Rockstar Newswire

Update: The event and sweepstakes have ended. Thanks to everyone that joined in, whether you were watching, chatting, playing or just entering the sweepstakes...

The Spring calendar of Social Club multiplayer events heats up this month with a double dose for PSN, beginning Thursday April 5th with an afternoon of Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition from 4-7PM Eastern, and continuing in two weeks on Friday April 20th with Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition in the same time slot.

Hope to see everyone on both days, but first things first: the GTAIV event. We'll have a live video stream on the multiplayer events page, and you can also join in the chat and enter to win one of 20 prize packs. Winners will receive a t-shirt, GTAIV license plate and a bunch of stickers – all delivered to your doorstep.

We'll begin the event in GTAIV and later switch over to The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, about an hour for each. We recommend staying in the chatroom on the multiplayer events page while playing so you'll be able to let us know your IDs. Any version of GTAIV or the episodes will be compatible with us, so don't worry if you don't own the Complete Edition. PlayRockstar12 will be in original Grand Theft Auto IV multiplayer for the entire event for those that don't have the episodes.

Read on for further details for the afternoon of GTA multiplayer action...

OFFICIAL ROCKSTAR PSN IDs
Participating PlayStation Network Rockstar Games IDs for this day will be:

• PlayRockstar10
• PlayRockstar11
• PlayRockstar12
• PlayRockstar13

Only add one PSN ID to your friends list to play. If you have a different version than the Complete Edition disc for Grand Theft Auto IV, no worries as you will be compatible with us.

Hit the jump for more details...

Hats off to the group of Max Payne fans over at NeoGAF who've been busy at work creating these action-oriented animated GIFs culled from shots taken from the Max Payne 3 video content released to date.
While of course a bit choppy as animated GIFs tend to be, they're a nice little distillation of some short-burst, explosive moments and details you may have missed. Here's just a few.
 

The pistol whip is another close quarters melee strike, setting up the kill. (Uploaded by JaseC.)

Kicking an enemy is just one of a few melee attacks, and is mapped to the shoot button so you have control during the finishing shot. (Uploaded by Social Club's own keltickennedy.)

Hit the jump to see a few more (caution to your browser as these get pretty heavy)

As promised yesterday, here's a barrage of hands-on previews of Max Payne 3's multiplayer that have hit the web today...

"You're pinned behind a bus in a São Paulo transit depot, with a half-dozen mercenaries ready to wipe you from the face of the Earth the second you peek your head past the headlights. You keep still, planning your next move, when out of nowhere some lunatic flings himself from a second-story window and manages to shoot every single one of those armed thugs before he even hits the ground. Immediately upon impact, he pops up as if to say, "I'm good!" and then proceeds to loot each of his victims like a ravenous hobo. Right now that guy might look like the craziest man on the planet, but he's also your teammate. And he just saved your life. Welcome to the delightfully chaotic world of Max Payne 3 multiplayer." - GameSpot

http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/previews/spending-bullet-time-with-friends-max-payne-3-multiplayer-6368622/

"I had gone into my multiplayer hands-on session expecting an amusing ancillary mode to Max Payne 3's single-player campaign, but what I found was something as robust as any other multiplayer shooter in the genre. If Max's return was a big deal before, it should now be a lot bigger." - Vox Games

http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/3/29/2909581/max-payne-3-multiplayer-bullet-time-boosts-and-crews-explained

"The battles in Gang Wars are tied to key story moments, offering additional color to plot points in Max Payne 3's story, fleshing out what might have happened before or after Max Payne visited the favelas or docks in the game's version São Paulo. There's fiction and even voiceover woven into this multiplayer pillar of Max Payne 3, which may be enlightening to those who get sucked into the drama of the campaign." - GameTrailers

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/2012/03/29/max-payne-3-multiplayer-hands-on-rockstar-brings-bullet-time-bursts-of-brilliance-to-deathmatch/

"When it comes to Rockstar - kings of the story game - there's never any compromise. Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV - these were two of the biggest, best story games of a generation and they're both complemented by genuinely innovative, genuinely different multiplayer modes. So it is with Max Payne 3." - CVG

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/341930/previews/max-payne-3-4-hours-with-rockstars-seriously-impressive-multiplayer/

"Rockstar is on to something truly interesting here... you’ll almost certainly be shoot-dodging across your couch to get into a Payne Killer or Gang Wars match as quickly as possible." - Official Xbox Magazine

http://www.oxmonline.com/max-payne-3-multiplayer-hands-preview

Of course, we'll keep you updated on more previews as they hit.

We kicked off the brand new multiplayer events calendar in style on Friday March 8th with an afternoon of Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition on PSN. Thanks to everyone that entered the sweepstakes, played in-game and hung out on the Social Club multiplayer events page to chat and watch the live video stream.

