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The original was one of those oft-delayed, will-it-ever-come-out games that I followed closely as an editor at video game Web site UGO.com back in 1999/2000. Max Payne is one of the few game franchises I feel a great personal fondness for.

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Max Payne 3 is available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 15, with the Windows PC version hitting May 29.ДЇor another take on Max Payne 3, here are CNET editors Dan Ackerman and Scott Stein:

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Aside from that and a gross misconception about what modern-day Hoboken, N.J., is like, Max Payne 3 has the goods to keep you engrossed and interested to see how things turn out for our beloved antihero.ДЇans of the series owe it to themselves to experience Payne all over again, and newcomers to the franchise will have no trouble slo-mo diving right in. The story in Max Payne 3 is strong enough to segue the action together, but there's an awful lot of cliche 'ex-cop down on his luck' banter to trudge through. I only had a very brief time with the multiplayer mode in Max Payne 3, but Team Deathmatch definitely takes a page out of the Call of Duty handbook, and I really enjoyed new additions like a target heat map that tells you where on your body your attacker struck. Checkpoint locations are generous, too, so you won't find yourself needing to repeat much to get another crack at advancing. The game's difficulty is tough, but fair. The game does a fantastic job of keeping the action flowing - there's no noticeable loading once gameplay commences. A cut scene may lag here or there, but it's nothing game-breaking. Technically speaking, Max Payne 3 performs mostly well, with the occasional slowdown during moments of over-the-top heightened action. Max acts just the way he should, and can only possess the amount of weapons he can actually carry. That said, the graphic novel presentation that worked so well with the original two games' noir atmosphere does linger in some of the narrative of Payne 3, specifically with the use of comic-style framing.Д®ven though he seems drunk nearly the entire game, Max is surprisingly agile, and the game's Euphoria engine (GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption) shines while he's in midair, diving over obstacles, or firing 360 degrees while prone.

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To that end, I really appreciated the fact that there is absolutely no regenerative health in Max Payne 3 he's once again tethered to how many painkillers he can hoard and consume.ДЄesthetically speaking, Max Payne 3 has a lot of familiar stylings that 1 and 2 demonstrated, but with the introduction of Sao Paulo and some colorful and trippy video effects and playful text titling, the game occasionally channels an 80s action movie vibe. The introduction of 'last man standing' gives players one last chance at surviving death but is also a very telling addition of what the modern gamer expects. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's almost as if the jump from Max Payne 1 to 2 was more revolutionary.

It's been nearly nine years since the last Payne game, but aside from a few tricks here and there, this is mostly the same experience. All these are present in Max Payne 3, but series veterans may not notice much in the way of innovation. I'm not ashamed to admit it, it's devilishly fun and doesn't get old throughout the course of the entire campaign.ДЄs with any Rockstar Games release, there's an expectation of high production values, airtight gameplay, and a healthy amount of replay value.

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And while it does feel a bit gratuitous at times, the last-enemy camera - which triggers when you've eliminated the final foe in an area - gives you free range to slow down time and needlessly pump bullet after bullet into a flailing corpse.

Just pause the game midaction and look around a bit - you'll see what I mean. It's all the little things that separate Max Payne 3 from the average third-person shooter.

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