Max Payne 3 screens arrive to remind us that a game really is coming

By Adam Rosenberg August 29, 2011

max-payne-3-screen — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Rockstar Games released a couple of new screens today for Max Payne 3, which you can check out above and below. The images don’t bring any great revelations about the game, but they do demonstrate just how beautiful games can look with Rockstar’s RAGE engine (see also: Red Dead Redemption.

Max Payne 3 picks up roughly a decade after the events of the previous game. The titular modern-day gunslinger has left his job as a New York City cop and gone off to Sao Paolo, Brazil, where he’s landed himself in some trouble. He’s a private security guy now, working for a wealthy local family, when he suddenly finds himself double-crossed and on the run. You can bet that Max’s trusty guns will be fired at least a few times in his search for the truth,

There’s no release date yet for Payne 3, though holiday 2012 seems like a reasonable guess. Rockstar hasn’t announced anything else lately, though rumors continue to suggest that an announcement for another Grand Theft Auto game is imminent.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

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Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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You can’t play Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox, but you can play these 6 Game Pass RPGs

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Xbox Game Pass is home to dozens of RPGs, many of which share the same computer-RPG roots as Baldur's Gate 3. While Xbox players might not be able to enjoy Larian Studios' shockingly thorough and immensely enjoyable Dungeons & Dragons CRPG just yet, they can't go wrong playing these six titles right now.
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Where Baldur's Gate 3 may be the pinnacle of fantasy RPG games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Fallout: New Vegas is that for postapocalyptic RPGs. This game from Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks -- both of which are now owned by Microsoft -- first released in 2010. Despite some in-game glitches that still persist, the Xbox 360 version of Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox Game Pass is just as enthralling of a role-playing experience as it was nearly 13 years ago. The Xbox 360 version can even be played at 60 fps on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, thanks to the FPS Boost feature.
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With E3 2023 gone, other gaming events need to step up

Despite how inevitable the complete downfall of E3 felt over the past several years, E3 2023’s official cancellation still strings as it’s a significant loss for the game industry. For gamers, press, and developers, the show served multiple purposes that digital livestreams and scattered publisher-specific events don't currently replicate. In lieu of E3’s cancelation this year, and potentially forever, it’s time for other gaming events to step up and help push the video game industry forward.
Why we lost E3
I’m lucky enough to have the experience of attending three E3 shows across 2017, 2018, and 2019 and many publisher-run events focused on specific games or tighter game lineups. In its final years, E3 felt like the perfect middle ground to the gamer-focused PAX and industry-focused GDC, where people from all walks and sides of the video game industry could come together, see what’s coming in the future, and share their love for games.

It also felt more freeing than publisher-run events, as I discovered and experienced games of all sizes that I may not have otherwise and got to meet many people from every angle of the game industry. Apparently, the Entertainment Software Association struggled to convince enough people that this style of expo was important four years after the last physical event.
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What we lose
Events are a great way for indies to get unexpected and much-needed attention from players and the press; look at the chance encounter that got one of our team’s freelancers hooked on Homeseek at PAX East. Now, indies will have to hope to gain attention at those more indie-focused events like PAX or be cherry-picked to be featured in a more prominent company’s showcasing. There’s also the networking and pitch factor to it.

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El Paso, Elsewhere's main character leans on the hood of a car.

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El Paso, Elsewhere - XBOX ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER