My attitude towards 3 Max resembled the behavior of a child running to a big dog, the closer I get, the more fear I get. The brand went under new wings, the screenwriter was no longer known from the first two parts of Sam Lake, on the other hand, if Remedy did not do it, there is probably no better replacement than Rockstar.
The central element in this series are scenes told with an audio comic. They have already gained cult status. Rockstar has given up on them, but is referring to them, cutting the screen into comic frames like a wedding cake, freezing the image and creating a stylization that does not evoke such associations in a comic book.
The form itself doesn't matter that much. More important is the content - an aging Max goes to Brazil to work as a bodyguard for people who look like blue cheese, expensive and spoiled. Is it possible to maintain the noir style of the so-called black cinema known from the series in the light of the scorching Brazilian sun? The first was about despair, the second was about hope and failure, and the third was about giving up and trying to start all over again. The overall vibe is a bit different but that's still Max.
Older, more emaciated, biting alcohol with painkillers.
It is his path through degradation, failure and dirt, dirt from which it is impossible to shake off, but still Max still stands up and continues like a tank over the corpses of enemies to the next goal.
Determination and the will to survive - this is all we have left at the bottom, so yes it is still oily dark Noir. The psychedelic TV shows about talking flamingos is gone, and there are no junkies howling about fallen-angel bodies.
Max's monologues are endless and wonderfully written, filled with auto irony and cynical attitude towards the world. The plot itself is decently twisted and the only obstacle is that it is too easy to guess who is the main bad guy in this story, but perhaps the biggest disadvantage of this story is that it is not very personal and therefore less influencing the player's emotions. Max doesn't fight for himself anymore, here he steps into someone else's shit and will have to shoot over 1000 bastards to scratch that shit off his shoe.
The shooting itself is excellent. It is true that you can feel a bit that it is the GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption engine, which makes the character feel slightly heavier, but you can get used to it very quickly. All the familiar patents are back - charging Bullet Time, which can slow down the flow of time, excellent shots showing bullets when we kill the last enemy, combined with the possibility of turning him into mush with more waves of lead, and most importantly - Max's spectacular jumps combined with flying shooting.
Nothing compares to the sight of Mr. Payn floating above the tables, shooting amid the pans falling to the floor. And now those jumps and falls are even better, because this game uses a physics engine in the form of Euphoria, which we know even in GTA 4.
Thanks to this, we will hit the walls, slide down the stairs naturally, and even hook our legs against various objects. It works great and makes all this gun dance look fleshy, physical and real. Even if sometimes the killed enemies dance like paralytic :D.
A multitude of different types of weapons, the possibility of firing two weapons at the same time, numerous scenes when Max fires from a boat flying in the air or hangs on a moving object. All this adds variety to the painful journey through the personal hell of our antihero.
There are also various locations - expensive houses, discos, slums, yachts, swamps, offices, and even old, snow-covered locations in New Jersey, which allow you to feel the atmosphere of old versions of Max's adventures.
What can i say? I highly Recommend the game!
See ya to the next :)
If you want to read another GOOD TIMES you have links below
@emsonic/and-remember-respect-is-everything-or-good-times-1-gta-2-hive-148441
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@emsonic/grand-theft-auto-3-or-good-times-3-hive-148441
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@emsonic/rayman-2-the-great-escape-or-good-times-5-rayman-2-review-hive-148441
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