''Max Payne'' is a video game series developed by Remedy Entertainment and recently, Rockstar Vancouver. The series is named after its protagonist, Max Payne, a New York City police officer turned a vigilante. The series's original story and script is written by Sam Lake.

The first game of the series, ''Max Payne'' was released in 2001 for Microsoft Windows and 2002 for Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Apple Macintosh; a special version of the game was also released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. A sequel entitled ''Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne'' was released in 2003 for PC, Xbox and the PS2. In 2008, a movie adaption of the original game entitled ''Max Payne'' was released. In 2009, Rockstar announced ''Max Payne 3'', being developed by Rockstar Vancouver and currently scheduled for release in May 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The franchise is notable for its use of "bullet time" in action sequences. The series has achieved varying levels of success. Both ''Max Payne'' and ''Max Payne 2'' were well received by critics, although the sequel's sales were considered underwhelming. , the ''Max Payne'' franchise has sold over 7.5 million copies. The film rendition, which featured Mark Wahlberg as Payne, was the opposite, in that it received harsh criticism and was given negative reviews but was commercially successful.

Games[link]

''Max Payne''[link]

''Max Payne'' is the first game in the franchise; a third-person shooter video game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers. The game follows the story of detective Payne as he attempts to hunt down the ones responsible for murdering his wife and child, as well as framing him for the murder of his partner, Alex. As the story unfolds he gains a number of "allies"--most of whom are killed off in the sequel—including a Russian mafia gangster Vladimir Lem, and Mona Sax, another gun-totting vigilante who's out to avenge the death of her twin sister, Lisa, and manages to bring down the ring-leaders in a major drug-operation for a narcotic called ''V'' or Valkyr—after the mythological figures in Norse mythology.

''Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne''[link]

At the ending of ''Max Payne'', Max was being led away by the police, about to face charges for his killing spree. However, Max was eventually cleared of all charges, thanks to his relationship with a very influential member of society, Senator Alfred Woden. A few years have passed, and Max has returned to work for the NYPD as a homicide detective. However, during a routine murder investigation he finds himself face-to-face once again with the fugitive Mona Sax, a woman he thought was dead. Max and Mona team up to solve the answers to Max's past that left his wife and child dead.

''Max Payne 3''[link]

''Max Payne 3'', the first game in the series developed by Rockstar Vancouver (and not by Remedy Entertainment, the original developers), will find Max in a "downward spiral" following the events of the second game. He is now eight years older, has left both the NYPD and New York itself, and his appearance is considerably different from that of the first two games. Working for a security firm in the city of São Paulo located in Brazil, Max is double-crossed, finding himself in a "city full of violence and bloodshed".

Film adaptation[link]

Early in 2003, it was confirmed that 20th Century Fox had bought the rights to adapt the game to film. The ''Max Payne'' movie went into production in 2008 and was directed by John Moore. The movie was produced by Collision Entertainment and Firm Films in Toronto, Canada. Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis play the roles of Max Payne and Mona Sax respectively. Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell, Nelly Furtado and Rapper Ludacris have roles as B.B. Hensley, Jason Colvin, Christa Balder and Jim Bravura respectively. On July 10, 2008, an official teaser trailer was released, featuring an instrumental version of the Marilyn Manson song, "If I Was Your Vampire". The film was released to theaters in the USA on October 17, 2008 with a PG-13 rating. While it was ranked first on its opening weekend, grossing US$18 million at the box office, the film received mainly negative reviews, having a 16% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 129 reviews.

Fan films[link]

There is an independent movie project called ''Payne and Redemption'' which has been in production for years and currently continues. On April 2008, 20th Century Fox sent a letter to writer and director Fergle Gibson, asking for the immediate "cease and desist" of his work. Due to the possibility of having the film studio begin legal actions against him for the non consented use of the brand Max Payne, he decided to take out the name of the character from the title and movie plot.

Another new fan short film ''Max Payne: Valhalla'' was announced in April 2012. This project is financed by crowdfunding.

Characters[link]

Recurring characters[link]

''Max Payne'' characters[link]

''Max Payne 2'' characters[link]

''Max Payne 3'' characters[link]

Reception[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:Video game franchises

"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.

History[link]

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel ''Naked Lunch'', and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in ''U.S. News and World Report'', had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine ''Easyriders'' which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema, featuring particularly prominently as a recurring motif in the 2003 film School of Rock.

Use as praise[link]

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

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Notes[link]

References[link]

Category:Slang expressions Category:Stock characters Category:English idioms Category:Pejorative terms for people Category:Military-industrial complex