Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake show us gritty noir bullet time in 4K

Update: Perhaps due to Finland’s relative proximity to Germany, a lot of folks might have expected the studio’s founder, Sam Lake, to show up. Hell, the Gamescom Opening Night Live pre-show joked about him appearing and doing another dance like the one he does in Alan Wake 2. In lieu of that, he could’ve also come with news about the final DLC for the survival-horror game or a glimpse at the upcoming remakes of both Max Payne and Max Payne 2. Unfortunately, there was no Sam Lake, no news for Alan Wake 2, and definitely no slow-mo shootouts in Max Payne to be seen. Truly the biggest of bummers about the whole show.

Prediction: Remedy Entertainment announced it was remaking the original two Max Payne games back in 2022. It felt a bit unnecessary and quixotic to me at the time, but the more time passes, the more I hunger for the classic, brooding detective thrillers to get their next-gen makeover. I’m not sure how the PS2 games will translate to modern sensibilities around third-person shooting and level design, but fortunately that’s not my job to figure it out. The first two Max Payne games remain all-timers, and as worthy of being remade as Silent Hill, Metal Gear, or anything else.

The studio is also at the height of its creative juice coming off of Control and Alan Wake 2, so I’m eager to see whether Remedy plays the remakes as straight visual overhauls or goes completely meta with their return as creative director Sam Lake is fond of doing. The timing also feels ripe for a peak of how the project’s been going. The studio recently announced the Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake was in full production, and 2025 seems like a good window for a full release. I want to see Punchinello Manor in all its modern, ray-traced glory. —Ethan Gach