's in games, such a visceral feeling as papers fly and cubicles are crumbling.
which office? the UFE or the one where youre in broncos office?
When rodrigo Died ? yeah that was chaotic
The amount of time Ive done and redone that arena !!!!!!
Just to do it in different ways messing around with the whole arsenal.
So much satisfaction when you know where all the enemies are in the arena, true john wick stuff
THE THIRD ONE SUCKS.
6:35 This is so sad after the passing of James MaCaffrey, he really is the only one who could voice Max Payne.
Absolutely!! RIP James McCaffrey
RIP bro
Now they will use an AI
@@AC-hj9tv I dunno if they can legally do that lmao
@@greytuesday28 i hope not. Disney has been using dead ppl cgi
Aw hell yeah
just witnessing bros being bros
You again!
Hello there
Fun fact: the original Max Payne was one of the first games to use projectile modeling for every single bullet. Part of the reason bullet time was implemented was so that Remedy could show this off, since slowing time would also slow the bullets.
Beyond the games themselves, this series also has a special place in my heart since one of my favorite bands, Poets of the Fall, wrote one of their first songs, "Late Goodbye", as the second game's theme. In fact, they appear in a lot of Remedy games, since frontman Marko Saaresto is a close friend of Sam Lake (Saaresto is even in the first game's comic panels as Vladimir Lem - that's him at 6:08 - and in the "Lords and Ladies" show in the second).
Man, those character models and the ragdoll physics are amazing for 2003. I have completed Max Payne 2 three times, now I want to play it again.
Yeah, people always praise the physics from Half-Life 2 despite it being released in 2004
@@ayrtonjoga i also think half life 2 has great physics too. But nothing can beat the euphoria ragdoll in gta 4, I've never played it but I've seen it in action and it's awesome.. I really like ragdolls in games
@@pastelfromgreece9603Half-Life 2 physics has great physics too, I just wished people gave a little more credit to Max Payne 2, but I agree about the Euphoria in gta 4, I've played it and it's awesome, I spent a lot of hours crashing cars and bikes because it's very fun to watch
@@ayrtonjoga yea wtf mp2 got de same amazing ragdolls + it came 1 year earlier
Play Dead to Rights first coward
I recently replayed Max Payne 3 for the fifth time. Over nine years after release, Max Payne 3 is still the best 3rd person shooter I‘ve ever played!
facts
After Max Payne 2, and Max Payne 1, maybe
Play the 1st two ASAP, this is a trope I’m not enjoying the sight of, too many folks not playing the OG games.
And yet, it’s only the 3rd best Max Payne game.
Try out vanquish and sunset overdrive great shooting games
One of the best things about Max Payne 2 is Kevin Conroy is a random voice among some of the goons and is in one of the TV shows in game.
Kevin Conroy is also the voice of Batman in the Animated Series, the Arkham Games, Injustice, etc.
Now imagine you're playing the game and you hear Batman call you a "stupid fuck."
Had no idea
Rip Kevin Conroy.
Kevin Conroy I have no idea how he got the job as a cleaner/cammando. Guess James, and Sam called Kevin, and started having conversations about getting the job.
@@icravedeath.1200 RIP James McCaffrey, voice of Max Payne. Can't believe we lost two voice acting legends little more than a year apart from one another.
@@rikterterran3833 rip
Max payne 3 was very emotional because its like seeing a edgy 2000s super hero becoming old and wash up in the real world but still has his charm and witty dialogue. Its definitely a 10/10
I agree, I've played the 3 entries and they all are great I love MP2 and it's the best one in regards of story but I have a special love for MP3 for introducing me to the trilogy, and also for having me hanging by the skin of my teeth on Minute of New York Hardcore on more than one occasion. Max Payne 3 is unjustifiably hated upon
@@alanmendoza9509 Terrible loading times even with the most modern SSD and graphics/RAM/CPU. Dialogue and cinema style directly stolen (not an homage, directly stolen, frame by frame) from the film Man On Fire. Plot directly ripped from Man On Fire. Force-limited weapon pool for no reason. Incoherent plot (MP 1+2 had some insane plots but in the universe, they made sense. MP3's story still makes absolutely no sense to me and I've played it 5 times) a terrible colour palette (purple and green motion blur designed to give you a headache during gameplay) and almost every single gun feels the same. If anything, the love for MP3 is totally unjustified.
