Max Payne 3

Max Payne is one of those franchises I knew that I loved, but I had kind of forgotten about it. I mean, I knew that Max's story and his pain killers were something that I enjoyed back in the PlayStation 2 days, but I hadn't thought about them in forever. Then, Rockstar Games showed me Max Payne 3's menu screen.

 While a representative talked about Max's journey -- it's several years after the events of Max Payne 2, our former detective is off the force and an alcoholic -- menu music played. After a few loops of the same track, the original Max Payne theme came on. In an instant, I was back in my Mizzou dorm room playing the original game on a tiny television. The noir comics, the Bullet Time battles, and the feel of being a man with nothing left to lose -- all of my memories flooded back. That's Max Payne, and after having seen an extended demo, I'm happy to report that's still the case in Max Payne 3. 
 
There were other awesome moments (like a suicide bomber in the apartment building) and a few hitches (like some melee combat that wasn't super-tight), but the big thing I walked away from my Max Payne 3 demo with was a smile -- like I had seen an old friend unexpectedly. I've been waiting a long time to See Max Payne again, and I don't think I realized it. From the moment I heard that piano tune to the moment I heard James McCaffrey reprise his role as a man whose family was stolen away in a violent crime, I was hooked. Max Payne is back.