Max Payne
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Max Payne 3 delayed until late 2010
In a new financial earnings and projection report, Take-Two has dished out news of Max Payne 3's release. The game's been pushed back -- we like to imagine in incredibly slow and dramatic fashion -- to the company's fiscal Q4 2010. In real time, that translates to a three-month period spanning August–October, 2010. The game was previously pegged for an unlikely Winter 2009 release. Based on what we've seen of Max Payne 3 so far, we'd say that bumping back its release is a good move. Max is in serious need of some Jazzercise and a decent dry cleaner, so this extra time will hopefully get him into better shape to handle the countless waves of bad guys he'll be indiscriminately shooting in the face.
Supposedly leaked Max Payne 3 teaser is rad, chronologically unsound
A couple of weeks ago, our attention was turned to a demo reel produced by a commercial sound designer named "Bix," which, no, we imagine is not his Christian name. The reel included a 30 second teaser trailer for Max Payne 3, featuring slow-motion bullets, a mysterious masked woman, appropriately crisp sound design and a highly implausible release window of "Winter 2009." Thinking the video was just a fan project made to bolster an artistic portfolio, we thought little of it. However, the clip's recent disappearance from the aforementioned reel (and its sudden circulation) has caused us to think otherwise. We're still not certain whether the teaser was commissioned by Rockstar, but we do know that it's hot as the sun, and waiting just behind the jump.
Max Payne 3's new environments (and plus-sized hero) previewed
A lot of fans of the Max Payne series have been hesitant to get completely excited about Rockstar's third installment in the series, largely due to the unfamiliar setting of São Paulo, Brazil, and the obvious aesthetic changes undergone by the game's titular anti-hero. Perhaps their fears will be abated by a recent Game Informer preview of the title, which analyzes the big differences between the first two installments and the boldly redesigned threequel. The preview mentions a few intriguing gameplay additions, including improved Bullet Time physics (thanks largely to the implementation of the Euphoria engine), and a cover system, which the game's devs promised would be optional. The article also explains the aforementioned aesthetic shifts. For instance, we learned that this older version of Max Payne isn't actually chubby. His beefier frame can be attributed to muscle, not obesity. That makes sense -- a diet consisting solely of whiskey and painkillers probably isn't loaded with saturated fats. %Gallery-66603%
Lessons from GDC Europe: The 'seven pillars' of a Remedy IP
During his speech at GDC Europe – exhaustively titled "From Max Payne to Alan Wake: Creating Intellectual Properties the Remedy Way" (air!) – Remedy Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne laid out the seven pillars the company uses for its games: 1. Strong Lead Character -- Main character is iconic and easy to get on the surface. Things went wrong when Myllyrinne wanted the Max Payne sequel to simply be called The Fall of Max Payne. The compromised title admittedly didn't work out in the sales department. He didn't mention anything about Rockstar's reimagined Max Payne in the latest sequel. 2. Mainstream approachability -- Avoiding niche and cliché settings (for video games that would mean no WWII setting, dragons, sci-fi, etc.). Having gameplay mechanics that are approachable (low barrier of entry to start playing the game). 3. Cinematic -- Taking lessons learned from movies. The presentation of Max Payne makes this pretty obvious. With Alan Wake the company is focusing on the trinity of the flashlight, Alan himself (see: pillar one), and the gun. This also lead Myllyrinne to an anecdote about presentation, saying "It's not what things are, it's what the audience thinks things are." He mentioned the Ingram gun was made bigger in Max Payne because people expect that gun to be larger than it actually is in real life.