@@Shamino1 Terrible loading times? Just seems you have a shit PC I press start and the game loads up in like three seconds and I like the effects I like to think its what Max is seeing cause he either drunk or downed too many painkillers it really fits the game well.
@@Shamino1 What a terrible opinion. MP3 is a bloody masterpiece, the gun mechanics are far deeper than anything prior, the story about closure and how washed up Max is is criminally underrated, the music fits the narrative extremly well, and overall the ludo-narrative harmony is brilliant from beginning to end. Yes, the video artifacts can be annoying, but it's a visual representation of his addictions and mental issues.
Couldn't disagree more.
@@omarsheriff51 I liked Man On Fire as a movie. It didn't need to take over Max Payne. Max Payne being 'washed up' isn't criminally underrated, it's just criminal. A retread. That was the plot to Max Payne 2, but at least they explored it with characters we cared about- not generic Brazilian Heiress A, B, and C. I fail to see how you can demonstrate in any tangible that the gunplay mechanics are any better except in the ragdoll physics department- but they likely kept your weapon limit at 3 so you, the player, wouldn't realize how samey every single gun feels.
3 is definitely my favourite. I love how heavy and worn Max feels, he's old now, he's hurting all the time, and if he's not drunk or high on painkillers he's in a shootout. It's edgy as hell, and it appeals to that younger me who still loves the edge
^ This. I love how 3 feels like what would happen if you put Max in the real world. The stylish noir vibe is replaced with harsh, realistic cruelty that contrasts so well with Max's brooding, action hero style.
@@ThePieManLikesPie Just so you know 3 is very much noir, it's a misconception that it isn't. This isn't an attack on you, but it's usually misunderstood by those who don't understand the genre, played Max Payne 1 and 2 and suddenly think they understand noir. This is a genre long established before those games. Hell even blade runner is noir.
@@jobin140 ur mum
I hate when people shit on edginess.
Edginess is cool when mixed with sillyness.
Rest in Peace James McCaffrey. You will always be remembered.
He's at it again guys and I couldn't be more excited
Same!!
Max Payne's Colt Commando is one of the most OP weapons in video games. As soon as you get it game turns into a point & click adventure where you enter the room, bullet dodge and click on every head you see.
That's got nothing on the Jackhammer
@@ericcrawford7207 fax
Doubly so because the Commando's fire rate is constant relative to the player's perception of time. So it technically fires faster in bullet time.
Precious memories...
The Dual Ingrams were also OP, they were toned down in the 2nd one which was kind of underwhelming
Max Payne is one of the best franchises ever there aren’t enough retrospectives on TH-cam
Because of MP3, and everything I loved about the game, the music done by Health made me become a huge fan of their music. Really awesome band and I thought the soundtrack was top teir perfection.
The level at the cemetery has baby screams from MP1. It was too impactful when I realized it
@@sultim7570 it's such a fantastic detail, still can't get over how genius it is
the only good thing about this game
In Max Payne 3, they cut corners for the 7'th gen consoles, so the cutscenes are loading screens, they are so frequent to keep the performance high.
I absolutely LOVE these games. Have for a very long time.
Even the third one. It's very different than the first two, but it's a good game.
Btw, I can't imagine Max's voice being anyone, but James McCaffrey. He was the perfect choice.
What you think is the problem with MP3 is actually strong points IMO (disregarding story and abundant cutscenes). You actually have to think how would you use the shootdodge instead of just abusing it with no care. You have to use cover in addition to shootdodge to effectively shoot enemies while avoiding damage. There's an actual layer of strategy to clear the levels now, instead of just shootdodge. Chapter 13 level design showcases this, for example.
In fact, you really have to use the cover and shootdodge to great effect in higher difficulties, else you might as well just turn off the game.
Thanks to this though, I think gameplay wise MP3 is the best MP game, and one of the best TPS ever made. MP1 is relatively clunky, while MP2 is too easy. Finishing MP3 hardcore is one of the best feelings I got from gaming period, aside from finishing Sekiro recently.
This is apparent when you play on Hardcore you really need to think about using shoot dodge making sure you land in cover is important. You really have to think on the fly which I love.