Social Club member The_Duckmaster is the Grand Prize winner from the event, who will soon receive two hand-painted, custom Red Dead PS3 controllers. And congrats to all 20 runner-ups who will each get a Red Dead t-shirt, deck of playing cards and an assortment of stickers: gabe2121, Darkk_Desperado, Musicman5150, Illusion24, lewis74, icg665, enricky559, DC6100355, hellofahat, Sepeli, SAV-UK, Pat723, chaseoquinn, SmellyBadger, 1337Pilot, alleykt123, UltimateWatson, MarTechnologies, RUSTYAVC and Thunder_Passion.

Cheers to everyone who played online in a day full of action - including an epic Free Roam session when RedDeadDev3 led a posse into a Gang Hideouts battle, filling the area with bloody gunfights, explosions, and absolute annihilation of the enemy bandits (thanks to posse members Kingz4Life04, Christobell46, vince_123, beastfin, alex2071, Brink-2-Chaos, GM-Shenmue and others). You can see that particular posse in effect at around the 17-minute mark in the below video. Also a shout to marcopius, X_P_KILLER___ and  jakeman143 who duked it out with RedDeadDev3 over who got to push the mine cart during the Walton's Gold cooperative mission. Good stuff.

A special thanks goes out to longtime Social Club multiplayer event participant GM-Shenmue for his capture of over 40 minutes of gameplay from the event for everyone to enjoy on YouTube:

And GTALAD4EVA even recorded the entire event stream if you'd like to watch how it all went down. Thank you as always for the support, guys.

Have a look below for a few screens we put together to show off some of the memorable moments from the afternoon:

Again, check out the Spring calendar of multiplayer events for a look at what's to come, including the first dates for Max Payne 3, releasing this May for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

In addition to the scheduled multiplayer events that have a chat, video stream and sweepstakes, we also play multiplayer games about once a week, and the only way you'll know when we're getting online is to follow us on Google+, Twitter or Facebook. . If we're playing on PC we'll obviously also let everyone know on our new Steam profile page.

Hit the jump for a full list of the brilliant people that participated in the multiplayer event on March 8th.

Update: The event, sweepstakes and Triple XP have ended. Thanks to everyone that joined in.

Starting Friday March 23rd - and lasting all weekend - you'll be able to bag yourself some multiplayer Triple XP in Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Triple XP is available in original Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare too.

It all begins at 4pm Eastern Friday March 23rd with the Xbox LIVE Social Club multiplayer event when we'll be taking you all on in the latest of our Spring calendar events. Load up your Mausers and sharpen your Throwing Knives - time to posse up and roam the west from 4-7pm Eastern.

During the afternoon you can enter the random drawing to win two custom Red Dead Xbox 360 controllers, plus 20 runners-up will win prize packs. Each prize pack includes a Rockstar t-shirt, Red Dead playing cards and a bunch of stickers. Just enter your details under 'Sweepstakes Entry' on the multiplayer events page during the afternoon for your chance to grab some goods.

As always, we'll also have a live video stream of the event and active chat on the same page so you can tune in and talk to us even if you're not playing.

Here's a list of the Gamertags you'll need to add and details on how to get in on a game with us. We look forward to seeing you out there.

OFFICIAL ROCKSTAR GAMERTAGS

• RedDeadDev3 (Live video streaming)
• RedDeadDev4
• RedDeadDev5
• RedDeadDev6

Hit the jump for details on Free Roam, how to form a posse and more...

 

This week's addition to our Max Payne 3 Original Artwork series is 'Reckoning' - featuring Max in a very momentary state of contemplation under the dark skies of São Paulo, following a ransom exchange gone wrong at the soccer stadium.

This bloodied and battered successor to 'Transfer Deadline' can be had in the full range of desktop and mobile wallpaper sizes, backgrounds, buddy icons, avatars and even a Facebook Cover version - all at the Rockstar Games Downloads section or at the Max Payne 3 official site.

Previously:
Max Payne 3 Original Artwork: "Transfer Deadline"
Max Payne 3 Original Artwork: "Downpour" 
 

Presenting "Visual Effects and Cinematics", the latest video in the Max Payne 3 Design and Technology Series.

This video showcases numerous techniques utilized in Max Payne 3, including seamless transitions from cutscenes to gunplay, highly interactive environments based on real world research and an unparalleled level of detail to create a uniquely cinematic and engaging action experience.

Check it out above and see it in high definition at the Rockstar Games Videos page or at the official Max Payne 3 website, along with other videos in the Design and Technology Series.

Today at the Max Payne 3 official website, explore a confidential dossier lifted from the files of the special police task force known as the UFE (Unidade de Forças Especiais) on Fabiana Branco -  beautiful trophy wife of wealthy São Paulo business man Rodrigo Branco and like many of the city's super rich elite, a high risk kidnapping target.

The UFE's files highlight a checkered past that includes a criminal record, substance abuse and a list of high-profile former lovers she has left in her wake.

Explore the full file here as well as a selection of brand new screenshots featuring the glamorous Mrs. Branco at www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/characters_and_gangs/fabiana.
 

Previously:
The Comando Sombra Gang File