First Max Payne 3 screens look strangely familiar
click for more payne Oh wow, Nathan Drake has really let himself go since the original Uncharted. What's that? Oh, sorry, this is actually Max Payne 3. So anyway, Rockstar has loosed the first screens of the latest game in its gritty, film noir inspired action series. Bruce Willis Max obviously got wrong directions from Google Maps and has ended up in Uncharted 2 -- or is it Resident Evil 5? No, it really is the next Max Payne. Can't say it's really the look we were expecting. How about you? [Thanks, danzaiver!] %Gallery-66603%
Max Payne 3 gets different, older voice actor
We've already seen the new, grizzled face of Max Payne in upcoming sequel Max Payne 3, and found out a few details on the game from Game Informer's preview of the title. More news coming out of July's GI today (via Eurogamer) says that the game's titular character will lose the first two games' voice actor, James McCaffrey, and be replaced by, well, we're not quite sure yet. "We're good at casting," Jeronimo Barrera of the game's developer, Rockstar Games, points out. "All the Max Payne themes will remain intact - manipulation, betrayal, and the stuff that really made Max Payne," art director Rob Nelson backs the decision up with. And so it seems that, while the various themes may stay intact, the main character's look and sound have absolutely changed. Here's hoping Rockstar doesn't change the title to "Minimum Pleasure!"
Max Payne 3 details from Game Informer hit the web
Leaving the gritty film noir New York City of Max Payne and its sequel behind for a more tropical environment (though still a major city), Max Payne's next game takes him to São Paulo, Brazil. According to the latest Game Informer scans from the magazine's July issue cover story, the "disrepute" Mr. Payne has fallen into can be attributed to 12 "lost years" between the events of the first two Paynes and the upcoming game. Rockstar confirmed to Game Informer the addition of multiplayer as well, though -- big surprise! -- the company is keeping mum on too many details regarding whether it'll be co-op, versus, or the always mysterious "something else." For all the details, you'll want to check out the magazine when it hits your mailbox or local brick-and-mortar. [Via VG247]
Whoa! Max Payne is a total slob
Other possible headlines included: Drink Hard: Max Payne grows up to be John McClane Max Stain 3: The Filth of Max Payne or simply: Max Payne throws up all over his shirt, exclusive pics inside So, when we first heard that Rockstar Vancouver's Max Payne 3 would deliver a "more world-weary and cynical" Max, chronicling the "downward spiral of his life" in convenient gameplay format, we balked. "More cynical?" we responded. Of course we now realize that the fool-proof formula for creating a character "more cynical" requires taking already cynical Max Payne and removing all regard for hygiene and physical appearance. Alright, Rockstar. Fair enough. You win on the "more cynical" thing ... now let's see you work this into the gameplay. Maybe a showering minigame? Or escort missions to the dry cleaners. We're just riffin' here ... hey, where are you going?
Max Payne, Fall of Max Payne available now on Xbox Originals
With Max Payne 3 announced, Take-Two's marketing machine better get moving -- we've noirly forgotten the whole seedy epic of insane mobsters and one glorious femme fatale. Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne are both available now on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1200 ($15) apiece -- we're sure, this time. Admittedly, the Xbox price is a bit steep and both games (arguably) play better on PC, so it might be better to wait until Steam has one of its weekend sales to pick up the titles for something like $5 (currently the games are $15 as a bundle on Valve's digital distribution service). But, if Xbox is your only option, feel free to pick up Max, dearest of all our friends. [Thanks, Disco Ball] [Add Max Payne to download queue] [Add Max Payne 2 to download queue]
Max Payne, sequel appear, disappear as Xbox Originals
Like the world's most somber noir ninjas, Max Payne and Max Payne 2 briefly appeared as Xbox Originals before disappearing and leaving no evidence. ... No evidence, that is, except the screen grab we managed to snap before the games' untimely departure from this (now non-working) link. With a sequel in the works and an ESRB reveal, Max's appearance makes perfect sense, we're just assuming someone jumped the gun with the announcement. We've got a call in to Microsoft, we'll let you know what we hear.
