If Max takes a fatal blow while he's carrying at least one painkiller, he'll automatically enter Bullet Time, and the reticule swings back to towards the enemy who shot Max. Why was that something you wanted to add? Rob Nelson: The basic idea behind Last Man Standing is to give players a chance to recover from a fatal shot. IGN: Tell me more about Last Man Standing.

And that's what we're going for with Max Payne 3: a game where every single detail - every bullet, every time Max fluidly rolls while picking up a new weapon, every shoot dodge - looks great and feels like a natural, integrated part of the game and the character. In general, this is adds to the level of realism within the game, but with time slowed down, every detail counts.

The real implications for all that work and Bullet Time are in Max's shoot dodge - it's gone from the old days of a simple set of animations to a fluid, lifelike movement in which Max is aware of his environment at all times - you'll see him reach for objects as he dives over them or brace for impact from the ground or a wall. So we ramped up everything for Max Payne 3 - environments are designed to shatter, splinter and explode in glorious detail thanks to the use of environmental physics and particle effects, and we're using literally thousands of custom animations alongside work with Natural Motion's Euphoria system so that Max moves realistically both in Bullet Time and real time. And that's the other function of Bullet Time, of course - to increase the cinematic and lifelike nature of the game: Bullet Time turns chaotic gunfights into a beautiful dance of bodies and ballistics. We've also incorporated Bullet Time into areas of the environment, so that entering an area will automatically trigger Bullet Time, both to give you some assistance at taking down a group of bad guys, but also to make for an epic, cinematic set piece. Targeting is more precise to make Max a more proficient killer, and Bullet Time replenishment is now skill-based, so targeting vital areas like the head or the heart will help you fill your meter more quickly. Bullet Time will allow you to approach large groups of intelligent, heavily armed enemies and plot a precise, fluid line of attack through them. The first is strategic – that is, enemies in Max Payne aren't going to let you walk through a level in real time easily. Bullet Time in Max Payne 3 has several functions. Rob Nelson: It's all about the depth at which we incorporate the mechanics. IGN: What's new this time around? It seems like not much would change - you slow down time and shoot people. The single biggest influence on the original Max Payne was not, in fact, film noir, but Hong Kong action movies, and in which gun play was both powerful and very beautiful and we wanted to stay close to that tradition. The game is literally built around it, and no other game so thoroughly incorporates anything like it into every aspect of the game. Uh, why should the world be excited? Rob Nelson: Yes - of course Bullet Time is back! Bullet Time is one of the core gameplay mechanics of a Max Payne game, impacting the design choices we make across the entire game, from the way Max moves to the AI of enemies, design of the weapons, the audio, and the way each bullet is modeled. Play IGN: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Rob.

Max payne 3 bullet time wallpaper