You should give RDR1 A try on Hardcore you really have to think about what guns to use and when or when not to use deadeye.
Wait, how is Max Payne 1 clunky?
@@rikterterran3833 Control response, animations, and character reactions. But it's just the nature of design for a game made in that era.
You are absolutely right blinding jumping into shoot dodge without cover or a plan once you land gets you killed, I like how its designed so that you can't just rely on it all the time you have to use other strategies to come out on top.
I've got some history with this series. The first two games were one of the few things that my old crappy laptop could handle back in the early 2010s. It was by far the darkest and grittiest story I had ever experienced, and it helped me get through some dark times of my own. Thanks for taking the time to play them and cover the series Craig.
Honestly, with all the smaller issues I have with the 3rd game, I think it may be my favorite one when it comes to gameplay. I think for me, it's the fact that he feels weighty in combination with the animation that triggers something in my ape brain that feels good. That being said, 2 definitely had the better story in my opinion.
If you do every Metal Gear game I highly recommend splitting it up. You could do MGS1-3 in one vid and then the rest or whatever but it's entirely up to you. Doing ALL of the Metal Gear games in one video feels like it would be an absolutely Herculean task the likes of which would be at least 6 hours long and bring any man to there knees
It could be a two parter
I'd love a 6 hour video honestly. Patrician videos are my favourite and that dude just released a 12 hour analysis of TES4. Shit, I'd pay for a critical nobody 6 hour video
Nick930 did in 2 hours 47 minutes
@@YourPalKindred 12 hours??? What the actual fuck?? Now I need to see this video just out of morbid curiosity
@@senecastoictruths Not quite, yeah he did talk about every game but his video was almost entirely focused on the creation, development, and reception of each game and not really reviewing them. Although that video is pretty good
Almost every door in Max Payne 3 requires a cutscene to open it
It's really annoyinf
@@carljohnson6183 True, they did the same for max payne 1 when you interact with objects. Only max payne 2 had more action but less cutscenes or visual novels.
@@jagath3028 At least you can ignore the objects, you can't ignore scripted doors in MP3
@@ayrtonjoga At times, you had to interact with those objects to progress further.
I disagree but I’d rather say it’s more cinematic. Instead of the really slow still comics we get more cutscenes per rockstar.
I feel bad for Max's shoulder and the rest of his life doing paperwork after mowing down 300 people
For me it was hitman, max and this dude got me to play splinter cells which I ended up loving
I feel like every Max Payne brought something new to the table, the third one in my opinion got way too much crap. Yes, I agree it's really different from the first two but it's not bad by any means.
agreed
Disagreed
agreed
Agreed in my opinion the best one
Love thist trilogy! James McCaffery popping up as a main character in Control (my personal favorite game from 2019) absolutely rules
Max Payne 3 is my personal favorite just came at the right time in my life. I was angry, frustrated, depressed, and lost. The story and grim nature gave me a good outlet to relieve some of my frustrations out. My dad died maybe 6 months before this game came out. This game just captured my state of mind at the time perfectly
Still not a Maxpayne game. Are you even a fan.
I played Max Payne 3 after getting cheated on so I know how you feel about finding something to relate to and to channel out my anger and frustration. After playing it again with a fresh and more positive mental state, I did see massive flaws. However, I still enjoyed the game
@@brandontran4180 oh no doubt I know the game has a lot of flaws. I’ve played it basically until the end of the ps3 360 generation. I just don’t care. Some of my favorite games are flawed majorly. But I’ll never not associate that game with that point in my life and I’ll never forget about it.
@@Delby5 I agree!! Max Payne 3 holds a special place in my heart by giving me a different perspective in life. I still enjoyed the game despite the massive flaws
@@dreamawake2670 wow, you’re actually in every thread that says they like the game angry about them liking it. You’re a sad sad man
Max Payne has slowly become one of my favorite series. Thanks for analyzing the series, Craig.
I may love MP2, but I still think the highs of the third game are my favorite part of the series. That final level with the Airport remix of Tears... Wonderful.
RIP James Maccaffrey :(
Max Payne 1 has a special place in my heart as my first proper pc game in a gaming rig. Played together with my cousin so loads of nostalgic memories for it.
