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Max Payne
File:Max Payne logo.jpg
Genre(s)Third-person shooter
Developer(s)Remedy Entertainment (2001-2003)
Rockstar Studios (2012-present)
Publisher(s)Rockstar Games
Creator(s)Sam Lake
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
First releaseMax Payne
July 23, 2001
Latest releaseMax Payne 3
May 15, 2012

Max Payne is a video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment (the original game and Max Payne 2) and Rockstar Studios (Max Payne 3). The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York City police officer turned vigilante.[1] The series' first and second installments were written by Sam Lake, while Max Payne 3 was primarily written by Rockstar Studios' Vice President, Dan Houser.

The first game of the series, Max Payne was released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows and in 2002 for Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Apple Macintosh; a special version of the game was also released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. A sequel entitled Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne was released in 2003 for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Windows. In 2008, a movie adaption, loosely based on the original game, entitled Max Payne was released, distributed by 20th Century Fox, starred by Mark Whalberg and Mila Kunis in the roles of Max Payne and Mona Sax (respectively). Max Payne 3 was developed by Rockstar Studios and released on May 15, 2012 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and on June 1, 2012 for Windows.[2][3][4][5]

The franchise is notable for its use of "bullet time" in action sequences. The series has achieved varying levels of success. Max Payne, Max Payne 2 and Max Payne 3 were well received by critics, although the first sequel's sales were considered underwhelming.[6][7] As of 2011, the Max Payne franchise has sold over 7.5 million copies.[8] The film rendition, which featured Mark Wahlberg as Payne, was the opposite, in that it received harsh criticism and was given negative reviews but was commercially successful.[9]

Games

Aggregate review scores
As of December 25, 2011.
Game GameRankings Metacritic
Max Payne (PC) 89.24%[10]
(Xbox) 85.95%[11]
(PS2) 79.81%[12]
(GBA) 79.68%[13] 		(PC) 89[14]
(Xbox) 89[15]
(PS2) 80[16]
(GBA) 78[17]
Max Payne 2 (PC) 88.52%[18]
(Xbox) 85.75%[19]
(PS2) 76.64%[20] 		(PC) 86[21]
(Xbox) 84[22]
(PS2) 73[23]
Max Payne 3 (PS3) 86.44%[24]
(PC) 85.67%[25]
(X360) 84.75%[26] 		(PS3) 87[27]
(PC) 87[28]
(X360) 86[29]

Max Payne

Main article: Max Payne

Renegade DEA agent and former NYPD officer Max Payne attempts to hunt down the ones responsible for murdering his wife and child, as well as framing him for the murder of his partner, Alex Balder. As the story unfolds he gains a number of "allies"—most of whom are killed off in the sequel—including a Russian mafia gangster, called Vladimir Lem, and Mona Sax, a female vigilante who's out to avenge the death of her twin sister, Lisa, and manages to bring down the ring-leaders in a major drug-operation for a narcotic called V or Valkyr—after the mythological figures in Norse mythology.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Main article: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Max Payne has been taken by the police and is about to face charges for his killing spree. However, he was eventually cleared of all charges, thanks to his relationship with a very influential member of society, Senator Alfred Woden. A few years have passed, and Max has returned to work for the NYPD as a homicide detective. However, during a routine murder investigation he finds himself face-to-face once again with the fugitive Mona Sax, a woman he thought was dead. Max and Mona team up to solve the answers to Max's past that left his wife and child dead.

Max Payne 3

Main article: Max Payne 3

Max Payne has now left both the NYPD and New York itself and is now working on a private security detail in the city of São Paulo located in Brazil after the sudden death of Mona Sax nine years ago.[30]

Film adaptation

Main article: Max Payne (film)

Early in 2003, it was confirmed that 20th Century Fox had bought the rights to adapt the game to film.[31] The Max Payne movie went into production in 2008 and was directed by John Moore. The movie was produced by Collision Entertainment and Firm Films in Toronto, Canada.[32] Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis[33] play the roles of Max Payne and Mona Sax respectively.[34] Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, Nelly Furtado and rapper Ludacris have roles as B.B. Hensley, Jason Colvin, Christa Balder and Jim Bravura respectively.[35] On July 10, 2008, an official teaser trailer was released, featuring an instrumental version of the Marilyn Manson song, "If I Was Your Vampire".[36] The film was released to theaters in the USA on October 17, 2008 with a PG-13 rating.[37] While it was ranked first on its opening weekend, grossing US$18 million at the box office,[38] the film received mainly negative reviews, having a 16% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 129 reviews.[39]

Fan films

Fan-made short films include Max Payne: Hero (Chris Chen, 2003)[40] and Max Payne: The Beginning of the End (Zapruder Pictures Production, 2006).

