Max Payne 3 was without a doubt one of my highlights of 2012 however it has an odd issue of identity crisis plaguing it at the core. Still, for me, Max Payne 3 represents an important step in exploring strong and compelling narrative in gaming, and was ultimately a really enjoyable experience.
It’s clear from the outset
that the gameplay in this game plays second fiddle to the narrative. The
biggest example I can give you of this huge flaw is the fact that there are compilations
of all the cut scenes from the film (with the gameplay removed) and they run as
a movie would, quite an enjoyable one at that. The only thing missing from this
movie is the action which is often left up to the player to play through.
This represents Max Payne 3 biggest flaw. The dissonance between gameplay and
narrative is striking as the gameplay has no bearing on the narrative and the
narrative only really changes where and what Max is shooting at.
Max Payne 3 is a solid third
person shooter with some serviceable mechanics and a few key standout features.
There are some problems with the second chance mechanic, which is when Max is
dealt a fatal blow with pain killers in his possession he is given the chance
to shoot his murderer and stay alive. The implementation of this feature comes
off as quite wonky and can sometimes be hampered by the environment getting in
your way or the inability to reload in this mode. There isn’t much to say about
the gameplay other than that in its entirety it is quite well done but largely
unimportant. Nothing you do when you have control over Max really matters. It’s
a shooting gallery – a well-constructed and largely well-made shooting gallery.
One of the highlight features
of Max Payne is its production style and aesthetics. Max Payne 3 boasts a
thumping soundtrack from Health and a visual style that apes Tony Scott’s films
like Domino and Man on Fire. Overall the production of Max Payne screams high
quality and a lot of effort went into constructing a certain tone and mood to
the game that feels very gritty and mature. Both the look and soundtrack really
do wonders to give the narrative legs and an extra oomph in its emotional punch.
The story of Max Payne 3
starts out as a plot about revenge and redemption and while it remains that to
the end there are a few issues that crop up with the story. Much like the
paradoxical nature of the game, the narrative seems to be unsure of what it
really wants to be. Here and there, ever so gradually, political overtones
begin to appear and the latter half of the story feels muddled as it deals with
the weight of large issues such as capitalism, American foreign policy and the
value of life. While there is room for
an undertone of political commentary in most narratives, the problem with Max
Payne 3’s story is that at times it detracts from what Max ultimately set out
to do.
Some of that confusion is alleviated
by James McCafferys performance of Max. The actor really shines in his
portrayal of Max and his delivery of dialogue, which has just the right about
of dry, wry wit about it really settles the game into “serious story” mode but
one that doesn’t take itself too seriously all the time. McCaffery carries the
weight of the entire game and really pulls off a strong performance that gives
us a character we can engage with. It’s not all perfect in the realms of
characterisation but it is there and Max, as a person, does change.
It’s just a shame that this change
isn’t reflected in the gameplay and ultimately this dissonance between
narrative and gameplay stops Max Payne 3 from being an amazing must play game
but rather represents an important but tentative step in the evolution of
gaming.
To me there are two clear cut
types of games now: games which present systems and gameplay as the main
engaging factor and games which present narrative and story in the forefront.
Games like Max Payne 3 and Uncharted provide shining examples of relatively
well written and engaging stories in games and they bring a form of validity to
the medium. These stories are far from perfect but by in large they are really
well done, even when compared to some films that are released.
On the flip side of the
spectrum you have games such as FTL or Terraria which present players with
hugely addicting and compelling gameplay mechanics, with little story and
narrative to frame them, which also legitimise the medium. There is room for
both styles of game in the genre and Max Payne 3 represents, to me, an
important step in ensuring high quality, mature, story driven content with
which players can interact with and ultimately enjoy. However for story and
narrative to truly be seen as valid constituents of the spotlight they need to
engage with the gameplay in meaningful ways providing players with input and
interaction to fully engross the player and provide them with a full-fledged,
story driven game – like Heavy Rain.
T
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