Rockstar Games have announced some downloadable content packs that can be used in multiplayer in Max Payne 3. These include "Local Justice", which is a map pack that will be released in June 2012. It will include the "police precinct" map for a variety of multiplayer game modes.

As well as that map pack, we have the following that will be released during the summer of this year:

• Disorganized Crime Map Pack

• Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack

• Hostage Negotiation Map Pack

• New York Minute Co-Op Pack

And, during the fall of this year:

• Painful Memories Map Pack

• Trickle Down Economics Map Pack

You can pre-order the Rockstar Pass today to get access to all of the downloadable content for Max Payne 3 at a lower price, instead of individually paying for each one.

What do you guys think of this news? Are you more excited about the game now? Let us know in the forums!

CVG and Polygon has released some hands-on previews of Max Payne 3. Below you will find some quotes and links to read the articles for yourself.

"In a sequence worthy of a Ringo Lam film, Max hurtles through corridors avoiding sniper fire, cuts through several rooftops while dropping bad guys en route and drops down on a crew of thugs through the roof of a chopshop. The environments he blazes through - the dilapidated apartments, the slush-covered roofs and a booze-slick bar - look disgustingly seedy. It's almost as though someone took the interior of Club Ragnarok from the first Max Payne game, and expanded it to the length of three city blocks."

Read CVG's preview at http://www.computera...-first-3-hours/

"Cover, when it's available, is just a place to wait to die. These hiding spots are invariably chewed away by gun shots and almost always give your enemies time to regroup and flank you. The only way to succeed in Max Payne 3 is to scramble and dive, to bullet time and clear a room."

Max Payne 3 is the focus of Polygon's "good game" column as well.

"'In this game ... we are not tackling the issue of addiction' date=' but we are looking at the character and actions of a man who has problems with substances, but also a lot of other problems," he said. "There is a subtle but important difference. It's a shooter about a drunk, somewhat morose, widowed ex-cop, trying to find some kind of peace with himself. It is not a game about the realities of being a drunk in terms of the need to drink. It is a game about being Max Payne.'

 

In layering a character study about a man warped by the violence he has both witnessed and inflicted, onto a violent video game, Rockstar has created something surprisingly complex."

[/quote']

Read the full interview at http://www.theverge....on-and-violence

 

What do you guys think of the hands-on previews? Let us know in the forums, and remember that the contest will be ending in less than two weeks!

As we previously posted, Max Payne 3 will have its very own real-life graphic novel. The first issue, titled "After The Fall", will be released this Thursday (May 3rd) for free via the Rockstar Newswire and other digital comic websites. It is written by Remedy's Sam Lake, who wrote the first two games, and Dan Houser, who writes Grand Theft Auto.

The graphic novel will have three issues. It will feature characters from all three games, as the novel tries to weave together all of the stories in one.

What do you think of the cover art for the first issue? Let us know in the forums!

Gamespot has released a video showing the history behind the Max Payne games and even talks about the movie a bit. It was well worth the watch, and Gamespot tackled really everything you need to know about the story and how it evolved in the video. You can watch it below.

What did you think of the video? Did it bring up any old memories? Let us know in the forums!

Some new previews have emerged of our favorite new videogame, Max Payne 3. Check them out below.

Kotaku: http://kotaku.com/5904303/max-payne-3-multiplayer-is-good-essential-and-rockstars-boldest-move-in-year

GameTrailers:

What do you guys think of the new previews? Let us know in the forums!

The time has finally come where Rockstar has released the specifications we will need to play Max Payne 3 on our PC. This gives us a little time to upgrade our hardware before the game's release date.

