max payne 3 carries on the series' gameplay excellently and nails max's character arc. that said, i'll never forgive rockstar for dropping the affectionate pastiche and importing their hyperbolic satire from GTA. there's a bitter edge in MP3's unlikeable cast of stereotypical rich yuppies, ones that max is nonsensically meant to derive pathos from during the story. this brand of hollow "sociopolitical" critique doesn't fit whatsoever, it's such a hideous clash.
that's the real poison that kills an otherwise fantastic sequel. it gets why max payne worked but not what made max payne unique.
