NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Let's say Rockstar put you in charge of Max Payne 4 for the PC and current gen consoles. How do you make this game? What story elements do you include? Gameplay elements? Locales? Max's personality? Narrative devices? Gunplay? Music? What do you keep from Max Payne 3? What do you throw away? From the first two?
Here's how I'd set it up: Insane cross-country noir road trip. Start in LA. Finish in NYC. Hit all the stops in the way. Start with Max as a low-rent PI in LA after the events of the third game. Unlike the first three games however, he's actually doing alright. Kicked the booze completely. However, he gets wrapped up in one final insane case.
There's a bounty put on his head by some mysterious figure and Max has to unravel the mystery all while protecting some witness or something. They have to escape LA and head to New York where the answers are. We'll figure out a reason why they can't just fly (lol). Perhaps the LAPD are corrupt and he's put on the no-fly list. A group of dirty cops would be the first set of enemies that come after Max, driving him out of the city.
Anyway, each locale would have totally unique enemy groups all chasing after the bounty on Max's head. I would not want any location to feel the same. So, for example, I'd have some insane race car driver type chasing after Max in the Nevada desert at night (think Drive).
In terms of gameplay, rather than just throw waves and waves of enemies after Max, I'd have fewer enemies that are just smarter and tougher and require you to be faster to deal with them. I'd take Euphoria and like, MAX that shit out to make it realistic as possible. The game has to be fast, but still have some weight and heft to it. I'd keep the Max Payne 3 style of carrying the guns and stealing weapons off of dead folks, and I'd make the environment in most areas pretty destructable to make it look like your actions have a lot of effect in the environment. I also want the player to take advantage of the environment as much as possible. Kinda like having the feel of doing insanely random things in GTA, but transferred over to a linear third person shooter.
I'd drop some of the Rockstar preachiness about America. Not there is anything wrong with it, but it's a specific Houser style that I wouldn't want to try. I would see if I could hew back to a Remedy style of plot and humour, but I don't want it to sound like a ripoff of them either. I'd like to try to blend the best of both writing styles. I liked Max Payne 3's storyline, but I don't think I want another Houser-written one. One's good enough, but two would wear out the welcome. I'd write the script (of course).
Also, skippable cutscenes. Return of McCaffrey. I wouldn't mind HEALTH returning to do the soundtrack, but it would need a completely different vibe, so I think I'd go with somebody else. The pacing would need to be pitch perfect, guaranteeing that when you go through the story the first time, you never feel like everything is rote or repetitive. Also want some replayability in there. I think Rockstar adding in those other modes afterwards is a good way of doing it. I also would bring back the insanely nightmarish dreams from Max Payne 1 and 2. I missed those in MP3. Probably take some inspiration from Hannibal in some fashion.
My use of colour pallete for the game would probably be inspired by Hannibal and David Fincher.
Anyway, what's your vision? How would you make and design Max Payne 3?
Here's how I'd set it up: Insane cross-country noir road trip. Start in LA. Finish in NYC. Hit all the stops in the way. Start with Max as a low-rent PI in LA after the events of the third game. Unlike the first three games however, he's actually doing alright. Kicked the booze completely. However, he gets wrapped up in one final insane case.
There's a bounty put on his head by some mysterious figure and Max has to unravel the mystery all while protecting some witness or something. They have to escape LA and head to New York where the answers are. We'll figure out a reason why they can't just fly (lol). Perhaps the LAPD are corrupt and he's put on the no-fly list. A group of dirty cops would be the first set of enemies that come after Max, driving him out of the city.
Anyway, each locale would have totally unique enemy groups all chasing after the bounty on Max's head. I would not want any location to feel the same. So, for example, I'd have some insane race car driver type chasing after Max in the Nevada desert at night (think Drive).
I have a few different locale ideas in mind with the various bizarre enemies that come after Max, a lot influenced from television and films. Maybe crazy cartel in the Southwest
Racist cowboy stereotypes in Texas. Meth head Bikers in Kansas. Basically every asshole in the country wants to kill Max. There's more stuff, but I kinda dig that as the setup.
In terms of gameplay, rather than just throw waves and waves of enemies after Max, I'd have fewer enemies that are just smarter and tougher and require you to be faster to deal with them. I'd take Euphoria and like, MAX that shit out to make it realistic as possible. The game has to be fast, but still have some weight and heft to it. I'd keep the Max Payne 3 style of carrying the guns and stealing weapons off of dead folks, and I'd make the environment in most areas pretty destructable to make it look like your actions have a lot of effect in the environment. I also want the player to take advantage of the environment as much as possible. Kinda like having the feel of doing insanely random things in GTA, but transferred over to a linear third person shooter.
I'd drop some of the Rockstar preachiness about America. Not there is anything wrong with it, but it's a specific Houser style that I wouldn't want to try. I would see if I could hew back to a Remedy style of plot and humour, but I don't want it to sound like a ripoff of them either. I'd like to try to blend the best of both writing styles. I liked Max Payne 3's storyline, but I don't think I want another Houser-written one. One's good enough, but two would wear out the welcome. I'd write the script (of course).
Also, skippable cutscenes. Return of McCaffrey. I wouldn't mind HEALTH returning to do the soundtrack, but it would need a completely different vibe, so I think I'd go with somebody else. The pacing would need to be pitch perfect, guaranteeing that when you go through the story the first time, you never feel like everything is rote or repetitive. Also want some replayability in there. I think Rockstar adding in those other modes afterwards is a good way of doing it. I also would bring back the insanely nightmarish dreams from Max Payne 1 and 2. I missed those in MP3. Probably take some inspiration from Hannibal in some fashion.
My use of colour pallete for the game would probably be inspired by Hannibal and David Fincher.
Anyway, what's your vision? How would you make and design Max Payne 3?