American McGee says XBLA, PSN need to evolve
When it comes to digital distribution on consoles, American McGee feels that the model "still has some evolving to do." The game designer -- whose credits include Alice as well as Doom and Quake -- recently told Geek.com that while his ambitious 24-episode experiment Grimm could be ported over to such platforms as Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, the process needs some work before that would happen."Porting this sort of stuff is straightforward," claimed McGee, who added that "the biggest issue" sits with the platforms' content approval and distribution model. XBLA's certification process has long proved a cumbersome hurdle for developers, with McGee noting,"When a single title might take months to get through review and approval (take Braid, as an example), pushing 24 episodes through would translate to years of approval process."McGee is currently spinning his creative wheels on the recently announced sequel to Alice, a property that's also been mentioned in movie circles for some time. The rights currently sit with producer Scott Faye, who was responsible for 2008's big screen take on Max Payne, a film McGee lambasted, saying, "I wasn't able to sit through the entire thing ... I just couldn't connect to the film version." You, sir, were not alone.[Via 1UP]
'Max Payne' & sequel get Xbox 360 listings from ESRB
Before Max Payne turned into a homeless-looking Vin Diesel (pictured center, if you didn't guess) he was a "take no prisoner, nothing to lose" New York detective out for revenge. Now he looks like he takes no showers, amirite?Max Payne was a classic when it hit the PC and, although a lot was left to be desired when it was thrown onto consoles, the Max Payne series shined on the original Xbox among third-person shooters. Searching the original titles on the ESRB website revealed both titles had been rated for the Xbox 360 platform, a process that ordinarily occurs when a game is set to be released as an Xbox Original. File this under: "Taken with a grain of salt," but it's possible Max's previous adventures will be added to the Xbox 360's digital list ... just in time for his latest pill-popping journey this winter.ESRB -- Max PayneESRB -- Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
New Alan Wake details emerge into the cold, hard light of day
We're not quite sure how, considering the media blackout approach that Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment has taken, but Norwegian gaming site Gamer.no sat down for dinner with head of franchise development for Remedy, Oskari Häkkinen, this past week. New details were (unsurprisingly) scant, though we were able to glean a handful of facts from the interview. For instance, the game has, "a lot less action than Max Payne," the studio's last franchise which recently had a current-gen update announced. Aside from an emphasis on story, Mr. Häkkinen says that weather effects will play a role in gameplay, specifically noting (by way of a strange sounding Google translation from Norwegian), "Everything in the game can be influenced by the weather. If you are running the car, run conditions will be worse by heavy rain, than if the weather was good ... the weather is dynamic, since it will influence how you play the game."Furthermore, Mr. Häkkinen tells Gamer.no that, "Lighting is very important in the game, and this is a unique item that really has not been used in the game before on the way we do it." The obvious comparison here would be to last year's conceptually strong Alone in the Dark -- here's hoping Remedy can deliver on the lighting concept where Alone in the Dark more or less failed. So, we officially still know little-to-nothing! We'll keep an eye out for information at E3 2009 in June, but, ya know, we're not holding our breath or anything.[Via IGN]%Gallery-33592%
Max Payne 3 coming to Xbox 360, PS3, PC this winter
For all the things Mark Wahlberg has killed in his life -- The Happening, The Funky Bunch, The Happening Funky Bunch (short-lived kids show, don't ask) -- he's brought at least one thing back to life: The Max Payne series. His non-hit film adaptation will be followed by Max Payne 3, which Rockstar said will arrive in winter of this year on the 360, PS3 and PC. Here's what Rockstar boss Sam Houser had to say about the sequel: "We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game. 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." We think we speak for everyone when we ask this. ... More cynical? Really? Like, is he just stealing candy from babies and choking them to death with the wrappers?
