In a somewhat surprising announcement, Take-Two has today revealed that long suffering New York cop Max Payne will be returning this winter, with Max Payne 3 heading for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

It’s been almost six years since we were last in Max’s wingtips, diving in slow motion through a film noir plot as dark and twisted as a liquorice lace which also packed a wicked sense of humour – few will forget the explosive Captain Baseball Bat Boy suit one of your enemies donned towards the end of the second game, only to meet an untimely and hilarious end.

Since then Max has also made it to the big screen in a (pretty naff) movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, but this is the first official announcement of the much-awaited third game.The story for the coming third game will apparently find Max in a city far from his native New York, dealing with a whole new set of problems and baddies with the familiar mix of slow-mo and gunplay.

Other than the title and the image of an older, more grizzled (and of course, blood splattered) Max details are thin on the ground right now though, with developer Rockstar Vancouver staying predictably tight lipped.

Are you pleased with the return of Max Payne? Care to hazard a guess at the game’s new location? Or has slow motion bullet-time just been done to death? Whatever you think, let us know in the forums.