Poor Max Payne.  All the painkillers and alcohol in the world just can’t seem to wipe away the memories of his slain family, nor the troublesome situations he lands in with enemies who want him dead.  So, of course, he’ll jump at the chance to take up private work elsewhere, offered by his cohort Passos, who provides him a gig where he provides protection for a real estate tycoon.  But it isn’t long before trouble sets in with a Brazilian drug trading gang snatching the tycoon’s wife, Fabiana, and Max has to do what he does best.  And so begins the long-awaited Max Payne 3, which easily lives up to the first two games…and stands as another fine accomplishment by the team at Rockstar Games.

Over the years, some fascinating games based in the Wild West have come about, featuring heroes riding tall in the saddle and wearing cowboy hats to signify that they mean business.  While some have fared better than others (like Paradox’s fascinating but limited Lead and Gold for PlayStation 3), developers have no doubt tried their darndest to capture the essence of the likes of Sergio Leone and other influences to create the best “Wild West” experience.

A long time ago, before Rockstar Games got heavily involved with its Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises, there was Max Payne, an Xbox/PC release that really shook things up both emotionally and with its action.  The story, focusing on a cop who loses his family and goes all out to destroy enemies that get in his way, is one of the better ones in the last decade of gaming, really digging deep on the rage boiling inside him – to the point he needs painkillers just to get through each battle.  After a decade, Rockstar has opted to bring the game to the iOS front, for both newer iPad and iPhone devices.  And while it’s quite the technical achievement, clumsy controls will leave you raging in a slightly different way.

At the Game Developers Conference, there are plenty of surprises making the rounds, with new reveals happening and information dropping on new projects.  Sony was expecting to make some PlayStation Vita announcements over the course of the week, big new games that would carry their new handheld system into the fall system.  However, thanks to a leak over at Play.com, we have an idea of what these projects could very well be…

2011 has been one of the best years in video games. The year was stacked with high quality AAA games from start and end of the year. Every genre had it's highs and lows, but for the most part every genre had a great set of games for it's respected fan base. So with the year coming to an end, it's time to look back on the top five games of the year and give out our game of the year.

Today, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition will be hitting the iOS and Android Marketplace on December 15th for 4.99. The game that put sandbox gaming on the map goes back to its roots as it takes over portable devices for the first time ever! Who's up for a romp in Liberty City?

On November 2nd, Rockstar Games will reveal the first trailer for its highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V, including a possible new character reveal and location.  However, that hasn't stopped the rumor mongers over at 4chan from digging up possible dirt on the game, and we've got the first "leaked" details that could very well end up in the final product.  Just remember -- these AREN'T official.  Not yet, anyway.

Rockstar Games, the studio behind the bestselling Grand Theft Auto franchise, has recently revealed sales information for all of its games. With GTA III celebrating its 10th Anniversary on October 22, that game franchise has now topped global sales of 114 million copies. In the U.S. alone, GTA games have sold over 44.7 million copies.

Rockstar Games' Vancouver Studio is working on the third Max Payne adventure, which is shaping up to be one of the big games of 2012. The studio has released the first trailer for the much-anticipated Max Payne 3, which you can see below.

It's been a long hard road for Max Payne 3.  The long-awaited sequel, which goes in a completely different direction over previous chapters with a promising new look and storyline, has been delayed quite often by Rockstar Games, to the point that we were wondering if the company was pulling a Duke Nukem Forever on us.  But today, it finally confirmed a release period for Max, as well as some details as to what we can expect from the game's single player mode, as well as multiplayer.

Back in May, Rockstar Games released L.A. Noire, an intriguing 1940's detective game that featured its fair share of action and driving, along with intriguing interrogations that kept the player on their toes as they attempted to solve each case.  The game turned out to be a successful release, but its popularity was overshadowed by the drama revolving around its developer, Team Bondi.  Accusations, bad business decisions and other controversy stemmed from the company, leaving Rockstar to sever its ties with the team.  Now it's pretty much over, with someone buying the rights -- and hiring the employees -- on its own terms.