We’ve got a fanatical load of screenshots and trailers to prove it!

We had the chance to sit down with Rockstar to check out Max Payne 3 and what we saw left us craving more of Mr. Payne. Rockstar told us that they are aiming to make Max Payne 3 the “most sophisticated and cinematic action shooter” to date. With a focus on cinematography and improved mechanics, Max Payne 3 is setting itself apart from other games in the genre with its uniqueness. The guys at Rockstar spent a lot of work on Max Payne 3, down to the fact that each bullet is individually modeled and uniquely-animated.

[pullquote_right]With Max Payne 3, our goal is to create the most cinematic, sophisticated action shooter yet made. [/pullquote_right]The old graphic novel “cutscene” style that was in previous Max Payne games has now been evolved to a motion comic style, with animated panels that are randomly generated, giving a nice choreographed feel as you play through the game.

The actual story picks up where Max Payne 2 left off, with Max addicted to painkillers and alcohol in his attempt to cope with all that’s going on. He’s been hired to be the private security for a rich and famous Brazilian mogul, Rodrigo Branco. Branco’s trophy wife, Fabiana, is kidnapped by a gang called the Comando Sombra and Max is tasked with the challenge of finding her. This insane journey takes you around Sao Paulo, Brazil and New York (Coincidence? We think not!) and eventually you find out that you’re dealing with something much bigger than a “simple kidnapping”.

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First Trailer

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[pullquote_left]The bullet-cams of the original games have become ‘final-kill’ cams.[/pullquote_left] The gameplay has also been touched up and includes many new elements, such as a final kill cam mechanic which lets you know when you’ve cleared a room by slowing the cam as your bullet enters the final enemy. This kill can be savored as you control the speed of the camera, keeping time crawling as you pepper your opponent with bullets, watching the poor soul get ripped to shreds. Another new element is the Last Man Standing: If someone takes a fatal shot at Max, you have a limited window to kill that person and doing so allows Max to survive by automatically using a painkiller.

[pullquote_left]Bullet Time is fundamental to the Max Payne experience.[/pullquote_left] Now, bullet time is EPIC. On top of that, Rockstar integrated the Euphoria engine’s character behavior system to give Max more realistic movements. This is very noticeable when Max dodges or takes cover, as you’ll see him actively try to brace himself for impact.

It adds the nostalgic Max Payne that we know, and prettying it up with a sexy facelift, crazy kills, and very impressive gun play. Red Dead Redemption fans will also feel right at home with the weapon select wheel and the aiming reticule. With seamless loading times, the game offers a very fluid play through in the singleplayer mode.

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Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer

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[pullquote_left]How will bullet time work in multiplayer?[/pullquote_left]One thing we were curious about was how bullet time would work in a multiplayer environment, and here’s how it does. The multiplayer will incorporate all the single-player elements, including, yes, bullet time. The way bullet time will work is using a very interesting and very unique line of sight system. Without boring you with the intricacies, members of the opposing team will only be affected by your bullet time if they are looking at you. [pullquote_right]Bullet time in multiplayer is known as Bursts.[/pullquote_right]

Multiplayer in Max Payne 3 will feature 2 key modes: a story-based Gang Wars mode based on events within the world of the single player game. The mode has dynamically-changing objectives and generated a story in and of itself every time you play it. “The goal is to add a layer of narrative and meaning to multiplayer matches, and create extra drama out of the interactions that go on between players within each match.” The Payne Killer mode allows players to play as Max in the multiplayer, with his complete arsenal of moves and abilities.

Because it combines cooperative and competitive elements, Payne Killer creates unique partnerships and rivalries that are constantly changing from moment to moment. We hope that Payne Killer helps build unique relationships with players, and delivers unique incentives to work together in a decidedly non-traditional way.

Max Payne 3 is shaping up to be another solid release from Rockstar. With an immense attention to detail these guys are showing us what a AAA title looks and plays like. We had a blast checking out the game, and now you can check out the PC, console, and multiplayer screens:

Max Payne 3 is slated for release on May 15th on the console and May 29th on PC.