Bullet Time. It’s practically synonymous with the Max Payne series. It’s also synonymous with a series of science fiction films that starred Keanu “One Look” Reeves. So what if those films thought of the idea first; when I hear the term Bullet Time I think Max Payne.

We’re kind of excited about Max Payne 3; can you tell? The latest video in the “Design and Technology Series” cranks our excitement up to “Super Excited”, which is one notch above ordinary “Excited”. This is a big deal.

This episode is all about Bullet Time and the advancements the team has made regarding the heart of Max Payne 3’s gameplay. While the mechanic itself might not have changed that much since the previous titles, the advanced physics and that glorious Euphoria engine have certainly increased the OMG factor. Hit the jump; wipe up the resulting drool; pre-order; get excited.

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Previous Max Payne games have been go-to examples of noir cop dramas. Rockstar’s upcoming Max Payne 3 looks like a decidedly different beast altogether as Max trades the snow-swept, dark streets of Manhattan for the sunny, dirty streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

There’s a definite shift in tone, as can be seen in this trailer. Max still seems to be steeped in self-loathing, but this time he seems more gritty and pissed off than angsty and full of despair.

The latest trailer from Rockstar provides us with the background for Max’s current Bullet Time riddled rampage. Owing to a bit of a blunder on our protagonist’s behalf, the wife of his wealthy boss gets kidnapped and it’s up to Max to find her. From a plot device perspective, I’m hoping that this new mission that Max undertakes will cause him to remember his own failure in saving his wife and child, thereby fuelling his search for this woman with all sorts of repressed anger and delicious self-loathing. Fun times ahead! Hit the jump for explosions, guns and grit.

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Back in November last year, Rockstar released the first episode of a five-part series detailing the technology behind upcoming balletic shooter, Max Payne 3. That was MONTHS ago! Fortunately we’ve got another one right here to help fix that icky feeling stemming from the announcement of a delay to the game’s release date.

In this Design and Technology episode, we get to peak at the “Targeting and Weapons” of the game. As can be expected, there are more muzzle-flashes and whizzing bullets than an average day in Syria.

They’ve really gone into meticulous detail insofar as physics and shifting body weight is concerne; Max even compensates his movement and weight distribution depending on the size of the gun he’s holding. Yeah, obsessive doesn’t even begin to describe Rockstar’s focus on how this game’s going to look and feel. Hit the jump for more shooty shooty bang bang than is probably healthy.

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IGN has put together a piece detailing the multiplayer component of Rockstar’s upcoming Max Payne 3. When one thinks Max Payne they think storyline and, more importantly, Bullet Time. Neither of those are exactly great fits for traditional multiplayer modes. Rockstar knows this, and so they’re developing something fresh and something that fits within the ethos of the Max Payne franchise.

The centre piece for the game’s multiplayer is called Gang Wars. Simply put, Gang Wars is an objective based multiplayer mode for two teams of rival gangs; nothing too different there. What happens in proceeding rounds, however, is where things start to become interesting.

In order to try and weave a narrative into the multiplayer component, the objectives for each team alter depending on the events from the previous round. For example: the entire match might start off as a botched drug deal between the two gangs; you might be tasked with collecting duffle bags of cash or drugs and ferrying them to safe points on your side of the map. While this happens your gang could be winning map territory, or losing it. Either way, the events of this first round dictate the objectives you’ll be given (delivered via a comic book style narrated by Max) for the second.

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Is that stiflingly depressing Max Payne theme tune playing in head your head yet? No? Get it going then; I’m making it an obligation for every Max Payne post we do between now and March 2012. Need a memory jolt? Go here.

Oh hi! Are we all suitably emo now? Rockstar has announced a good looking Special Edition for next year’s Max Payne 3. Unfortunately the odds of it appearing on our shores are somewhat slim, as at present it’s only available as a pre-order at selected online retailers. Those retailers are the likes of GameStop and Amazon, and from the sounds of the press release, Rockstar has been extra picky in deciding who gets to sell this Want!-inducing version.

So what’s inside? Full details and juicy picture after the jump.

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We won’t hold hands or anything, just hang out platonically and watch Max perform a ballet of gratuitously violent gunplay.

Also: sweet merciful chipmunks, just look at this game! Talk about shooting straight back up to the top of my “Want!” list. Rockstar Games has put together a five episode series on the technology and game mechanics of upcoming Max Payne 3. The first one, “Crafting a Cutting Edge Action-Shooter”, introduces us to the game in general and gives us a first look at actual gameplay. It is looking amazing.

Each bullet in the game is rendered in real-time, which makes the game’s signature Bullet Time a treat to behold. The first two Max Payne games introduced unbelievable cinematic gameplay for their time, and the third instalment is definitely not skimping on the eye candy. Using the Euphoria physics engine (the same one used by Rockstar for Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption) means that enemies react to everything (bullets, explosions, gravity) in such a realistic way that it borders on the uncanny.

If you haven’t played the original Max Payne games then get to it; they’re both on Steam and they’re both dirt cheap. While the first one looks a little dated, the second can still hold its own. Not that looks should concern you with this franchise, because the gameplay is just top-notch.