There’s a new trailer for the Max Payne movie. You know, the one starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis? Some parts of it may look familiar, but a lot of the scenes here are pretty new. The movie may not be directed by Uwe Boll and may have a considerable budget behind it, but I’m beginning to have my doubts.

For starters, Marky Mark as Max Payne? It’s very distracting. Almost as distracting as putting Eddie Murphy or Tom Cruise in a Harry Potter movie. Secondly, there doesn’t seem to be any difference between Max Payne the character and the other roles that Wahlberg has portrayed. Where’s the gruff, constipated, law enforcer?

Bottom line: I’m still on the fence on this one, especially after this trailer.

Post from: EveryJoe

New Max Payne theatrical trailer is out

Our resident retro gaming nerd Joel recently showed us a hilarious video that just begs to be shared. It’s a clip of Max Payne from Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. It’s actually a good idea to use the second Max Payne because Finnish writer Sami Järvi’s lookalike has this permanent constipated look that doesn’t go with the dancing.

Post from: EveryJoe

So Max Payne can dance

I’ve always been skeptical of video games turned into motion pictures and with good reason. Thanks to a so-called filmmaker named Uwe, we’ve been getting movies so bad they’d make Ed Wood blush. I view the upcoming Max Payne movie (starring Mark Wahlberg) as no exception, but it does seem to show some promise thanks to the trailer. It may not feature the same mournful violins, but it’s catchy and strangely sounds familiar.

On top of that, the Max Payne movie seems to have a decent budget behind it. I may not be crazy about its cast, but let’s wait for October 17th (the film’s release date) before proclaiming it a bust. Or not.

Post from: EveryJoe

First Max Payne movie trailer is now available for viewing

I have found closure.

I had mixed feelings when I first finished Max Payne 2. Disappointed with the turnout of events, I was also pleased because the ending was nothing short of brilliance.

However, I never really felt that the series was finished. Aside from being mentioned in the end credits of part two, news of a Max Payne 3 was announced shortly after the sequel came out.

That was almost four years ago, but there have been no updates since then.

Unfortunately, the chances of a third Max Payne is getting slimmer. Remedy Entertainment, Max Payne’s developer, has been working on Alan Wake for the longest time. Here’s the rub: Alan Wake looks like it’s in limbo with rumors of cancellation.

Remedy was quick to shoot down this rumor.

I found out only recently about this alternate Max Payne 2 ending, so I took little time in pursuing it. I’ve never really tried the Dead on Arrival mode, and let me tell you, it is unforgiving.

The ending is worth it though. As you may have heard, Mona Sax survives. The duo lives happily ever after; as happy as a couple could in a noir version of the Big Apple.

My thirst for a second sequel has been quenched thanks to the alternate ending. The real ending.

I have found closure.

Post from: EveryJoe

Putting “closure” and Max Payne 2 in a sentence feels strange

I’m a sucker for Max Payne.

I still remember the great lengths I went through just to get my retail copies in time (i.e. not a couple of months late). The best part? The games are indeed worth all the trouble.

Despite the rather disappointing length, I still revisit Remedy’s Noir York every couple of years to enjoy the outrageous gunplay and awesome mods. Imagine my surprise when I discovered just recently that finishing Max Payne 2 in its highest difficulty would result in a more interesting ending.

As a result, I’ve installed the game again. I (barely) finished the Hard Boiled difficulty, and am about to begin Dead on Arrival.

Why the late discovery? For one thing, I avoid cheat codes or game guides. I’m a purist of sorts, insisting on finishing a game by myself. By the time I see credits roll, I’m too lazy to have another go. It takes me at least two years before I want to touch a game again.

In fact, my recent discovery of this alternate ending was just by accident–stumbling over Max Payne 2’s Wikipedia entry. That bit about Mona Sax surviving, “depending on the difficulty level” was just too tempting to miss.

Image is from GameSpot.

Post from: EveryJoe

Late discovery: An alternate ending for Max Payne 2

I spent majority of my time early this week plowing through the PS3 version of Stranglehold and finished it. Of course, I also took the time to play the game’s multiplayer component, so I’m ready for a review.

Is Stranglehold really Max Payne 3 with Chow Yun-Fat? Not really.

