Max Payne

Fans across the country lined up at video game retailers late last night to purchase copies of “Diablo III” for the PC and “Max Payne 3” for consoles in what has been a whirlwind 24 hours for gaming. With a combined 21-year absence since the “II/2” versions of “Diablo” and “Max Payne,” fans were eager to get a jump on the highly anticipated sequels. “Diablo III” players arrived home after installing their games to a variety of issues due to the game's overwhelming popularity.

This year has already been a watershed event for games in many respects, but for the most part we have now settled into the post-E3 dog days. For many gamers, this is a great time to reboot and actually get outside for a change, because as far as the release calendar goes, we are in the eye before the storm. Even with titles like "BioShock: Infinite" and "Grand Theft Auto V" shelved until 2013, there are still quite a few gems yet to be released in 2012. "Borderlands 2" Sept.

Max Payne is back. Trading his badge for what appears to be a cushy gig in Brazil guarding socialites, our titular character seems to spends much of the game working on a pretty steady cocktail of booze and pills. In between the drunken hazes and flashbacks rests a gritty third-person shooter that tells a story unlike almost any other game out there. “Max Payne 3” is cinematic in the best ways possible, never wasting the player's time with a cutscene that doesn't mean something or keep the action moving.

News Roundup •••• The granddaddy of gaming conventions, E3, kicks off next week in Los Angeles. The Game Hunters have put together a pretty comprehensive guide of all the major possible announcements and unveilings that we may see. Would it be tacky of me to at this point include my Kickstarter link to send me expenses-paid to E3? [ USA Today ] •••• Blizzard has unleashed a pretty hefty post explaining some of the early “Diablo III” gameplay metrics and potential changes to the design that will come in the next patch.

"Max Payne 3" Xbox 360/PS3/PC Rockstar Score: 3 stars (out of 4) “Max Payne 3” is as much a meditation on '90s action films and hard-boiled detective noir as it is an excellent third-person shooter. Some video games are “cinematic” in the sense that they force you to watch a lot of cutscenes that try and explain what you've just done or are about to do. “Max Payne 3” turns you loose to shoot bad guys because after the deftly interwoven story moments, it seems like the right thing to do at the time.

News Roundup •••• "Tomb Raider," a reboot of the classic series, has been delayed until Q1 of 2013. Darrell Gallagher, head of Crystal Dynamics (who is developing the game), announced the news via a post on the Eidos forums. [ Gamespot ] •••• Investors are trying to recoup their losses on a failed "Stargate" MMORPG that was due to launch in 2010. Things have gone to court, with the game's developer alleged to have mislead investors to the tune of $50 million.

When last we left our friend Max Payne, he had obliterated a good chunk of the drug-infested underworld of New York, avenged his wife's murder and been hauled away to prison. Just in time for the holidays comes Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, boasting more guns and a higher body count. It's a fine game, with superb action sequences and a healthy respect for the player's intelligence. The Rockstar Games title is gritty and violent with adult themes. Parents, do not buy this game for your kids.

Mark Wahlberg has been crying uncle about the Dada-esque Saturday Night Live routine "Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals." But SNL star Andy Samberg's imitation of Marky Mark as Barky Bark (conversing to "the Donkey Bunch") is vastly more amusing than Wahlberg's latest action vehicle. This gifted, rough-edged star has no one to blame except himself for appearing in Max Payne. He may not talk to animals here, but he does growl like a wounded bear and stare open-mouthed at soldier angels. Although they're supposed to be the Valkyrie of Norse lore, they look like clay dolls baked in a kiln and animated by cartoonists who are all thumbs.

News Roundup •••• The granddaddy of gaming conventions, E3, kicks off next week in Los Angeles. The Game Hunters have put together a pretty comprehensive guide of all the major possible announcements and unveilings that we may see. Would it be tacky of me to at this point include my Kickstarter link to send me expenses-paid to E3? [ USA Today ] •••• Blizzard has unleashed a pretty hefty post explaining some of the early “Diablo III” gameplay metrics and potential changes to the design that will come in the next patch.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua What it's about: A spoiled Chihuahua named Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore) gets dognapped and taken to Mexico City, where some newfound friends (including a German shepherd named Delgado) try to help her and her million-dollar Harry Winston collar get home. Rated: PG The scoop: Lots of talking dogs, little of anything else. Grade : * 1/2 ( 1 1/2 STARS) Body of Lies What it's about: Leonardo DiCaprio's (above) deceptively rugged CIA agent masterminds the capture of a new world-class terrorist (Alon Abutbul)

