Max Payne. The mere mention of the title commands the resurrection of gaming memories that some would place in the ranks of “industry’s finest”. Max Payne, originally released in 2001, redefined the third person action genre, and singlehandedly introduced slow-motion ‘Bullet Time’ as a game mechanic. The game told a visceral story about a man with nothing to lose on the cold dark streets of New York City. It was one of the first games to truly get a grasp on film noir styling and present its story in a very dark and gritty way. The game was a ballet of gunfire, a graceful look into a brutal world. So much about it was revolutionary; the bullet dynamics, the graphic novel storytelling, the ballsy story. Elements like these firmly solidified the Max Payne series in the bedrock of gaming history.

Originally developed by Remedy, Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne gathered critical acclaim. Max Payne 2, the series’ most recent release, came out six years ago. Remedy has been silent about when the planned trilogy would come to a conclusion, but as the studio continued to work on (and delay) its current project Alan Wake year after year, many began to wonder if we would see our dark noir hero return to our computer screens. Remedy ended up selling the rights to Rockstar Games, who announced that Max Payne 3 was in production back in March.

Very few details were released regarding Max Payne 3 outside of a couple of screenshots and an image showing an balding, grizzled old man with a beard and a thicker build with the logo below it. Max Payne was old, put on some weight, and looked like Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Stranger yet, he was no longer busting gang members in New York City, but rather he was running around the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Payne fans were livid–this is not the Max Payne we knew!

Rumors have run wild for the last few months, but no one had any actual answers. GameInformer recently obtained a few answers, as they had an opportunity to see Max Payne 3 in action. Though there certainly are plenty of reasons to be nervous about this next installment, fans can rest assured that many steps are being taken to preserve the look and feel of Payne.

Rockstar knows the pressure they are under to deliver an excellent game is outstanding. They’re all big fans of the original games and are working hard to preserve the classic gameplay. They’re adding features such as a cover system and the ability to use people as human shields. Rockstar notes that these are purely optional additions–the game doesn’t focus on these and still maintains the original slow-motion, shoot-em-up atmosphere.

Max on the streets of São Paulo

São Paulo may be seem like a night and day difference from New York City, but the developers assure us that the brutal themes of the Payne games will still be present. Max left New York years ago to escape the ghosts of his past. He gets caught up in some dirty business in Brazil; São Paulo is a city of crime, greed, and corruption. The tried and true gritty themes of Max Payne will still exist in this new city of sin, according to Rockstar.

Max Payne 3 is being built on Rockstar’s RAGE engine, which is no surprise to us. This means that in combination with great visuals, the game will be supplemented by procedural animations from the integrated Euphoria engine. Anyone who has enjoyed a chaotic gunfight in GTAIV knows how fun the interactive nature of Euphoria can be. Characters have a sense of self-preservation, dynamically adjusting to their environment to save their skin. They also have balance, meaning they can trip over surfaces if pushed by another force.  We can think of few greater engines to better serve the unique form of chaos and destruction that Max Payne brings.

Despite the few relaxed concerns, there are still concerns about a few things with Max Payne 3. In response to the new location, Rockstar stated that noir does not mean New York City. Max Payne 3 is still going to be noir, but they stated it would be a contemporary noir. Fans of traditional film noir hope that this ‘contemporary’ approach does not lose the feel that Max Payne 1 and 2 presented to perfection. Also a concern: due to the aged nature of Max in the new game, Rockstar will not be using original voice actor James McCaffrey. McCaffrey IS Max Payne–that voice is iconic. If a new voice actor helps to tell the story, then it’s an acceptable decision, but it won’t be an easy adjustment for most fans.

The full article with additional details of Max Payne 3 can be found on GameInformer.