Max Payne hasn’t graced video gamers’ screens for nearly nine years, and when we reacquaint ourselves with the former New York City detective, we find a man drowning his troubled past in bottles of scotch and prescription pills.

The protagonist of “Max Payne 3” ($59.99, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC) might be teetering near rock bottom, but developer Rockstar Games has created a cinematic masterpiece around him. The narrated third-person shooter packs intense action and exquisitely eerie production while revealing an engaging story line through solid acting.

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