Retro Machinima: Only The Strong Survive using Max Payne 2 engine

Like I said in a posting last month on MMOtaku, another b5media technology blog I’m handling, I am starting to love machinima. This revolution in independent film making is nothing new in the world of massively multiplayer online games. It is, however, very rare for old or classic games to get the attention of producers and directors as good machine cinema fodder.

Fortunately, there are old or classic games that do make the cut. Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, and The Sims series come to mind.

Armed with this information, I quickly scoured the Web and landed on the very site that lived and breathed machinima, Machinima.com. Riding on the hype of the recently released Max Payne movie starring Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, I’ve chosen for the viewing pleasure of Re:Retro regulars one of the best machinima using the game engine of Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, Only The Strong Survive by Riot Films.

Before you check it out, here’s a little backgrounder:

Mission OA-032. The Organization sends two assassins, Andy and Brown, to a deserted apartment complex. As they wait for their target to arrive in the courtyard of the building, Andy gets the feeling that Brown knows something about the mission that he doesn’t.

Only The Strong Survive is a prologue and introduction to the world of the Organization and Andy’s winding story of vengeance and betrayal. This chapter introduces the key event that propels the story into motion, as will be told in Only The Strong Survive II: Delusion and concluded in Only The Strong Survive III: Requiem.

After watching the clip several times, I’ve come up with several observations (to the guys at Riot Films, don’t take my criticism badly):

1) I find the scene where the supposed target and his bodyguards walk into the courtyard and position themselves neatly in the middle of an open area very unsettling. If I were Andy, I’d probably think, “How convenient … too convenient!”

2) When Andy leaped off the balcony to the cold stone pavement, I couldn’t stifle an “Ooomph! That must’ve hurt.” Same goes for Brown’s equally suicidal jump.

3) Is it just me or do all the guys in the film need corrective lenses? Either they’re all bad shots or the film should be renamed Only The Strong Lucky Survive.

It’s okay, guys. The film looks great. You’ve got me intrigued enough to wait with bated breath for the sequels.