3 was great on it’s own merits as a game, but the noir elements were ratched way down compared to the first and second.
Max Payne 2 was… I dunno… damn well perfect for what it was supposed to be in the era it was developed with the technology of the time.
I’m pretty sure if you played mp2 in an empty sealed room for 14 hours straight you’d somehow come out reeking of whisky and cigarettes.