Max finds himself in São Paulo, as a bodyguard for the glitterati. Though visibly older, more cynical and more jaded than his previous incarnation, there’s still enough optimism glinting under the surface to spur you through the story. Underneath the redemption tale, however, lies a polished and arresting update of the original shooter that made Max Payne a pivotal previous-gen console release.

Even with the brighter backdrop, the inner-city detective noir themes are all present and correct – questioning jazz interludes, introspective soul-searching and self-flagellation are all hosed down each night with a gallon of neat scotch – and the broken lines in Max’s face summarise a whole host of past dilemmas, betrayals and near-death experiences that you get to live out, chapter by chapter.

Rockstar’s vice president Dan Houser finds himself on writing duties, doing an exemplary job following John Marston's Wild West story Red Dead Redemption, where the writing granted open-ended sandbox adventuring but relatively little individual character development. With Max Payne 3, the relentlessly linear storyline lends itself to an adventure story where every encounter leaves an imprint on our antihero. It’s bold and interactive comic-book storytelling – the kind we’ve seen time and time again before, but rarely with such awareness for soul-searching between the fireworks.

Where Max Payne 2 (on Xbox/PS2) chose to keep its story within hand-drawn panes of angst, Max Payne 3 takes advantage of the technical abilities afforded by the generational leap by utilising 24-esque live action panes, showing different camera angles and concurrent events all neatly punctuated with Babara Kruger style subtitles to accentuate clever spots of dialogue; a technique often relegated to hyper-cool action flicks, but that works far more effectively in the medium of a video game. The result is both fresh and clever, helping the action tick along nicely.

The visual effects are noisy – having borrowed (and thankfully diluted) some of the ‘handicam’ effects of Kane & Lynch 2, it’s all monitor scanlines, neon flashes and digital transmission interruption. This divisive catalogue of visual effects serves to emphasise Max’s wonky approach to self-medication. Often jarring alongside the whirling camerawork, it’s kept in check with seamless cuts between controllable moments – in fact, the returning ‘Bullet Time’ feature, together with new techniques such as ‘Last Man Standing’ are so cinematic, it's nigh on impossible to differentiate cutscenes as you would in a traditional title.

Launch ‘Bullet Time’, and Max has precious seconds of slowed reactions from his enemies, allowing precise aim to take on hordes of bad guys and leave nothing but bodies filled with smoking holes when times returns. In addition, tweaks to Max’s ‘Shootdive’ means that a failed dive leaves you open to the crosshairs of the wily AI bad guys – meaning the cover mechanic is crucial for survival, as is regular chomping of painkillers and the right use of weaponry. ‘Last Man Standing’ also allows slow-mo dying shots of your killer, with a successful hit replenishing your energy in exchange for an energy bar.

There’s a palpable sense of pride running through Max Payne 3, and experiencing it prompts nothing but enjoyment. The blend of storyline and key gameplay elements is near-seamless in creating a genuinely immersive interactive story. This isn't Rockstar aping film, it’s Rockstar taking film elements and deciphering them to fit a videogame in a way that engages and rewards. It shows once again how Rockstar are masters of their craft. Even for all its technical wizardry and crafted storytelling, Max Payne 3 feels less like a revolution and more like a genuine adventure. It feels good to step into Max Payne’s shoes once more – just be glad you can take them off at the end of the day.

9/10

Max Payne 3 is out now for Xbox 360, PS3 & PC.