MP3 on the other hand came at a time in my life where i was in the dumps. Flunked the test for university, my gf at the time had not only dumped me but moved to another country and life in the house was hellish. I was at the time severely depressed and at the bottom of the metaphorical barrel as max was in 3. So you have this mix of early childhood nostalgia and good times juxtaposed with just the most grim shit there is which combined to be a potent mix for some potent personal catharsis.
As I played 3 and got invested in the story and saw how max went down and down in this rabbit hole (set in my country no less) this meta 4th wall narrative began with each stage of the game i played (on the hardest difficulty since i had heard rockstar had made the game easy) where me the player was experiencing Max's woes even tho I don't drink/do pills.
Culminating at the end of the game where max outright says he's going to die in the airport, by that time it was nearing new years eve for me and i was so deep in the pit that a part of me thought that i was going to kick the bucket as well, cause fuck it life is a shit anyway right?
I think the music in the whole level was the primer for the aforementioned catharsis, you have the deep brooding tone of FUTURE, reading the player for max's final stand. Then comes TEARS which should be by all accounts his send off tune, max died a hero for people who don't give a shit and never will. But max refuses to give up, he pushes thru and then you have what has to be my favourite piece, MAX FINALE where he transcends his grief and pain and sorrow for that final mile above and beyond everything he had done so far. there's this one comment in the video for the in game version of the track that says the song is the "deepest, most desperate howl of Max's sou"l and that always resonated with me because in my desperate mental state it became my own.
Watching Max win, and have a honest to god moment of walking into the sunset happy was when it all clicked for me and ever since then its been better, sure shit happens but like the woman in the weather channel said "Its dark in some places but its sunny everywhere else"
Fuck me this was one huge ass comment. also HEALTH fucking rocks
well said!!
Such an *Underrated trilogy* I still play Max Payne from time to time.
unfortunately not EVERYONE does
The fall of Max Payne is one of my all time favourites.
This is a very acceptable alternative to reviewing every MGS game. Looking forward to that one, if you ever do it!
Coming here to pay some respects to James McCaffrey. Absolute legendary portrayal of one of the most legendary characters of all time. He will be sorely missed
I'm playing through these right now and have to agree with your perspective. Great reviews! Looking forward to the remakes of MP1 and 2. RIP James McCaffrey.
I know this would be hard but reviewing every metal gear solid would be such a banger!
Hard as in getting and recording all the games or hard as in all the games are long, a lot of stuff to cover and there's so many of them?
I'd look forward to that half-day video.
I mean, Mutahar did MGS 4 and we know how long that was.
Reviewing ever Call of Duty and Battlefield
Spoiler: non is as good a stealth game as Chaos Theory. You may like it more, and think it's a better game and that's completely subjective. But as a stealth game, it's hard to argue with objectively superior stealth systems.
@@DCGMatthew1 You know if he sets his mind on something, he’ll do it. Hell or high water.
I liked Max Payne 3, though the tone is jarring in comparison to the first two. It really highlighted for me how a lot of Rockstar's writing is kinda one note, " The American Dream gone Bad" shit with the same cynical, witty dialogue that doesn't suit Max Payne that much.
Yeah, the writing in 3 was extremely ill-fitting for Max Payne. It lacked Sam Lake's witty and comical touch.
I probably would've liked 3 more if it hadn't been a Max Payne game, and the writing was easily the number-one reason. Compared to the first two, it's so prosaic and simplistic. Nothing comes close to the beautiful poetry of lines like, "I had a dream about my wife. She was dead, but it was okay."
@@christopherverhoef9112 dude….bad take
@@marbl3d45 idk, I like his take
Imo Max Payne 3 had some of R*'s better writing alongside GTA IV, but I agree their style didn't fit the character very well.
"I wouldn't know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister."
I was always put off by that line. I really liked the monologue after the tram shootout though.
A lot of ideas that come together without being too distracting is a testament of a good writer rather than a beginner one.
The Deagle is also pretty accurate in MP1 if you know one simple trick: The bullets hit underneath the crosshair, so aim a bit above the enemy's head.
My guy finally reviewed them. Max Payne 3 is one of my favorites. Well done man!
Said HELL YES as soon as I saw this video on my feed.
