Alan Wake, conversely, still holds up well in its original Xbox 360 incarnation and looks even better for gamers playing it on a modern PC, or on an Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One console through backward compatibility. The PS2-era character models and environments are clearly relics of their time, and while the gameplay is still enjoyable, it is noticeably subject to more “janky” moments than later Remedy games. Though Max Payne’s story and style remain timeless, the game itself is showing its age.

Related: Control Doesn't Solve Remedy Entertainment's Most Common Problem Writer Sam Lake was the original face of Max Payne, and he went on to become one of the faces of the company itself, involved in creating Max Payne 2, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control. Max Payne was the team's breakout hit, providing a third-person shooter with a distinctive style, combining a rich film noir-inspired story, gunplay paying homage to the films of John Woo and Hong Kong action movies, as well as Max Payne's surrealistic moments, reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Remedy has significantly expanded from its humble beginnings as a group of young game developers transitioning from game demos to commercial releases. Max Payne remains a beloved classic, and though licensing issues make it less likely, a Max Payne remake would be of far more value to Remedy fans than one of Alan Wake. Alan Wake was already an HD game, and while the remake will no doubt make improvements, given that it will appear on the Xbox One and PS4 as well as current-gen hardware, a one-generation upgrade is of far less impact. It was released prior to the HD era of gaming, and the jump from standard definition to HD was significantly more noticeable than that of HD to 4k.

The first Max Payne game released on the original Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC, making it three generations old. The upcoming multi-platform release of a remastered Alan Wake, originally an Xbox 360 and PC title from Remedy, has some fans excited, but the developer’s first hit, Max Payne, is much more deserving of a remake.

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