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Impressions: Max Payne 3 [Xbox 360]

Max Payne 3
Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC

Developed By: Rockstar Studios 
Published By: Rockstar Games
Rated: M
Release Date: 15 May 2012

Has it really been nine long years since the last Max Payne game?  Indeed it has.  Since then the development has changed hands, from Remedy to Rockstar, and its hero has undergone a significant transformation, but one thing that hasn't changed is that Max Payne still provides no frills, frenzied and over-the-top shoot 'em up action.  It's like a John Woo film, Rambo, and Die Hard all in one.  The gameplay mechanics may not have changed much, but unlike last year's abhorrent Duke Nukem Forever, which felt like a pitifully outdated relic of a bygone age, Max Payne 3 feels fresh, fun, and exciting.

In an effort to escape his past, Max has relocated to Sao Paulo, Brazil, working private security with his friend Passos, another ex-cop, for a wealthy family who have become the target of a group of would-be kidnappers.  Max has always been something of an anti-hero, and at this point he has descended into full blown alcoholism and an addiction to painkillers - a clever play on the game's healing device - but he's still got the killer instinct, even if his reflexes are a bit slowed by age and alcohol.

Rockstar had said this was the lowest, most cynical we've seen Max yet, and they weren't exaggerating.  From the onset, Max looks like a man who really doesn't care whether he lives or dies.  His leathery face is decorated with age lines, his eyes sunken and tired.  He stumbles about his meager, dumpy apartment in a stupor, barely able to stand, trying to drown his sorrows and forget his past.  He's a man with nothing to live for and no skills, save the one that keeps him alive and puts others in the ground. 

The presentation has undergone a drastic change under Rockstar's watch.  Gone are the graphic novel style static panels, replaced with in-engine cinematics that look like they were directed by Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Deja Vu, Domino).  The screen shakes, blurs, splits into multiple panels, colors bleed, and stylized subtitles for lines of dialogue appear over key lines.  It's all a bit much, honestly, and after a few minutes it becomes obnoxious and, quite frankly, hurts my eyes. 

On the other hand, the tech that drives the game is impressive.  Presentation issues aside, the game's graphics are stunning and often photorealistic.  Characters move in believable ways, lip-synching is superb (though not quite up the L.A. Noire's standards), and world Max inhabits is equal parts gorgeous and seedy.  In between the crazy shootouts, you'll often stop to admire the scenery, until Max's near-constant narration pushes you forward, reminding you that you've got a job to do.  (Side note: is it just me, or does Fabiana Branco bear a striking similarity to socialite Paris Hilton?)

James McCaffrey returns to provide Max's gravelly voice, and Rockstar have really outdone themselves with the game's writing.  It still retains a somewhat noir-like feel, but without the over-emphasis on metaphors and similes.  Now they're used much more sparingly, while Max's cynical, bitter sense of humor is fleshed out more to great effect.  Max Payne 3 is a surprisingly funny game, but at the same time it's deadly serious.  It peppers its gratuitous violence and dark tone with moments of levity to keep things from getting too heavy. 

Max Payne has always been a straightforward, no nonsense game, and Rockstar takes the series' signature gameplay, characterized by its slow-motion gunplay, to the next level.  If you've played the previous two games, you know exactly what to expect.  Max still trades bullets with an endless supply of bad guys, who seem to exist solely for the purpose of being shot, dodging and leaping around in ultra-cool slow motion, only this time it's a whole lot prettier and more violent.  The whole game is kinda like that scene in Drive, last year's noir crime/revenge thriller starring Ryan Gosling, where a character's face gets blown off by a shotgun at close range.  The levels of realistic gore in Max Payne 3 stradle the boundary of good taste and comfort.  I'm no stranger to violent games, but watching visible entry and exit wounds appear in someone's face will definitely put your limits to the test.  You'll spend half the time grimacing and wincing as blood spurts from each hole, and the other half thinking 'that looks so damn cool!'

New to the series is a very effective cover system.  It's not quite up to the Gears of War standard, but it works very well, especially in conjunction with the series' mainstay bullet-time mechanic.  Using every tactic at your disposal makes Max a more efficient dealer of death than he's ever been.  He can't storm around corners or dive from cover point to cover point, but it's a nice addition to the series.  Gunfights are even more chaotic as glass shatters, wood splinters, and bullets tear holes in walls.

Aiming assistance is also helpful, though hardcore players can opt to turn it off completely.  By default, it's a soft-snap lock-on, initiated by pressing the left trigger when facing the general direction of an enemy.  This allows you to quickly target and take down multiple thugs in short order. 

