Today I learned...

.... that Remedy Entertainment is working on remaking "Max Payne" and
"Max Payne 2".

I'm usually down on remakes, because too often I fell they are either
unnecessary (the originals stand on their own merits) or because the
remakes lose that special 'something' that made the originals so
noteworthy. But in this case, I might make an exception.

Well, mostly for the original "Max Payne". Released in 2001, "Max
Payne" came from that early period of 3D gaming, when the visuals
weren't quite up to the ambitions of the developers. "Max Payne" is
far from the worst of games of that era (in many ways, it was one of
the best) but there are a number of areas where the limited technology
of the time marred the experience, as it was unable to adequately
portray the artistic vision of the devs.

Of course, I'd hope this remaster is a full recreation rather than
just an AI-powered texture-upscale that is too often for what passes
as a remaster these days. Something more along the lines of the 2023
"Dead Space" remaster than the remakes of "Turok 2". Because it wasn't
just the visuals of the original "Max Payne" that need revisiting;
improved controls, mechanics and level design would be nice too.
Playing the 2001 "Max Payne" in 2024 feels unbelievably clunky;
there's been two decades of refinement in game design that I'd love to
see applied to the original.

I'm less excited about "Max Payne 2"; that's one of those games that,
I think, holds its own to this day. Its visuals - while dated - are
still adequate and it had received enough polish to its gameplay that
I don't think it really needs a significant rework (and if it did
receive significant rework, it would come at a cost to the game's feel
and style). But I can understand why Remedy - after taking on the
effort to remake the first game - might feel obligated to do the same
with the second. I'm not opposed to the idea; I just doubt its
necessity.

"Max Payne 3", of course, won't get the same treatment. That IP is
owned by Rockstar Games, not Remedy. It was also such a departure from
the original and style and character that it really doesn't feel very
much like a Max Payne game anyway. It's not a bad game - it's not
really great either - but it feels very different from the first two.

Information about these remakes is extremely limited, so far. Still,
I'll withhold my usual negativity about the remakes' very existence
until I learn more. Who knows; they might actually be good.

On Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:30:37 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>Today I learned...
>
>... that Remedy Entertainment is working on remaking "Max Payne" and
>"Max Payne 2".

[...]

>Information about these remakes is extremely limited, so far. Still,
>I'll withhold my usual negativity about the remakes' very existence
>until I learn more. Who knows; they might actually be good.

Plot details have been leaked. In this installment, things have
changed quite a bit from prior MP games. Max(ine) is now a minority
female who has been faced with the challenge of a new job as Chief
Diversity and Inclusion Officer at a tech company. Most of the
"combat" is non-violent in nature (thus the title, MP4 Flakes of
Snow), and takes place as Max sits at her computer dealing with
various emails from various toxic white men who try keep trying to
man-splain why the company is failing rapidly using confusing
technical jargon that she doesn't understand. So the game is kind of
an e-mail answering simulator where you select from dialog choices
that affect how the story line plays out.

Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@x-nospam-x.com> wrote at 11:38 this Saturday (GMT):
> On Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:30:37 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>Today I learned...
>>
>>... that Remedy Entertainment is working on remaking "Max Payne" and
>>"Max Payne 2".
>
> [...]
>
>>Information about these remakes is extremely limited, so far. Still,
>>I'll withhold my usual negativity about the remakes' very existence
>>until I learn more. Who knows; they might actually be good.
>
>
> Plot details have been leaked. In this installment, things have
> changed quite a bit from prior MP games. Max(ine) is now a minority
> female who has been faced with the challenge of a new job as Chief
> Diversity and Inclusion Officer at a tech company. Most of the
> "combat" is non-violent in nature (thus the title, MP4 Flakes of
> Snow), and takes place as Max sits at her computer dealing with
> various emails from various toxic white men who try keep trying to
> man-splain why the company is failing rapidly using confusing
> technical jargon that she doesn't understand. So the game is kind of
> an e-mail answering simulator where you select from dialog choices
> that affect how the story line plays out.

Is that real?
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 3/24/2024 10:00 AM, candycanearter07 wrote:
> Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@x-nospam-x.com> wrote at 11:38 this Saturday (GMT):
>> On Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:30:37 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
>> <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Today I learned...
>>>
>>> ... that Remedy Entertainment is working on remaking "Max Payne" and
>>> "Max Payne 2".
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>> Information about these remakes is extremely limited, so far. Still,
>>> I'll withhold my usual negativity about the remakes' very existence
>>> until I learn more. Who knows; they might actually be good.
>>
>>
>> Plot details have been leaked. In this installment, things have
>> changed quite a bit from prior MP games. Max(ine) is now a minority
>> female who has been faced with the challenge of a new job as Chief
>> Diversity and Inclusion Officer at a tech company. Most of the
>> "combat" is non-violent in nature (thus the title, MP4 Flakes of
>> Snow), and takes place as Max sits at her computer dealing with
>> various emails from various toxic white men who try keep trying to
>> man-splain why the company is failing rapidly using confusing
>> technical jargon that she doesn't understand. So the game is kind of
>> an e-mail answering simulator where you select from dialog choices
>> that affect how the story line plays out.
>
>
> Is that real?

No.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Sun, 24 Mar 2024 17:00:03 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
<candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:

>Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@x-nospam-x.com> wrote at 11:38 this Saturday (GMT):
>> On Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:30:37 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
>><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Today I learned...
>>>
>>>... that Remedy Entertainment is working on remaking "Max Payne" and
>>>"Max Payne 2".
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>>Information about these remakes is extremely limited, so far. Still,
>>>I'll withhold my usual negativity about the remakes' very existence
>>>until I learn more. Who knows; they might actually be good.
>>
>>

>
>
>Is that real?

No.

On Sun, 24 Mar 2024 17:00:03 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
<candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:

>Is that real?

The fact that even one person wondered this, if even for a moment,
illustrates my point perfectly.

I always find comedy's sweet spot to be sitting snug and close to
reality, but maybe this one was a little too close for public
consumption; like reality had his wandering hand up the skirt of the
joke.

Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@x-nospam-x.com> wrote at 18:39 this Sunday (GMT):
> On Sun, 24 Mar 2024 17:00:03 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
><candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:
>
>>Is that real?
>
> The fact that even one person wondered this, if even for a moment,
> illustrates my point perfectly.
>
> I always find comedy's sweet spot to be sitting snug and close to
> reality, but maybe this one was a little too close for public
> consumption; like reality had his wandering hand up the skirt of the
> joke.

I've been had!

Side note, I always kinda love when parody stuff actually happens.
My favorite example of that is the Onion's "HP Cloud" video..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ntPxdWAWq8&ab_channel=TheOnion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aUV_PRuTC4&ab_channel=HP
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 3/24/2024 11:39 AM, Rin Stowleigh wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Mar 2024 17:00:03 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
> <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:
>
>> Is that real?
>
> The fact that even one person wondered this, if even for a moment,
> illustrates my point perfectly.
>
> I always find comedy's sweet spot to be sitting snug and close to
> reality, but maybe this one was a little too close for public
> consumption; like reality had his wandering hand up the skirt of the
> joke.

Jokes definitely prefer to be the one putting their hand up reality's
skirt....

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.