After recently celebrating 20 years since the character made his debut, the first two Max Payne games are now officially getting the remake treatment. Announced as a collaboration between the original games’ developer duo Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games, Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne are confirmed to be in development for PC as well as the current-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

As the project is described as being in the “concept development stage,” details are understandably sparse. However, the project is already said to envision the two classic shoot-em-ups as a single game. Far from a budget release, the Max Payne remakes are also confirmed to be AAA in scope, with a budget financed by blockbuster publisher Rockstar Games and utilizing Northlight, the vastly capable engine demonstrated by 2019’s Control.

Released in 2001, the first Max Payne is considered one of the most groundbreaking third-person shooters in the days before GTA 3, rising above the rest due to its trademark neo-noir atmosphere and Matrix-inspired “bullet-time” mechanic. The 2004 sequel, The Fall of Max Payne, solidly built upon the engaging gunplay and narrative strengths of the first entry, but however, failed to replicate the original game’s success.

These Max Payne remakes offer an intriguing means to bring the aging shooter titles into the modern age, especially considering Remedy’s success in the past two decades. With mind-bending experiences like Quantum Break, Alan Wake, and Control under their belt, there’s certainly incredible potential for a reimagined Max Payne, especially if the project is approached with similar care. Overall, this marks the 5th game Remedy has in the works, including sequels for Control and Alan Wake, as well as projects codenamed “Condor” and “Vanguard.”

What do you think? Are you interested in the idea of Max Payne remakes, or would you rather have a proper fourth entry made instead?​ Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!​

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