On normal, the game's difficulty is in that sweet spot where it provides just the right amount of challenge without crossing that thin line into frustratingly difficult.  You will die in Max Payne 3, and you should expect as much, but it won't be so often that you want to throw your controller.  There always seems to be just enough painkillers lying around to get you through to the next big shootout.  More often than not, deaths were my own fault for missing the thug who crept up behind me and put a bullet in my back or I hadn't been paying attention to my health or ammo.  The latter is especially important for the game's new last man standing mechanic.

Similar to Borderlands' second wind, if Max is carrying any painkillers he will spring back to life if he can shoot the enemy who delivered a potentially fatal shot before he bleeds out.  This is not only exciting, but saves a lot of frustrating reloading, however, if you're not paying attention you may be left with no bullets in the chamber and Max cannot reload or switch weapons when he's in his injured state.

No game in memory makes the player feel more like a badass than Max Payne 3.  It's most remarkable moments are cinematic, slow-motion scripted setpieces where Max almost impossibly defies death by the skin of his teeth, all the while dealing some of his own.  This can be dangling from the legs of a helicopter, leaping over a car as it crashes through the front of a building, or catching air in a speedboat, scattering shell casings as you pump rounds into a throng of enemies.  These moments outclass even the best action films.  They're the type of moments you'll want to replay just to show your friends, and they'll undoubtedly elicit some kind of audible "WOW!" response. 

If there's any complaints I have about the levels, it's that they feel a little too disparate.  It's not so much of a logical progression from Point A to Point B to Point C, and so on, but more a set of places that seemed like they'd be really cool to have a big gunfight in.  It's not untrue - a posh nightclub, a soccer stadium, and even the old standby docks, which leads to an absolutely incredible speedboat chase sequence, are all awesome - but it doesn't feel as structured or as natural as the first two games.  Still, Rockstar's vision of Sao Paulo is stunning and it's a minor complaint, one you'll hardly notice when you're dodging bullets in the claustrophobic slums of the favelas or hobbling through the flaming remnants of a giant office complex as it crumbles around your ears.

The attention to detail in Max Payne 3 is stunning.  All the minute details make the world feel alive.  Impoverished people in the favelas run into their houses and shut the windows.  Bullet wounds, bloodstains, scars, and scratches appear on Max as missions progress.  One of the most noteworthy elements is that the locals speak their native language, and the game does not provide subtitles.  This goes a long way to selling the feeling of Max being a stranger inhabiting a world he does not belong in or understand.  He's a long way from home, but he quickly discovers that Brazil is every bit as dangerous as New York.  The game does flashback to Max's old life for a handful of missions, as well as a quick adjunct to Panama, but seeing both the highs and lows of Brazil are the obvious highlights.

I've played through two of the game's three acts and so far I've loved every second of it.  The awkward, and mostly useless jumping mechanics of the previous games has been given the boot, and Rockstar have focused on what players really want out of a Max Payne game - balls-out action.  This game will get your adrenaline flowing like no other.  If it weren't for the sometimes annoying, eye-wearying presentation, Max Payne 3 might be a perfect action game - one that doesn't pull any punches.  It's unapologetic in its simplicity, relying on the belief that it's better to do one thing really well than attempt to do several things half-assed.  Thus far, there have been no stealth missions, no fetch quests, and the closest thing to an escort mission is protecting NPCs with high-powered rifles for brief periods - which were tense and exciting moments, not chores. 

Barring a complete collapse in the final act, Max Payne 3 more than does justice to the series - it takes it a step forward.  Hopefully the future is bright for Max, or at least his franchise.  Max Payne 3 may be the best action movie you'll ever play.

Impressions: Diablo III (Beta) [PC]

A Devilish Disappointment

The open beta for Blizzard's much-anticipated hack and slash RPG, Diablo III, began this weekend and while I wasn't one of the lucky ones selected for the closed beta that has been running for the past few months, I jumped at the chance to get a glimpse at the sequel four years in the making. 

It's hard to beleive Diablo II came out twelve years ago.  It's still the high water mark for the genre; the gold standard by which all other hack and slash games are measured.  There have been many imitators, and even some very respectable attempts such as the Champions of Norrath series on the PlayStation 2, but no game has managed to find the perfect balance of fast-paced, simplistic gameplay, dynamic combat, and RPG character management like Diablo II. 

I'm sorry to say that Diablo III does not find that balance either.

