Bullet time is back and in a big way. We got to see a bunch of Max Payne action over at New York Comic Con and see how Max progresses from the ex-New York cop, to a bald headed man with a closet full of more than just skeletons. The developers gave us a glimpse of how drugs and alcohol have played a large role in Max’s life since the death of his family and friends, and it really shows in the details of his face… The years have not been kind to Max.
We started the demo off with Max at his apartment with Raul Passos, an old friend from the NYPD who is now also an ex-cop. Raul sets up the deal with max for him to work as part of an executive security detail in SãoPaulo, Brazil for the Branco family. Through the first cut scene comes Anthony DeMarco, a NYC mob boss who’s son you killed, and he’s back with his goons for vengeance. The cut scene ends as DeMarco still screaming for Max’s head, as Raul tells you that it’d be a good idea to get away from DeMarco as soon as they can. Turning towards the door, DeMarco’s goons are already scrambling at your front door down the hallway and throughout the building to take you out.
This is where action breaks loose and you get your toes wet again in Max’s chaotic world. The weapons system has been broken down to either carrying a single double handed weapon, or a single or dual wield single handed weapons. Heading through the hallways of Max’s apartment complex, we’re able to see the detail of every little thing, like the destruction of the surrounding environment, individual bullet paths and shells ejecting out of the chamber of the gun in bullet time, and the way the A.I. reacts to Max. Even after the first few minutes of the demo, you can really tell they’ve put so much work into it. All the characters play such a dramatic roll and they all tell a story, that you can see within their facial expression and body movements. As the demo was played, the developers stated that the new A.I. wont just stand around and follow a set pattern to find Max hiding, but they’ll go through the area and aggressively search and flush out people in hiding. Also with every batter the final bullet that kills the bad guy will be a bullet time cut scene, meaning the camera will follow the bullet to finish up the last kill.
There’s tons to be seen in Max Payne 3, and my words couldn’t possibly describe the depth of everything we’ve seen. The great thing is that Max will be back in March 2012, and an even better thing… Multiplayer! Not much is known about the multiplayer but we’ll keep you informed when we find out more.
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