Rockstar Games Max Payne 3 Bullet Time trailer released

The latest entry in Rockstar's orchestrated campaign to release a bunch of Max Payne 3 trailers, each one showcasing a very specific part of the game, is one that focuses on a feature called "Bullet Time." What it really should be called is "that awesome bullet effect that The Matrix used and now everyone copies," but that just doesn't have the same ring to it. In any event, this latest video really plays up how cool the graphics and effects will be in the upcoming title.

Rockstar, of course, is best known for its Grand Theft Auto titles, which are engineered to create controversy. But the publisher has a history of creating other, epic games that don't get as much attention but are often praised just as highly from critics. Max Payne is one of those franchises. It's still a bloody and violent game, but in this series that content is portrayed much more in context with the storyline.

The game has an emphasis on guiding players through a captivating adventure, such that the violence is not gratuitous; it's necessary and pivotal to keep players' attention. So, in other words, Max Payne 3 is anticipated by gamers who just like a good game. It's proof that Rockstar doesn't have to be controversial. Of course it will be violent, but it won't be terrible, awful, "hide the children" violence.