The third main game in the series, Max Payne 3, takes place some years after the events of the previous installments. Max Payne, a former DEA agent and New York City Police Department investigator relocates from Hoboken, New Jersey, to So Paulo, Brazil. He works in a private security detail for Rodrigo Branco, looking for a new life and a way to leave his past behind. Payne sets out to save Branco’s wife, Fabiana, after a street gang kidnaps her at a rooftop party, but events swiftly spiral out of hand. He still drinks heavily, and while the drawn comic book panels are no longer there, the cutscenes continue the plot utilizing the in-game engine with the trademark inner conversation voice-over and film noir aspects. Payne also switches from his usual suit or trench coat to a bearded, short-haired look wearing a shirt halfway through the game. The visuals are generally brighter than in the last game, and this is due to the location.
The game is a third-person shooter in which adversaries frequently outnumber Payne. The series’ core bullet time mechanic is critical to survival. When he activates it, time slows down, and he may jump, dodge, shoot, and lock onto many adversaries in succession to take them down. Its length is governed by a bar on the right, which takes some time to refill. Max remains grounded after a jump and can instantly shoot in any direction. Defeated opponents leave weapons that can be traded or emptied for more ammunition. Multiple weapons can be acquired, and another can be instantly selected via a radial menu. Payne can also dual-wield pistols and employ shotguns and automatic weapons. The gameplay includes a cover mechanic in which cover can be sought near almost any item. Aiming and shooting from that safe position or jumping out is feasible. The surface must be employed constantly to survive, and certain body parts, like headshots, are frequently required to dispatch foes quickly. On the right, an outlined figure depicts health. It becomes red as Max is shot. To escape death, he must pick up and consume medications that come in small quantities.
Certain environmental things can be investigated for clues, and flashing buttons can be fired to open doors and gates. A bullet camera tracks the projectile till impact for a cinematic effect. The user can manually slow down and rotate the camera before shooting. The story is not told in chronological order. Some scenes are played backward, and in addition to restaurants, clubs, rooftops, docks, hotels, and favelas, there are passages in which Max shoots from a helicopter or while racing on a river. Cutscenes frequently transition into gameplay sections. Aside from the main goals, the shooting style is rewarded by grind milestones, and optional golden gun parts can be collected to make sets. The main storyline is complemented by an arcade mode and the New York Minute mode, which is unlocked after completing the game once.
The series’ first foray into multiplayer. In addition to conventional deathmatch games, a Gang Wars team mode revolves around accumulating experience, using perks, designing custom loadouts, and so on. The games include capture-and-hold and capture-the-flag variations. It also has the bullet time feature, affecting all opponents in the character’s line of sight. Crews formed in Rockstar’s Social Club environment can be transferred to other games.
