Max Payne 3: Local Justice DLC review

Obviously, we’re huge fans of Max Payne 3 here at GamesRadar. We loved the single-player campaign, the replayabilty of New York Minute, and the fun of its multiplayer. If you’ve fallen head-on into its online crews, and its online mayhem, you may have an eye on its first DLC pack, Local Justice, even if you've been eyeing the investment in a Rockstar Pass with guarded caution.

If you haven’t picked up the Pass, which enables you to get all of the game’s DLC updates for a fixed $30, we don't have a crystal ball into how future packs will fare, but Local Justice (on sale for its launch week, then $8 or 640 Microsoft Points thereafter) makes a strong case for either subscribing to the Pass or picking up this map pack on its own.

Chiefly, Local Justice contains three maps, a new power-up item, and a new weapon. Each new stage is based on a later-stage section of the campaign. With Imperial Palace, you’ve got the crumbled chaos of the rundown hotel as a playground for mayhem. It’s structured around close quarters shootouts, as we discovered quickly after taking repeated shotguns to the face. We had a blast running through a round of Payne Killer and team deathmatch on the map and feel confident that you will, too.

Departure Lounge, like Imperial Palace, is designed around both deathmatch types and Payne Killer. Its wide-open space invites bigger shootouts and it’s got far more well-concealed vantage points along its multi-tiered structure for picking off enemies below. Considering that the lounge made up one of our favorite stages of Max Payne 3, we voted to play this map as often as possible. With every shootout, with every firefight, and with every successful kill, we remembered the magic of this brutal level, and the cinematic flourishes that we enjoyed so much.

With the third map, 55th Battalion HQ, things are a little more grandiose. It’s a sprawling complex full of jail cells, dead ends, and choke points. It’s huge, it’s exceptionally fun, and it’s a beautifully chaotic mess in team deathmatch. It’s also the only map that supports Gang Wars alongside the other modes. There are enough nooks and crannies for close combat, but it’s wide open enough for wide-open skirmishes. It doesn't evoke the same sense of wonder that Departure Lounge does, but as a multiplayer map, it's certainly diverse in design.

The DLC also includes the Light Fingers item, which enables you to loot corpses even faster – perfect for cash-grabbing scavengers like some of us on staff – and the new M4 assault rifle, which combines well with Light Fingers to give you big weaponry and the quickness to loot without using a lightfooted loadout that skimps on heavy firepower. And, if you’re inclined to move away from gangs and paramilitary wings, Local Justice gives you the São Paolo Police faction, which gives you new skins to distinguish your crew.

We can’t vouch for how future DLC for Max Payne 3 will roll out, but as fans of the campaign and after dipping into the new multiplayer content, we think that if you’re looking to jump into more of the game’s online, this is worth picking up.

Our Verdict:

Buy it, especially if you're looking to extend the life of your Max Payne 3 experience with some great maps.