Rockstar Games gave us our first look at Max Payne 3 in action today courtesy of a smart, typically Rockstar, well edited trailer. And they it dropped a little more info on the 2012 game in 140 character and less chunks.

Perhaps that Max Payne 3 trailer left you with more questions than answers. Or maybe you haven't really been paying attention to the third Max Payne game until today. Well Rockstar Games has a few clarifications about what Max's Brazilian adventure is and isn't.

Here's what they said, officially, via their Twitter account about today's trailer.

• "Yes, that is the voice of James McCaffery, original voice actor from Max Payne 1 and 2…"
• "Max Payne 3 is running on a new iteration of Rockstar's RAGE engine"
• "Today's Max Payne 3 trailer is all in-game footage "
• "Like GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3 uses the Natural Motion character behavior system for lifelike weight and movement"
• "No, Max Payne 3 is not an open world game – we're staying true to Max's roots in atmosphere, story and gameplay design"
• "Today's Max Payne 3 trailer shows a small part of Max's journey – much more info soon"

So, are we clear? Hope so.

And for what it's worth, there was one other potentially important Max Payne 3 tweet today. Matias Myllyrinne, CEO of Remedy, the developer of the first two games in the series, weighed in on the game his company is not involved in, tweeting "A big thumbs up and congrats to Rockstar on the Max Payne 3 trailer!" So consider it Myllyrinne approved!

What did you think, Kotaku readers? Interesting in Max Payne 3?

Grant Theft Auto IV. Red Dead Redemption. L.A. Noire. For the last few years every console game from Rockstar Games has been a big deal, creatively and commercially. Next up: Max Payne 3, whose debut trailer hit today and you can see right here.

GTA is Rockstar's baby. Red Dead and L.A. Noire were the types of games no other studio was brazen enough to try. Max? That's a shooter. That's the kind of game everyone is trying to make. So can Rockstar's be special? Can it be great and important?

Max Payne 3 will be out for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in March of next year, nine years after the last Max Payne was released. Rockstar is developing without the involvement of original series creators Remedy. The trailer implies that Max's signature bullet time is back and it sure looks like this game is going to be all about the gunplay and hard-boiled crime. Graphically, it looks superb.

Max Payne fans, do you like what you see? And can you spot any small details us non-experts may not have caught?

Next Wednesday, at noon Eastern, Rockstar plans to release their first trailer for Max Payne 3. Until then you're going to have to make do with this poster that confirms that Payne has hair and is a sweaty drunk.... or maybe he just has malaria.

The March 2012 arrival of Max Payne 3 may be today's biggest Rockstar Games news, but fans of the original, Remedy Entertainment-developed game may delight in "a new way to enjoy the classic Max Payne."

Rockstar Games says that Max Payne will "receive the full HD treatment for mobile devices," but does not provide a release date or platform(s) for the remake of the 2001 game that saw release on PC, Mac, PlayStation 2 and Xbox (and Game Boy Advance!).

"Available for the first time on mobile, Max Payne will have connectivity to the Rockstar Games Social Club and boast the same features as its PC counterparts," reads the announcement, "including HD graphics and high-resolution textures that take advantage of the latest mobile technologies, including incredibly customizable controls and support for wired controllers."

We're checking with Rockstar to see exactly which mobile devices it plans on bringing the classic scrunchy-faced Max to, but for now we'll guess... iPhone? iPad? Maybe Android?

When Rockstar Games dated Max Payne 3 this morning, it also released two new screenshots. You'd think it would've released three, because, you know, it's Max Payne 3. You'd think.

The two screenshots show shooting and running, providing a glimpse at the sort of in-game maps as well as gameplay.

Rockstar Games is releasing Max Payne 3 in March 2012, the company revealed today.

The game picks up where Max Payne 2 left off, and follows Payne as he works private security for a wealthy Brazilian industrialist in Sao Paulo, and Payne must fend off gangs targeting his client. And do it in the series's signature slow motion "bullet time".

"Max Payne 3 gave us an amazing creative opportunity to evolve one of our most iconic characters," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games, in an official release. "We're excited to show fans a modern version of Max that pulls them back into his dark and twisted story."

This is the first Max Payne title to feature multiplayer. It will feature a reward and leveling system, clans and strategic load-out options.

Things have been very quiet on the Max Payne 3 front, so quiet some people thought it was dead. Don't worry, Rockstar says they're about to unleash an avalanche of news about the upcoming game over the next few months.

To kick things off, they're showing us two new screen shots. Brown suits confirmed!

Finally, some concrete details about Rockstar Games' plans for Max Payne 3 are emerging, thanks to the latest issue of Edge magazine, which may make Max fans feel less uneasy about the change in direction for the decade-old series.

According to the cover story preview in Edge, Max Payne has left the New York City police department to focus on a career in private security, according to Scrawl's recount of the article. Max Payne 3 is reportedly set eight years after the events of the previous game, but Rockstar says it's "always playing with time in the story."

The return of Max Payne's "classic narration" will likely help make better sense of the game's time-bending plot. It appears that the comic book panel cut scenes will be swapped out for something more cinematic, with Rockstar "integrating storytelling into the gameplay itself through the use of hundreds of customized animations."

Rockstar Vancouver will also be playing with Max's 'do. He'll sport a full head of hair at some point in the game, but will lose those slicked back locks to become the bald, paunchy Max Payne we've seen in earlier previews.

Expect other well-known Max-isms to return, with bullet time gunplay, lots of shooting and bullet dodging, and Max's original voice actor (James McCaffrey) reprising his role.

Max Payne 3 will also reportedly use NaturalMotion's Euphoria technology, the same physics engine that powered Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption's animation.

More details in the latest issue of Edge magazine, due out April 12.

Rockstar Promises "Sophisticated" Max Payne 3 [Edge]
Max Payne 3 detailed in latest Edge [Scrawl]

It's been a while since we've heard from Rockstar Games and Max Payne 3, a game that's still without a release date. But Rockstar promised it's "still working hard on Max" and to deliver "news in the coming months" late last year.

Looks like we may actually hear more about Max Payne 3 soon, as Rockstar reminded us of Max's existence this morning with a simple tweet: "He's coming."

With Rockstar's other big effort, L.A. Noire, on the cusp of release, it looks like it's time to refocus on Max Payne 3, currently planned to shoot up the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC at some point in the future.

We will never see official LEGO versions of Resident Evil, Modern Warfare, Max Payne, Gears of War, Final Fantasy or Killzone. That being the case, we'll have to make do with Andy Pescovitz's customised renditions instead.

Pescovitz has amassed an impressive collection of figures that he's both painted and in many cases scultped to look like miniature versions of some video game favourites.

There's a selection of some of the better figures here, including those from Halo: Reach and Uncharted 3, with plenty more at the link below.

[pecovam's photostream] [thanks Chris!]