Max Payne 3 - Xbox 360

Max Payne 3 Tech Video Focuses On Guns And Animation

2012-01-18T17:00:00Z

Rockstar Games has released the second in a series of videos focusing on the technology behind its upcoming Max Payne 3. This time, we're taking a look at the game's bread and butter: targeting and weapons.

The video says that one of the most challenging things about the game's development has been in delivering a third-person action game with the targeting sensibilities of a first-person shooter. You'll see how they've tackled this and more through tons of new gameplay footage.

Max's animations are also critically important, and the clip highlights some of the more subtle aspects of his movements. When players move the targeting reticule off screen, for instance, his upper torso will shift to accommodate that movement. It's done naturally, so it doesn't look as though Mr. Payne is suffering through a bout of crazy legs. Check out the video below to see this and more, including how each of the game's gun types directly affects the way Max moves.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

After you're done, take a look at the first installment in the series, in case you missed it.

New Max Payne 3 Screenshots Feature Hawaiian Shirts And Multiplayer

2012-01-04T16:24:00Z

The latest batch of screenshots from Rockstar Games feature Max in a snazzy Hawaiian shirt.

You also get a chance to see what the multiplayer will look like. It looks a lot like the main game, but there are gamertags above everyone's head. Check out the gallery below.

May Payne 3 is set to release for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 6 of this year.

The Tools Of Max Payne 3's Trade

2011-12-05T18:01:34Z

In Max Payne 3, Max will run private protection for a rich Brazilian family. This, of course, requires guns. Take a look at some of the weapons he'll be employing in this pursuit, as well as flashbacks to Max before he hit rock bottom.

This latest batch of screens (check out the gallery below for more) from Rockstar features Max in both his current Brazilian phase, as well as what appear to be flashbacks to his life in New York before his life spiraled out of control. Max Payne 3 takes place eight years after Max Payne 2.

The New G6 Commando Assault Rifle

The Micro 9MM

For more on the game, check out this latest video from the title highlighting its design and technology.

See What Makes Max Payne Tick In New Video Series

2011-11-17T17:00:00Z

Rockstar is giving players a good reason to finish this season's games before March. That's when the latest installment of the noir shooter Max Payne arrives. If haven't been following the franchise, this new video from Rockstar will show you why people are excited about Max Payne 3.

The video, the first in a planned series focusing on the game's design and technology, highlights just some of the impressive tech that's going into Max Payne 3. It covers subjects such as targeting and shooting, movement and animation, bullet time, and AI. It's all shown with in-game footage, so there's plenty to absorb even if you're an expert in these areas.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more info on the game, check out our extended preview.

New Max Payne 3 Screenshots

2011-11-01T20:17:00Z

Dirty cops, assassins with hearts of gold, international drug-running empires, and above all: revenge. Max Payne 3 is all about shooting dudes who deserve what they have coming to them. Usually in slow motion. More than possibly while diving. Definitely while grimacing. Check out the goods in four new screenshots directly from Rockstar.

Rockstar didn't send along any new info with the screens, but you can get more than you bargained for in Matt's excellent writeup from last month.

Max Payne 3 comes out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in March of next year.

At Long Last, Another Look At Max Back In Action

2011-10-06T17:59:00Z

Max is back. It feels good to type those words, especially in light of how long Rockstar went dark on Max Payne 3 following our cover story. The dormant period even caused some to speculate that the game was destined for development hell. Fear not, readers – Max Payne 3 is real, and I’ve seen it being played thanks to a recent Rockstar demo session. Not only is it real, it’s shaping up to be one of my most anticipated titles of next year.

First, a quick summary of Max Payne 3’s premise: A number of years have elapsed since the end of Max Payne 2, and time has not been kind to Max. He’s long since left the NYPD and fallen into a haze of drugs and drink in his apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey. Opportunity knocks in the form of Raul Passos, an old acquaintance from the police force, who offers Max a job in private security in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At first, Max cynically declines. As always, the dialogue is gripping, hard-boiled, and frequently profane – a perfect fit for voice actor James McCaffrey, who reprises his role of Max and did a majority of the motion capturing for the character.

