Max Payne 3 is often considered one of the best third-person shooters ever made. Developed by Rockstar and released in 2012, the title was an instant hit and would go on to sell over three million copies in its first week.
This end of the trilogy follows anti-hero Max Payne, a former detective. Max is employed as a private security contractor in Brazil, but quickly becomes entangled in a dark and twisted narrative.
As usual, Rockstar went above and beyond expectations in terms of narrative. Max is a deeply detailed protagonist and is significantly more "morally ambiguous" than the leading character in most games. He is deeply flawed, fails all the time, and struggles to live with his shortcomings.
However, details aren't limited to just character development. In fact, Rockstar went the extra mile when it comes to continuity during cutscenes.
If Max's pistol is empty, you'll actually be able to tell that during in-game cinematics. And if you had him carrying something other than a pistol when the cutscene launched he'll be holding that instead. In fact, some weapons will completely change the animation of certain cutscenes. For example, if he is carrying an assault rifle during a scene he will find a place to put it down first, before the clip continues.
Another added character detail is that Max never fires a gun in a cutscene. During some sequences he is strategically given a gun or picks one up, but he will never fire it. For a game that revolves around frantic gunplay, it's a tiny detail that's easy to miss.
Critics praised the design team for going to such lengths in every shot. With the extra attention to detail, Max Payne 3 stands the test of time. Rockstar shows that they can thrive in not only open world games, but linear story driven titles, too. Let's just hope that Max makes his return sooner rather than later. Until then, we can at least enjoy this timeless classic.