I was, and remain, very excited by the news that Remedy is remaking Max Payne 1 and 2. I was also immediately hopeful that the excellent but underappreciated Max Payne 3 would get some love, too—a less likely prospect given that it was developed by Rockstar and remains in its hands, but I am nothing if not an optimist. Today my wish came at least partially true, sort of: To mark the 10th anniversary of Max Payne 3, Rockstar has announced that it is updating and re-releasing the game’s soundtrack.
This is actually very cool because the Max Payne 3 soundtrack, composed and performed by LA-based noise rockers HEALTH, is a genuine banger, and its integration with gameplay is sublimely cinematic. The ominous pulsations of Tears, for instance, flowing over gunfire and the shouts of angry and dying men elevates the endgame airport shootout from standard cover-shooter action to an unforgettable denouement of blood-soaked redemption.
Yeah, I’m a fan.
“When we began work on the Max Payne 3 score we could not have predicted the momentous effect it would have on the trajectory of our band and the music we make,” Health said in a statement. “Now, 10 years on, we are still as proud as ever to be part of the story.”
The Anniversary Edition of the Max Payne 3 soundtrack will include previously unreleased tracks from the game, and will be available later this year on digital streaming platforms and in a limited-edition vinyl release. In the meantime, I continue to hold out hope for something genuinely new for Max Payne 3—or, dare I dream, Max Payne 4—but for now, this is at least movement in the right direction: Max Payne is not forgotten.
Here’s another of my favorites:
