Max Payne 3 is not only Rockstars best combat system but possibly one of the best combat systems in all of gaming.
Released in 2011, Max Payne 3 was a departure from the gun blazing entries of the past. Where before you could juggle enemies in the air with an Uzi, now a single bullet will leave an opponent clutching at the wound as they fire their final shots. This was an obvious departure from the previous systems so Rockstar had to get them perfect or else they’d upset not only the old fans but any new ones too.
It’s in this conundrum that they created one of the best combat systems in all of gaming.
The Gunfights in Max Payne 3 Feel Real
I will admit that I’ve never been in a gunfight but if I was to ever be in one I imagine it would feel how it does in Max Payne 3. Gunfights in the game are tense, chaotic, strategic, and brutal where one stray bullet could be your end.
Everyone in Max Payne 3 is Vulnerable
Max Payne 3 is a very difficult game. One bullet to your head can kill you and you can only take three or so shots from anyone before being dropped. A bullet to an enemies chest won’t instantly kill them which allows them to continue fighting until their end. Cover normally won’t fully protect you as some part of your body will be sticking out which leaves you never feeling safe.
All of the factors come together to make gunfights feel real since, just like in real life, humans are not invincible. The fact that you can be killed with a single well placed bullet makes you plan out your movement in a fight and forces you to keep track of whose where at what times. You can’t rest until your last opponent is dead which makes every fight feel tense and tactical.
Even one on one fights, which would usually be an easy affair thanks to the players advantage, are now tense encounters where you must outsmart your opponent. You must kill them without being hit or allowing them to get the drop on you and the AI will use many of the tactics at your disposal against you.
The AI Act Like Real People in a Fight
The AI opponents in Max Payne 3 range from mobsters to armed forces but all of them act like real people in a combat situation. Rockstar has always had great AI behaviour, but it’s never quite felt as intense as it does here. This is likely due to the AI only ever being in a state of combat, so the developers didn’t have to worry about programming everyday tasks.
The AI are very reactive to bullets and your aggression in a gunfight. Enemies stay behind over if they’re being shot at and will flinch or duck if they’re caught in the open. They’ll peak from cover to see where you are before coming out to take a more precise shot and they’ll shoot whilst running into cover. The AI will do whatever it can to protect itself in a fight and this makes enemies feel like real people who are scared of getting shot.
Just like you, the AI are vulnerable, but they react anytime they’re shot anywhere on their body. Being shot in the shoulder or chest will normally result in the enemy being jolted back a bit and disorientated whilst being shot in the leg will result in them collapsing. It takes about five body shots to kill an enemy which adds not only realism but some tactical thinking to fights. If you’re in a pinch, you can shoot an enemy in their chest to incapacitate them for a moment so you can move or deal with another threat. It also means that if you spray an area then there could be enemies who are on the floor that you cannot see who might then get the drop on you.
Enemies With Armour Act Differently
Enemies with armour on, such as special forces or goons with bulletproof vests, will only be pushed back or knocked down when hit in their armour but they won’t take any damage. The only way to kill these enemies is to knock their helmet off and then shoot them in the head or with a high calibre weapon.
These enemies will therefore act a lot more aggressively than those without armour. They’ll openly stand in an arena and fire towards you with little care to whether or not you return fire. They’ll single handedly pin you down in cover whilst walking straight towards you and will keep shooting even when you fire back. Armoured opponents are a challenge to face because of how aggressive they are.
This adds a lot of tension to fights because armoured opponents have the advantage over you. Their encounters require you to take risks and play very aggressively to defeat them which is a nice variety from the careful movements of usual firefights.
The Environments are Chaotic
Max Payne 3 is a very linear game with most levels having one corridor to go down and only a few small rooms to explore if you go off that path. This means that Rockstar was able to cram every level with detail to not expand on the world but to also improve the combat.
Almost everything in an arena can be destroyed to an extent which will then spread clouds of dust around. Bullets will destroy chunks of wood or plaster, and almost every window in an arena will be smashed by the time a fight is over. Every surface will have bullet holes or dent marks which makes you realise just how many bullets were flying and how lucky you were that one didn’t hit your head.
The destructive environments make firefights feel chaotic and can dynamically change how you use an arena. A lot of this comes down to how cover can be almost completely destroyed which won’t stop it from protecting you, but it will be a lot less effective. This means that you’ve got to assess how useful your cover is throughout a fight which takes focus away from tracking your enemies positions. The levels in offices demonstrate this best as there’s often so much material flying around that it’s difficult to see anything.
Max Payne’s Movement makes Everything Deliberate
Max Payne isn’t a tank but he’s not slick either. Max Payne 3 doesn’t allow you to cancel movements which means that if you press to move backwards and then left then you’ll move backwards before moving left. These movements will be completed before anything else can be done which means that you have to think about what you want to do.
This means that silly movements can be fatal in a firefight which adds tension when planning a route through a room. You’ve got to think about your position in an arena and where you want to move to because you don’t have the agility to get out of trouble if you need to. Whilst it can be annoying, and this was probably unintentional, it does add to the feel of combat.
Overview
- Firefights are chaotic and realistic
- The AI acts like real people do and this makes every encounter interesting
- Max Payne’s movements require you to be deliberate which adds to the tension when in a firefight
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