Max as Private Investigator
A neo-noir bullet-time saga of vengeance and conspiracy.
Max Payne is a neo-noir third-person shooter video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment (Max Payne and Max Payne 2) and Rockstar Studios (Max Payne 3). The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York City police detective turned vigilante after his family was murdered by drug addicts.
Quick Facts
- Character
- Max Payne
- First appears
- Max Payne (2001) — developed by Remedy Entertainment
- Affiliation
- NYPD (pre-Max Payne 1)
- self-employed PI (Max Payne 1–2)
- Branco family (Max Payne 3)
- Signature mechanic
- Bullet-time (slow-motion) combat
- Primary settings
- New York City (Max Payne 1–2); São Paulo, Brazil (Max Payne 3)
- Developer
- Remedy Entertainment (Max Payne 1–2); Rockstar Games (Max Payne 3)
Lore & Background
Max Payne is a former NYPD officer who becomes a vigilante after his family is murdered. In the first game, he is a renegade DEA agent and former NYPD officer hunting those responsible for his family's murder and for framing him for the murder of his partner. In Max Payne 2, he has rejoined the NYPD. In Max Payne 3, he has left New York and works as a private security detail in São Paulo, Brazil.
Reader's Guide
The series consists of three main games: Max Payne (2001 for Windows, 2002 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Apple Macintosh, 2003 for Game Boy Advance), Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003 for PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox), and Max Payne 3 (2012 for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360). In April 2022, Remedy Entertainment announced remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2, to be released as a single title for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Did You Know?
- The first two games were written by Sam Lake, while Max Payne 3 was primarily written by Dan Houser.
- The franchise is known for its use of 'bullet time' in action sequences.
- As of 2011, the series had sold over 7.5 million units.
- A film adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis was released in 2008 and received negative reviews but was commercially successful.
- In November 2021, the Max Payne trilogy was added to Xbox backward compatibility for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
More in Story & Campaigns
Elsewhere in Max Payne
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