Rockstar Games has once again teamed up with legendary game developers Remedy Entertainment to breathe new life into the two first neo-noir first-person shooter Max Payne games. The first two titles in the Max Payne series are relics of the then-new Millenium, having been released in 2001 and 2003, respectively. While Max Payne and Max Payne 2 were written primarily by Remedy Entertainment, Rockstar Studios may be more involved with the remakes.
This wouldn’t be the first time Rockstar Studios was actively involved in the writing process behind a beloved Max Payne title. In fact, 2012’s third installment of the popular first-person shooter was written primarily by Rockstar Studios’ Sam Houser. Rockstar’s increased involvement in the development of Max Payne 3 infused the series with new ideas as well as taking it to a new setting. While the two projects in development at the moment are all but confirmed to be pure remakes of the originals, it would make sense for Rockstar Studios to be involved in the development and publication, given how successful their games have been of late.
The remakes will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Unfortunately, presumably due to the increased performance demands of the Northlight engine being used to develop the games, it’s unlikely that either title will be available on previous-generation consoles such as the PS4. We haven’t been given a date for the release yet, but since Remedy Entertainment has relatively easy access to the source material of Max Payne and Max Payne 2, the game shouldn’t be in development for too long. Rockstar is also expected to release the games as a bundle.
There’s another word other than remake that is being used to describe this fresh Max Payne project; Remaster. Unfortunately, Rockstar’s Involvement in the Max Payne Definitive Editions, if you will, might throw up some red flags given how poorly the initial releases of the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Editions were executed. The other issue surrounding this project is that Max Payne largely fell into obscurity due to the ‘monotonous gameplay’ in the series’ third installment. Given that these two games are both remasters of the original titles, there wouldn’t be a reason to expect any fresh gameplay or new storylines for the aging titular protagonist.
Only time will tell how well the remasters will be received by fans. While long-time fans of the franchise or enthusiasts of early first-person shooters might rejoice at the news, the games aren’t expected to revolutionize the series or take it in a new direction. We love Rockstar Games and Remedy Entertainment, though, and hope that the project goes well. If you want our thoughts on another Rockstar-staple, why not read our expert review of GTA V?
