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Max Payne 3 hurting PC, PS3, 360 this winter

By Mark Walton, Tom Magrino, GameSpot UKPosted Mar 23, 2009 7:09 am PT

Rockstar's Vancouver studio takes over from Remedy for third outing of ex-NYPD vigilante.

For fans of Max Payne, it has been a long wait since 2003 when the last game in the franchise was released to critical acclaim. Talk of a sequel came in 2004, when Take-Two hinted that a follow-up would eventually arrive. Fast-forward to 2008, and Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick once again mentioned the franchise, teasing that another installment may be in the works but again providing no firm details.

Today, Take-Two and its Rockstar Games subsidiary have announced that Max Payne 3 is indeed in development and is penned for a winter 2009 release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The game is being developed by Rockstar Vancouver, the same outfit behind the controversial sandbox action adventure Bully. Finnish outfit Remedy, which developed the first two Max Payne titles, is currently developing Alan Wake, which will be published by Microsoft.

Rockstar Vancouver will apparently not be straying far from Remedy's original formula, however, as Max Payne 3 again sees the titular retired NYPD veteran battling internal demons as well as those that plague the city's streets.

"We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game," commented Rockstar cofounder Sam Houser in a statement. "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."

Rockstar did not delve into specific gameplay details, and did not mention the series' genre-defining "bullet time" slow-motion technique. The publisher merely noted that "the latest installment delivers more of the classic elements and hyperintense action that fans have come to love."

When Max Payne 3 rolls around this winter, it may find itself on shakier legs than when it left off six years ago. In October, the franchise saw its first transition to the silver screen. And while the Mark Wahlberg-led action flick pulled in healthy opening-week revenues, critics were all too eager to redub the film "Maximum Payneful" (an actual quote).

526 Comments

  • ghaste

    Posted Sep 14, 2009 3:24 pm PT

    I like the character model, slightly flabby, quite appropriate for the storyline mentioned, and if this is the true representation of what is going to be screen shots of the final game, I can say I love it. rich in color and details.

  • shooters125

    Posted Sep 7, 2009 8:41 pm PT

    im pretty sure hey mad him bald to show how torn up he is and how much a veteran he is.plus the loss of his jacket is probably becuz of the place hes at right now and at that place theres no need for a leather jacket.

  • kath2you

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 5:55 pm PT

    I LOVE max payne! this new version looks like Sam fisher in Spllintercell. I can't wait to play him. just have to decide whether to get the pc or the xbox 360 version......maybe bother just in case.
    hehehehehe,

  • Shootn

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 5:27 pm PT

    He kind of looks like bruce willis from die hard just little chubbier and wrong scar mark. Im also getting the impression that this game will somehow be a console port and not the pc port like it should be.

  • Proman84

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 1:43 pm PT

    Just looked at the screenshots. I don't like what I'm seeing one bit. The action may be grate but this isn't the Max Payne I know. They should have waited and let Remedy make this game.

  • Joker-Gamer-13

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 7:58 am PT

    I dont get why people are having issues with his looks. He doesnt look the same in the First or second game. And plus this is TWELVE years after Max Payne 2. Alot can Happen In 12 years. I do Agree about worrying about the story. Sam Lake was the man who made Max Payne have a great,noir and exciting story

  • syahirkhai

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 2:24 am PT

    huh,
    what the hell has happened to max payne?
    where is his leather jacket?
    totally different..
    plus bald....
    why rockstar? why not remedy..?
    i hope this third game doesnt dissapoint me

  • jakemanp93

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 7:13 pm PT

    hey people dont judge a game by its cover Max Payne 3 im sure is goin to be a great game with all new features and improvements in the gameplay im also wandering how in the hell he ended up here instead of New York

  • tat2pap

    Posted Aug 23, 2009 6:28 pm PT

    wow wow wow wow - max payne 3 , rockstar rocks baby - it was a long paynefull w8.

  • dave_d_man

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 7:16 am PT

    sigh..
    i think i have lost faith in humanity after reading half the s**t people have wrote..
    i think there is going to be a great story here.. about how hes left "noir" york and escaped his old life..
    and by the looks of it.. really let himself go..

    just because sam lake is out doesnt mean it wont be a good game..
    sure the story might be a little weaker.. but the gameplay has only got to improve..

    plus didnt anyone else think that the action only ever happened at night seemed a little cliché?
    i dunno just me..

    peace.

    ps. you never know.. maybe halfway through the game he will throw on the old coat like a movie hero..

    pps. so pumped for this..

  • Saayko

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 7:00 am PT

    I don't like that muscular bald giant with birds, I want my own Max with his coat!

  • ramtin1001

    Posted Aug 3, 2009 10:12 am PT

    he looks like father gregory in half life 2..... hahaha

  • dudu22

    Posted Aug 3, 2009 5:43 am PT

    i think rockstar modified completely Max Payne game. No Noir, no Night, No Leather Jacket and principally No Sam Lake!!
    the only thing i liked is that it will be in Brazil, but i wont get surprised if the game get a 6.0 score

  • johnryandaplin

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 3:46 pm PT

    he looks like my dad,LOL

  • Crazy_Sam

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 9:24 am PT

    Ah must agree with most everybody here: This doesn't look like Max Payna at all.

    Still, it's kinda early to say anything about this MP3 game. Ah do hope R* gives us classic a Max Payne trill.

    Yet, by the look of those pics, Ah suspect that our beloved cynical life-weary detective is on the run again. Maybe he fled to South America, who knows.

    Ah'll sure keep a watchful eye on this game.

  • Shishio817

    Posted Jul 23, 2009 2:54 pm PT

    I'm so happy I could cry

  • shaaheen

    Posted Jul 19, 2009 12:05 pm PT

    Rockstar game is a great company but ... :-$

  • Microwin

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 3:24 pm PT

    Max Payne looks like white trash in this game, what the heck happened?

  • macaque12

    Posted Jul 10, 2009 11:47 am PT

    I'm wondering what's the history behind this game... The pics looks like max's really going to Brazil, and I can't figure out how they plan to do it. But, well, I hope there'll be a demo coming out soon, I have to check this out

  • brian_13un

    Posted Jul 9, 2009 7:13 am PT

    Great

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