Max Payne 3.....................

Rockstar Games' new Max Payne 3 trailer focuses on technology behind the title, an episodic approach that worked so well for recent Rockstar success L.A. Noire.

A screengrab from Max Payne 3.

Max Payne, the disgruntled noir-hero, long-suffering New York cop and mass murderer extraordinaire has had rough few years. After tackling both corrupt mega-corporations and then the mob, Max has found solace at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. Content to spend his days in a dark bar, out of trouble and nursing his painkiller addiction, Max has had enough. But trouble has a way of sniffing him out, and soon Max dives headfirst (in slow motion, of course) into the fray.
I recently had a chance to visit the Rockstar Games suite in Sydney and have a look at Max's bullet-dodging antics from the upcoming Max Payne 3. Previously Rockstar handled the console ports and publishing duties on both Max Payne 1 and 2. But now as sole developer as well, the onus is on them, along with the pressure, to take Max in exciting directions but still stay true to the series. From what I've seen, Mr Payne is in good hands.
Max Payne has a torrid history as one of the better noir series to ever grace consoles. For those unfamiliar, Max Payne was one of the first games to popularise bullet-time, the slow motion death-dealing ability that made the first two games so compelling. Max's gruff inner monologues were supplemented with fantastic graphic novel style cutscenes in the game's signature dark noir manner, and hallucinations and well written characters all add to a noir experience that only got better with Max's second outing. But now the time has come for a third, and refining the action gameplay along with the noir elements while creating something that stands alone is a tough ask of any developer.

Another screengrab from Max Payne 3.

The first segment, from early in the game, felt very familiar; Max, sporting a full head of hair and his trademark trench coat at this point, in his dreary New York apartment with ex-cop friend Raul Passos, feeling sorry for himself. Raul suggests leaving New York for Brazil, where private security is a lucrative business for someone with Max's unique abilities. Max shoots down the idea and swigs his whisky as Anthony DeMarco, a local mob boss, pulls up outside. Apparently Max has killed his son and DeMarco boldly swears revenge up at Max's apartment from outside on the snowy street.
 
What didn't feel familiar about this level was Max's face. Before, Max's blocky head had been modelled on the writer of the first two games, Sam Lake, and only capable of a bemused smirk or tortured grimace. Now Max's face and much of his actions have been motion-capped by the man behind the voice, James McCaffrey. This gives Max much more of a realistic presence in the world, but is undoubtedly helped by the new engine behind the gameplay. Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) has been the powerhouse behind Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV and even in this early build already looks at least on that level.
Because of this, DeMarco's monologue from the stark street looks impressively cinematic as car headlights silhouette his enraged form. As expletives are cast from the street below and gunmen storm the building, Max and Raul reach for their guns and make a swift exit. The corridor outside the apartment is alive with the red trails of laser sights. Max mentions snipers on the roof and launches into the first taste of the gunplay. This is where the emphasis on Max Payne is and always has been, Max dives down the hall and blasts out the window with his pistol.
Rockstar are very much concentrating on the small details in Max Payne's physics and action. As Max shoots at the snipers, the window blasts outward in a surprisingly realistic manner, eventually taking much of the frame and some wall with it. Every bullet in the game is individually modelled and the environments are highly destructible, these elements happen too quickly to notice normally, but when in bullet time the effect looks brilliant. The ability to dive around corners as bullets fly past Max and destroy the grubby corridor of the complex looks terrific.
After Max makes short work of his attackers he bursts onto the roof to a beautiful view of New York's snowy skyline. While this is a classic Max Payne setting, the majority of the game takes place in South America and the screen fades to black as the first segment Rockstar are showing ends.
From here on Max is living in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as private security for a local real-estate mogul. Trouble soon finds Max as his employer's wife is taken hostage. As his search takes him through the darker side of Sao Paulo, shady drug-dealers, paramilitary organisations and corrupt politicians all want a piece of Max. While Rockstar haven't released many more details regarding the plot, with such a pedigree of expansive well-written games, they are not likely to disappoint.
Rockstar's decision to take Max's style of noir in a new direction was met with some stark criticism when first announced. The choice to take Max out of his familiar drab New York setting and drop him in the brightly coloured and dangerous South American underworld may have seemed surprising at first.
But even as the game boots up to the start screen, it's obvious what Rockstar want visually from Max Payne 3. There's Max's bald, razor-notched head as he stares through a chain-link fence towards a sinister looking building covered in neon lights and he looks right at home and as noir as ever.
Max's new design is also confronting at first, his shaved head and expansive beard is a very unfamiliar look with elements of Walter White in there. Coupled with the tank top and determined expression, Max just looks plain cool.
While the old Max Payne would've been more at home in black and white by night, noir is by no means limited to a thin New Yorker in a black coat and after two games in New York, Max can only benefit from the shift.
After checking out the flashier and more dynamic graphic novel cut-scenes, accompanied by Max's signature monologue, I was treated to a level further in the game. Max is on the run from a military group with Raul's girlfriend Giovanna, and has to protect her as they blast through a deserted bus depot.
This was a much more action-heavy segment, showing off a small portion of Max's new arsenal and his updated moves. Coupled with the RAGE engine is an updated version of the euphoria animation engine, which gives Max a real presence in the game world. His actions affect the world and similarly the world affects Max.
In the office section of the bus depot Max's signature bullet-time dive as he threw himself over desks was interesting. Each object reacted realistically to Max's foolhardy jump and instead of the canned animation from previous games, Max knocks the desk on his way over and lands hard in a uncannily realistic manner (on his head). The physics in this segment are there in the background throughout every encounter, adding an extra later of realism to the combat for added immersion.
Max finished off this level with a daring escape plan, Giovanna drives an abandoned bus through the depot and Max shoots anyone foolish enough to get in his way. This set piece is especially entertaining as, while Max is a deft hand at killing, Giovanna is not so much an experienced bus driver. As Max leans out of the doors and makes short work of the attackers, Giovanna runs the bus into other cars and walls before ploughing into a building. Things weren't looking too hot for the pair as the commandos closed in and the screen faded to black, signalling the end of the demo.
Excitingly, Max Payne 3 is the first in the series to feature multiplayer. Rockstar have not released any details regarding what form it will take, though expect a lot of shooting. We will have a preview for you as soon as more details become available.
Frankly, Rockstar's acquisition of the Max Payne series can only be a good thing and for such early code, the game looks great. The combat is still unequivocally Max Payne while offering new elements and refinements of the old ones. While it's still early days and there is far more of the game to see, my first impression of the game was an overwhelmingly positive one. The mixed reactions regarding the game's new style look entirely unfounded as Max Payne could find noir in a nursery.
Max Payne 3 is scheduled for March 2012 release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.


Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar Vancouver
Release Date: Q4 2010
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Features:

• Max Payne 3 is an upcoming third-person shooter video game developed by Rockstar Vancouver and published by Rockstar Games for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
• This is the first game in the series not to be developed by Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment and not being written by series creator Sam Lake.
• The game was originally scheduled for release in late 2009, however, it was pushed back to 2010 alongside several other Take Two Interactive franchises in order to “benefit from having more development time”.

 More Details
Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 1.8 Ghz / AMD Athlon X2 64 @ 2.4 Ghz
Memory: 1 Gb
Hard Drive: 16 Gb free
Video Memory: 256 Mb
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7900 / ATI Radeon X1900
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
Keyboard
Mouse
Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad @ 2.4 GHz / AMD Phenom X3 @ 2.1 GHz
Memory: 2.5 Gb
Hard Drive: 18 Gb free
Video Memory: 512 Mb
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon 3870
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
Keyboard
Mouse