The original Max Payne was released in 2001 and was immediately notable for its sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes stone-cold serious film noir vibe and its reliance on a single gameplay mechanic (read: gimmick). But oh, what a mechanic it was.

Fourteen meaty chapters with a smile across your face.

Some control issues and strange design choices (enemies have grenades but you don't); a few technical blemishes and frequent cinematics

This isn't a game where the new developers try to recreate a game to appease the fans. Rockstar has taken the established elements of the series and forged its own path with a different but similar take on Max's life.

Max Payne 3 B>: Max is a man with the worst luck in the world, even though it does make for one of my favourite game series ever.

With this third installment in the Max Payne series, we are in the presence of a very fun, action-packed shooting game, but also, in the presence of a very hard and touching story.

I'd be lying if I said I was completely across the ins and outs of the Max Payne story to date. The events of the first game released in 2001 are a long and distant memory for most of us, although some memories of the cool environment destruction, slow-motion gunplay and competent yet cheesy story...

Incredible art direction; great story; Awesome action; Loads of content and depth; Bullet Time never gets old; Multiplayer should be a hit

Max's movements can feel a bit sluggish at times

It's been almost 9 years since we've had a slow-motion leaping hero with a permanent look of constipation, but the folks at Rockstar wants to remedy that. The two previous titles were handled by Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment, and they were very well received.

Sometimes, it feels like Rockstar is just playing by its own rules, operating outside of the normal boundaries of what gaming could and should be. Normally this is translated through the ambition and scope of its games - GTA IV' s detail, Red Dead Redemption's scale, L.A. Noire's conversations.

The return of Max Payne is a memorable one. Featuring one of the best stories I've ever played, along with some of the most detailed environments and amazing shooting mechanics, Max Payne 3 delivers a pitch perfect gameplay experience that doesn't change the industry, but does it better than anyone...

Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3 is about 90% awesome. Everything about it is well-made - music, graphics, environments, characters, most of the plot, dialogue, models, gunplay, controls - but there are a few strange decisions that bring the entire package down.