Rockstar Newswire

A great fan-created tour of Max's avatar customization options on YouTube. 8 minutes of character creation using various options just to scratch the surface of what's possible.

After you have tailored a custom Loadout of guns and special abilities and before you step into the hail of bullets on one of Max Payne 3's multiplayer maps, you can create a custom player character with some of the deepest avatar customization yet seen in an online shooter. You can personalize up to six different gang member avatars, each one representing a vicious faction from Max's story - from the Crachá Preto paramilitary of São Paulo to the trigger-happy De Marcos mob family of NYC. And whether you're playing Gang Wars, Payne Killer, Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch, your uniquely customized character can be deployed for action.

Check out the video clip above found on YouTube which offers a nice little guided tour of avatar creation from a fan - and at www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/multiplayer/avatars, you can also preview a sampling of gang faction avatars and options available with choices ranging from gender to hair styles to facial characteristics and tattoos to really add a unique and menacing touch. Select a faction and randomize for a just a sampling of the virtually limitless character results you can create for online war. Find out how to modify some of your faction-specific gear from your custom Loadout, plus check out a selection of new Multiplayer screenshots showing custom-created avatars of the UFE, De Marcos, Punchinellos and more in action.

 
With Max Payne 3's multiplayer avatar system, you can customize your online warrior literally from head to toe.

Previously:
Get a Taste of Max Payne 3’s Multiplayer Loadouts
Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Video: Part 1  Part 2
Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Hands-On Press Round Up
Kotaku Praise Max Payne 3 Multiplayer as 'Essential'
 

In Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, you can create up to five complete player Loadouts that can be customized to make sure you're equipped with the perfect set of Weapons, Bursts, Items and Projectiles for every battle and to suit your playing style. So before heading into Gang Wars, Payne Killer or Deathmatch - you can tailor Loadouts for use with a personal, powerful and strategic combination of weapons and special abilities to switch between on the fly.

Hit up www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/multiplayer/loadout and prep yourself for the battle that begins this week, previewing a taste of the over 80 items at your disposal - from Bursts like Trigger Happy, which drops high powered hardware into your hands when and where you call for it - to Items such as the Gas Mask, which protects you from the effects of Tear Gas (also a Projectile that you can equip your Loadout with).

The Loadout page also shows how each Item and weapon will impact both your stamina and the speed at which your character replenishes health - so you'll have to equip wisely to decide whether you're going to go in with heavy firepower and armored up and armed to the teeth - or equip a lighter-weight Loadout for a nimbler soldier with faster health regen. You'll also find a breakdown of Burst Tiers, showing examples of how individual Bursts ramp up in effectiveness as your adrenaline increases from racking up kills and looting fallen enemies - plus a selection of all-new screens of Loadout Bursts and Items in action.
 

 
Bullet Time®, the signature gunplay mechanic of the Max Payne series, makes its way into Multiplayer.
 

Previously:
CREW UP: Register and Rally Your Crew Now at the All-New Social Club
Watch the Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Gameplay Series Video Part Two
Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Video Part 1
Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Hands-On Press Round Up
Kotaku Praise Max Payne 3 Multiplayer as 'Essential'
 

As promised on Monday during the official reboot of the Rockstar Games Social Club, now is the time to register, recruit and rally your Social Club CREW - or find a solid Crew to join that is poised for absolute domination in Max Payne 3 Multiplayer. Each Crew can also create their own original signature crest using the robust Emblem Editor toolkit. Read on for more detail - or just head over to the SC now to Crew up...

FORM A CREW



That's right, you can now create or join your own rough and tumble CREW in preparation for slaughter in Max Payne 3 Multiplayer. Hit the CREW UP button on your profile page and you can browse Featured Crews looking for recruits or invite your mates to join your ranks to blast through Gang Wars and Team Deathmatch together, racking up XP and starting online Feud beefs come next week. Every Social Club member can belong to up to 5 Crews, so form your allegiances wisely.

All Crew leaders can also designate their squad as a particular type of Crew that best describes their M.O.: All-Stars who consider themselves elite players and strive to hit the upper echelons of the Leaderboards, Soldiers who are in for serious teamwork and killing field success, Rebels out to just kick some ass and make their presence known, Thrill Seekers who prefer mayhem over ranking up and cheevos, and Chatter Boxes for those gregarious socialites of the Social Club we know from official Event chats.

The CREWS page also contains info on the in-game benefits Crew members get in online Multiplayer. You'll receive an XP boost whenever you fight as part of a Crew or battle against rival Crews and their members online. This means you'll effectively unlock bigger and better weapons more quickly than if you're flying solo. And because this feature is linked through the Social Club, you can represent your Crew across PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

CREATE YOUR CREW EMBLEM



Create an original battle crest to be displayed on your Crew's online Multiplayer avatars by crafting a unique emblem with this new and robust customization toolkit. The Emblem Editor is packed with thousands of shapes, colors and icons and tools to create limitless possibilities to properly represent your squad and to intimidate, psyche out or stupefy the competition.

For those who are all thumbs whether it's PhotoShop or MS Paint - no worries - the Emblem Editor is super easy to use and there's a helpful tutorial to step you through it all and get you started. Any Crew member can create and propose an Emblem crest by uploading it to the Crew's gallery, and it's up to the designated Crew leader to issue the seal of approval and assign it to represent the team in online Multiplayer.