Max Payne 1 remains as one of my all-time most memorable gaming moments. Playing the demo in the summer of 2001 was something else entirely--the presentation was so mature and professional, like a movie, and the bullet time effect made my jaw drop...never had seen anything like it in a game before. It even impressed my parents at the time, who thought that video games were just Mario and Pac Man.
MP2 was fantastic, and MP3 was a solid entry in its own right...even though it's basically the 2004 Tony Scott remake of Man on Fire (glad to see this mentioned!).
Definitely hard to choose a favorite. MP1 has the most nostalgia. MP2 was the most outright fun with the Superman bullet time. MP3 has the attention to detail + the best feeling shooting.
i love how max in 3 is a physics meatsack, it really makes the control super fun and deliberate
The first Max Payne is always a core memory unlocker for me. I can feel the cold of the basement we were living in, and smell the stereotypical musty basement smell and remember watching my dad play it after I did my homework.
Edit: I too have recently played through it again, and was talking about it with my dad, we shared our frustrations over trying to get past those GOD DAMN BLOOD TRAILS.
Max Payne 1 and 2 are masterpieces. I can't stand the art style of MP3, it made me nauseous when I tried to play the game...
mp2 is the legendary game, if id ever want to replay a max payne - it will be the one; the string music theme is also amazin and hard to confuse with anything
It was kinda spooky too
Definitely a video we needed, "I was in a computer game. Funny as hell, it was the most horrible thing I could think of."
I’m so glad you mentioned the man on fire thing! I always thought they were so similar but I’ve never seen anyone else compare the two before so I thought I was just convincing myself somehow 😂
Third is the most favorite even though the first one is the first game I bought myself on release. In third headshots are soo satisfying and since I'm not the brightest tool in the shed I understood the whole story only on a third playthrough.
Max Payne 3 has the most satisfying third person shooting combat I’ve ever seen, hands down. When you start playing the game more and more you start being able to pre-aim headshots without even using bullet time and it’s just so goddamn fun.
Third one isnt real.
@@dreamawake2670 It still played like a Max Payne game despite taking control away from the player a lot and disregarding Max Payne 2. It's more of a standalone title with the branding instead of a true sequel. However, it still had the atmosphere and the gunplay from the past titles
@@dreamawake2670 it is real, you just can’t accept that some people like a game that you don’t. You’re just in denial
The visual effects you see on Max Payne 3 is not just the side effects of his alcohol problems but also his addiction to pain killers.
If you watch the Ending,You'll notice a lot of changes that the game often love to do :-
-Max Stops Monologuing
-No Visual Effects and the Color Palete changes from Gritty to a more Peaceful and colorful tone
which only indicates that...
-Max finally stops drinking alcohol,is opt towards Soda and stops taking too much Painkillers
-Max looks more healthier,Shares a warmer smile,wore cleaner casual clothes and is finally found the peace he's looking for.
This is honestly by far one of my favorite video game ending to one of the most tragic video game character and Remembering how he's also a Rockstar protagonist,I am legitimately happy he didn't get a Bad and Depressing ending which Rockstar has a knack of doing it towards some of their other tragic protaognists
It’s scary how similar our tastes in games are! This and Splinter Cell are my favorite series!
My reviews:
Max Payne: Janky Masterpiece.
Max Payne 2: Absolute Masterpiece.
Max Payne 3: Glorious Clusterfuck.
Can you elaborate on MP3 please? Can't really say a games trash without giving proper reasons.
Thank you, James McCaffrey.
"A little bit closer to heaven..."
"Maximum Pain" I was wheezing for a whole 10 minutes.
Max Payne 3 had the perfect ending ngl
Hell of a job covering the trilogy, and big major props for showing off the proper fixes for the first game! Too many times I've seen folks talk about the first while showing off the broken shoot-dodge mechanics! I have to disagree with you on MP3's shootdodge interruptions though, I always felt that just made the combat so much more engaging because you couldn't just swan dive willy-nilly, it forced the player to be EXTRA cautious of their surroundings.
The first Max Payne is in my top 10 games of all time
Best games I ever played. They remind me of my childhood, especially the first two.
'Tears' playing in the airport lounge while battling the corrupt cops was a transcendental experience. Not really because of the music itself, but the lyrics - Max's wife telling him to leave the past behind and move on. I get chills just typing this, even after 11 years.
