Max Payne, Max Payne wherefore art thou, Max Payne?
Wow, that’s a title that’s been lost in developmental Hell for a while now, right? I mean, its no Duke Nukem, but its we’re balls deep into this generation with nary a whisper of Max. But, why the buzz for this franchise, still? I mean, I loved the first game. Loved it. And then it spawned a bazillion cheap knock-offs and a lame, lame sequel. For me, the franchise is 50/50… or if you count the shit movie with Mark Wahlberg, its 1 outta 3. Not a sure thing.
And yet, when this thing hit the ‘net, it made headlines…
I’ve already seen a couple of websites use the phrase “return to form” with these screenshots, seemingly based on the fact that Max is wearing his coat and tie from part 1 again. Um… yeah, he’s got a coat and a gun, I’ll give you that. Says nothing of gameplay though, so lets not take that gun and jump it, okay guys?
But, that said, I don’t see anything wrong with the design either, so there’s a start, at least. No obvious failures in the showcased .02% of the game represented here. Kudos.
The question remains, can the franchise show evolution into the next generation, LATE next-gen for that matter, and still capture the fun of the original title? Well, that’s the challenge for every franchise, really, yearning to stay familiar, yet fresh, amid so many new gaming options.
No release date set yet for Max Payne 3, but of course, we’ll let you know when that changes.
