In some ways, Max Payne 3 will be the first game of the series in which gamers can see the character in full.
While actor James McCaffrey voiced the title character in the first two games, Max Payne’s appearance was modelled after other people.
But in the upcoming first-person shooter, McCaffrey, through the use of motion-capture technology, slid into the shoes of the popular noir character he helped to create.
The first chapter saw the familiar black leather-clad Payne being given a new lease of life when he is offered a job in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
While he is still thinking it over, well-armed thugs come after him in his apartment building and the battle is lost in ‘bullet-time’ blur.
The term refers to a special effect where time is slowed down but the camera continues to move at normal speed. Gamers can make the game run in slow motion but control Payne in real time.
Max Payne 3
This allows Payne to perform feats such as diving by a window to take out a line of gun-toting thugs standing on the roof of the building across from him.
When bullet-time is activated, Payne’s movement is now more fluid and lasts longer as well. If Payne is surrounded, a swing of the controller stick can change his view up to a 360-degree angle, to help him to dispose of his enemies.
Because of the motion-capture technology, his movements are very realistic; each pause, turn and step shows up clearly on screen.
The second chapter is where the game throws up a fresh spin on the character. Gone are the black outfit and his hair.
Now, Max Payne wears a singlet and looks like an amalgam of Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard movie and the most recent instalment of the film franchise.
During one sequence, Payne triggers explosions by shooting at petrol stations. In another, he is riding a bus and shooting at thugs as the bus careens across town.
And here is where bullet-time is fully utilised because you need it to slow down the action so that you can aim at the enemies.
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