Though two new screenshots released for Rockstar Games’ oft delayed sequel Max Payne 3, there wasn’t anything truly substantial about the screenshots for gamers to get excited about. There was a shot of Payne with hair and one of him in his familiar bald and bloodied form, with no information regarding when gamers might see the title or what form it has taken on now.

Rockstar did, however, promise with the release of those new screenshots that Max Payne 3 was indeed coming, and it turns out that more details were right around the corner. Released over the weekend, details regarding Max Payne 3 suggest the return of certain elements like slo-mo, but that this title will be a serious evolution for the series.

The storyline of Max Payne 3 has the character now working as a private security contractor in Sao Paulo, a far stretch from his days as a detective for the NYPD. Like his professional devolution, gamers will also witness as Payne slowly morphs from his more traditional form into the bald-headed masochist we see in all the promotional materials.

Rockstar has found that the best point of reference for Max Payne 3 is Half-Life 2 (a popular comparison among game developers) saying that Payne will feel like a small piece of a “violent and disordered world.” How that particular concept will reflect the amount of innovation that was seen in Half-Life 2 is yet to be shown, but Rockstar has stated they are taking the game’s tech to the next level.

Further building upon the Euphoria engine, the same graphics engine used for Red Dead Redemption and GTA, Rockstar promises to deliver a comparably cinematic experience despite a title that is more linear than their previous work.

Rockstar is well aware that gamers have changed since the first Max Payne’s release, and now might be clamoring for a completely new experience. Art Director on the project Rob Nelson says that Max Payne 3 will be trying to tell a story in the most compelling and surprise-filled way.

“Both the games and the audiences have become more sophisticated. Gamers expect a more fully realised cinematic experience, even if the main mechanic is still shooting. And though this is a more linear game for us, people want to be constantly surprised and entertained in new ways. So you need a lot of custom setups, the environments need to be varied, and all of that while keeping the gameplay fun and responsive — people have become really specific about how they want things to be controlled. It’s a lot more work!”

Finally, it has been revealed as part of a big article in this month’s EDGE magazine that bullet-time, a concept that has now been done to death but was extremely popular in Max Payne, will make a return and will be fueled by the deaths of enemies. To read the complete article from EDGE, check out the scans here.

Max Payne Details - Bullet-Time Returning

Max Payne 3 might be experiencing a graphical and storyline-based evolution, but Rockstar has promised to keep true to the series’ roots. Of course, they are well aware that fans of the original titles might be looking for something that is competitive with today’s titles, and have made significant tweaks to address those concerns. Our only hope is that Max Payne 3 has a dark and twist-filled storyline and that the title’s gameplay makes it engaging from beginning to end.

Now that first details have been revealed for Max Payne 3, how do you feel about the long awaited sequel? What other mechanics utilized in the series’ previous titles would you like to see return?

Max Payne 3 should release some time in 2012 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: Next Gen Biz, Gaming Everything

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