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He's had a lot of time to sit around and wallow in his own sorrow. You know, because his wife and family were brutally murded and all that. But instead of letting him retire in his jammies to smoking cigars and chug six-packs of beer through stifling cries of anguish, Rockstar has decided to take old dog out on one bullet filled, fury fuelled run.

Naturally there's bound to be a little cynicism surrounding Max's triumphant return, especially since Remedy, the studio behind the first two games, aren't involved. But, we've come up with a list of 10 reasons for why Max Payne 3 will be well worth the wait.

Here they are.

BULLET TIME'S BACK

The Max Payne series has always been centred on Bullet Time, and the third entry doesn't change that. Currently - though we're told it may still change before release - he'll accrue the time when under fire. So the longer Max holds out in a gunfight, the more slo-mo seconds he'll get to take out the baddies swarming around his location. Once his bar's full, it's time to break out Max's signature shootdodge move to leap around and blast enemies with twin pistols - just like the good old days. It's like he never went away...

MAX HASN'T CHANGED

Okay that's not strictly true, as his face is now modelled on returning voice actor James McCaffrey. But in all the areas that matter, Max is still the same husk of a man that we know and love. His life's still a mess, he lives like a slob and his police work is long behind him: it's just the booze and the addiction to painkillers that keeps him going. Maybe this time we'll get the chance to clean up his act?

MORE CINEMATIC THAN EVER

New to the series are cinematic action movements - essentially interactive cut-scenes. In our demo we saw Max leap off a factory balcony, grab hold of a crane's hook and shoot at a crowd of bad guys while swinging around in slo-mo. Expect lots of moments like these.

SAO PAULO, BABY!

The game kicks off in New York, with Max in a major spot of trouble. The ex-cop rather carelessly shoots and kills the son of New York mob boss Anthony DeMarco, and it's not long before the Family want revenge in the form of Max's life.

Our anti-hero realises it's too dangerous to stay in New York and flees to Brazil (like you do), where he takes up a private security job, introducing our gruff geezer to the highs and lows of Sao Paulo. It is clear that Rockstar have been heavily influenced by dark South American crime films like City of God and Elite Squad, and their take on the city is gritty, grubby and hostile. There's beauty in the world in the form of background detail, but Max's journey will entrench him in the seedy underbelly of Brazilian life.

IT HAS REMEDY'S BLESSING

Original developers Remedy have been consulted throughout the production to ensure this is a faithful continuation of the franchise. As for who's on development duties, the game is being made by all of Rockstar's main global teams working together, hence the rather vague inclusion of the moniker 'Rockstar Studios' in our Info Box.

IT'S VIOLENT

How violent, you ask? Super violent. In Bullet Time it's possible to see every bullet slam home and punch a hole in your foes. What's more, when the final enemy in any given location is killed, you'll be rewarded with a bullet-tracking Kill Cam to show you the fatal blow and its grisly after-effects.

BRUTAL MELEE ATTACKS

To go along with Max's 'ard man look (for the record, he doesn't shave his head until after the game's halfway point), Mr Payne has been down to the boxing gym. If a bad guy gets close, Max can throw a few elbows and feet around to disarm and kill in one crunching, fluid move.

NEW SKILLS

In his time on the shelf, Max has learned a couple of new tricks to help fight back against his hunters. The ability to lock to cover is the major one, although purists needn't worry, as the game can also be played as a straight run-and-gun if you'd rather experience it just like the classics. After the shootdodge dives, Max can now also lay on the floor and swivel his body for full 360 degree blasting, letting him gun down everybody in sight without moving.

UNPRECEDENTED ACTING

Performance capture is becoming more and more popular in gaming, but Rockstar have taken the art to the next level by actually building to-scale versions of some of the levels and getting the talent to act out their scenes within these sets.

OLD-SCHOOL THRILLS

Forget regenerating health nonsense: when Max is hurt he'll need to down some painkillers to dull the throbbing of his wounds. Don't even think about any auto-aiming rubbish either: it'll be an option for newcomers, but for proper Payne action you can play with a full Free Aim option switched on. Max Payne 3's a true follow-on from the old titles in every way possible, meaning that this is a mechanical throwback to the glorious days of Remedy's titles that happens to feature some modern refinements (highly destructible environments, for example) to ensure the game can still compete with today's top action titles. It's the very best of both worlds.