Max Payne (series)

Max Payne (series)
Genres	Third-person shooter
Creators	Sam Lake
Platform of origin	Microsoft Windows
First release	Max Payne July 23, 2001
Latest release	Max Payne 3 March, 2012

Max Payne is a video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment and recently, Rockstar Vancouver. The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York City police officer.^[1] The series's original story and script is written by Sam Lake.

The first game of the series, Max Payne was released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows and 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 PC, Xbox and the PS2. In 2008, a movie adaption of the original game entitled Max Payne was released. In 2009, Rockstar announced Max Payne 3, being developed by Rockstar Vancouver and currently scheduled for the release in March 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.^{[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. Both Max Payne and Max Payne 2 were well received by critics, although the sequel's sales were considered underwhelming.^[6][7] As of 2011^[update], 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 criticism and was given negative reviews but was commercially successful.^[9]

Games

Max Payne

Main article: Max Payne

Max Payne is the first game in the franchise; a third-person shooter video game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers. The game follows the story of detective Payne as he 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. As the story unfolds he gains a number of "allies"--most of whom are killed off in the sequel—including a Russian mafia gangster Vladimir Lem, and Mona Sax, another gun-totting 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

At the ending of Max Payne, Max was being led away by the police, about to face charges for his killing spree in which he killed upwards of six hundred people, even though they all had criminal records. However, Max 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 3, the first game in the series developed by Rockstar Vancouver (and not by Remedy Entertainment, the original developers), will find Max in a "downward spiral" following the events of the second game.^[10] He is now 8 years older, has left both the NYPD and New York itself, and his appearance is considerably different from that of the first two games.^[11] Working for a security firm in the city of São Paulo located in Brazil, Max is double-crossed, finding himself in a "city full of violence and bloodshed".

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.^[12] The Max Payne movie went into production in 2008 and was directed by John Moore. he movie was produced by Collision Entertainment and Firm Films in Toronto, Canada.^[13] Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis^[14] play the roles of Max Payne and Mona Sax respectively.^[15] Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, Nelly Furtado and Rapper Ludacris have roles as B.B. Hensley, Jason Colvin, Christa Balder and Jim Bravura respectively.^[16] On July 10, 2008, an official teaser trailer was released, featuring an instrumental version of the Marilyn Manson song, "If I Was Your Vampire".^[17] The film was released to theaters in the USA on October 17, 2008 with a PG-13 rating.^[18] While it was ranked first on its opening weekend, grossing US$18 million at the box office,^[19] the film received mainly negative reviews, having a 16% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 129 reviews.^[20]

Characters

Character	Appearances
	Max Payne	Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne	Max Payne 3	Film
Max Payne	James McCaffrey[21]			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

Recurring 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. In Max Payne 2 he shown to be trying to go legit, opening a trendy new restaurant called Vodka, but later he is revealed as the main villain of the game.
• 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 capo, 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.

References

1. ^ "The noir of Max Payne". Examiner.com. http://www.examiner.com/x-1039-Los-Angeles-Game-Culture-Examiner~y2008m10d16-The-noir-of-Max-Payne. Retrieved 2008-12-10. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Max Payne Coming in March 2012". http://epicbattleaxe.com/max-payne-3-coming-in-march-2012/#.TmjPxNQ3b1k.twitter. 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. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/maxpayne?q=Max%20Payne. Retrieved 2008-11-29. 
7. ^ "Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne on Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/maxpayne2?q=Max%20Payne. Retrieved 2008-11-29. 
8. ^ Orland, Kyle (September 14, 2011). "Grand Theft Auto IV Passes 22M Shipped, Franchise Above 114M". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37228/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV_Passes_22M_Shipped_Franchise_Above_114M.php. Retrieved November 12, 2011. 
9. ^ "Film: Max Payne on Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/maxpayne?q=Max%20Payne. Retrieved 2008-11-29. 
10. ^ "Max Payne 3 Announced!". RockstarWatch.net. 2009-03-23. http://www.rockstarwatch.net/news/734/Max-Payne-3-Announced/. Retrieved 2009-03-23. 
11. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
12. ^ IGN Filmforce (2005-06-27). "Max Payne Movie". IGN. http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/629/629253p1.html. Retrieved 2007-06-24. 
13. ^ "Max Payne Movie Update". IGN. 2007-10-31. http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/831/831652p1.html. Retrieved 2007-11-09. 
14. ^ Fleming, Michael (2008-03-09). "Killer role for Kunis in 'Max Payne". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982100.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
15. ^ Fleming, Michael (2007-11-08). "Mark Wahlberg to star in 'Max'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975641.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2007-11-09. 
16. ^ Max Payne (2008) – Cast and Credits – Yahoo! Movies
17. ^ "First Max Payne Movie Trailer Released". Shacknews. 2008-07-10. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53528. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 
18. ^ Gamepro, Issue #234, March 2008. pg. 30
19. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results from 10/17 to 10/19". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2008&wknd=42&p=.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-21. 
20. ^ Max Payne Movie Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
21. ^ EDGE, "A Man Called Payne", May 2011. pg. 56