Despite only getting to experience Max Payne for the first time earlier this year I still found it to be a game that has stuck with me. I don’t know if it’s the fun and exciting gameplay that still holds up today or if its the spellbinding and enthralling comic book style cutscenes that really left an effect on me but all I can say is that I understand why people who initially played Max Payne back in 2001 still hold it in such high regard.
Despite having heard of the franchise and being a huge fan of Remedy‘s projects that came prior to their two Max Payne games, namely Alan Wake and Control it wasn’t a game that ever really struck me as a “need to play” title. I imagine that was in no small part down to the fact that the gaming circles I found myself in really had no interest in titles outside of the heavy-hitting console blockbusters like Call of Duty and Halo.
After building my first PC earlier this year I found myself wanting to experience all the titles on PC I hadn’t gotten a chance to look at up until now and with the original Max Payne and Max Payne 2 being on sale I decided to pick them up.
Max Payne also happened to be my first experience of getting acquainted with the idea of downloading fixes and workarounds for games that were obviously not designed with the power of modern-day PCs in mind. However, despite the few issues I had initially, once resolved I found myself thrown into a world of mystery, horror, grief and action. Max Payne embodied the spirit and drama of the early 2000s spy and rogue vigilante cop flicks. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the story itself was engaging, simple and satisfying and I still have the main theme composed by Kärtsy Hatakka and Kimmo Kajasto stuck in my head as I think about the game now!
With the game turning 20 this year I found myself fanning over Remedy‘s Twitter account today as they posted videos celebrating the milestone and discussing fond memories they had of the games throughout the years that up until recently I had no tie to. Despite this, I found myself grinning uncontrollably when James McCaffrey and Sam Lake took to Twitter to record a short video thanking all the fans over the years, with Sam even dawned the iconic leather jacket from the original game!
Happy 20th birthday, Max Payne, from @SamLakeRMD (Max Payne), James McCaffrey (Max Payne), and a familiar leather jacket. 🧥🎂
Happy anniversary to everyone at Remedy, @RockstarGames, @3DRealms, and to all of you who love the game. Let's celebrate using the hashtag #MaxPayne20! pic.twitter.com/8PYua4D8HI
— Remedy Entertainment (@remedygames) July 23, 2021
As was the case with many games in the last 18 months Max Payne helped me to switch off for a few hours each night as I was transported into a gripping world created by the fantastic team at Remedy Entertainment.
If you haven’t played Max Payne yet and are interested in giving it a shot (which I’d highly recommend) you can pick up a copy of the timeless third-person shooter today on Steam for only €3.49!
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