"Max Payne 3" Xbox 360/PS3/PC Rockstar Score: 3 stars (out of 4) “Max Payne 3” is as much a meditation on '90s action films and hard-boiled detective noir as it is an excellent third-person shooter. Some video games are “cinematic” in the sense that they force you to watch a lot of cutscenes that try and explain what you've just done or are about to do. “Max Payne 3” turns you loose to shoot bad guys because after the deftly interwoven story moments, it seems like the right thing to do at the time.

Max Payne is back. Trading his badge for what appears to be a cushy gig in Brazil guarding socialites, our titular character seems to spends much of the game working on a pretty steady cocktail of booze and pills. In between the drunken hazes and flashbacks rests a gritty third-person shooter that tells a story unlike almost any other game out there. “Max Payne 3” is cinematic in the best ways possible, never wasting the player's time with a cutscene that doesn't mean something or keep the action moving.

Fans across the country lined up at video game retailers late last night to purchase copies of “Diablo III” for the PC and “Max Payne 3” for consoles in what has been a whirlwind 24 hours for gaming. With a combined 21-year absence since the “II/2” versions of “Diablo” and “Max Payne,” fans were eager to get a jump on the highly anticipated sequels. “Diablo III” players arrived home after installing their games to a variety of issues due to the game's overwhelming popularity.

News Roundup •••• "Tomb Raider," a reboot of the classic series, has been delayed until Q1 of 2013. Darrell Gallagher, head of Crystal Dynamics (who is developing the game), announced the news via a post on the Eidos forums. [ Gamespot ] •••• Investors are trying to recoup their losses on a failed "Stargate" MMORPG that was due to launch in 2010. Things have gone to court, with the game's developer alleged to have mislead investors to the tune of $50 million.

Starring The Who. Directed by Jeff Stein. Sanctuary Records, $19.99 **** dvds This 1979 documentary, released less than a year after the death of drummer Keith Moon, showcases The Who at the peak of its powers. Video clips show band members in their earliest days, looking and sounding like the angry teenagers they were, while a later performance, filmed at London's Shepperton Studios in May 1978 (Moon would die less than four months later), showed they had lost none of their passion. More than just a documentary looking to ensure The Who's place in rock's pantheon, The Kids Are Alright is a great film in its own right, a combination of artistry, power and irreverence (bassist John Entwistle uses his gold records for skeet shooting practice)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year ** ( 2 STARS) $42 million $42 million 1 week Rated: G Running time: 113 minutes What it's about: High school sweethearts Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens, above) struggle with the idea of being separated as college approaches. Our take: It contains high-energy singing and dancing, and it's refreshing to see a high school movie that eschews gross-out gags and elevates romantic courtship rites. Saw V No stars $30.1 million $30.1 million 1 week Rated: R Running time: 88 minutes What it's about: The gory horror franchise continues as the latest Jigsaw killer works to keep his identity a secret.

Max Payne * 1/2 ( 1 1/2 Stars) $17.6 million $17.6 million 1 week Rated: R Running time: 100 minutes What it's about: Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg, above), a former New York lawman, now the chief librarian of his precinct's cold-case files, chases the most frigid case of all: the murder of his wife and infant child. Our take: You can forgive the slow-mo bullet effects since they're endemic to the genre. What kills Max Payne is that the characters think in slow motion. Beverly Hills Chihuahua * 1/2 ( 1 1/2 Stars)

Beverly Hills Chihuahua What it's about: A spoiled Chihuahua named Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore) gets dognapped and taken to Mexico City, where some newfound friends (including a German shepherd named Delgado) try to help her and her million-dollar Harry Winston collar get home. Rated: PG The scoop: Lots of talking dogs, little of anything else. Grade : * 1/2 ( 1 1/2 STARS) Body of Lies What it's about: Leonardo DiCaprio's (above) deceptively rugged CIA agent masterminds the capture of a new world-class terrorist (Alon Abutbul)