Max Payne 3 is set in the slums and high-rolling cities of São Paulo, Brazil. To truly get a feel for the land and its society, Rockstar developers and researchers traveled to the heart of the city to study its law-enforcement branches, its extensive weapons collection and to track down local casting, the Rockstar newswire reads. São Paulo has become infamous for its favelas, gang violence and illegal trafficking, perhaps because it's all set against such a lush, photogenic landscape.
It appears the Rockstar team watched a few documentaries that take advantage of São Paulo's dark beauty, as it's able to name-drop such titles as Favela Rising and Bus 174. So, we're sure the devs were completely prepared for the reality of São Paulo's slums.