Max Payne 3 PC System Specifications

 

Operating System:

Windows 7 32/64 Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 32/64 Service Pack 2, Windows XP 32/64 Service Pack 3

 

Processor:

Intel Dual Core 2.4 GHZ - i7 3930K 6 Core x 3.06 GHZ / AMD Dual Core 2.6 GHZ - FX8150 8 Core x 3.6 GHZ

 

RAM:

2GB - 16GB

 

Video Card:

NVIDIA® 8600 GT 512MB VRAM – NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680 2GB VRAM / Radeon HD 3400 512MB VRAM - Radeon HD 7970 3GB VRAM

 

Sound Card:

100% Direct X 9.0 compatible – Direct X 9.0 compatible supporting Dolby Digital Live

 

HDD Space:

35 GB

 

DVD Drive

Please refer to your hardware manufacturer and www.rockstargames.com/support for current compatibility information. Some system components such as mobile chipsets, integrated, and AGP graphics cards may be incompatible. Unlisted specifications may not be supported by publisher.

 

Max Payne 3 for PC will be available May 29th in North America and June 1st in Europe, with the Special Edition available in North America exclusively through GameStop and throughout Europe from select retailers. For those who prefer their PC releases served up via digital download, you can pre-purchase Max Payne 3 from select digital retailers and receive pre-order bonus content including some of the bonuses from the Special Edition (The Classic Multiplayer Character Pack & Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack). Check out what Steam, GameStop Impulse (US only), Amazon Game Downloads (US only), Gamesplanet, Gamesload and Gamersgate have on offer and stay tuned for further updates.

Wow. 35GB of HDD space. That's quite a lot, especially for a linear game like this. Anyway, check out the new screenshots that they have released below. All of these were captured from the PC version of Max Payne 3.

So, what do you guys think of the specifications and screenshots? Are you wondering if you can run it on your PC or not? How about some help with upgrading or building a new PC? We can help with all of that! Just head over to our forums and sign up!

A new interview has surfaced from VideoGamer.com. The interview focuses on the challenges that James McCaffrey, the voice actor that has always played Max faces, and how his new role as an actor in the series has been. In case you haven't figured it out by now, James McCaffrey is also doing all of the motion capture for Max Payne's character.

You can read the full interview with James McCaffrey at VideoGamer: http://www.videogame...ver_before.html

What do you think of the interview? Let us know in the forums!

We are sorry for posting this update late, but we are actually busy meeting with Rockstar in New York. You can view the Max Payne 3 official TV commercial here!

What do you guys think of the new Max Payne 3 commercial? Have you seen our contest where you can win a special edition copy of Max Payne 3 on the platform of your choice? Check it out here! Max Payne 3 ContestWe will have a write-up of our experience playing Max Payne 3 with Rockstar Games up within the next few days!

James McCaffrey has always done the voice over for Max Payne. This time around, not only does he do the voice over, he also does the motion capture for Max's movements. And Max also looks like him as well. In my opinion, he always did. G4 has conducted an interview with McCaffrey via email. You can read it here: www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/722951/max-payne-3s-james-mccaffrey-on-wild-experience-of-resurrecting-an-icon

What do you guys think of the interview? Let us know in the forums!: http://www.paynekillers.com/forums/

Rockstar has just released some new info on an army we will see in Max Payne 3: The Crachá Preto. According to the documents released on Max Payne 3's website, the army claims to be a defense force, but there is a more corrupt side to them. This includes blackmail, extortion, and drug trafficking.

The Crachá Preto is made up of off-duty police officers and other public service helpers, including soldiers, firefighters, and prison guards. Read more about the army here: http://www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/characters_and_gangs/cracha

What do you think about The Crachá Preto? Let us know in our forums, we currently have a contest going on where you could win a special edition of Max Payne 3! Check it out here: http://www.paynekillers.com/max-payne-3/contest/

I always thought it would be a great idea to make Max Payne into a comic. After all, the graphic novel style of the past two games worked really well, why not make them into a real comic? It could turn out really great. Well, Rockstar Games have just announced that Marvel will be making an original series based off of Max Payne 3 and will be released as a digital comic and limited print editions will also be available.

Look for the first issue for free on our site. It will be titled "After The Fall". It should be released in the next few weeks.