One of the friends made a great analogy: Diablo III is to Diablo II what World of Warcraft is to EverQuest - a simplified version of a game to appeal to the masses.  WoW's success isn't solely based around its simplicity, but there's no denying that it's more forgiving than the MMOs of old.  People who've never played an MMO before won't be turned off by the endless grinding and the XP debt incurred when you (inebitably) die because WoW either simplifies them or removes them completely.  That's not to say it's bad, but it's sort of the Easy Mode MMO, and that is exactly what Diablo III feels like.

Much of the character management - one of the most important parts of Diablo - has been nixed in favor of streamlining everything for the player.  While this may entice some new players who don't want to deal with the hassle of upgrading their stat points, it will most likely turn off many fans who've patiently waited for a sequel for over a decade.  Stat points are now distributed automatically upon leveling up, giving you no option to tailor your character to your specific playing style.  Despite first appearances, there is actually a surprising amount of depth to the combat in Diablo II, especially when playing as an arcane character whose defensive and offensive attributes don't come close to those of the tanks such as the barbarian.  Now every class seems to be equally balanced, making them less distinctive and giving less incentive to try them all out to see which one suits you best.

Also gone are the lengthy and diverse skill trees.  They've been replaced by a linear selection of skills that you unlock when you reach predetermined levels.  Eventually you will unlock skill runes as well, which you can use to modify your selected skills to greater effect, but that's as deep as the customization goes.  While the skills all seem useful in the beta, unlike some of the skills in Diablo II that you would occasionally have to select just to get to a better one further down the tree, taking these choices away from the player negates the feeling of growth from previous games.  In fact, one of Diablo III's biggest problems is its difficulty, or complete lack of.

Diablo II was all about investing yourself into your character and building the toughest warrior you could with skillful character management.  Finding and equipping the best equipment, selecting the best skills, and distributing stat points properly were all key and they gave you a distinct sense of growth.  Moreover, no matter how strong you got, the toughest enemies always seemed just a bit stronger than you, making the game a challenge and selling the sense of destitution in the game.  You felt as though you were fighting an almost-unstoppable evil and you may not survive.  In the three hours it took me to explore every nook and cranny of the Diablo III beta, I never even came close to dying.  In fact, I felt overpowered the entire time and the sense of desperation and danger is almost completely gone - replaced by the feeling that you'll triumph over evil, as the in-game characters all-too-often like to mutter. 

Health potions are still in the game, but monsters now drop health orbs which renders the former pretty much useless.  Not only did I have an evergrowing stockpile of them, I never actually used a single one.  Other potions, such as offense weapons like the fulminating or poisonous gas varieties, mana, and stamina potions have also apparently been done away with - the latter because the stamina bar itself has been eliminated completely and characters are always running now. 

I chose a wizard as my class, and at no point did I feel the sense of progression I had with my sorceress in Diablo II.  Early on, every battle was potentially life-ending, as like most RPGs, the arcane characters start out very weak and grow to become incredibly powerful later.  In Diablo III, my spells seemed too effective early on, and my "arcane energy" (previously and more commonly known as mana) regenerated so fast that I never had to worry about being surrounded by enemies with no way to defend myself.  There was no need to quickly and carefully plan my attack so as not to use all my mana because enemies never seemed to get close courtesy of my devastating skills.  While there is some pleasure in watching monsters go flying when struck by bolts of electricity, these are the type of powerful spells you wouldn't unlock until the latter stages of the previous game.

The third, and arguably most important element of Diablo, that has been simplified is the inventory system.  One of the core tenets of Diablo, and one of the things that makes it so addictive, is the quest for more and better loot.  Monsters drop items left and right (leaving me to wonder how and why a quadripedal quill fiend is carrying a suit of armor), and finding that piece of equipment that was superior to what you currently had was always thrilling.  It still is, but several changes to the inventory system have once again made the game easier than it needs to be.

In Diablo II, larger items could take up as many as six inventory slots, leaving you to decide which items you wanted to pick up to resell, and often resulting in casting or using a town portal scroll so you could sell off everything you were currently carrying, then returning to pick up everything still lying on the ground after your last battle.  In Diablo III, nothing seems to take up more than two slots, including chest armor and large pole weapons like spears.  This means you can carry more items at any given time, and reduces the need to constantly travel back to town.  Some may not despise this change, but I do.  What's more, town portal is now a skill that every character learns and no longer requires you to purchase scrolls to use.  It also appears that actually using the spell causes any items left on the battlefield to disappear when you return, thus hindering its effectiveness as well since it was so often used just to free up inventory space to grab more gear.

