The Max Payne series is a third-person shooter videogame that was initially developed by Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment but more notably by Rockstar Games, the main publisher of the series. The series itself is named after the main protagonist, who is introduced to players as a troubled NYPD detective who is waging a revenge-fueled war against various criminal organisations.
The story of Max Payne starts when he is working as an NYPD detective and attempts to solve the murder of his family whilst also investigating a drug trafficking case which involved a mysterious new designers drug called ‘Valkyr’. Whilst doing so, Max then becomes entangled in a large and complex conspiracy which involves major pharmaceutical companies, organised crime group, a secret society and the US Military. In other words, Max has gone from trying to do the right thing, to being framed for something he hasn’t done.
In 2008 a spin-off movie was released based on the series and was ironically called “Max Payne” featuring Mark Wahlberg as the main character playing Max.
Max Payne 2 follows the story of the first entry of the series but is set two years after the first game. Max has been reinstated in his old job as an NYPD detective. One night, Max is called to investigate a gunfight at a warehouse owned by his old ally, Vladimir Lem who has since become a rather wealthy and powerful crime boss. Throughout the story of Max Payne 2, Max meets numerous different characters including Mona Sax who is assumed dead, however he soon finds out that she is the prime suspect in the murder of a United Stated Senator.
Max Payne 3 is the third (and possibly final) entry in the Max Payne series. Rockstar Games wanted to take a different approach to Max Payne with this game and wanted to show off a new chapter of Max’s life that players had never experienced before. Max Payne 3 is set nine years after the events of the second game (11 years after the first). Max Payne is now a retired alcoholic and painkiller addict. Following an incident that happened in Hoboken, New Jersey, Max is forced to leave New York and accepts an offer from Raul Passos who he met during this incident. This offer is to become a private security contractor in South America working for the Branco family. Whilst operating in São Paulo a few months later, Max thwarts a kidnapping attempt on the Brancos by the Comando Sombra who are a local street gang. A week later, they manage to kidnap Fabiana at a nightclub which Max was overseeing.
Over the course of the storyline, Max attempts to find Fabiana and bring her back to her father safely, but all doesn’t end as planned. Max is then exposed to the involvement of other organisations and criminals as well as a number of lies and truths within the Branco family.