What does everyone think of Max Payne as a comic? Do you think this will be good for the series? Bad? Let us know in the forums, we have a great contest going on where you can win a special edition of Max Payne 3. Check it out: http://www.paynekill...ayne-3/contest/

Rockstar has just released a new video showcasing the unbelievable bullet time feature in Max Payne 3. As you probably know, bullet time played a huge role in the past two games. Not only does it seem bullet time has returned, but it seems that they have improved it as well using new technology that they could not have used in the first two games. Of course, bullet time will play a major role in the game, so be sure to watch the video below.

What do you think of the video? Are you more excited for the game? Was it not what you expected? Why not try and win a copy of the game by just posting in the forums? We'd love to hear what you think!

Thought I'd let everyone know that if they have an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch they can try out the game on their devices. If you have an Android powered device, wait until April 26th and you can join the fun as well!

The game comes with updated, higher-resolution textures and social club connectivity, as well as user-customizable controls for the ultimate experience on your device. If you haven't played the game yet, now would be a great time to check it out.

You can buy it in the app store at the following link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/max-payne-mobile/id512142109

Mobile gaming site TouchGen.net has just released a video showing Max Payne being played in the early levels on an iPad. Check it out!

Source: http://www.touchgen.net/max-payne-mobile-is-coming-very-soon

What do you think of Max Payne coming to iOS? Join our contest to win a special edition of Max Payne 3!

Hey guys!

We're holding a contest here on the forums for your chance to win a copy of Max Payne 3! Here's how it looks:

• For every non-spam post you make with good information/questions/discussion (examples below), you get one point in the contest.
  
• For every Tweet/Facebook that you link to us with the hashtag #MaxPayne3 once per 24 hours only you get half a point in the contest. We don't want you to spam our link, so you can only do this once per day to make it count.
  

There will be 2 winners, the first winner with the most points will get the special edition of Max Payne 3 on any platform they like, and the second winner will get the standard edition of Max Payne 3 on any platform they like.

How to submit points:

1. Don't worry about posts. We'll count them manually.

2. Send us your public Facebook/Twitter status/tweet in a personal message on the forum. Send it to me, rockstarrem.

The contest starts today and ends May 11th, so get posting/tweeting/Facebooking now! Leaderboards will be up shortly.

Born in Lisbon, Portugal, ex-model turned philanthropic socialite Fabiana Branco can often be seen traveling the skies of São Paulo to attend various charitable and social occasions. At the age of 24, Fabiana married property developer Rodrigo Branco and instantly became one of São Paulo’s highest profile kidnapping targets.

Discuss this character and many more in our forums! http://paynekillers.com/forums/

Source: http://www.rockstarg...d_gangs/fabiana

Rockstar has just updated their Max Payne 3 characters section of their site with some new information on the gang "Comando Sombra" and four screenshots to go with it. Check it out here, or view the screenshots below:

http://www.rockstarg...s/comandosombra

What do you guys think of the Comando Sombra gang, and all the other gangs/characters in the game? Let us know in the forums! http://paynekillers.com/forums/

Rockstar has just released to a select few fansites the theme song to Max Payne 3. Listen below via our YouTube channel:

What do you think of the theme song? Do you like it better than the previous ones? Let us know in the forums! http://paynekillers.com/forums/

Thanks Rockstar!

Steam has just announced that you can pre-purchase Max Payne 3 now on their digital download store and also get some bonuses. These include:

• Classic Multiplayer Character Pack -- Contains eight playable multiplayer characters for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, including fan favorites from the original Max Payne and Max Payne 2 like Max Payne from Max Payne 2, Mona Sax and Vladimir Lem.
  
• Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack -- Includes the Hammerhead Auto Shotgun, G9 Grenade Launcher and Molotov cocktail for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer.
  
• Pill Bottle Item -- This loadout item provides you with the capacity to carry extra painkillers - helping you survive longer amidst the killing fields of online multiplayer.
  
• Max Payne Retro Avatar -- Customize your multiplayer avatar with this Classic Max Payne Character inspired by the original Max Payne.
  
• The first two games come with purchase. If you have not played the first two games, now is the time to take advantage of this fantastic deal.
  

The deal is only .99. This is a great deal, considering all of the bonuses you get, plus the other two games absolutely free.

