Max Payne has three faces. In the first game, writer Sam Lake provided a now infamous grimace for the character. In the sequel he was replaced by chiselled soap opera actor Timothy Gibbs. Finally, in Max Payne 3, Rockstar used the face of longtime voice actor James McCaffrey. The resonant, whisky-soaked voice of McCaffrey has been a welcome constant in the series, but the countenance of everybody's favourite revenge-obsessed cop is ever changing. Three games, one character, three faces, one voice.
This week it was announced that Rockstar and Remedy are teaming up to remake Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. Remedy is using its in-house Northlight engine, which means both games will, presumably, be getting a major visual overhaul. Personally, I love the games as they are. They may have aged quite a bit, but the art direction transcends their technical shortcomings. From the blizzard-battered streets of New York to the Address Unknown funhouse, these are great looking video games.
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I love the idea of revisiting the series' bleak, apocalyptic vision of NYC with all the advanced lighting, shadows, and atmosphere Northlight has proven itself to be more than capable of. Control is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. However, at this point we don't know what kind of remake it'll be. The games could be rebuilt from the ground up, like the upcoming Dead Space remake. Or they could take them as they exist now and retro-fit them with modern visual effects, similar to GTA: The Trilogy.
Either way, they simply must keep his weird face. One of the best things about the original Max Payne is how, despite being a dark crime story full of murder, drugs,
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