After months of speculation and rumors, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition has finally been officially announced by Rockstar Games. A remaster of the much-celebrated PS2-era GTA games that came to shape open-world gaming for years to come, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy is expected to launch sometime later this year.
With Rockstar Games going back and updating the classic open-world crime dramas, fans have begun debating what other beloved franchises from the storied company would also be a good fit for a remaster or remake. Being that Rockstar has a vast and varied catalog of titles worthy of updates, there are plenty of possibilities. While the rumored Red Dead Redemption remake seems like an obvious choice, there is another lesser-known Rockstar franchise that may be an even better pick: the Max Payne series.
Max Payne - Bullet Time, Monologues, and Revenge
Developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Rockstar, the first Max Payne game follows the titular protagonist and former NYPD officer as he hunts down his family’s killers. A neo-noir styled linear third-person shooter set in New York City, Max Payne is notable for its fast-paced, highly lethal gunplay and its inclusion of 'bullet time,' a feature where the player can slow time to pull off impressive shots and dodge bullets like the star of a John Woo movie. Max Payne is also known for its comic book-style cutscenes and lengthy, dramatic monologues performed by Max. The game was well-received upon its release in 2001, with its PC version earning a respectable Metacritic score of 89.
Being twenty years old and the first title in the franchise, Max Payne would unquestionably be the game that would need the most work to be modernized. Obviously, the graphics are quite rough, although impressive for their time. Characters do not feature any lip-sync, deaths are all animation-based, and the shadowy title could greatly benefit from a modern engine like Unreal to enhance its lighting and models.
The game’s controls are actually quite contemporary, featuring a standard dual analog setup on consoles. Simply flip the shooting controls away from the R1/RB buttons to the triggers and the rest should be plenty workable for modern audiences. Max Payne does not contain a cover system of any kind, but it could be argued the game’s high-paced action and frantic encounters do not really require one.
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne - Romance, Ragdolls, and Revenge
Released only two years later in 2003, Remedy’s follow-up Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne continues the noir story of Max, now reinstated as an NYPD officer. In the sequel, Max is reunited with contract killer Mona Sax as they fan a budding romance while resolving another death-filled conspiracy.
Max Payne 2 is very similar to the original title but greatly improves upon it in a few significant ways. Max is given alternate weapons to use like molotovs and grenades, expanding upon the game’s combat options, and the effects of bullet time are even more pronounced this time around. When in the slowed state, Max doesn’t slow down as much as his enemies, giving him an even greater advantage in firefights. The game is also one of the earliest titles to use ragdoll physics, greatly enhancing the impact and unpredictability of its gunplay. Max Payne 2 was also critically acclaimed, earning a Metacritic score of 86.
Max Payne 2’s graphics are considerably better than the first game’s, and the much-improved character models and faces now feature full lip-sync. The addition of a real-time physics system makes the game’s world and gunplay feel far more interactive and dynamic. Controls would again only need minor tweaks to become modernized, and the sequel could also greatly benefit from a lighting model and engine upgrade.
Max Payne 3 - Bigger Budget, Beautiful Brazil, and Revenge
After the release of Max Payne 2, the series went on a lengthy hiatus apart from a critically-panned Max Payne movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in 2008. Finnish series developer Remedy broke ties with Rockstar to go on and create Alan Wake in 2010 while Rockstar maintained control of the Max Payne IP. In 2012, Rockstar Games released the much anticipated Max Payne 3, this time developed in-house at the company.
Max Payne 3 was somewhat of a departure for the series, mostly trading in the noir-soaked streets of New York for the sunny skies of Brazil. Thankfully, the series’ excellent gunplay stayed intact. Bolstered by a much higher budget and Rockstar’s cutting-edge RAGE engine, Max Payne 3 featured a cover system, no loading screens, and a highly sophisticated physics engine. The game was greatly praised for its intense action, compelling narrative, and excellent voice acting, earning a Metacritic score of 87.
Max Payne 3 still holds up remarkably well today. Its gunplay is as good as Rockstar has ever produced and the RAGE engine is still being used today in other titles like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Max Payne 3’s physics are still second to none, giving the game’s energetic encounters a profound sense of impact. A simple increase in resolution and framerate would likely be enough to bring the title into the modern era.
Max Payne Deserves Another Chance to Shine
As beloved as the GTA Trilogy is, it could be argued that the Max Payne titles may transition better into today’s modern era of games. While the open-world shenanigans of Grand Theft Auto 3 were revolutionary at the time, the genre is becoming increasingly saturated. In contrast, linear third-person action shooters like Max Payne are becoming rarer, with the games' unique blend of narrative and action only really matched by Remedy’s recent titles like Control and Alan Wake Remastered. The titles’ controls are also far more palatable to contemporary gamers than the PS2-era GTA titles too, needing little in the way of reworking.
The Max Payne games could stand out today for their intense, focused gunplay, lack of regenerating health, and high-stakes difficulty. With some of the rough edges like long load times, dated graphics, and unforgiving checkpoints shaved off, the Max Payne franchise could really be given a chance to shine on today’s powerful consoles and PCs. It has simply been too long since fans have seen a Max Payne title, whether that be a remaster, remake, or sequel.