Check out some hands-on impressions of Max Payne 3 that have hit within the last week - from PC Gamer, The Guardian and Vox Games:

"It's easy to be impressed with the style and detailing, but it's not until you actually take control of Max that Rockstar's work begins to really sparkle... There were concerns that a cover system could rip the heart out of Max's up 'n at 'em carnage, but here it’s just a small part of your arsenal. You'll be able to hunker down for a brief moment of respite, plan an attack and maybe pop a few bad guys before flinging yourself back into action, but you won't be able to clear a room from behind a wall without being blitzed. Enemies move in smart flanking movements to flush you out of your position. The trained paramilitaries, in particular, are far more tactical than the wild, suicidal guerillas... On this evidence, Rockstar has Max Payne 3's action nailed." - The Telegraph

"...my favorite part of Max Payne is the moment before I storm a room, when I’m plotting who I’ll take out first, where I’ll take cover, and when I’ll activate the series’ signature slow-mo 'bullet time' for the deadly conclusion. It’s like I’m a film director with the power to choreograph and execute absurdly challenging action scenes on the fly... I’m the conductor of a big gory symphony, and the Euphoria engine’s procedural animations are my musicians. Enemies tumble over railings, Max braces his falls, and every bullet jerks and contorts its victim." - PC Gamer

"It's this drive for realism that leaves every moment of Max Payne 3 feeling unlike any other shooter I've played… That was made clear to me when, trying to be ultra fancy, I took a running dive down a flight of steps in a South American soccer stadium while surrounded by gun-toting mercs. Mid-way through the dive, Max's adrenaline (what powers his signature bullet time), ran out and he came tumbling to earth in a flailing mess… I was thrilled. I had never seen such a realistic tumble down a flight of steps in a video game before. Hell, it felt like I had slipped. My back ached just watching it. Max didn't die, but he was worse for wear, clutching his own back. We bonded over our mutual anguish." - Vox Games (The Verge)