However, the job suddenly becomes a bit more appealing. Outside, a crew of mobsters pulls up headed by Anthony DeMarco, who wants revenge for Max killing his son. The building is under siege, and Max and Raul quickly make a run for it, clearing out hallways of attackers in sequences similar to the action we enjoyed in the first two games. For a second it looks like Max is going to meet a premature end, but a strange homeless man saves his life for no apparent reason and engages our antihero in a small, almost surreal moment of conversation.

After this odd respite, Max is back on the attack, using corner cover and bullet time theatrics to navigate the building’s corridors up to the roof. After another furious firefight, I see one of the subtle new features – a slow motion, controllable bullet’s-eye view of the last kill in an area. After taking a moment to show off the skyline of New York and New Jersey, Rockstar skips ahead to a level in Sao Paulo later in the game. This was strictly for the purposes of the demo, as Rockstar claims the finished game will have no loading screens.

Watch The First Official Max Payne 3 Trailer

2011-09-14T16:00:00Z

It's been a long wait, but Rockstar has finally served up some video footage for the upcoming March title.

This exciting first look at the polished tone and story in motion signals that Rockstar is ready to pull back the curtain on Max Payne 3 once again after our exclusive cover story reveal back in 2009 (issue 195).

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Max & Multiplayer

2011-09-08T14:18:00Z

Last month Rockstar put out a few new screenshots of Max Payne 3, and today the company has revealed even more details about the game, including a release date.

Max Payne 3 will come out in March for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in North America and Europe.

Apart from the game's release date and the couple of screens below, Rockstar also talked about the game's introduction of multiplayer to the franchise. This component of the game will not only feature the traditional multiplayer experience (complete with loadouts, clans, rewards, and leveling), but it will also "dynamically" alter maps and feature a mode progression for all of the match's players.

Given what Rockstar has been doing with Red Dead Redemption's multiplayer, we're just as excited for this mode as we are for the gritty single-player story campaign.

Max Has Hair In Ten New Screenshots

2011-04-22T20:44:00Z

Rockstar's tortured detective is returning to gaming soon, and these gorgeous new screens released by Rockstar illustrate how Max is getting along in Sao Paulo these days.

We don't have any new info or a release date to share, but a couple of the shots show a cleaner-shaven Max wearing his customary suit rather than the bald-headed, bearded fellow we've seen in all of the Max Payne 3 assets released so far. Could this point to the presence of flashback sequences, or perhaps to Max returning to his previous life in the course of the narrative?

For lots more, read our the entirety of our Max Payne 3 cover story online.

New Max Payne 3 Shots

2011-03-30T14:15:00Z

Rockstar Games has just tweeted a few new pics of the oft-delayed Max Payne 3.

With the line, "He's Coming" two new shots surfaced for the game. Unfortunately when he's actually coming wasn't revealed by the tweet, nor was there much info about what exactly we're looking at here, other than Max in what might be before and after shots. The game was planned to set in Brazil, but whether any of those early details still hold is unknown.

Max Payne 3 has been delayed by Rockstar and publisher Take-Two numerous times, and back in February the game wasn't mentioned in the titles coming out from the publisher this year. Take a look back at our cover story on the game from 2009 to refresh your memory on the game.

Enjoy.

Rockstar's Dark Hero Finds A New Beginning

2009-10-01T18:50:00Z

What does it feel like to lose everything? Most of us will never know. But what would you do if you lost your job? Your true love? Your sanity? Your reasons for living? Rockstar’s long-missing noir hero, Max Payne, knows the answer to these questions.

Max has been absent from the video game landscape since the 2003 release of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. The long‑awaited Max Payne 3 features a hero much different from the handsome character we once knew. This new Max is older and harder, marked with the scars of his fall to the bottom. While he’s still very much a violent man of action, the world around him has moved on and so has he. What would a man with nothing left to lose do to get one more chance at the good life? This question will ultimately be answered in Rockstar’s next epic adventure.

The Third Act

If you want to know how much has changed in the world of Max Payne, look no further than the picture on the top of this page. This bald, bearded man bears little resemblance to the character we followed through two successful games. He’s aged considerably since the tragic events of Max Payne 2, with a scarred face and thicker build. If not for the headline, it would be hard to recognize Max at all. Clearly, Rockstar Games, which is developing the game in-house for the first time since purchasing the rights from series creator Remedy, is not averse to taking chances with the franchise.