Identifying items has also been simplified.  No longer are you required to use a scroll or return to Deckard Cain in town to identify items with unknown magical properties.  Instead, you simply right-click them in your inventory menu, which begs the question: why even have unidentified items in the first place if there's no requirement for identifying them?  It was always exciting to pick them up in Diablo II, wondering whether what you found was going to be a rare item with incredible properties or a dud.  I suppose the process isn't that different from having to carry identify scrolls with you and using one, but there was always the possibility you'd run out and at least there was some sort of prerequisite.

Socketed items have also been done away with, though a crafting system that seems ripped right out of the Diablo-inspired Torchlight has been added.  Once again, the change isn't for the better.  Crafted items seem overly powerful, and you can no longer customize your gear by adding specific effects such as fire or poison damage using gems or runestones as you could in Diablo II.

These changes have, in my opinion, severely hampered the fun of playing a Diablo game.  By taking so many choices away from the player, Blizzard has also negated the enjoyment of investing your time to build a character.  The sense of progression has been eliminated in order to cater to the masses who don't want a challenging game.  There is still some fun to be had in slaying monsters and picking up items, but the rewards feel less rewarding. 

Which brings me to my next complaint: while all classes can equip weapons, some of them (namely, the wizard) do not actually use them.  Instead, he relies on his skills and spells and the weapon he holds is nothing more than stat modifier.  Again, what is the point of picking up and carrying a sword if you're never going to swing it? 

About the only positive change I can say about the gameplay are the XP bonuses, which you earn for pulling off certain tasks such as destroying X amount of inanimate objects or the massacre bonus for killing X amount of monsters in a short time.  The bonuses are usually pretty small, but it's still a nice touch.

Diablo III is also underwhelming from a technical standpoint.  The graphics are decent, with swirling fog and nice atmospheric lighting, but by no means top of the line.  To be fair, anyone expecting top of the line graphics in a Diablo game has probably set their expectations too high.  The new 3D engine is serviceable, but some of the charm of the old sprite-based graphics is gone in favor of pretty, but ultimately cosmetic animations that serve no real purpose.  I do like the inclusion of physics, though it is also mostly for aesthetics.  You can occasionally use the environment against enemies, but these sequences are scripted.  Still, it is neat to see enemies react differently after being struck with spells.

Music has always been one of Diablo's strong suits - ambient, moody and haunting.  Diablo III at least gets this much right, as the music is about on par with the rest of the series, including yet another revision of the game's signature "Tristram" theme that dates back to the first entry in the series.  Voice acting is another story.  It's not necessarily the hammy delivery, as Diablo has always had a slightly campy edge to the voicework.  In fact, hearing Deckard Cain's voice again was one of the few legitimate smiles the beta experience produced, as it was like seeing an old friend for the first time in years.  The bigger problem stems from what the characters are saying.  The script seems far too cheery, too encouraging for a Diablo game.  In the past, NPCs were basically all gloom and doom.  Now most everyone seems to believe they can defeat the evil that threatens to destroy them, including your own character, who is given expanded dialogue. 

All of these changes have, sadly, left me wondering whether or not I even want to spring the $60 to buy Diablo III when it comes out May 15th.  Diablo II has been perpetually installed on every machine I've owned since it came out twelve years ago, and I'm left with the feeling that I'd likely have more fun replaying it than picking up Diablo Lite.  It's not a disappointment on the level of the abominable, abhorrent, and abysmal Duke Nukem Forever, but Diablo III is most certainly not the sequel I had been dreaming of all these years.

Impressions: Mass Effect 3

So it has come to this.
 
The culmination of gaming's greatest science fiction epic has finally arrived.  The tale of Commander Shepard's ongoing battle with the Geth, the Collectors, and the Reapers will finally reach its conclusion in BioWare's Mass Effect 3, and after 24 hours of play thus far, it seems a fitting conclusion.
 
I'm not even going to try and recap the sprawling story, especially since each player's experience may be unique dependant on the choices they've made.  In my experience, Shepard has severed ties with Cerberus, the organization that rebuilt his body after the first game, and is amassing an army to fight the invading Reapers, who seem hell bent on destroying Earth and any civilized system that stands in their way.
 
Mass Effect 3 is a story about sacrifice.  The situation is dire, and the outcome looks bleak.  Likewise, the game's plot reflects this.  Mass Effect 3 is a heavy game, much moreso than its predecessors.  While the story may be a bit clichéd - why do all aliens care so much about Earth, anyway? - the delivery is masterful and solidifies BioWare as superior story-weavers.  The Mass Effect universe is huge and full of history that nearly rivals blockbuster franchises like Star Wars - an impressive feat for a series that wasn't even around a decade ago - and it's that level of detail that makes you feel like you're truly fighting for something.  You feel like you're a part of a larger universe, and every decision you make can have a much greater impact than just some under the hood statistics in an RPG. 

