This article is about the game mechanic, you may be looking for the Max Payne 3 multiplayer burst
Bullet Time is activated. Notice the visible flying bullets and the lit hourglass icon.
Bullet Time is a special power used by Max Payne, Mona Sax and the multiplayer characters of the Max Payne series. When activated, everything around them slows down, while they can aim and fire weapons in real time. This gives characters a unique edge over enemies, especially when severely outnumbered, or when precision is required in clutch moments.
Characteristics[]
Bullet Time runs on a limited resource of "Adrenaline." The player can see how much they have left in the hourglass-shaped meter (or vertical bar in the third installment) in the bottom corner of the screen. When activated, Bullet Time instantly slows down effects in the world; character movement, sounds, debris and water effects, and most importantly bullets. The key feature of Bullet Time is allowing the player the opportunity to see incoming bullets and avoid them, as well as making precise shots even while targets are in motion.
In Max Payne, the only way to regenerate Bullet Time is through killing enemies. When Max takes out an enemy with a headshot, he will replenish a little more Bullet Time.
In Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne , Bullet Time also regenerates slowly when it is not in use. Additionally, if Max takes out several enemies at once while in Bullet Time, the hourglass will turn yellow, causing Max to move faster while simultaneously making time flow even slower. This gives Max an even larger advantage over his enemies.
Bullet time in Max Payne 3, notice how the screen flashes with light
In Max Payne 3, Bullet Time is charged through injuring and killing enemies, with more elaborate kills reaping greater rewards. Adrenaline is also gained when Max is attacked and takes damage, and it's even possible to slowly charge up Adrenaline when attacked while hiding behind cover. When Max enters Last Man Standing, he will automatically enter Bullet Time, giving him several seconds in real time to take out an enemy to prevent his death. If Max succeeds in killing the enemy who dealt the felling shot, Max will recover, but all of his Adrenaline and 1 of his painkillers will be taken as consequence.
Reloading Trick[]
In Max Payne 2, when Max reloads in Bullet Time, he will use a stylish reloading trick by spinning around in a circle. This decreases reload time to near-zero, and allows him to dodge incoming fire. When the hourglass is yellow, the camera will follow Payne as he does it. The reloading trick is essential for weapons with a small ammo capacity such as the sawed-off shotgun, or weapons that may otherwise take a long time to reload, such as the pump-action shotgun.
Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Burst[]
- Main article: Bullet Time (burst)
Bullet Time appears in the Max Payne 3 Multiplayer as one of the premiere bursts.
When used in Max Payne 3's new multiplayer mode, Bullet Time works off of line of sight with other players. When a player enters Bullet Time anyone they see, and anyone who sees them, will incur slow-down. This also chains to anyone else on the map who happens to see another character who is slowed down. This makes it so players running around in far corners of the map away from the slow-motion gunplay do not feel the effects of Bullet Time. To escape an opponent's Bullet Time, simply shootdodge or roll behind cover to break their line of sight on you.
Bullet Time Sequences[]
These are some special sequences that appear in every chapter in Max Payne 3 except for chapter XII.
These sequences activate after certain checkpoints. For example at the beginning of chapter II, Max breaks through the nightclub lounge window with a gang member whilst Bullet Time is activated for the duration of the fall. Some of these Bullet Time sequences are required for getting achievements. For example getting six kills while breaking out of the window in chapter II earns you the achievement Out the Window.
Trivia[]
- Bullet Time is a registered trademark of Warner Bros. Entertainment that is licensed for Rockstar Games' use, and was coined during development of The Matrix, where it was used extensively to display slow-motion action, however, Max Payne's use of slow-motion was based upon John Woo's stylistic filming of gunplay sequences, also known as "gun-fu".
- The Bullet Time gauge in the second game, as well as the Bullet Time Burst icon for Max Payne 3 is actually two pistol cartridges, joined together at their tips, creating an hourglass shape.
- Mechanics similar to Bullet Time also appear in other titles by Rockstar Games:
- Red Dead Revolver - Red Harlow uses a skill called “Dead Eye”, which has a bullet time and can fire after marking the enemies. In addition, Red Harlow has a bullet time when he pulls out his gun during a duel with an enemy, during which he can mark the enemy and fire. Although other playable characters can use their skills, only Red Harlow has bullet time.
- Red Dead Redemption - John Marston and Jack Marston are are able to slow down time using "Dead Eye" and briefly gain invincibility. The player can then mark targets' body parts, which are fired at by individual precise shots in the order they were marked, or alternatively the player can fire one freely-aimed shot before resuming the flow of time. The game's online feature uses a similar mechanic albeit without slowed time flow for obvious reasons.
- Grand Theft Auto V - Michael De Santa's special ability, which functions very similarly to Bullet Time in Max Payne 3, but without the mobility of Max.
- Red Dead Redemption II - Arthur Morgan and John Marston can also use the first game's Dead Eye ability, albeit without invincibility. However, levelling up the ability will allow the player to fire more than one freely-aimed shot without exiting the slowed-down ability. Red Dead Online also features Dead Eye, but again, it occurs in real time.