São Paolo kidnappings and missing hair aside, the biggest mystery surrounding Max Payne 3 might well be the game itself. Despite the fact that they're only four months out from a March 2012 release, developer Rockstar has remained remarkably tight-lipped about Max Payne 3. To date, they've released a single trailer and shown the press two brief gameplay snippets, one from early in the game and one about midway through. Details on the plot and gameplay are few and far between, and as for the game's multiplayer mode? Well, it exists, but that's all anyone is saying on the subject.
While it's uncharacterstic in this industry, that looming silence is a deliberate move on Rockstar's part, rather than a sign that the project is troubled or behind schedule. That's according to the company's co-founder and current VP Dan Houser, who told Variety that Rockstar shies away from giving too much away in order to make sure the finished product packs a few surprises.
"It's really important to us that the games (feel) kind of magical. It might annoy people that we don't give out more information, but I think the end point is people enjoy the experience," Houser explained. "The less they know about how things are pieced together and how things are broken down and what our processes are, the more it will feel like this thing is alive, that you are being dragged into the experience. That's what we want."
That's an admirable tack in this age of spoilerific trailers and endless marketing drips, but it does have some very unfortunate implications. With two exteremely high-profile Rockstar titles — Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V — slated for release in the next year, we've got a lot to anticipate and very little new info to string us along.
