So apparently “Max Payne 3” isn’t dead after all. New images are popping up on Twitter, people at Rockstar are starting to talk, and even though the game doesn’t have a release date, it feels like it’s at least got a pulse again.
That’s good news, I say! I liked “Max Payne,” and I adored “Max Payne 2.” Much like “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” has been brushed aside by “Sin City” and “300,” many people forget that MP was actually the original pioneer of the bullet-time mechanic as we know it today. And, in fairness, few have ever done it better. MP2 pushed the formula to perfection with its escalating mechanic: the more baddies you dropped, the slower time would go.
So with the news that we’ll be seeing Max again, I have a few choice words of advice for the developers. Hit the jump to learn what they are.
1. Easy on the Bald Thing. Those early screenshots with a chrome-headed Max in a Hawaiian shirt felt…odd. I’m glad the new pictures seem to suggest they’re doing away with it. I’m going to go along with you guys on this whole Brazil thing, for now, but I have to admit it gives me the willies. Max stole my heart as a Motor City-style, grungy street urchin of a cop, and I’d kind of like him to remain as such. But we’ll see.
2. Don’t Overcompensate. Every time a report about MP3 surfaces, it feels to me like they’re trying to do too much. Recently they announced fully destructible environments, which made me roll my eyes and sigh. Things like that are a fool’s paradise, you can end up chasing them down a financial rabbit hole for years. I know you’ve been delayed a lot and you’re worried about not being welcomed home with open arms, but take it easy.
3. Stick to the Basics. I don’t want to hear about open-world design, or a cover system. Let’s not tinker with the fundamentals here, they’re way too strong to need that. Sharpen up what already works. In the words of a great philosopher, “don’t go chasing waterfalls.” Whatever that means.
4. Multiplayer. Do it. Max has been aching for it for the longest time, and it could totally work. And find a way to make slow-mo work, too, don’t just wimp out. Go talk to Naughty Dog, they implemented Deathmatch masterfully in their “Uncharted” series.
5. Improve the Storytelling. I know MP’s over-the-top style has always been a part of its charm, but I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s never quite hit the mark. Close, but just a bit too much. It honestly goes so over the top that it’s hard to stomach. Step it down just a hair and you’ll be in noir paradise.
-AA
I’m not your friend, I’m not your lover, I’m not your family
