Max Payne 3 details and new images emerge

The return of Max Payne is highly anticipated amongst the series' fans and for good reason. The combination of Matrix-inspired bullet-time gun play, film noir-style story and full-on action is enough to please any action lover.

It's been a while since Max Payne last threw himself across our screens in a slow motion bullet festival, but this winter will see the maverick cop with a dark history lock and load once again. But this time he finds himself in dire straights, as developer, Rockstar, has released some more details about the sequel.

Events will take place 12 years on from the second Payne-filled outing, with Max looking a little worse for wear. He's older, balder and, from the new artwork, looks like he's developed a bit of a weight problem. Oh, and he's clearly taken to the John McClane chic when it comes to his fashion direction, ditching his leather jacket for a worn-in vest.

After qutting the NYPD, Max has fallen about as far as you can go, and he's now employed on various private security jobs. At the start of the game he's going to be seen working for a wealthy Brazilian family situated in Sao Paolo, a locale notorious for street gangs, drugs and gun crime.

With his trademark dual-wielding, bullet-time skills, and an addiction to pain killers, Max is destined to be drawn into the Brazilian underworld, and during the course of the game, he'll naturally be tasked with creating a mountainous body count as he proceeds to run the seedy criminal gauntlet.

Rockstar has revealed that the game will retain much of the original Payne gameplay and it'll also feature Max's usual monologue narrative, some very mature subject matter (of course), and it will utilise Rockstar's RAGE engine, including some shiny new particle physics tech that should make gun fights all the more realistic and impressive. As seems to be the case with every odd numbered game that comes out these days, Max Payne 3 will also feature a new cover system, so that both Max and his foes can avoid incoming lead. This should add a little more tactical play to the game, alongside the staple run and gun system seen in the previous releases.

That's about all we know for now, so feast your eyes on this new selection of shots from the game. Yippie ki-yay, melon farmer!