Having played about 1/3rd of Max Payne 3 now, it really doesn't matter too much if you've played the first 2. It's all really about context of character, there's not a whole lot of continuing story thread, only about Max as a character.
The first 2 are still brilliant games in their own right, but if you just want to jump into 3 then it'll still be an extremely good experience.
Well yeah, it was trying to copy much of what made COD big. But it's only stark contrast because Resistance 1 was coming off past gen FPS's where regenerative health, 2 weapons, etc. weren't things that were naturally done.
Resistance 3 brings all the good stuff back from 1 and has a better story, better atmosphere, some real good horror moments. Is just a fantastic story all round.
I think there's only a few BigFooty guys with Resistance 1, I'd definitely go back and teach you the ropes. 1 hit CTF on Somerset is really all you need to know. Also you only need to play unranked games, as that has the server browser function. BEST ONLINE EVERRRRR!