Max Payne 3
Max Payne returns in a gritty tale of corruption and betrayal in São Paulo.
Max Payne 3 is a 2012 third-person shooter game developed and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sequel to Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003) and the third entry in the Max Payne series. In the single-player mode, the player controls Max Payne, a former NYPD detective. Nine years after the events of the second game, Max finds work as a private security contractor in São Paulo, Brazil, but becomes entangled in a plot involving death, corruption and betrayal. An online multiplayer mode is included with the game, allowing up to 16 players to engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay in recreations of single-player settings.
Quick Facts
- Character
- Max Payne
- Role
- Protagonist
- Affiliation
- Private security (former NYPD detective)
- First appears
- Max Payne (2001)
- Status
- Alive (post-game)
Lore & Background
Nine years after the events of the second game, Max Payne has retired from the NYPD and spends his days nursing his alcoholism and addiction to painkillers. After an incident involving the local mob forces him to leave New York, Max accepts an offer from Raul Passos to become a private security contractor in South America. Max finds himself working for the Branco family in São Paulo. The game's plot involves a kidnapping, a conspiracy of warring factions, and Max's search for truth.
Reader's Guide
Max Payne 3 is a third-person shooter. A new feature is the cover system, which allows players to gain a tactical advantage and avoid damage. Players use melee attacks, firearms, and explosives. Bullet time can be used to see every bullet strike an enemy in detail. A 'Last Stand' mechanic grants a grace period when health is fully depleted, allowing the player to kill the last enemy that wounded them if they have a recovery item. The shoot-dodge mechanic enables players to dodge by diving and shoot at any angle while grounded. The player can hold only three weapons at a time: two handgun slots and one two-handed weapon slot.
Did You Know?
- The game was first released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 15, 2012; a Windows port was released on May 29, followed by an OS X port on June 20, 2013.
- The online multiplayer mode and Social Club support for the console versions were discontinued in September 2021.
- The game had shipped 4 million units by May 2013.
More in Development & Legacy
Elsewhere in Max Payne
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