The game was previously set for a Q4 2011 release date, but various online retailers such as Amazon and Gamestop have updated their product pages with a new date, December 1, 2011. This new date gets more credence by the fact that Amazon has been sending out emails to people who pre-ordered the game saying that, "The release date for the video game listed below has been changed by the publisher."

The Max Payne franchise put players in the role of Max Payne, a hard-boiled New York City detective with a penchant for violence, out to avenge the death of his family. The latest installment delivers more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love, while moving the story of Max in a new direction.

Max Payne 3 is set eight years after the events of the last installment, with Max visibly older, more violent, and more world-weary from the events of his own life.No longer a cop, Max is close to washed-up, drunk and addicted to painkillers. Without a job on the force, Max has left the greater New York area, and he finds himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil, working in the burgeoning field of private security.

Max’s latest assignment sees him protecting the family of Rodrigo Branco, a wealthy real estate mogul and his two brothers: Victor, a local politician and the youngest, Marcello, a party-loving Eurotrash playboy, along with Fabiana Branco, Rodrigo’s trophy wife, and Giovanna, Fabiana’s sister.

The story of Max's descent from vengeful, leather-jacket wearing detective roaming the alleys of New York to the broken, shaven-headed man out for justice on unfamiliar streets far from home is at the center of Max Payne 3.

Max Payne 3 retains many trademarks of its predecessors; a focus on story and character-driven action, a large number of sophisticated weapons with dual-wield capabilities, Bullet-Time, an addiction to painkillers, mature themes and Max’s ever-present internal monologue. With Max Payne 3, Rockstar Studios’ aim was to use every tool at their disposal, from advances in Natural Motion's Euphoria physics and its own RAGE engine, particle effects and AI, delivering spectacular, highly advanced close-quarters combat, an intelligent cover system, and constantly varied gameplay in every level, a new creative approach to Max’s classic comic-book panels, combined with Rockstar’s notoriously obsessive attention to detail - to create a highly cinematic action shooter.

• The combination of Natural Motion’s Euphoria character behavior system and Bullet Time adds a new level to Max’s classic shoot-dodge moves. Shoot-dodge is not a canned animation, but a natural interaction with the environment, as Max will reach out to the floor as he dives, and naturally respond to objects in his way if you attempt to dive into a wall or obstacle
• This marriage of slow-motion gunplay and Euphoria physics amplifies the cinematic action of Max Payne 3 significantly, and enemies will also respond realistically to each bullet fired.
• Max Payne 3 extends the concept of Bullet-Time to now include game areas of the game that will trigger set pieces involving Bullet-Time. These provide epic moments of action that allow Max to take out enemies in a new interpretation of Max Payne’s signature style.
• Bullet-Cams return: in keeping with the stylish gunplay for which Max is known, Bullet-Cams deliver players a reward for downing enemies with a satisfying final kill
• Max Payne 3 takes the graphic novel panels of the earlier games and evolves them by utilizing in-game assets to create a motion comic-style approach.
• James McCaffrey, the original voice of Max, is back. Not only as the voice of max, but Max’s appearance, face and many of his movements in Max Payne 3 are all captured directly from James himself.
• Max Payne 3 features an integrated cover system. Cover adds an extra strategic element to the classic shoot-dodge/bullet-time/ run-and-gun mechanics of Max Payne, providing players with new options in any given situation
• Tremendous detail has been paid to every facet of Max Payne 3: Bullets destroy nearly everything in the environment, sweat will appear on Max’s face and shirt as the heat of battle wears on, and blood soaks the clothing of his enemies. You’ll also notice the minute details of the weapons themselves: hammers cock back, slides move, shells expel from the chamber and literally hundreds more.
• Partners and sidekicks will play a large role in Max Payne 3. Hundreds of hours of custom motion-capture were done for individual characters, making traditional in-game encounters completely unique, such as enemies sweeping a room or simply the way Max’s partners will behave as they move through the game.

Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world, by area and population, and is notoriously known to house a number of the world’s worst drug traffickers, street gangs and kidnappers. The number one cause of death among the youth is murder.

Sao Paolo’s young gangs are amongst the most violent in the world, and the most dangerous of those is said to be the Primeiro Comando da Capital. The PCC has organized prison breaks, prison riots, drug trafficking, highway robberies and kidnappings since it was formed in 1993. With one gun for every 75 people in the country and 95% of those firearms obtained illegally, Max will need every skill he has in order to survive.