It's a very rare occasion when we show you a game trailer on Empire instead of a film one, but when it's from Rockstar Games, and it's for a much-loved franchise like Max Payne, how could we not?
Sure, the film version starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis may have been, well... pretty crap, but there doesn't seem to be any unexpected black angels in Max Payne 3, so we're already happy on that front.
Of course, Rockstar didn't create the original neo noir two slo-mo shooters – that was thanks to those lovely Finnish folk over at Remedy Entertainment – but now that they've taken over the franchise, perhaps we can expect the same success they had when they bought up Red Dead a few years back.
Judging from the trailer we have for you below, it's more of a modern take on Max, less Sin City and more Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad – only with, you know, more machine guns.
The iconic slow motion dives can't be seen as yet, but we're sure they make an appearance in the actual game. Well, they better do, at any rate.
The plot sees Payne off the force and into some heavy shit down in Sao Paulo, where it seems what should have been a simple job has turned into a balls-to-the-floor rampage, with the girl Max was meant to protect out of his grasp and the only thing to hand being a pair of hair clippers and a gun or two.
Still, take a look, and let us know what you think, both as gamers and as movie lovers. Can Rockstar revive Mr. Payne? Will it be better than the movie? Our guess: yes. Definitely yes.
Max Payne 3 is out March 2012 for XBOX 360, PS3 and PC.
