A truly dark, suspenseful, and entertaining experience.
I did not know what to expect when I started playing, but I instantly felt how dark the game truly was after only 10 minutes of playing it, and I enjoyed every second. The basic premise of MP3 is that you are Max Payne (O'really?), and you are in Brazil. You have been contracted to protect a local wealthy family, the type of family that can buy anything they wanted. The job seemed easy, protect a spoiled family and get free drinks. However, things go sour fast. Within minutes, the party they are hosting is shot-up, with terrorists kidnapping your boss and his wife. I will not go further to ruin the experience, but the basic premise is Max fighting his way through the gangs of Brazil and his own twisted mind to try and save his employers; but it does not end there. The game becomes so much more, and I am glad it did. The entire experience was perfect, with no wasted acts or environments. Trust me, you will love every minute of it.
As for the graphics, I am mostly pleased. The characters are well designed, the environments are beautiful, but it seems that the game itself missed one final coat of polish. There are multiple graphical tears throughout the game, which may not annoy some. However, the tears become more frequent as you play. Also, the game, after many patches, can still freeze your entire system. it happened to me only once during bullet time, but it is irritating to say the least. However, the freezing is less frequent than it was at launch, so your experience will not be ruined.
The sound was amazing. Explosions, gunshots, running, the voice-acting; all of it was superb. My only true complaint is that sometimes the game would drop all sound during a cut-scene, making the player miss the story or important dialogue. This happened to me only once, but it is also subjective. It may happen to you more, or not at all.
The controls were excellent. I base this on how long it takes to play the game without making a control related mistake. You are able to lean them quickly, making them second nature. You learn to love bullet time, slowing down time so you can dodge or shoot enemies freely with little risk.
Overall, I loved the game. The story was satisfying, so much so that I can see myself replaying the game in the future. The graphics were good, the sound was well down, and the controls were fitting. This all allowed for a completely immersive experience, one that can make anyone sit on the couch for an entire day and feel good about it. However, like I said, the game should have received more polish before launch. If they fixed the issues listed above before launch, it would have truly deserved a perfect score. But don't let that stop you, Max Payne 3 is a must play. And one you won't regret.
8.5/10