25 Years Ago, Remedy Set the Stage for Control Resonant’s Manhattan Setting

They often say that New York City functions as a main character in its own right. Executed skillfully, this sentiment rings just as true for a classic Nora Ephron romantic comedy as it does for interactive virtual sandboxes like The Division or Marvel’s Spider-Man. Gamers anticipate a similar level of environmental storytelling when Control Resonant showcases its striking aesthetic in 2026, yet this is far from the first time developer Remedy Entertainment has crafted an unforgettable rendition of the metropolis.

Debuting on Windows PC a quarter-century ago—with subsequent ports arriving shortly after on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox—Max Payne stands as an iconic third-person shooter that immediately plunges players into a freezing, desolate version of New York City. The biting winter weather and pervasive atmosphere of impending doom are impossible to ignore as police cruisers and hovering helicopters converge upon a towering skyscraper piercing the icy skyline. No one feels the immense gravity of the situation quite like the titular Max Payne, who is still grappling with the profound grief of a devastating loss from three years prior that ultimately catalyzed the evening’s violent events.

Fans recall Max Payne with immense fondness because it conveys its gritty narrative with relentless style—so much so that it eventually spawned a 2008 feature film adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg. Players first encounter Max as he teeters on the edge of a rain-slicked rooftop, gazing down at the chaotic emergency response below. A harrowing backstory soon unfolds through beautifully stylized graphic novel panels, accompanied by the gravelly, world-weary voiceover of the late James McCaffrey.

Three years prior, Max was an ordinary beat cop returning home every evening to his wife and daughter in New Jersey. However, one fateful night shattered his domestic peace when he walked straight into an unfolding nightmare. Three thugs, heavily intoxicated on a dangerous designer narcotic known as Valkyr, had broken into his residence. Max managed to neutralize them all, but not before they brutally murdered his family. Driven by a relentless quest for vengeance, he stepped away from his colleagues on the police force to join the DEA. In this perilous undercover assignment, he successfully infiltrated a powerful local mafia syndicate tied directly to the distribution network of the drug that ruined his life.

Unraveling the mystery yourself remains an engaging endeavor. The noir-soaked presentation succeeds due to its uncompromising commitment to the genre’s darkest tropes—a creative gamble that Remedy embraced wholeheartedly. Fortunately, this narrative ambition was matched by innovative, adrenaline-fueled gameplay highlighted by a groundbreaking mechanic: bullet time.

First introduced during the early skirmishes inside Roscoe Street Station (interestingly, not an actual location in Manhattan), bullet time allows Max to dive dramatically through the air while the surrounding world slows to a crawl. This evasive maneuver momentarily disorients adversaries, making them react as though they are trudging through thick syrup. While the slow-motion effect is fleeting, it grants Max a window of heightened reflexes to target and eliminate threats with absolute precision. Wielding a shotgun during these sequences practically removes the need for meticulous aiming altogether.

While the storyline may occasionally lack subtle nuance, it maintains a brisk, relentless momentum that bridges the intensely satisfying gunfights. Naturally, some imperfections are inevitable given the title’s age. Environmental textures and architectural models can appear somewhat repetitive, and Max’s permanent grimace occasionally borders on the comical rather than the menacing. These minor flaws are simply the price of admission for a classic video game aging across multiple decades.

The more prominent hurdles become apparent when experiencing the game on console hardware. For instance, the default inverted Y-axis forces some players to fight the camera controls just as much as the thugs standing in Max’s way. While modern releases make remapping settings effortless—much like the original PC version did—the PlayStation 2 port kept configurations frustratingly restrictive.

Another noticeable drawback on consoles is the severe scarcity of health pickups and checkpoints. Navigating through multiple winding corridors while dispatching enemies, only to fumble a single firefight and be forced to replay the entire sequence, can quickly test one’s patience. Restorative items are sometimes available, but less experienced players will rapidly deplete their inventory with no reliable way to restock. Furthermore, the unforgiving checkpoint layout often places Max directly before lengthy, set-piece encounters filled with surprise attacks from off-screen foes, feeling punishing even on reduced difficulty settings. Fortunately, PC players retain the luxury of saving their progress at will.

Despite these rough edges—and occasionally because of the distinct personality they impart—Max Payne remains a remarkably rewarding shooter twenty-five years after its initial launch. The title delivers an abundance of atmospheric style coupled with compelling combat, particularly when enhanced by fan patches on PC. It will certainly be fascinating to observe how Remedy modernizes this classic experience in the upcoming Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake, alongside witnessing how they continue to redefine their gritty vision of Manhattan in Control Resonant later this year.