I really wanted to like this game more. The VA and music are all pretty good, and while I didn't love the artstyle it was definitely unique. But once I saw the game's "true" endings I didn't have any motivation to continue exploring other routes. The main issue is that the game is full of these meta elements that are cool on paper, but doesn't do enough for me to actually care about the characters and world that contextualize the cool meta things the game tries to do. So ultimately, none of the game's big moments and grand reveals really had much impact for me.

The shooting is magnificent. Honestly most third person shooters from this era are mediocre in terms of gameplay but Max Payne 3 plays as well as anything in the genre even today. The level and encounter design doesn't really live up to how good the shooting feels but it's definitely better than say, Uncharted or something. Hard to believe that Rockstar would go on to make some of the clunkiest games on the market with RDR2 and GTA V. The story was kinda nonsense but the characters and dialogue still made it entertaining, Max Payne is always saying the funniest shit and I love how it's played completely straight.