Globe and Mail game columnist says the problem with movies based on games, like Max Payne, is that the studios stick too closely to the source material. From the story:
"...A few subtle differences aside, the characters and basic storyline resemble what I remember from the game. Thing is, I loved the game. The movie, on the other hand, seemed trite, predictable, and melodramatic.
I found myself pondering this odd gap between film and game for most of the movie's 100-minute duration, and I decided it all came down to Max himself. Why did I sympathize with and like Max the game protagonist and not Max the film star, both of whom were essentially the same, one-dimensional, revenge-driven automaton?
The problem, I think, is that one media is interactive and the other isn't. During the dozen or so hours I spent with the game I really did try to put myself in Max's shoes. I imagined what it would be like to lose my wife and daughter and took a dark sort of pleasure in blasting away those responsible. It became personal.
Vicariously watching someone else do these things, on the other hand, just made me feel a bit dirty..."
Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.
The stock mark is what makes Microsoft remarkable, They have convinced every institutional and retail investor to just keep piling money into them. Like many big tech giants they are just a big growing pyramid scheme. As long as people keep dropping money into ETF's that cover the market Microsoft will always be liquid. At the same time it is completely stifling innovation and competition. People need to start being more discreet in how they invest their money as it's killing the system.
Riiiiight because people will just flock back to them for one or two games per year.
15+ years of bad performance is what they call irreparable in business. It is time for them to sell off the assets and get out of entertainment.
These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse
Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
Spiders: "We're going to cut straight to the chase so you're not left wondering: After a long period without clear answers, we have received confirmation that Spiders is being liquidated.
What does it mean? This means the company as a whole no longer exists. We'll cease our functions immediately. The planned DLC will release via Nacon, and then-- well, that's it.
We're sorry that it's come to this and would like to thank each and every one of you for your support over the years.
If you have any questions or run into issues with your games, please contact Nacon directly as we'll no longer be able to reply."
The problem with video game to movie transition is that, while you have 5-12 hours "depends on game" to interact and play out a story in a game you only have 1.5-2 hrs in a movie which i think can sometimes be enough but is rarely enough time for you to live or experience the story, kind of like books to film. Books IMO are always better... they are long and more imaginative.....
they didn't stick close enough to the story. the environments didn't feel the same. In the first story the whole thing revolved around a record snow storm. I loved that backdrop, instead of that we get heavy freezing rain and a little snow. sounds crazy but, that really changed the feel for me. also, The music played a big part in the game and added the tense feel of foreboding. the music in the movie I cannot even remember.
I have more but, I'm too tired to type anymore..... :P
I disagree when the article says that both were "essentially the same , one-dimensional, revenge-driven automaton". See, a lot of people seem to miss the fact that the Max Payne games were a bit of a spoof on film noir in general. From the tongue-in-cheek one liners, to the purposely over-the-top dialouge the games did NOT take themselves too seriously. As a character, Max Payne in the games was more casual and somewhat humorous (as well as revenge-driven), and Max Payne in the movie was just plain angry.
In short, while I personally enjoyed the film for what it was, its biggest problem was that it took itself far too seriously.
sucked as the main character. Mickey Rourke would have been better as it looked like they modeled the game character after him.
The Max Payne movie was just terribly written and directed.
Superb presentation can always save a cliche plot. Like the movie Taken for instance, now that was a Max Payne movie.