Max Payne 3

I love a good crime flick, especially when it's of the Asian variety. It pains me to admit this, but my first Jon Woo experience wasn?t Hard Boiled or The Killer, but Face Off, the Cage/Travolta vehicle. I?ve since gone back and delved into Woo?s signature brand of stylish violence?long shots, slow motion sequences, the bullet ballet?but Face Off, for better or for worse, remains firmly planted in my mind as the introduction to poetic gunplay. The $59.99 Max Payne 3 (for PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is my new Face Off. Minus Travolta's awful acting and Cage's burgeoning insanity.

Out of the Past
Rockstar Game's sequel picks up with an optimistic (or about as optimistic as Max can get) Payne having relocated to Sao Paulo, Brazil to begin a new life and to attempt to escape the pain that is his murdered family. Sort of. Payne makes a living as a living as bodyguard who protects a rich family from Brazilian gangsters. Naturally, things take a turn for the worse, which sends Max back into action with guns blazing.

That isn't a dismissal of the game's plot. It's actually quite good. It's full of film noir nods, and features dialogue that sounds as though it was ripped from Double Indemnity. When Max utters that one of the rich business types is "smoother than an oil slick on an iceberg," it will bring a smile to a face to genre fans. In fact, Max Payne 3's voice acting is top-notch all around.

Gun Crazy
Still, it's the fast-paced, gun-based combat?laced with ample amounts of Bullet Time?that's the heart of the Max Payne experience. Run and gunning through levels can prove effective for dispatching enemies, but Bullet Time (which slows down the game world in a decidedly Matrix like fashion) is the key to success, especially in later levels.

The Bullet Time meter builds as you blow holes through foes, and drains when you activate any of the three Bullet Time modes, Shoot-Dodge (slo-mo shooting while diving), Melee (hand-to-hand combat), and Last Man Standing (an opportunity to recover from a fatal shot by popping a painkiller and returning fire). Factor in the new, dedicated cover system and players will find several beautifully violent ways to pump people with lead?it's a true bullet ballet that's an ode to Woo through and through. The one Bullet Time drawback is that it's somewhat clunky switching between targets while in slo-mo.

As the slugs zip through the gorgeous Brazilian environments (nightclubs, penthouses, and other locales), they crack and shatter objects unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire. The realistically-modeled Max Payne wears battle scars, too, in the form of blood-stained, bullet-ridden outfits.

On Dangerous Ground
Besides the single-player main campaign there's also an Arcade Mode featuring Score Attack (where you shoot, literally, for a high score), and New York Minute (a speed run that challenges you to collect a body count in 60 seconds). These side-games serve as fun diversions, but the real joy here is multiplayer.

Max Payne 3 features a robust multiplayer mode (supporting between 2 and 16 players) that adds a far more chaotic element, while ditching Max' solo story. The multiplayer modes are highlighted by Payne Killer (two players fighting as Max and Raul in a King-of-the-Hill-like contest), and Gang Wars (a team-based contest that has a morphing storyline based on the events of the previous match).

There are also more traditional modes such as Team Deathmatch that are given the sexy Max Payne touch with Bullet Time and special perks that are found in the playfield. As you gain experience points, you'll unlock new weapons and abilities Rockstar has taken great strides to keep Max Payne 3 fresh.

This Gun For Hire
The market is flooded with numerous "guy with guns" games, but Max Payne 3 is the rare game that makes you the player feel like a total bad ass as you run, gun, dive, and gun some more. Rockstar Games excels at this type of action, and Editors' Choice Max Payne 3 represents the developer's storytelling and design prowess on full display.

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