There is an independent movie project Payne and Redemption which has been in production for years and currently continues.[41] On April 2008, 20th Century Fox sent a letter to writer and director Fergle Gibson, asking for the immediate "cease and desist" of his work. Due to the possibility of having the film studio begin legal actions against him for the non consented use of the brand Max Payne, he decided to take out the name of the character from the title and movie plot.

Another new fan short film Max Payne: Valhalla was released in May 2012. This project was financed by crowdfunding.[42]

Characters

Character Appearances
Max Payne Max Payne 2 Max Payne 3 Film
Max Payne James McCaffrey[43] James McCaffrey[43] James McCaffrey[43] Mark Wahlberg
Mona Sax Julia Murney Wendy Hoopes   Mila Kunis
Jim Bravura Peter Appel Vince Viverito   Ludacris
Vladimir Lem Dominic Hawksley Jonathan Davis  
Vinnie Gognitti Joe Dallo Fred Berman  
Alfred Woden John Randolph Jones John Braden  
Jack Lupino Jeff Gurner   Amaury Nolasco

Main characters

  • Max Payne – Max is a New York City police officer. In Max Payne, following the murder of his wife and child by Valkyr junkies, Max transfers to the DEA and goes undercover in the Punchinello Mafia family in order to monitor the trafficking of Valkyr. Two months into his investigations, Max is framed for the murder of Alex Balder, a fellow DEA agent, the NYPD issues an APB for Max and heavily pursues him, forcing him to become a fugitive while in search of the truth behind Valkyr and the murder of his family. In the first game, Max was portrayed by Sam Lake. In Max Payne 2, set two years after the original game, Max is an NYPD detective investigating a series of murders by the group of contract killers called the Cleaners and becomes romantically involved with Mona Sax as they uncover a conspiracy. In the film he is portrayed by Mark Wahlberg.
  • Mona Sax – Mona is a hired killer. In Max Payne, she first encounters Max after he kills Jack Lupino. She laces his drink with a sedative and leaves him for the Mafia to forcibly interrogate him. They meet up again later while she looking to avenge the murder of her sister. However, she is shot and assumed dead. In Max Payne 2, Max encounters her while investigating contract murders. They become romantically involved while investigating a conspiracy. While on their final mission as of in Max Payne 2 she was killed leaving Max in grief (Mona lives if game was played on hardest difficulty). In the film she is portrayed by Mila Kunis.
  • Jim Bravura – In Max Payne, he is the deputy chief of police, and leads the NYPD in pursuit of Max after he became a fugitive. In Max Payne 2, he was self-demoted and serves as Max's superior in his precinct. In the film he is portrayed by Ludacris.
  • Vladimir Lem – Vlad is a suave, old-fashioned Russian gangster. In Max Payne he is at war with the Mafia, outnumbered and outgunned, yet still manages to strike back at Jack Lupino. He forges a deal with Payne, to gain possession of a freighter full of military-grade weaponry that had been seized by Max's adversary, Don Punchinelo.
  • Vinnie Gognitti – Vinnie is a mobster in the Punchinelo family. In Max Payne he is Mafia Captain Jack Lupino's lieutenant, he is depicted as intelligent but cowardly, with a penchant for abusing sexual partners that include underage call girls. Max wounds him and chases him for several city blocks to learn of Jack Lupino's whereabouts. In Max Payne 2 he has ascended to the rank of underboss, presumably due to the high number of losses in the family. He is less threatening this time around, and is again at war with the Russian mob.
  • Alfred Woden – A one-eyed U.S. Senator. In Max Payne he is presented as a high-ranking member of the Inner Circle, and agrees to see that Payne avoid prosecution for his crimes should he neutralize a common enemy. In Max Payne 2 he returns, now stricken with cancer and a wheelchair user, and is embroiled in the conspiracy around which the game centers.
  • The Inner Circle – A cabal of powerful figures who control everything from organized crime to some of the highest levels of government, said to have dated back to the time of the masonic cults. Known members include Senator Alfred Woden, Senator Sebastian Gates, Vladimir Lem and a Mr. Corcran.
  • Kyra Silver – While never interacting with any of the characters, she is crucial in being the player's contact with the outside world. She is an anchorwoman who can be seen on TVs during both games reading news pertaining to Max Payne and his actions. The news she reads often present the public view of Max and his actions that are not the same as what actually goes on.

