ESRB has put up listings which suggest that Max Payne and Max Payne 2 are headed to the Xbox 360. This may refer to either a release through Xbox Live Arcade or through downloadable Xbox Originals, seeing as how the shooters are playable on the console through backwards compatibility.

It is also in time for Max Payne 3, which was announced by Rockstar just some time ago. The second sequel arrives this winter on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Confirming endless rumors and speculation, Rockstar Games today officially announced Max Payne 3.

Being developed by Rockstar Vancouver, the game will feature a now-retired Payne who still cannot escape the world of violence we saw in the first two games.

"We’re starting a new chapter of Max’s life with this game," said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. "This is Max as we’ve never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation."

The game will include a new city, seeing as how he left New York behind after the events of Max Payne 2. It is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this winter.

Some new gameplay footage from Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is now available, highlighting the game’s “dealing and delivering.”

The game is due out on DS on March 17.

The first Grand Theft Auto 4 episode was delayed for quite a while, but it appears that the second episode will be on time, as Take-Two revealed that the DLC is part of its lineup before the end of its fiscal year – October 31, 2009.

It will be the second episode exclusive to the Xbox 360 version of the game. Microsoft paid quite a bit of money to buy exclusivity rights for the DLC. The first has already sold records on Xbox Live, and the second can only add to that.

Rockstar Games has officially announced the first details of the first downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto 4. It will not be released this holiday season, but now has a definite release date – February 17, 2009.

Dubbed “The Lost and Damned”, the DLC will introduce a new character and feature a plot that intersects with the main storyline of the original game. It will also include new multiplayer modes, weapons, music, vehicles and more.

No pricing was announced, but four screenshots were released.

Rockstar has revealed some details on the video editor that will be included in the upcoming PC edition of Grand Theft Auto 4 due out this December. There are screenshots and videos of the movie editor on the game’s website, showing how you will be able to splice together in-game movies, add ittles, transitions and music to your own GTA film.

The studio even offers some sample machinima movies set in Liberty City, showing off various activities including driving, shooting and spying on girls. You will be able to upload your own clips and view others’ movies on Rockstar’s Social Club once the game launches.

Eurogamer reports that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will features four of the five neighborhoods presented in GTA 4. All boroughs except Alderney will be present in the game.

The site also notes that the game will have a PDA with a GPS system for keeping track of missions and navigating the streets of Liberty. The touchscreen will be used for this, along with radio and controls for talking to people.

Additionally, the camera can be rotated through a full 360 degrees, despite the game being played from a top-down perspective.

Chinatown Wars is due out in Spring 2009 exclusively on DS.

Looking to talk smack and put down game developers? You’ll get your chance soon, as Rockstar and Microsoft are hosting an event for Midnight Club: Los Angeles, the recently released racer, on November 16.

Starting from 4 and lasting till 7pm EST, you’ll get your chance against a group of Rockstar developers. Also, from 7-9pm EST, you will also have the chance to race against MURS, an LA-based rapper.

With the year nearing its end, Grand Theft Auto 4 producer Dan Houser revealed that the promised Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable content may not be released this year despite persistent statements and rumors.

"I’m not sure. It’s going well. But we don’t know a date," he said, adding that they are still “figuring out a few things” and that they are “more focused on quality than dates.”

The first of two downloadable expansion packs for the game had previously been expected to launch this fall. Houser notes that they hope to announce a release date in the coming weeks.

Following rumors that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV may be receiving more than the two formally announced exclusive pieces of downloadable content, Rockstar set the record straight, stating that there are no plans to release any more content for either version.

The company recently delayed the game to sometime next year. This has pushed back the second content pack, which is now expected in 2009.

In related news, MCV claims that sources close to Take-Two has told them that the game will be released in the UK on April 25, though it is yet to be confirmed.

It appears that the BBFC does NOT want Manhunt 2 to be released in the UK. The ratings board has applied for a judicial review of the recent VAC decision that allowed the game to be classified. Here’s the deal:

The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgement because in the Board’s view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act. The VAC judgement, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board’s decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence. If the VAC’s decision is suspended, then the game will not be classified before the outcome of the Judicial Review.

Though the game was released in the US this Halloween, Manhunt 2 is yet to be released on the other side of the pond as BBFC still denied the title a classification. However, the regulations board has considered an appeal by Rockstar to take a look at the game once more. Their judgment will be carried out soon, they note in the press release.

“The BBFC exercises great vigilance and care in ensuring that all violent games which are submitted to us are correctly classified. Our decisions are based on published guidelines, which are the result of very wide public consultation. The Board also provides very full content information to the public, including parents, about the videogames which it classifies. We recently launched a new website for parents, PBBFC, in addition to the main website and our websites for children and students.

“The BBFC twice rejected Manhunt 2 for its focus on varied and cumulative killings. We recognize that rejection is a very serious step, in which the desire of publishers to market their games, and that of gamers to buy them, must be balanced against the public interest, including the full range of possible harm risks to vulnerable individuals and to any children who may be wrongly exposed to such games. Such balancing judgements are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.

The Board recognizes that the available research findings on the effects of video games (including positive as well as harmful effects) are varied and contested. But we continue to believe that a broad approach to the possible risks is needed, which goes beyond purely behavioural harm, and which also takes account of other possible effects on the sensibilities and attitudes of individuals.”

In a surprise move, Rockstar Games has announced that it will release its Table Tennis game for the Wii this Fall. Previously exclusive to the Xbox 360, the game is being developed by Rockstar Leeds in collaboration with Rockstar San Diego and will make use of the motion-sensitive Wii remote.

“Ever since we released Table Tennis, fans have been asking us to create a Wii version,” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “By bringing Table Tennis to the Wii and utilizing the motion-sensitive Wii Remote, a new audience can now experience a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down.”

No other information or media were released.

Speaking to Game Politics, industry analyst Michael Pachter commented that Rockstar’s school life adventure game Bully won’t be receiving a sequel. The reason? Sluggish sales. The game sold over 800,000 units, and even though that’s quite a lot, it cost Take-Two close to $15 million in R&D, implying that they “did no better than to break even.”

If what he says becomes true (the “no sequel” part) then Bully would be the only Rockstar property not to get a follow up. Those who played Bully will tell you how great a game it is, including the critics. So, it’d seem stupid not to create a sequel. Let’s hope Take-Two sanctions a sequel for us fans and not just look at the money.

Our favorite lunatic, Jack Thompson, had sent out a mass-email to various news outlets, stating his plans to protest the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Apparently, he will take “various means to prohibit” the sale of the game to minors, but most surprisingly, he specifically targeted Bill Gates: “Please have your lawyers [Microsoft chairman Bill Gates', that is] contact me in order that such sales will be prevented.”

He also added: “I and others will endeavor to stop Microsoft from participating in any fashion, directly or indirectly, in such sales to minors.”

Grand Theft Auto IV is slated for release this October on both PS3 and Xbox 360.