FOUNDER CREWS

Any Crew created between now until next week Tuesday May 15th will have the honorable distinction of being a FOUNDER CREW. Members of Founder Crews will have a special two-stripe designation on their in-game Crew tag to let everyone else online know of their O.G. veteran status. We're also planning some other special benefits and perks for members of Founders Crews down the line so please stay tuned for updates and notifications to your Social Club profile.


The time is now - head to the Social Club, and Crew up: http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/crews. Drop a shout in comments to let us and others know what Crew you've joined or created.

Today, the Social Club just got a whole lot more social. We’re proud to announce the launch of a full Rockstar Games Social Club site reboot with totally new features designed to let each of you make your mark as a member of the Rockstar community. The new launch includes custom personal Social Club user profiles, an all-new Friends system with public and direct messaging, the ability to link in and log in with your Facebook and Twitter accounts, Newswire activity and reply notifications and much more - plus coming this Wednesday will be the additional launch of Social Club CREWS where you'll be able to register, create and rally your Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Crew ahead of time. Read on for more detail on today's features launch...

• YOUR SOCIAL CLUB PROFILE PAGE –  Get in there and personalize your own Social Club profile page, complete with status updates, a display of your recent stats and accomplishments across your linked Social Club enabled games, and proper Friend linking with a Wall that updates your Social Club activity and lets you cheer and jeer your mates here at Social Club, as well as easily plan multiplayer sessions or whatever you'd like.

Our ardent Newswire commenters will also notice that you can now click on a Social Club member username in comments, and you'll be transported directly to the profile page of that person. Once CREWS registration launches this Wednesday, you can then recruit one another into Crews to team up for Gang Wars or do battle against one another in Team Deathmatch to be revved up for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer on day one.



• UPDATE YOUR ACTIVITY FEED – Keep tabs on all your Friends latest accomplishments via your real-time activity feed. With the release of Max Payne 3, you'll be able to let Friends know each time you've unlocked a Trophy/Achievement, throw down the gauntlet for a multiplayer session, or see when a friend has added a new soldier to their CREW (come Wednesday). Head to your profile page now at the main Social Club dashboard to get started.

• ADD YOUR FRIENDS – You can search and add Friends that are current Social Club members and also find, import and invite mates from your Facebook, Twitter and gaming accounts too. Whether it's to join you to attend the latest Official Social Club Multiplayer Event or to make sure you've got strength in numbers for your Crew - you can now easily recruit up.

• LINK IN & LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK OR TWITTER – You can also link in and display your other profiles from Facebook and Twitter (as well as your PlayStation Network IDs and XBL Gamertags) direct to your page and starting Wednesday, you'll be able to share Social Club activity from your Wall to those networks. For new members, we’ve even enabled Social Club account creation (and sign-in for existing members) using your Facebook or Twitter username and password.

Get ready for more big Social Club feature updates later this week with the launch of Social Club CREWS coming this Wednesday featuring Crew registration and Emblem Editor to start crafting your team's official crest - keep your eyes peeled to the Newswire for the word...
 

Check out this brand-new selection of Max Payne 3 Action Series digital desktops, backgrounds, avatars and icons - now available for download and added to the backgrounds seen at the game's official site.

This week's set features Max descending into the favelas of São Paulo in his search for Fabiana Branco, a close-up of Max reloading his laser sight equipped PT92 handgun and a hi-res edition of Max wielding the M4 Super 90 as originally seen in our recent Shotguns of Max Payne 3 feature.

Grab these and the previously released backgrounds from the Action Series at the Max Payne 3 official site Downloads section or here at Rockstar Downloads - also including sizes tailored for mobile devices, Twitter backgrounds (1280x1024), and Facebook Covers.







Previously:
Action Series Wallpapers Featuring Dual-Wielding and NY Standoff
Action Series Wallpapers Featuring Kill-Cam, Shootdodge & More

A piece you may have first seen representing part one of our Max Payne 3 multiplayer gameplay video series, "Ambush" is also the first in a new series of artwork inspired by the intense original Multiplayer modes from the game. In this Gang Wars scene, an assault rifle wielding Tropa Z works out his next move as swarming members of the UFE stand over one of his fallen teammate comrades.

Download "Ambush" in the full range of desktop and mobile wallpaper sizes, backgrounds, buddy icons, avatars and Facebook Cover version - all at the Rockstar Games Downloads section or at the Max Payne 3 official site.

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

Previously we debuted our latest Weapons video featuring the brutal force of the shotguns in Max Payne 3. Today, we present the full-on Shotgun weapons feature at the Max Payne 3 official website.

The no-nonsense efficiency of the shotguns can drop an enemy in one clean hit - from the semi-automatic two-handed Super Sport with its gas-reloading mechanism for breathtaking fire, to the dual-wield-able Sawn-Off which can double the damage.

Check out the Weapons widget above and at the feature page at www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/weapons/shotguns - complete with spinnable 360-degree renders of the M4 Super 90 and a selection of new screens.
 

See more weapons from Max Payne 3:
Revolvers: The 608 Bull  I  Rifles: The Mini-30 | SMGs

If you're following us on Twitter, you may have noticed last week that we posted a pic of the work-in-progress hand-painted Max Payne 3 mural being painted on the side of the Figueroa Hotel in downtown L.A.

As you can see in the photo above, the mural has been fully completed featuring a 100 foot tall Max looming large over the City of Angels, flanked by a Brazilian bombshell and one of São Paulo's gun-toting gang members as seen in the game's cover art.

Thanks as well to some of our eagle-eyed fans in the L.A. area who have been snapping and posting pics since it was completed last weekend.