Here’s the thing about Rockstar Games: You never know when they’re going to make a move. While they’re not quite as bad as Apple, the NYC-based developers of the Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption tend to be very secretive about their games’ release windows.
That’s certainly been the case with Max Payne 3. While it’s long been known that Rockstar would be charting the development future of the hardboiled action franchise that originated with Remedy Entertainment–creators of last year’s excellent Alan Wake–the game’s been pushed back several times over the last three years.
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Rockstar’s finally offering a glimpse at the gritty shooter series’ third installment–developed by their Vancouver studio and due out next March–and it looks like things aren’t getting any better for the former NYPD police detective. Have a look courtesy the trailer above.
The Max Payne franchise was among the first to use “bullet time” mechanics, where time moves slower for enemies allowing you greater accuracy and response time against incoming threats. That signature slowdown appears to be present in MP3, which also sports the trademark world-weary first-person narration by Max’s voice actor, James McCaffrey. The biggest change, of course, looks to be the environment in which Max’s story takes place. Gone are the shadowy back alleys of New York City, replaced by the sun-drenched favelas of Sao Paolo. This teaser seems to set Max in a morally ambiguous world where the realms of big business and drug trafficking intersect, which probably feels all too familiar for a guy like Max.
It remains to be seen whether packing on a few pounds and slamming bottles of whisky will slow the lethal vigilante down, but expect more details from Rockstar about MP3 soon.