Max Payne 3

One thing you can count on: you push a man too far, and sooner or later he'll start pushing back.

New Max Payne game? Yes. Nothing to do with the movie? Thankfully. Developed by Remedy, the people behind the first two? Not so much. They're still "hard at work" on Alan Wake, which will be completed as soon as they solve the pesky problems associated with getting hell to freeze, so this one's being done by Rockstar Vancouver, the team who did Bully. (And, for that matter, Homeworld, under their old name of Barking Dog.)

I didn't like Bully. Apparently, though, I'm in the minority on that, and in any case I'm more than ready to fork out for a new installment of Payne-themed action-noir. For those not familiar with why Max Payne is awesome, go check out this page full of quotes.

New Alan Wake Trailer

Alan Wake has been skirting on the verge of vaporware for quite some time now, but it seems like the folks at developer Remedy (Max Payne) plus the mighty publisher-wheels of Microsoft have got the thing back on track. Seen here is the new trailer, which is five flavours of awesome, and reminds me why I absolutely loved the idea of this thing when I first heard about it. Back in 2005.

Do you know where the trailer comes from? The Finnish Max Payne convention. That's right: they have a convention. Ignoring the horrible movie which never happened I love Max Payne and now I have yet another reason to envy the Finnish.

Great Gaming Music #7: Max Payne Theme

The haunting main theme for the Max Payne series by Finnish composer Kärtsy Hatakka is a piece of music that still gives me shivers to this day. The player first encounters it at the game's title screen and there are few compositions in gaming history which so ably set the mood for what is to follow.

The version above is the arrangement for strings featured in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. Those wishing to hear the piano version from the first game can click here.

Max Payne Movie Trailer

We all know that movies based on videogames never, ever go horribly, horribly wrong, so therefore the appropriate response to the upcoming Max Payne movie (starring Mark Walhberg as Max) is obviously unbridled optimism.

Having now seen the trailer above, I have three questions:

(1) Where's Kartsy Hatakka's Theme From Max Payne?

(2) Those winged things are hallucinations or nightmares, right?

And finally,

(3) That chick in the black isn't supposed to be Mona, is it? Is it?

Whatever Happened To Alan Wake?

I bumped into my MP3 of the theme from Max Payne this morning, and was reminded that talented Max Payne developer Remedy Entertainment had been working on another game a while back.

Called Alan Wake, it was to tell the tale of a writer haunted by his past who finds his writings are being reflected in the small town he is staying in. Influenced by the likes of Stephen King and David Lynch, it promised to be more than a little different from your average top-shelf game.

Unfortunately, after some impressive trailers at E3 2006, Alan Wake fell off the radar. There's really been no showing of the game since, and while apparently it's still being worked on, the official release date is "when it's done". A projected release of 2008 seems to be slipping, which is a shame as this is one of the few upcoming games I'm really looking forward to.

At least it's not alone; Heavy Rain, the new game from Quantic Dream (Fahrenheit) has also vanished from scopes since 2006, with no word on whether it will reach shelves in 2008.