Max is back. It feels good to type those words, especially in light of how long Rockstar went dark on Max Payne 3 following our cover story. The dormant period even caused some to speculate that the game was destined for development hell. Fear not, readers – Max Payne 3 is real, and I’ve seen it being played thanks to a recent Rockstar demo session. Not only is it real, it’s shaping up to be one of my most anticipated titles of next year.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was one of my favorite games of this generation. Taking a cast of indelible characters through a thrilling adventure packed with jaw-dropping set pieces, it was a masterwork of video games as pure entertainment. Sure, BioShock might have had more on its mind, but with Uncharted 2 Naughty Dog delivered a perfect piece of pop fun.

Uncharted 2 raised the stakes for this franchise, setting an almost impossibly high bar for its successor to live up to. I’m happy to report that it does not disappoint.