“It’s a tricky thing, because you’re taking this beloved franchise that we didn’t do originally,” comments Rockstar art director Rob Nelson. “You have to maintain the elements of it that are special and that people remember, but you also have to evolve. We’re not Remedy, but we have a lot of respect for what they did. We’re definitely looking back and trying to maintain every element that clicked with people eight or nine years ago and make it have the same impact now.”

It’s a difficult balancing act. How do you create a game that both respects the history of the franchise and creates a world that feels fresh to gamers in 2009?

“We’re used to having franchises that people expect a lot from and have a lot of pressure attached to them,” Nelson says. “We’ve learned to go with our gut and trust our instincts….we wanted to challenge ourselves.”
At Rockstar’s headquarters in New York, located in the hip SoHo district, we witnessed a world-exclusive first look at the game in action. If you expected a by-the-numbers sequel, prepare to be surprised. The third chapter of the Max Payne saga takes our hero places that he’s never gone before, while at the same time keeping an eye towards maintaining and improving the stylish gunplay that made his reputation. Like most Rockstar games, it’s clearly a labor of love (and just a little bit of mania). [PageBreak]

The Urban Jungle

More than any other publisher, Rockstar’s games depend on a real sense of place and culture. Whether it’s Liberty City’s dense metropolis, Bully’s bucolic school campus, or the arid desert of the upcoming Red Dead Redemption, the main characters in Rockstar games are often reflective of the setting itself. The company is known for creating worlds so immersive and complex they seem as real as our own hometowns – and a good deal more exciting.

The dark, damp New York setting and atmosphere of classic film noir marked the first two Max Payne titles, a cinematic style defined by films like The Maltese Falcon and A Touch of Evil. Their graphic novel style cutscenes and dark scripts created a sense of foreboding and drama rare for the day. However, the team at Rockstar Vancouver is embracing a new, more contemporary setting for its gritty crime tale: Sao Paulo, Brazil, a sprawling Latin American megalopolis boasting a population of over 20 million people.

“If you take a look at films like City of God and Elite Squad – there’s some really intense situations happening down there,” says Rockstar’s VP of development Jeronimo Barrera. “The setting is so ripe with things for us to play off of.”

Sao Paulo’s ghettos, known as favelas in the native Portuguese, are some of the most dangerous in the world. In addition to drug trafficking, one of the city’s most notorious gangs, the Primeiro Comanda da Capital, controls huge swaths of the city and has organized large-scale prison riots, robberies, and high-profile kidnappings since its formation in 1993. Combine the city’s notoriously corrupt police forces with the sobering statistic that one out of every 75 citizens is carrying a gun and it’s little wonder that the number one cause of death for young people in Sao Paulo is murder.

Sao Paulo demonstrates all extremes of the human condition, making it a perfect setting for a Max Payne tale of crime, violence, and redemption. “You’ll see a high-rise building with a multi-million dollar penthouse, and at the base is literally shanties,” Barrera recalls. “Sao Paulo has the greatest number of heliports on top on buildings of any city in the world. For the rich, it’s safest to travel by air. There are a lot of private security forces.”

As always, Rockstar took tremendous strides in researching Sao Paulo. More than 10 staffers traveled to the city to take reference photos, gather information, and generally soak up what they refer to as the “vibe” of the city. They even took the unprecedented step of bringing down equipment to perform 3D scans of locals to make sure their pedestrian and enemy models were authentic.

“We shipped down all this 3D scanning equipment, had all sorts of problems with customs,” Nelson recalls. “We scanned hundreds of people. We worked with a casting agent. We told them what we wanted and they sent us hundreds and hundreds of images. The people came in and just brought their own clothes usually and we scanned them.”

For Barrera, this attention to detail separates Rockstar’s games from the competition. “It’s the real deal,” he says. “It’s about bringing all these elements together – the technology, the research, the storytelling. That’s why our games feel right and look right. There’s a legitimacy there when you’re actually working with people in the favelas and you’re down there and doing the research.”