So considering episode 1 was 413.04mb, if we assume the other four episodes are that much, we must reserve 2.07gb of HD space? Hmm, not sure how I feel about that.

If you think RE3 is bad, RE2 was a lot worse. When your char dies on the black screen, you see him get mauled/eaten (in RE3 they took that out). The creepniess/scare factor was a lot bigger in RE2 also, such as (SPOILERS)...

The fake door loading screen with zombies coming at you, the zombies jumping at the gunshop owner via the display window, the licker emerging from the double-sided interrogation room window, Mr. X literally jumping at you through a solid concrete wall (not even the walls are safe from scares!), Police Chief Irons doing crazy stuff to the mayor's daughter... I mean it was some crazy ****. In RE3, the worst that happens is zombies/dogs jumping through windows at you every so often, but there's no build up or suspense to it, so it just feels tacked on.

Playing a Redbox PS3 rented version. I noticed a few audio cut-outs, but haven't had the game lock up yet.

The level of violence in the first was the biggest. I mean for crying out loud...

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Max's own home is invaded by drug addicts, his baby and wife are shot in cold blood as Max hears their cries/screams as he ascends upstairs, he sees his baby's carriage tipped over with the baby shot dead (thank god the developers have the decency to cover the baby's corpse with the blanket!), and Max's wife is shot mere seconds from him arriving! He then helplessly cries over her dead body! Now point to me a scene in Max Payne 3 more violent than that!

Rockstar nailed the Max Payne (MP) style to perfection, improving upon flaws of its predecessors.

The shootdodge mechanic's visuals have been significally improved. When Max is about to collide with an object during shootdodge, his body behaviour reflects this, bracing for impact. In prior games, there was no collision and Max would look stiff during the animation. The levels featuring transitions from cinematic to shootdodge (ex. crashing through the Night Club glass) adds further spice to what once was an outdated mechanic made new again.

The enemy A.I. is also improved. They're vastly unpredictable and exhibit various traits ranging from aggression to cover mechanics. While it's easy to fault the cover mechanic as slowing the action down, it's a needed compromise giving A.I. added realism and emphasis to the environment. Truly, the environment is now both your greatest enemy or ally. In past Max Payne's, the best the enemy did to protect themself was strafe behind a solid wall or backstep. While it's easy to look at the cover mechanic from Max's perspective, it's what it provides enemies that truly allows the mechanic to shine.

The A.I. spouting out a foreign language is a great twist to the Max Payne formula. It ellicits confusion and frustration out of the player, ironically complementing Max's predicament, drunken nature, and the fast paced anarchy of gun-fights. It reminds us Max is out of place in his new environment and that words don't mean much when bad guys carry big guns.

I wont comment on the multi-player, other than to say more options never hurt anyone. What's important is its development didn't seen to hamper Max Payne 3's single-player experience.

Now the million dollar question: What modding tools will Rockstar offer its PC audience, as witnessed in the prior two games? This needs to happen. Max Payne's modding culture is a big deal. People want to see Kung Fu and Matrix mods, among many others. With these mods, people can remember and return to MP3 long after they've completed it. Truly, I don't know if there would be a MP3 if MP1 or MP2 didn't have such a stellar modding scene.

Rockstar did a fantastic job. Like many others, I was concerned at first seeing a bald fat Max Payne in the originally released screenshots, but Rockstar pulled it off. Kudos to them on the grand effort.

Steam is cheaper.

Stoopid_Fool

Problem with me it needs to be 24-inch, because my table space wont allow for much bigger.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2333SW-23-Inch-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B001P5CAV6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1336684312&sr=1-1

^ My Samsung SyncMaster 2333 was great for 2.5 years, until everytime I start it up in the morning it has trouble displaying the top half of the screen, so I have to turn it off and then on multiple times to "warm it up." After a minute, it works and runs fine throughout the day. It's getting worse every morning though, so it's probably dying.

Any ideas? Should I ride out the issue with my current monitor, or try a different monitor?

I'm perfectly happy with getting another SyncMaster 2333, but not if it will die out on me again so quickly.

when you have two choices: download your favorite games or don't play games at all, I don't see many people sticking to their principles and not buying games. Even if they say they won't.flox25

You're forgetting a third less ethical choice that frightens gaming companies... pirating. It's more viable on the PC, but pirating even on the current-gen consoles is not out of the question. History has shown that if you rub customers the wrong way, they will hack/pirate/god-knows-what against you (ex. Capcom's DLC and Spore's DRM).

You guys are partially right. Yes, we will see more downloadable only games in the future, but no, we wont see a respect to quality. Once EA starts heavily jumping on board with this, they will set a precadent that other companies will soon follow by realizing they can get away with releasing poor downloadable only titles. Downloadable only games also circumvent rental services, such as Redbox, and saves money on graphic designers, box art, making cases, DVD's/Blu-Ray's, and instruction manuals at the expense of the customer. You may notice EA doesn't even include instruction manuals in most of their games anymore, so EA is always willing to find a way to cut corners and pinch extra pennies.

I've got mixed feelings on it. The only one who benefits from this scenario is the company, but when used appropriately, it is a great entry-level way of getting indie developers into gaming development.