Stolen Pixels #193: Max Blame, Part 4

[Milkman Dan]

"Ah. That's more like it."

Oh man. That, and Max's smile, made the whole strip.

 

[Fearzone]

Agree with Yahtzee indeed **cough cough my ass cough cough**. This comic series defines the issue and answers it better than any collumn I've read since Ebert riled everyone up. Ebert was answering a question that few if any were actually asking, or needed to ask, or should have asked. A game whose primary goal is to be an artistic statement is probably one I'm going to tend to avoid. Same goes for movies now that I think about it.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Lol you do know your audience, Shamus. And do we ever like our dumbed down, homogenized crap...

 

[SpecklePattern]

"Ah. That's more like it."

Oh man. That, and Max's smile, made the whole strip.

Agreed. And I play for myself. For fun. I can be critical but still I try to enjoy every game that I start.

Well compiled thoughts over the GameArtPayneStrips.

Ps. Might just ... buy the Max Payne 3 for the kicks of it :-]

 

[The Imp]

I'm curious to see if it will play like a GTA clone. Might be funny to see Max Dukes-of-Hazzard it over a car hood in bullet-time to kick the driver in the face to jack their car.
I thankfully skipped seeing the MP movie with Wahlberg, so my memories of Max aren't tarnished in that respect. But twelve years is a long time, I hope they at least aged him realistically.

Nice comic though. After hearing about MP3, I almost expected to see Max shoot himself in the head in the end after a snappy witticism. Or to pull out the old chestnut, "I'm getting too old for this shit".

Brazil really isn't good for driving around in the favelas. I just saw a documentary that showed the police there and the type of terrain they're on. It's mainly hills and the training is BRUTAL, with steep steppes and mountainous beyond belief. Great to walk, but you need some trucks in Rio.

I doubt MP would work as a GTA clone. It's been an action game for a long time, which I believe is far better with a few addons (cover system, attention to detail) than making another sandbox game.

Well, Ok Brazil sure, maybe changing New York isn't that bad - but why the hell did they change Max?
It's ok if he's older but bald, muscle man with beard ... they will probably even get a different voice actor and add cover systems :S

Funny, that's exactly what they did too. XD

That's just great. Another fucking cover based shooter. Another great franchise flushed down the toilette with dumbed down gameplay.

 

[Sir Kemper]

For some reason, that last panel frightens me.

It's just... the way he smiles...

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Its funny that Max seems to be ok with the 3rd installment.

 

[The Random One]

Hey, is that the first vicious putdown of Rockstar I've seen? Shamus, I want to bear your children. Or give your children a bear. Whichever works better.

I think whether or not games are art is a discussion worth having, but 1) it's not worth abandoning games over their subjective quality as art and 2) it's not worth arguing with a guy who hasn't even played any games. Ebert's column was only catapulted to stardom in the gamer community because gamers love being butthurt and acting as if they're getting the short end of the stick and will jump to defend things that need no defending.

 

[kibayasu]

I'm still withholding judgement on how Max Payne 3 will play and feel. As to how it fits into the Max Payne we all know and love, that's where my problem with it lies. The ending to MP2 is quite definitive. Max is going to be okay.

 

[ilion]

"Max! You're in a GTA Clone!"

"Suddenly, it all made sense, the crumbling cityscape's gray desaturated daylight burning my eyes like muzzle flash, the balding, stubbled gorilla-faced man staring at me in the mirror as the open streets begged for new atrocities, flitting on devil's wings around each corner. Some drug runner's dead eyes glared at me with the word 'lynch' on his lips as I felt the sweat soak into my wifebeater. I was in a GTA Clone."

"Funny as hell, it was the most horrible thing I could think of."

You re my hero.

 

[SweetWarmIce]

Rockstar will do fine. Say what you like about cousin bowling, but they know how to make a gritty world, and memorable characters.

Anyone else remember the awesomeness of Woozie from San Andreas?

Woozie was one of my favorites.

A blind crime boss who can still street race and beat people at video games? Hell yeah

 

[Bob_Marley42]

It's been an action game for a long time, which I believe is far better with a few addons (cover system, attention to detail) than making another sandbox game.

Cover system?

Max Payne is John Woo Movie: The Game (or at least it was, until John Woo Movie: The Game actually came out) as far a combat goes. And in John Woo movies cover is for pussies.


Anyway, I liked the end of Max Payne 2 (and Max Payne, for that matter) -

Spoiler

everyone but Max & Mona are dead

, the story is resolved and it doesn't need to continue - we can leave Max there, finally at peace and able to get on with his life. There was no cliffhanger, no sequal hook and there didn't need to be a sequel the first time and I'd say there definetly shouldn't be a sequel with a new voice actor and without any of the original team.

Its simple to me - I wouldn't want a sequel to Hard Boiled that wasn't directed by John Woo and didn't star Chow Yun Fat and I don't want the game series inspired by those works to be ruined in the same way.

 

[Retardinator]

Rockstar will do fine. Say what you like about cousin bowling, but they know how to make a gritty world, and memorable characters.

Sure, but Brazil is sunshine-sweat-poor-district-with-beggars gritty and I don't like that. I liked the big-dark-city-in-snowstorm gritty the two original games had.

I love the plot twist in the comic, very likable new-age BS.

 

[krakbracket]

This series made me install the first one again. The only shooter I've ever loved in third person. Not in the last place cause of the way Sam Lake gave Max his first face.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Lake
Timothy Gibbs was "allright"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Gibbs
but the guy they made Max into for the 3th installment is one bridge too far for me.
This isn't Max 20 years later, but Niko Bellic.

 

[Doc Cannon]

That was one awesome ending to the series (the 4-part comic I mean).

Speaking of Max Payne 3... I can only wait... I hope they don't screw it up.
I can at least tolerate it's in São Paulo, since it's the most urban setting you can find in South America.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Hahah!

Nice job!

Truth in comic form?
I think we have a winner!

 

[Weaver]

Ugh, I forgot how horrible Max Payne 3 looks

 

[samsonguy920]

Rockstar will do fine. Say what you like about cousin bowling, but they know how to make a gritty world, and memorable characters.

Anyone else remember the awesomeness of Woozie from San Andreas?

The awesomeness of Woozie is so awesome it should only be spoken of in whispers.

Because it is so awesome.

Like this comic.

 

[Bloodstain]

"Max! You're in a GTA Clone!"

"Suddenly, it all made sense, the crumbling cityscape's gray desaturated daylight burning my eyes like muzzle flash, the balding, stubbled gorilla-faced man staring at me in the mirror as the open streets begged for new atrocities, flitting on devil's wings around each corner. Some drug runner's dead eyes glared at me with the word 'lynch' on his lips as I felt the sweat soak into my wifebeater. I was in a GTA Clone."

"Funny as hell, it was the most horrible thing I could think of."

You are awesome.


Regarding May Payne 3:
*ahem*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OH GOD WHY WHY

EDIT: I find it funny that one of the game engines is called "RAGE" (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine), because that's exactly what I feel.

 

[Grey_Area]

AHAHAHA! Excellent, my thoughts entirely regarding Ebert AND what I've heard of Max Payne 3. Brilliant execution.