I think not mentioning the music of these titles is a missed opportunity, since it's probably the one thing Max Payne 3 absolutely excelled at. The theme of course is quite catchy and memorable, but I have basically no recollection of the in-game music of Max Payne 1 and 2, but have fond memories of 3's tunes.
I like Mona's theme in the 2nd game.
The airport shootout with "tears" blasting still is one of the best uses of music in videogames to this day. I would replay that mission on repeat just for that shootout.
I'm the opposite I still remember 1 and 2 themes. It's one of the best.
Lol max Payne 3 trash
@@lukasvanamelsvoort1319 That was the best moment of the game by far, lots of enemies, more open scenario, epic music blasting in the background, it was great
For me, the best was the first game. It had the best noir atmosphere with snowy NY streets with junkies and ruined buildings all around creating this desperate feeling. Also i liked the story more. While yes, the RNG when shooting could get frustrating, mainly on harder difficulties, other things like the way the dead enemies dropped was better than the shitfest from second game. I remember when i first played the MP2 i really liked the ragdoll, but when enemies flew like 10 meters away, it really looked like something from cartoon. Like when something exploded, the enemies had a tendency to stretch out legs and hands, creating this "star shape" and fly away in that rotating motion and yes, it was hilarious, it really destroyed that serious atmosphere of that game for me.
Ye max payne 1 is the best game , max 2 is no bad , 3 neva played it before
I personally loved Max Payne 3!! The Brazilian setting was great...and I loved New Jersey flashbacks... my personal favorite of the trilogy.
Max Payne 3 Panama Canal was my most played level ever. I’m so happy you started with that Theme
I booted up Max Payne 2 today just cuz I was bored. Ended up finishing the whole thing in one go. I thought, I always liked it because of nostalgia (I have similar memories like you mentioned in the video lol) but I realized it wasn't just that. It really is a GOAT'ed game.
Max Payne is honestly one of the strangest gaming trilogies. I've always looked at the first two games as one game with 2 parts. And 3 as a separate game entirely. Just a GTA expansion with bullet time and the same voice as Max. It was very strange when 3 came out because even though it was fun to play, and I enjoyed it, it never once felt like I was playing a Max Payne game. They could have just left it being 2 games to be honest. 1-2 have their own unique vibe and the graphic novel cutscenes were among my favorite elements for that Noir style of game.
If you play 3 as a standalone game in its own universe, it's better that way. Like you said, its not a bad game by any means, but lacks replayability. Whereas i have played the first 2 mulitple times. If comparing it to movies, it would be like if Lethal Weapon or Man on Fire was a sequel to Sin City.
I think I enjoyed Max Payne 3 the most. It had a strong Die Hard vibe to be, which I truly enjoyed. I felt like I was playing with John McClane instead of Max Payne but I was fine with it.
Same loved it
Great take on first two games. I replay first installment annually, around Christmas. It’s still amazing. But I do not agree with your critique of the third entry. Especially about Max being ’dumb’. 85% of the game he is straight up drunk and drugged. Not to mention he’s clinically depressed. He’s literally lost. I see this trilogy as:
first Max - furious and melancholic, second Max - sad and confused, third Max - depressed and desperate. I can agree with overusing distortion effects and cutscenes, but mechanically - third Max is my favorite. It seems very fluid and intense for me.
Max's character still doesn't make sense after MP2 and the guy is dumb as bricks on the third game.
You can't bullshit people with the excuse of Max being drunk and drugged and clinically depressed for being stupid when he was exactly like that (minus drunk) and worse on the previous game and still manage to figure out what was going on even if most of it was on the dream levels and in hindsight.
@@tomstonemale you’ve never met alcoholics then. It’s really bad for your cognitive functions. Like very destructive. Few years of drinking will negatively affect your situational awareness, your perception overall and most importantly - it’ll make you delusional. So it’s more of being dumbed down by Kong, than being simply ‘dumb’. IMHO.
@@BerezenkoIlya that's not the point and everyone in the Western World has met alcoholics, dude, don't spout nonsense.
