Xboxist

Max Payne 3 Coming this Winter

It was a dark and stormy night, and the air was thick with the scent of dread as our hero Max waited in the shadows for his mark to make an appearance. Wisps of smoke from a dangled cigarette rose like phantoms in the night air, and Max recalled all the dames, all the marks, he had known in his career. How many of them were phantoms now?

Actually, it was predominantly sunny and a warm 23 degrees when we heard the fabulous news that Rockstar Games is planning another update to the Max Payne series. The company announced today that Max Payne 3 will be heading to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC platforms in the winter of 2009.

Max Payne 3 tells the story of a retired police detective embroiled in a world of corruption, turmoil and intense violence.

For those who aren't familiar with this landmark series, Max Payne is a hard-boiled New York City detective with a penchant for violence, out to avenge the death of his family. The game is also known as the first shooter to fully implement the concept of "bullet time", which allowed Max to slow down and pick off large numbers of enemies in spectacular fashion. Rockstar says that the latest installment will deliver more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love, while moving the story of Max in a new direction.

"We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation."

Since leaving the NYPD and New York itself behind, Max has drifted from bad to worse. Double-crossed and a long way from home, Max is now trapped in a city full of violence and bloodshed, using his weapons and instincts in a desperate search for the truth and a way out.

It sounds like Rockstar has a lot of great fictional material to work with here, and we can't wait to learn more about the new story and gameplay elements in Max Payne 3.