You see, Max Payne, particularly its only sequel to date, has varied gameplay and interesting levels. Aside from the usual shoot-dozens-of-people-in-the-face gameplay, players would also defend other characters. In Stranglehold, it’s the same free-for-all throughout the game. The action experienced in the early levels would be pretty much similar to what goes on in the end. Of course, more thugs are introduced to make things more “difficult,” but the differences aren’t significant enough.

Admittedly, there are variants to Stranglehold’s usual gunplay, such as the helicopter-on-rails level or the Standoffs minigame that pit Inspector Tequila against several thugs, but they do nothing to break the monotony of the main activity, which is shooting people in the face.

Inspector Tequila is also armed with special “Tequila Bombs” that lets him heal, shoot an enemy from far away, and fire a barrage of bullets. The most useful of these is heal, which can be used whenever a healing pack isn’t around. The others can be used in certain situations, but the tendency is to save the abilities for healing.

Stranglehold’s Tequila looks quite different from the main character in Hard Boiled. Tequila is stockier in the game, his hairstyle different. Even the clothes are different. This may be a design decision since the two media are a decade apart, but the only recognizable reference to Hard Boiled is how Tequila mixes his drink.

The PS3 version has a lot of shiny effects going on, and it can be quite distracting. Surfaces that normally don’t require such an effect had generous amounts of gloss. Skin textures were quite impressive, though the lip-synching and facial expressions could use some improvement. The game’s performance during firefights is impressive as well, running at a stable framerate even when a lot of things were happening onscreen.

There were a couple of instances when the visuals stuttered, but they strangely had nothing to do with onscreen activity. When one mentions “onscreen activity,” this refers to exploding watermelons, debris flying through the air, bullets zipping through the air and embedding on walls, barrels getting pushed around, and big-ass explosions, among other things.

Sound is what one would expect a shooter to be: loud. Explosions are loud, certain weapons are noisy, and each action has a corresponding audible reaction that immerses a player in Tequila’s world. Voice acting is generally competent, though Chow Yun-Fat’s performance isn’t particularly memorable. It’s interesting to note that the other Chinese characters’ dialogue were more understandable than that of Tequila’s.

Multiplayer, like the other reviews have mentioned, feels very much tacked on. Sure, it’s decent enough with the usual modes, but there’s nothing here to stop one from moving on to Warhawk. In addition, Stranglehold’s implementation of bullet time isn’t very good. It looks like the only possibility of using Tequila Time is when everyone has a full meter.

Is the PS3 version of Stranglehold worth the pricey purchase? If you must get one, purchase the PS3 version because it comes with the 1992 classic movie. If you don’t have a PS3, Stranglehold won’t be your reason to get one. I recommend renting Stranglehold, but don’t expect to pine for it once the game is returned.

Post from: EveryJoe

My belated Stranglehold review

I am a cheapskate. I’m so cheap I don’t intend to upgrade my current PC ever again. I’m so cheap I’ve resorted to borrowing PS3 games from my neighbor, who is conveniently a fellow PS3 owner. The first game I borrowed? Stranglehold, that John Woo shooter that’s a tribute to Max Payne, which in turn is inspired by John Woo.

As I write this, I’ve just gotten through the rails section where Inspector Tequila rides a helicopter and proceeds to shoot up a harbor full of thugs with rocket launchers. I feel that getting to this point is already a personal achievement since I’m a keyboard jockey, and am laughably terrible in console shooters.

How am I finding it? Well, it is rather fun getting to run around in a world with a lived-in feel to it. Walking into a table would automatically cause Tequila to slide off its surface, and pressing L1 in certain parts of the environment would cause some interesting displays of over-the-top gunplay.

The visuals are quite good too. I see more emotion in faces, so the immersion is quite different from the last console generation. Storytelling has definitely improved because of this emotion.

However, I feel that Stranglehold is not special. Not yet, at least. I’ll withhold my judgment until I finish the game and played its multiplayer.

If I really am a cheapskate, then why the PS3, you ask? The 360 is cheaper, right?

For starters, I have the cheapest model. My next point? Many of the Xbox 360 owners I know have more than one unit because their earlier ones have broken down. These people have ended up spending more than I have for shipping their units to Microsoft, repairs, and getting their second (or third) 360s.

If you have money to burn, get the 360. It has the best games, but you should expect to get more than one unit eventually.

Post from: EveryJoe

An evening with Inspector Tequila