The point was the a story works with its own logic, so if Max figured things out when he was at his worst in Max Payne 2, there's no reason for him not to be able to figure things out on his own in MP3. Him being an alcoholic out of nowhere adds nothing to the problem (seriously, there are like 3 direct mentions of alcohol in the previous games and nothing that hints alcoholism) and it only feels like a cheap justification for bad writing (and ripping off Tony Scott's Man on Fire) like Max remembering Panamá after being "sober" but having no problem at all to remember escaping New Jersey with Passos when he was still drunk. What was the point of the stupid glitchy effect if appears even when he is supposed to be sober all the way from when he goes to the favela till the airport?
I mean Max fell of a building so hard in MP2, the story starts 3 times with the mansion, the hospital and the warehouse and he also has a bullet in his skull but is alcohol and drugs that messed up his head? Come on.
Drugs are also bad for your cognitive functions and Max is still eating painkillers like tic-tacs after deciding to die sober, and that's not how sobriety works at all.
Strangely enough, the first one I played was actually the Gameboy Advance version of the first game. I was just enthralled by it as a kid despite getting stuck on Cold Steel because of the fire jets but it made me play the series on PC proper later on
I loved the games on PC and PS2, but I recently tried out the GameBoy Advance version and thought it was surprisingly competent. Its not terrible.
same the GBA port was the first one i played, during the late 2000s is when i played the pc version on my old high school laptop
I can understand why a lot of people don't like Max Payne 3 but it is personally and by far my favorite Max Payne game.
Don't get me wrong I love all three games to death but 3's moment to moment gameplay is just SO addictive imo I can't stop coming back to it.
(also that multiplayer was so much fun (and admittedly unbalanced as hell) I wish people still played it!)
Same Maxpayne 3 is hands down the best TPS game of all time. Gunplay in Maxpayne 3 and sword play in Ghost of Tushimia are some of the only games I play purely for combat.
Played the open hours of 1, never touched 2 but absolutely loved 3, wish it was backwards compatible on Xbox one
You are doing yourself and the games a disservice.
I adore 1 and 3, but i’m not a fan of two, i have absolutely no idea why...
@@killar1one Out of curiosity, have you only tried getting into 2 right after finishing a playthrough of 1?
@@killar1one Id watch Noah Gervais video on the payne games then cause he also doesnt like the second and goes into detail why. I dont agree with all his points but i think it does a good job showing why 2 can be quite divisive despite alot of OG fans claiming it as the best.
@@innoclarke7435 i played them in reverse order as i got them all at different times, started with 3 and ended with 1
Just played this trilogy again in 2022 and have to say this trilogy is still a masterpiece.
Great review dude
I've only played about the first 8 hours of the third game, with the mindset of it being a GTA-style game. I was in for a rude awakening. I really should go back and finish it though because I was loving the story
the game is like 8 hours long
I’d play the previous two as soon as possible too, they’re great. I think the first is better to be honest but 2 is great and 3 is good too.
The third's story pales in comparison to the first two IMO.
I can safely say that NOTHING about MP3 is disappointing or doesn't make sense, yeah I know we all have grown to love that sarcastic badass fighter Max Payne in the first two entries but think of it, he's 45 in the final game, he's older, angrier, more depressed, suffering through mid life crisis, has absolutely no reason to care about life or even try to think about anything happening around him, that's why he simply believes any lie that Passos tells him and never sees major red flags around him, he just never cares to think about it, he just wants any new day to end until he drinks himself to unconsciousness and repeat the cycle again until he finally dies one day. MP3 went for a much more realistic vibe with realistic character traits you'd expect to see on a character who's went through what Max has and this really appealed to me more than other cinematic, unrealistic ways of showing off a character, at least that's my taste.
"The Feeling Hit Me Like A Point Blank Shot Straight In The Face." they really need to bring the payne back its been too fucking long
th-cam.com/video/DsQVD5ttpog/w-d-xo.html
Interesting.
All your critique about MP3 except gameplay/multiplayer, I liked and they felt like logical conclusions of his life. All these extreme cutscene effects, his increased "dumbness" etc ... I love MP3 story and presentation. And that line from the "boss" soldier telling Max something like "who? We came for you! You killed so many of us.!" I remember that hitting me hard
Great review man I miss this series and how games were. Max Payne 2 was a huge moment for me in gaming. Was one of the first times I got immersed in a story. Played it for years as a kid. Then went back and finished part 1. Gotta say years later I played Max Payne 3 day one. I enjoyed the gameplay but the story ruined it for me. Didn't even finish it. Hurts a bit
An elderly nanny once bought me Max Payne 2 as a gift. There wasn't even an occasion, she just felt like it I guess.