What do you think of this deal? Let us know in the forums!: http://paynekillers.com/forums/

Rockstar has just released some new screenshots and 360° renders detailing the shotguns we will find in Max Payne 3. So far, we can see the "Super Sport", "Sawn-Off" (a favorite from the past two games), and the M4 Super 90, which has the 360° render. You can view it below, as well as check out the new screenshots.

Rockstar has just released the achievements list for Max Payne 3.

I'd like to try and shed some light on the "You Sure Know How To Pick A Place" achievement. Whilst I was playing the demo, I walked up to a monument, and it said "Press E to examine". I pressed it, and nothing happened. I asked the developer what it meant, and he told me that I'd find out soon.

If my assumption is correct, these are not like hidden packages (from Grand Theft Auto) in the sense that they are hard to find. It looks like they're more of real monuments in Brazil that Rockstar is including in the game to make it seem more realistic, similar to the landmarks in L.A. Noire.

I'd also like to point out that the difficulties don't say "Detective", "Hard-Boiled", or "Dead Man Walking". They have "Medium", "Hard", "Old School", and "Hardcore". I'm surprised they didn't keep the old difficulties.

Look at the names for some of these achievements as well... they're either quotes from Max Payne or level names from the previous games.

If we look at the other achievements, we can see various new features, such as...

• Golden Guns -- Looks like some people or places in the game will have golden guns which we have to collect.
  
• Grave Robber -- We will be able to loot body's, similar to RPG's and MMORPG's. We can't tell if this is only multiplayer or not yet.
  
• The Gambler -- There will be some sort of gambling mode.
  
• An Echo Of The Past -- It looks like they're adding in some sort of clue-finding mechanism, my only guess could be that it is similar to L.A. Noire, but we really have no idea.
  
• You Might Hurt Someone With That -- Grenades can be shot down in mid-air.
  
• Along For The Ride -- There will be at least one zipline in the game that we can use.
  

Did you see any other new features? Let's discuss! Come talk with our community: http://paynekillers.com/forums/

Source: http://www.rockstarg...e3/achievements

Today I went to the PAX East gaming convention in Boston to play Max Payne 3. This post will detail my experience with Rockstar and, obviously, Max Payne 3.

I walked through the front door of the convention. There, I needed to get my pass from the ticket I bought online. I had to show an ID and I was on my way to the queue line. The line was so long, I couldn't really see anything in front of me.

Finally, the line started to move after ten minutes. When I got into the convention I looked for the Max Payne 3 booth, and could not believe the line I saw. I was thinking "great, another line for me to wait in. This is the only reason why I came here and I need to wait in another line."

Growing impatient and really wanting to meet the guys, I tweeted them.

The line to play #MaxPayne3 is sooooo long #PAX East @RockstarGames ifyou you see this help me out paynekillers.com

— Domenic Fiore (@DomenicFiore) April 8, 2012

I got a response in a direct message from them telling me to go to the front booth and tell them who I was. I proceeded to do so. I talked to someone there where I received a special badge to show at the back desk to get a free T-Shirt.

I went around to the back desk and showed them the badge. They asked me what T-Shirt size I was. I told them, and they handed me one. I went back to the front desk and they let me in. They told me I could sit on the bench and wait and then asked if I wanted something to drink. I said yes, and a man went out back to get me a water. As I sat there tweeting I was watching the other people play Max Payne 3. I was in shock at the time, I couldn't believe all of this was happening. I could tell right away how good of a game this was.

A man walked up to me soon later and told me that there was a man waiting for forty-five minutes to play the game, so I told him it was fine and to let him play. I watched him play the game and could not wait to play it myself. A few minutes later I saw a man go up to Ramone, the developer that stood with me and talked to me while I played the game and whisper something in his ear. Right after that, the other guy that was playing the game left and Ramone told me to come over.

