20 years after the original Max Payne neo-noir shooter was released, Max is still an iconic video game legend, so his original creators have come together once more to celebrate his anniversary. The 2 men who lent Max his scowling face and gravelly voice have reunited to give Max Payne fans a special birthday message.
Remedy creative director Sam Lake was the writer on Max Payne, but he also lent his face to the troubled former NYPD detective, providing Max's infamous grimace. Meanwhile, James McCaffrey gave the character his iconic deep voice and brought all those over-the-top noir lines to life. Together, the two of them made one of the best cops in video gaming history, and now they've teamed up once more to thank their fans.
RELATED: Max Payne 3 Speedrun World Record Broken By Twitch Streamer Summit1g
Yesterday, a nearly 2-minute-long video titled "Max Payne - 20 Year Anniversary" was uploaded to the official Remedy Entertainment YouTube account. It opens with McCaffrey and Lake, both of whom are credited as playing Max, wishing Max Payne a happy birthday and delivering their congratulations to the original creative team. Lake explains that not many of the original team remain on staff at Remedy, 3D Realms, or Rockstar, but even 20 years later he continues to receive messages from enthusiastic Max Payne fans about how important the games are to them. Max Payne could be considered one of the best action game heroes ever, so it may not surprise gamers to hear that the fanbase is still so active.
Lake and McCaffrey extend their thanks to the fans before Lake takes out a box that he claims to have found in the basement of Remedy HQ, containing a very familiar leather jacket. McCaffrey slides his microphone closer and the pair once again team up to become Max Payne.
At this point, Max Payne's visual design has diverged quite a bit from the original design inspired by Lake, but that iconic grimace is difficult to overlook. The lull after Max Payne 3 seems to have been good for Max, too. With his hair re-grown and slicked back, and his leather jacket in place, this live-action rendition of Max might have stepped out of the very first game. In true Max fashion, he speaks mournfully about the inevitability of death before glumly wishing himself a happy birthday in a sequence that's rather subdued for such a big game celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The video has been warmly received by Max Payne fans, with the comment section full of fond reminiscing and quotes from the games. Some fans spoke reverently of the way Remedy seemed to actually care about Max Payne fans in an age when publishers and developers often take fans for granted. Max Payne has racked up an incredible kill count over the years, but he's also clearly gathered a lot of fondness from his fanbase.
Max Payne 3 is out now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.