Blu-ray releases on January 20th 2009
Many are more excited about the inauguration than this week's Blu-ray releases, but there are a few good movies. The most interesting to us Universal's The Express, but then again we're a sucker for football movies. Next up is Max Payne, which looks fun, but has a really bad IMDB score of 5.6. Just about every studio has at least a few movies this week, but another worth mentioning is a catch-up title for Blu-ray from Universal in the way of King Kong. Next week is about the same with one hot day-and-date like Pride and Glory and a few great catalogues like The Bourne Collection. The Express (Universal) King Kong (Universal) Max Payne (Fox) Antwone Fisher (Fox) UnfaithfuL (Fox) 13 Going on 30 (Sony) The Pink Panther (Sony) Amusement (Warner) Domino (Warner) The Notebook (Warner) Poison Ivy 4: The Secret Society (Warner) Repo! The Genetic Opera (Lionsgate) Saw V (Lionsgate) Election (Paramount) The Deal (Peach Tree Trinity) El Norte (Criterion) Henry Poole Is Here (Starz/Achor Bay) Igor (MGM)
Max Payne movie ready to come home Jan. 20
The Max Payne movie is expected to slo-mo dive into retail January 20, 2009, reports HighDefDigest. The film, starring Mark Wahlberg, shot up the box office when it first opened and eventually grossed $40 million in domestic ticket sales.The film will be available on Blu-ray and DVD. No word yet if the director commentary will cover the "fundamental story flaws" between the movie and the game.[Via Big Download]
3D Realms finds 'fundamental flaws' in Payne movie
Max Payne has an emotionless face not even his own mother loves. 3D Realms CEO Scott Miller, whose studio produced the Max Payne games, has added his voice to the mass of critics showing displeasure with the film adaptation. Speaking to Edge, Miller said, "There are several fundamental story flaws ... in the film that have me shaking my head in bewilderment."We don't want to spoil any plot points for the three or four of you out there still wanting to see it, but Miller opines (negatively) about the portrayal of Payne, Beau Bridge's character B.B. and the drug lord Lupin, as well the structure of the narrative -- specifically, not showing that Payne is driven by the death of his family until well into the movie. "Saving this scene until mid-film is a narrative blunder, because the audience needs to empathize with Max in order to like him and understand what drives him," he said. Despite some (very valid) complaints, Max Payne topped this past weekend's box office. Meanwhile, we're still trying to empathize with Miller while waiting for any snippets of Duke Nukem Forever to arise.
Max Payne movie tops box office
Estimates for this week's box office have Max Payne (the movie) grossing $18 million during its opening weekend. Reuters reports that Marky Mark Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg's take on the (seemingly) constipated detective capped Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which slipped to the #2 spot with $11.2 million.It appears director John Moore's fight for the film's PG-13 rating was well placed and he can laugh at all the critic's negative reviews while he counts his money. Wonder if this guarantees a Max Payne 2: Fall of Max Payne sequel?
Rumor: New Alan Wake trailer to debut before Max Payne -- in Finland
Remedy is making Alan Wake; Remedy made Max Payne; Remedy is Finnish. The website Pelaajalehti is – along with being nigh-impossible to pronounce – also Finnish, and reports that a new trailer for the long lost Xbox 360 adventure of Mr. Wake will debut before a special preview screening of the Max Payne feature film in – you guessed it – Finland on October 15.Last we heard, Remedy was apologizing for Alan Wake's tardiness, no-show status at E3, and general air of vaporware. Now, we can understand wanting to play to your home crowd, but how about a little love for those of us who don't exactly fancy ice swimming and Karjalanpiirakka?[Via X3F]
Rumor: Max Payne 3 in development at Rockstar Toronto
According to CVG, Xbox 360 World magazine claims that Max Payne 3 is currently in development internally within Rockstar at its studio in Toronto, Canada. Responsible for the fan favorite beat-em-up The Warriors, Rockstar Toronto would be taking the reigns from Remedy - who is currently working (we hope) on the Microsoft exclusive Alan Wake. Details on the rumor are scarce as a release date, let alone an announcement date, has been set. We wouldn't be surprised if this rumor were true considering the credits of the Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PC version only) proclaim, "Max Payne's journey through the night will continue." According the Rockstar career page, Rockstar Toronto is seeking experienced Xbox 360 and PS3 programmers, so we know something for this generation is planned. Take Two has yet to respond to Joystiq's request for a comment on the rumor. [via Joystiq]
