Preview: 10 Cool Things We Need To Tell You About "Max Payne 3"

When last we saw Max Payne, the year was 2003. The NYPD detective-turned-vigilante was not exactly having a good day. He had already come to terms with the brutal death of his family, and now his newest squeeze, one Mona Sax, just took a slug in the gut. I suppose, after that, anyone would want to take a bit of a break.

But Max's vacation is coming to a close in March of 2012 with Max Payne 3 from Rockstar Games. We recently checked out the game and came away with 10 particularly cool aspects to get you excited.

Even though several years have passed in Max's life, he's still the same brooding, alcoholic, drug-addict detective we've come to know and love. Max Payne 3 won't focus too much on the events of the first two games, save for them acting as the set-up for this next release, so newcomers needn't worry about feeling out of place.

After Max went on a one-man killing spree in the first two games, it wasn't tremendously likely that he was going to be hired by any legitimate police department in the US. His only option is to head down to São Paulo, Brazil, where he finds work as protection muscle for a powerful family. Most of Max Payne 3 will take place in Brazil, though some of the game will feature flashbacks to NYC, filling in how he ended up getting his new gig.

The most recognizable feature of the Max Payne games is the ability to slow down time, allowing Max to pick off his enemies one by one. That remains true for Max Payne 3. Max's bullet time meter will fill as he nabs kills in real time, so the gameplay becomes a matter of stringing together real time kills with bullet time kills, letting you stay alive against dozens of enemies at once.

In the first two games, Max was voiced by James McCaffrey. But, interestingly, his likeness has changed every single game. In the first Max Payne, he was modeled after Sam Lake, one of the lead designers of the title. In the second, Sam's visage was replaced by an actual actor, Timothy Gibbs. Finally, for Max Payne 3, Rockstar bit the bullet and now Max's voice and face are both taken from James McCaffrey. Was that really so hard?

One of Max's signature moves is to wield two pistols at once, diving in slow motion like an action hero. That skill makes the transition in Max Payne 3, and it's even been improved. Max can now combine any two single-handed weapons, pairing and uzi with a pistol, for example. Big guns are also in his repertoire. Max can pick up a shotgun. He'll carry it around in one hand, using the other hand for a pistol. If he wants to switch to dual-wielding, though, he has to drop the shotgun. He's a new risk/reward system that's sure to add some strategy depending on your play style.

The animation engine powering Max Payne 3 was also used in Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV. What that means for you is some insanely natural movements from Max and the enemies he faces. For example, when diving, Max will hold his arm out beneath him to absorb some of the shock of the fall. It doesn't always go Max's way, though. A mistimed dodge might send Max into a wall, leaving him sprawled out on the ground, writhing in pain.

Another one of the big franchise themes was the inspiration it took from comic books. In the first two games, certain cutscenes were displayed as literal comic book panels, hand-drawn, complete with speech bubbles. In Max Payne 3, these cutscenes remain, but they've been modernized to use in-engine graphics and animations, making them more like motion comics than ink on page. It's definitely more interesting to watch, but will the hardcore fans complain?

Everyone knows that Max Payne is a master of guns, but what about when things get up close and personal? In Max Payne 3, Max is able to take down enemies within arms length with some fancy judo techniques. Well, actually, usually he just pistol whips the guy, but trust me, it still looks really fancy. Much better than his feeble melee attacks of yore.

Another one of Max's new techniques is called Last Man Standing. If Max dies, but happens to have a bottle of painkillers in his inventory, a mini-game is initiated. The camera will spin towards the person who killed you, giving you time for one last shot between the eyes. Take out your assassin and you'll be brought back to life, using the bottle of pain killers in the process. It's not exactly ideal in every situation, but after a long fire fight there's nothing worse than getting plugged by the last guy. Now you have a chance for revenge and redemption.

For the first time in the franchise's history, Max Payne 3 will have a multiplayer mode. Unfortunately Rockstar isn't willing to spill the details on that mode quite yet, but you can safely assume that it'll involve a lot of diving and shooting. Rockstar created some devious multiplayer modes for Red Dead, so we're eager to see what they're able to come up with here.