There's a good reason that helicopters featured so prominently into the latest Max Payne 3 trailer, and it's not just because "super rich people have helicopters." Alright, well, that's part of the reason, but helicopters are apparently extra prevalent in Sao Paolo, Brazil -- the setting for at least part of Max Payne 3 -- and the devs at Rockstar discovered this while touring the city by air. As it turns out, since traffic is a huge problem in the Brazilian megacity, rich folks have taken to helicopters as a main means of travel. Oh, also, there are motorcycle gangs that take advantage of the traffic, making it extra dangerous. Sounds like a good excuse to become a helicopter pilot! Max will apparently be wrestling with the wealth disparity he discovers in Brazil -- a reality he feels uncomfortable with regardless of what continent he's on.

And when those devs were looking for an authenticity-filled nightclub experience, they hobnobbed their way into exclusive nightclubs like the "rooftop lounge scene at the chic Hotel Unique," as well as pushing their way into parties along Avenue Morumbi. Per the trailer, we're gonna guess that the Rockstar devs didn't extend that same search for realism to allowing themselves to be kidnapped by one of Sao Paolo's many street gangs, but in the interest of their safety, we're keen to let that one slide.

Today's info dump is the second in an ongoing research series that the developer is publishing in the lead up to this May's launch of MP3. Rockstar offered Joystiq an early look at several comparison shots ahead of a worldwide premier later today on the company's own newswire website, which we've dropped into a perusable gallery just below.