A new Rockstar title is awaited with about as much fervour as the second coming.

Indeed, their efforts over the years with the Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption have been so polished as to suggest supernatural influence.

Not that I’m suggesting that, I’d probably get into trouble..

So you know that Max Payne 3 is going to be quite a piece of software. And it is - shock blimmin horror.

Violent vengeance is high on the agenda, and we’re treated to some brutal gameplay as Maxy pumps evil full of justice, highlighted by some stunning bullet-time.

Highly polished voice-overs and cut scenes are Rockstar’s forte, and they certainly don’t disappoint here, neither do they drop the ball on the multiplayer shenanigans, with a vast array of mini games, with Gang Wars particularly thrilling.

Utterly brilliant. Did you expect anything less?