My PC couldn't run it so my brother took it instead. I'm still salty. But thankful to the nanny!
Max Payne 3 is the best 3rd person “John Woo” type shooter ever made. I got a PC specifically to play this gem and It definitely deserves a remaster on console!
Vanquish is better
@@AydarBMSTU Vanquish is ADHD Gears of War. Not John woo. Also no.
Nice video! Very informative
I've only finished the 3rd game and am now playing the first game on PS4. I absolutely love 3 its one of my top 5 games, since I played it first I think that helped me enjoy it so much because I didn't compare it to the first games. That being said I'm really enjoying the first game with the story and the gameplay (except some of the platforming is a really PO)
3:00 "and that's what they gave me" would be a perfect punchline here :D
Max Payne 3 will forever be one of my favourite shooters. The shooting mechanics and fluid movement makes it age like fine wine
13:03 THANK YOU! I am one of those people, yet I somehow hear so much trash talk about this game. It is one of my all time favs!
I have at LEAST ten times as much play time on Max Payne 2 as the original, and that is just through Steam. Adding my PS2 playtime might double that. It's just THAT good and replayable.
Max Payne 1: Awesome 3rd person shooter with a cool mechanic and a Noir story.
Max Payne 2: Refining the systems and the story.
Max Payne 3: Melancholic point&click game with an amazing soundtrack.
Max Payne 3: "You know how the second game iterated and improved upon every aspect of the original game? Let's do the opposite of that"
Mp2's story was mostly boring
@@CErra310classic new game bad old game good. Be more objective.
After playing through Max Payne 3 around five times, I find that when max de-equips his primary and uses his secondary really doesn't mess with gameplay at all since you can easily switch back to it with 4.
Man, I do love the Max Payne games, even 3 has a place in my heart~
Dope intro bro!
I re-played all the Max Payne games not long ago, the amount of work you have to do to get the first Max Payne working on modern computers is so annoying, and then it might not even work. Rockstar needs to release a fix for it, or just re-release/remaster/Remake the game. Max Payne 2 works completely fine for me, ran amazingly, and I'm surprised when I replayed how good it looked, obviously it doesn't hold up to today's graphics but something about it just looks so amazing still, which is good because Max Payne 2 is my favourite game. Max Payne 3 ran fine of course other than random crashes every once in a while, after you get towards the end of the game.
Really? I got Max Payne on steam a year ago and I just needed to install a quick little mod to fix audio problems. Worked perfectly after that
List of the games Rockstar needs to release a fix is just too long
@@horusreloaded6387 Pretty much all their games really.
@DCGMatthew1 Did you also get random pauses like I did in Max Payne 3?
Great vid! It's always great to see this series get a closer look. As much as I loved the 3rd game, it's the only one I never got to finish. It's a great game, but when looked at with the rest of the series there are a few key differences that make it stand out for better and worse. Personally, those first two games I consider to be the most fun and easy to pick up and play any time. Going into the third game with the same expectations can really hamstring the experience a bit for the unaware. Regardless, all three games are great, but I share many of the criticisms toward the third game made in the vid. Great job as always!
I gotta say, no love for the amazing OST by HEALTH for MP3? I thought they did an amazing job catching the tone and mood of the game.
18:05 This reminds me of Urban Chaos: Riot Response on the PS2. There was a certain level where about halfway through one of the gang members jumps down from a ladder the roof in the hallway, right in front of and open dumbwaiter. My brother would spend a lot of time reloading the checkpoint before to mess with the guys ragdoll, we'd always try to get him at just the right time as he was coming down to fall right into the dumbwaiter shaft.
...deader than Max's family
that was dark... love it
Also, just wanted to say that the parts I liked most about Max Payne 3 were the New Jersey chapters as they felt most like MP1 and 2.
And another thing. I hate that MP3 really does away with everything that happened in 2, especially only mentioning Mona in one sentence saying that it was a mistake or smth.
Dang dude. This is a LOT of content and time. Thanks for this. I'm going to enjoy this more than a movie.