Max Payne characters

  • Jack Lupino – A major capo of the Punchinello family. He is shown to be insane as he believes in occults due to frequent use of Valkyr. In the film, he was portrayed by Amaury Nolasco.
  • Alex Balder – Another DEA agent and Max's best friend.
  • B.B. Hensley – A corrupt DEA agent and a friend of Max. Receiving pay outs from Horne, he radios Max telling him to meet agent Alex Balder at the train station and then shoots Balder dead, framing Max for his murder. Towards the end of the game he meets Max and is revealed as a traitor working for Horne. Payne kills him in a gun fight.
  • Angelo Punchinello – The godfather of the Punchinello crime family. A sadistic wife-beater, he is nevertheless a pawn of a far more powerful figure.
  • Nicole Horne – A business tycoon and the key figure behind Project Valhala, initiated around the time of Operation Desert Storm to develop drugs to enhance morale and stamina, when the project failed to yield the desired results, she refused to shut it down, and years later began distributing it as a designer drug named Valkyr.

Max Payne 2 characters

  • Valerie Winterson – A respected NYPD detective and able investigator, Bravura seems to favor her over Payne. Winterson is a divorcee and a mother to a blind child. She is secretly in an affair with Vladimir Lem.

Max Payne 3 characters

  • Max Payne - the main protagonist of the series.
  • Raul Passos - A former cop hired by Victor Branco to befriend Max and trick him into accepting a job offer doing private security for the Branco family.
  • Rodrigo Branco - A wealthy real estate mogul and businessman who Max works security for.
  • Fabiana Branco - Rodrigo's wife who is kidnapped by the CS.
  • Victor Branco - Rodrigo's brother and a politician.
  • Marcelo Branco - The youngest brother in the Branco family. Marcello is a "party loving Eurotrash playboy".
  • Serrano - The leader of the CS (Comando Sombra, Portuguese for "Shadow Command"), the gang who kidnapped Fabiana.
  • Armarndo Becker - Victor's right hand man.
  • Da silva - Max's help in hand on more than one occasion who helps him discover who is responsible for the death of Rodrigo Branco.
  • Alvaro Neves - Leader of crime and murderous group Cracha Preto.
  • Milo Rego - Neves' insane partner of crime group Cracha Preto.
  • Bachmayer - Ufe's second leader who assassinates Rodrigo Branco.

References

  1. ^ "The noir of Max Payne". Examiner.com. Retrieved 2008-12-10. [dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Max Payne Coming in March 2012". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  3. ^ Max Payne 3 Slips Once More, Now Due Beyond October; L.A. Noire Stays Put. PushSquare.com (2010-06-09). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
  4. ^ New Max Payne 3 Details. Attack of the Fanboy (2011-03-30). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
  5. ^ New Max Payne 3 details in latest issue of Edge. Gossipgamers.com (2011-04-05). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
  6. ^ "Max Payne on Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  7. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne on Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  8. ^ Orland, Kyle (September 14, 2011). "Grand Theft Auto IV Passes 22M Shipped, Franchise Above 114M". Gamasutra. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  9. ^ "Film: Max Payne on Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  10. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ "Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ "Max Payne 3 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ "Max Payne 3 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ "Max Payne 3 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ "Max Payne 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ "Max Payne 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  29. ^ "Max Payne 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ "Max Payne 3 Announced!". RockstarWatch.net. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
  31. ^ IGN Filmforce (2005-06-27). "Max Payne Movie". IGN. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  32. ^ "Max Payne Movie Update". IGN. 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  33. ^ Fleming, Michael (2008-03-09). "Killer role for Kunis in 'Max Payne". Variety. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  34. ^ Fleming, Michael (2007-11-08). "Mark Wahlberg to star in 'Max'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  35. ^ Max Payne (2008) – Cast and Credits – Yahoo! Movies
  36. ^ "First Max Payne Movie Trailer Released". Shacknews. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  37. ^ Gamepro, Issue #234, March 2008. pg. 30
  38. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results from 10/17 to 10/19". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  39. ^ Max Payne Movie Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
  40. ^ Max Payne: Hero at IMDb
  41. ^ Payne and Redemption
  42. ^ Max Payne: Valhalla
  43. ^ a b c EDGE, "A Man Called Payne", May 2011. pg. 56
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