I stood there looking at the huge LCD monitor, it looked to be about 32". Ramone asked if I preferred the Xbox controller or the keyboard & mouse. I chose the keyboard & mouse. He showed me some of the controls, which were:

W - Move forward

S - Move backward

A - Move left

D - Move right

Q - Take cover

Shift - Enter bullet-time

Spacebar - Shootdodge

G - Sprint (HOLD) Roll (PRESS)

F - Pick up weapon

Mouse 1 - Shoot

Mouse 2 - Over-The-Shoulder Aiming

Scroll - Change weapon

The controls were seamless. I was used to the original Max Payne 2 controls, and these were quite the same.

Max's Movement

Max moves around like no other character in a game that I have seen. As you may have read in some of the earlier previews, it was said that Max reacts to the environment and his movement looks very real. This could not be more true. When Max gets hit with a bullet, it reacts a lot like the last game. You know you're hit, but it's not a big deal. When you're shooting at the enemy, bullets crack their bones and you can see the bullet holes in them, similar to Red Dead Redemption but MUCH more realistic and bloody.

Cinematics

The cinematics in this game are unbelievable. Although I could not hear the audio very well when Max was talking (because of the crowd and everyone talking at the convention), the cutscenes go in and out of gameplay instantly. There are no loading screens, or even a black screen transition, it literally goes right from the cutscene into the game.

Weapons & other cool features

The most intuitive feature that I found was dual-wielding weapons of different types. Ramone told me to switch to these weapons, which looked like an Ingram and a 9mm pistol (Beretta). I went into a room and utilized bullet-time and shootdodging (which I will talk about soon) to nail down the enemies. Whenever I did this, I heard Ramone go "nice", applauding my familiarity with the game before I even played it (this stems from my love of the first two games).

Another weapon I used was a SMG standard type that most other games use. I couldn't believe how real the bullets were rendered -- similar to the last games, when Max guns down the last enemy, it goes into a cinematic. You literally control time with the second mouse button, keeping it held down keeps you in the cinematic of shooting the enemy, whereas if you let it go it speeds it up. You are still in control of Max while in the cinematic, and the bullets are shown from the moment they exit the gun to when it hits the enemy. It's an amazing feature that really adds to the game.

While you are behind cover, there is no reticle unless you use the over-the-shoulder controls. Once you hold down Mouse 2, you can see the reticle and aim better. Out of cover, though, the reticle is always shown and you can aim at people very easily. The reticle size changed with different weapons.

Mapping

The levels in the demo were beautifully done. The first demo that I played was in a New York bar, similar to the one at Lupino's apartment building in the first Max Payne. There were many places to take cover once you gunned down the enemies shooting you. There is not much to say about the mapping (pictures/videos were not allowed), other than expect the first levels in the game to be very nostalgic to the first games.

I also got to play a level that took place in a Brazilian soccer stadium. For anyone wondering if it feels different than the first two games, it really doesn't, it feels better, just as it should. I really want to make that clear to anyone that has any concerns about the gameplay.

Bullet-Time and Shootdodging

I was seriously blown away at how well these two work together still. It's so much better than the first two games, and I mean it. Once you head into bullet-time mode, you will instantly slow down, exactly like the first two games. As far as I could tell, they used the same exact speed from Max Payne 2's bullet time mode here. Bullets can be seen exiting the weapon and hitting the enemy, with blood slowly shooting out of their limbs.

When you shootdodge, time also slows down, similar to Max Payne 2. You can move Max Payne around in any direction you please while you are in shootdodge mode, giving you complete control over Max. You are much less likely to get hit with a bullet while Max is shootdodging, since your body is in a lying-jump position in the air.

Final Thoughts

Although short-lived, my experience was way better than I expected. I expected a completely different game from the first two, and what I got was a perfect mix of the old elements combined with today's technology that cannot be beaten. If you are concerned that this game will not be as good as the first two, you need to throw that thought away. What you will get is an unbeatable experience that no other game will be able to come close to in terms of... well... everything.

Thank you to Rockstar Games, who treated me like gold. Simon Ramsey and Ramone, I could not be more thrilled with my experience. And to the guy who gave me the water that I couldn't hear your name over the loud crowd -- thank you as well!

If you have any questions about the game, ask me in the forums. I will be posting pictures of the gear Rockstar gave me later tonight.