What separates Mass Effect from every other video game series is the emotional investment in the characters.  No other game has as many diverse, unique, and realistically portrayed personalities, starting with its main character, Commander Shepard.

Impressions: Alice: Madness Returns [Xbox 360]

In 2000, designer American McGee treated PC gamers to his dark, twisted vision of Wonderland, the imaginary world created by esteemed author Lewis Carroll in his legendary Alice works.  Nearly a decade before Tim Burton's soulless film attempted to do the same, McGee created a mature, disturbing, and engrossing sequel to Carroll's fiction that paid homage to the source material, while simultaneously branching off on its own.

After a far-too-long wait, McGee and his new team at Spicy Horse return with the oft-requested sequel, Alice: Madness Returns.  But is this the sequel fans of the original were waiting for, or is it more like Alice in Blunderland?

Impressions: Duke Nukem Forever [Xbox 360]

It's hard to believe the day has finally arrived, but after 13 years of waiting, Duke Nukem Forever is on the cusp of release to the general public.  Those who've been anxiously awaiting Duke's return, many of whom had given hope, shouldn't set their expectations too high. 

It's ironic that the long-running joke was that Duke Nukem Forever would never see release.  Duke was hailed as a king, alright - the King of Vaporware.  Now that the game is finished after more than a decade, the joke is that it should have stayed buried forever.  Duke Nukem Forever is an embarrassment , not only when compared to modern shooters, but even in comparison to its predecessor.

In the insanely long, overly convoluted intro to the game, which sees Duke wandering around environments with nothing to kill for nearly an hour, the President of the United States calls Duke, "A relic from a bygone age."  He couldn't be more right.  Duke Nukem Forever feels like something straight out of 1996, but with all the fun and originality of the original Duke Nukem 3D sucked right out of it.

Insert Coins to Continue

After over a year of lying dormant, P1 Start is continuing on with new articles.
 
It was never my intention to let this blog go so long between updates.  Several factors contributed to the long hiatus.  Between maintaining two other blogs, both of which have also gone silent for quite some time now, tragic life events such as a house fire (that nearly destroyed my entire gaming collection - but didn't, thank goodness) and the completely unexpected sudden death of my father, and far happier, but equally time consuming events such as numerous concerts and beginning a relationship that is still going strong (yes, it's true, gamers can attract women), Player 1 Start simply seemed to be the most expendable.  The length of time required to write one of my reviews when I could write several articles over at Media Junkie just seemed like it wasn't worth it, especially with so many other gaming blogs out there.
 
That said, gaming is still a passion of mine.  Playing, discussing, reminiscing, and writing about them are all still passions of mine.  With that in mind, and an iPad to assist me, I plan on revitalizing this blog with several changes.
 
In addition to the op-ed pieces and reviews, I'm going to be introducing something called Impressions.  These are not fully fledged reviews per se.  I am of the belief that you cannot truly review a game unless you've completed it.  It's entirely possible for the first 2/3s of a game to be spectacular only to fall apart in the final act, just like many films and books do.  If you review a game prior to discovering that, you will be providing an inaccurate summation of the product.  With the amount of games that I buy, my schedule, and my relatively short attention span, finishing games is a luxury I don't often have.  Many games I purchase go unbeaten for years at a time, and some are never played to completion.  This is where Impressions come in.
 
Impressions are just that - my initial impressions upon playing a game.  In each piece, I'll describe roughly the amount of time I've put into the game to formulate those impressions.  Some of these are likely to be kneejerk reactions to the early-goings of a game and it's my plan to revisit some of these impressions should my opinion change upon playing further.
 
Reviews themselves will be considerably more retro-oriented.  With so many gaming sites out there, there's simply no reason to write lengthy reviews for newer, modern games.  I may do one occasionally if I feel a game is exceptional and worth the time, but given that I spend so much of my time playing older titles, the bulk of my reviews will cover older games that people may have forgotten about.  I realize there are plenty of retro sites out there as well, but I truly feel that the Golden Age of gaming is behind us.  I still love gaming and all, but it's no coincidence that my banner is made up entirely of sprites from classic arcade and console games.  Those were the games of my youth, and those are the games I remember the most.
 
So without further ado, let's put in a few more quarters and keep playing.