Max Payne 3: Local Justice Pack Impressions

Those of you who have been following Max Payne 3 after launch are probably well aware that the Local Justice DLC was planned for a tentative June launch. Unfortunately, Rockstar wasn't able to stay true to the expected date, and instead ended up releasing the content July 3rd instead. Local Justice adds in three brand new maps, a new weapon, new playable faction, and a new item for your gear slot. With six solid days of dealing out justice, we've gathered up our impressions of Rockstar's first Max Payne 3 DLC, shall we begin?

Maps, Maps, Maps

Arguably the best all around map from the Local Justice Pack is the 55th Battallion HQ. The HQ offers up long range lines fire fights in the wide-open center parking area, close quarters combat in the jail cells, and mid-range encounters in the command center. Battles quickly escalate into a game of cat n' mouse among the jail cells, which is highly entertaining. Watching an enemy disappear in front of you, knowing there are multiple ways to flank, is nerve wrecking. If you happen to be heading up the stairs from the cell area, watch it. I can almost guarantee someone is sitting in cover at the top with a shotgun, waiting for you to foolishly climb them. Departure Lounge brings a heavy dose of mid-range and close quarters combat into the mix. Sure there's a few long range opportunities, but these seem to be rare. No one actually runs out into the open on the ground floor. Oh, you do? Well, I'd stop doing that. There's only so many Vendetta's you can engage before you realize that you might not be as good as you thought. Catching yourself on the ground floor of the main terminal area is essentially asking for a one way trip to the respawn screen. Gain the high ground, and push through into the tight hallways behind the scenes of the Airport. Should the fight make its way back into the baggage area, you'll once again be battling for the high ground. Pro Tip: Pretend they're your baggage handlers, and your Kill/Death ratio will soar. They're always losing people's luggage, but no more. No. More. Imperial Palace is a cover n' dash type of map. The inner workings of the building provide dozens of cover opportunities, but great players will flank to their hearts content. Multiple access points to the second floor make it hard ground to hold. It's definitely worth the effort though. The second floor offers a great vantage point to pick enemies off assaulting from the pool access area. This map definitely provides the most fun for short range encounters, and shoot-dodging off of the roof towards the pool has now officially become my signature move. I call it, "Mikeo Polo." Bam. Overall, it feels a shame that Rockstar wasn't able to efficiently design all three of the maps for each game type. Departure Lounge and Imperial Palace both limit players solely to Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Payne Killer game types. Activity displayed on playlists make it known that Gang Wars seems to be one of the most popular modes. Why Rockstar didn't design the maps larger, and close off sections for the smaller game types is beyond me. Single tear. Click next below to get more details on Local Justice...