Max Payne 3 gets different, older voice actor

by Ben Gilbert on Jun 15th 2009 7:45PM

We've already seen the new, grizzled face of Max Payne in upcoming sequel Max Payne 3, and found out a few details on the game from Game Informer's preview of the title. More news coming out of July's GI today (via Eurogamer) says that the game's titular character will lose the first two games' voice actor, James McCaffrey, and be replaced by, well, we're not quite sure yet.

"We're good at casting," Jeronimo Barrera of the game's developer, Rockstar Games, points out. "All the Max Payne themes will remain intact - manipulation, betrayal, and the stuff that really made Max Payne," art director Rob Nelson backs the decision up with. And so it seems that, while the various themes may stay intact, the main character's look and sound have absolutely changed. Here's hoping Rockstar doesn't change the title to "Minimum Pleasure!"

Source

Tags: eurogamer, game-informer, james-mccaffrey, jeronimo-barrera, max-payne, max-payne-3, Microsoft, rob-nelson, rockstar, rockstar-games, voice-acting, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (73)

It's like they want me to hate the game. I wanted a Max Payne 3 - I didn't want "Max Payne: The fat-hobo-in-Brazil years".

i've passed that point... now i'm at the "i really hope this is an elaborate joke" phase...

They didn't even make him look like an old Max Payne.

i agree. i bit my tongue when he looked different. I kept my mouth shut when they left New York. I even ignored the fact that it is a bright game and there isn't a major storm blowing through, but changing the voice acting?!?! It was perfect! Why!?!?!?! I love Max Payne 1 and 2. Probably in my top five favorite games of all time, but I don't think I can validate purchasing this. I hope it's a joke as well. I miss Max Payne.

I totally agree. This bald bearded a-hole looks retarded. One of the best part of Max Payne to me was that all the characters (especially the lead) had a 1950's noir look to them. Now it looks like he's camping in Venezuela. Terrible!

This better not be turning into an Uncharted clone. Heck I love me some jungle hopping, gun wielding everyman, but I want Max - who is a city living bad ass that does not hop around like a monkey.

I really don't know how I should feel about this game anymore.

George Clooney.

Sssssean Connery.

Monkeys throwing poop?

that might work too

John Locke.

When I see the new..eh older Max Payne. I really start thinking of Carl from ATHF, maybe they should get that guy to be the voice actor.

I read the Game Informer article and I'm starting to regain faith in the game. Sure he looks like a freakin' bum, but it makes sense in the context of the story. Now all I can do is cross my fingers and hope they deliver the same kind of script the past two were: bad-ass metaphors.

"I stood in the Brazilian sun as the heat beat through my clothing, roasting my body like an oven roasts a baked potato."

"The woman danced in the street, her increasingly erratic gyrations reminiscent of a thug that received 32 bullets from my SMG."

"I woke up with a boner harder than the streets where I was raised."

I fucking love you, WREturns.

UGH! JESUS H... Baron & Cannon, +1.

Rockstar, I think, I hate you ... yeah ... prove me wrong on this ... prove me wrong plz.

Ok, now officially I'm not buying this game.

Agreed, this was the nail in the coffin for me. It's a shame, I was REALLY looking forward to the next Max Payne, not whatever this game is shaping up to be.

Read the Game Informer; you'll probably change your mind (if you care for the story).

I agree. Not purchasing. I thought they would have a really hard time doing anything to hurt the franchise more than the movie did. Sadly I am wrong.

I just don't care anymore. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't Max Payne; this is something completely different.

Right. They should just take this douchey bald headed character, stick a cigar in his mouth, and rename the whole thing to an entirely new franchise. It's far enough away from the past 2 games.. Even after reading the game informer article, this feel like a huge stretch.

I think this game will be amazing, the other two were and there is no reason to believe this will be any different. Yes he is older and different but he is still a badass!

I agree with this.

Different developers, different Max, and a bizarre story tangent.

"Different developers"

And your point? Considering the fact that Rockstar has rocked on the franchise with Remedy, I don't really see the problem.

"different Max"
Holy shit, you mean an older Max fucked up because of the events from the last game might be different than the one in Max Payne 2? No wai!!! *shocked*

"bizarre story tangent."
I don't see how you can make the judgement, especially since we know almost nothing about the games plot besides a few bits of information.

MAX PAYNE is about dark nights in new york city with the noir element, not about a bald guy shooting criminals on brasil.

What does this game have that is similar to the other 2 games? The name, and the bullet time.

"MAX PAYNE is about dark nights in new york city with the noir element"

No it is not. Max Payne is about betrayals, murder, femme fatals, and facing ones demons. Aka, Max Payne is a homage noir film and John Woo films as well. It isn't only, LOL SOME GUY FIGHTS IN NYC!!! And as I've mentioned multiple times, noir can take place in any other setting and you can have that same dark, depressing tone outside of NYC.

What has Rockstar done other than publish the console versions of Max Payne?

Frankly, I don't see any reason to be excited by this being "another Max Payne". It's a new game by Rockstar Vancouver, but since they're new to the series, and I wasn't the biggest fan of Bully, I'll withhold my enthusiasm until we get some solid previews.

No need to take that tone..

bully was fucking fantastic. it was one of the games that kept me busy till i made the jump to this gen. i'm thinking they might be doing a sort of reboot of the series and i'm curious how this max got to where he is.

WTF is this? They had a formula that worked perfectly fine, and now they change basically everything about it? And what's with the 12 year gap? (was it 12 years?). This is beginning to sound absolutely retarded.

Well it is possible that the game has you play the events leading up to how he got this way. There is a twelve year gap. Perhaps Memories where it leads up to the grand finale.

Max Payne: I swear to God I'm not the Punisher!

WTF

I HATE YOU ROCKSTAR! I HATE YOUUUUUUU

I've been saying that ever since GTA moved into 3D.

I don't understand the bitching, especially since no one has heard Max's voice in this game. And considering the fact that both previous games had different voice actors for Payne, I don't see why people are bothered that someone else will be doing the voice.

I don't see why you're defending what we've seen so far. The only thing they've got from previous games is the guys name(but they've changed the character) and bullet time.

The fact is with what they have show so far it stands as a completely different game and it seems like the only reason they're using the name is to get a few sales out of the fans of the original. The fact that this could easily be a new IP and noone would call it a Max Payne ripoff solidifies the point.

All you've seen is a couple of pics? You haven't seen the actual gameplay in action, nor have you seen the story. So how can you say that THIS ISN'T MAX PAYNE?? How can you bitch about the voice acting when you haven't even heard it. Max Payne wasn't define by the city. It was defineed by the characters, the tone, and the drama. That's what made Max Payne the way it is.

The reason why I defend it is because everything I've read thus far shows that Rockstar has some understanding on not only Noir(they're absolutely right when they say it's a style) but what they're trying to do with the gameplay. Not only that, but I've always had a problem with people overreacting to stuff because it isn't the same game they've been playing over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I understand caution, however it's ridiculous that people are already making final judgements on a game that not only have they not seen in action, but a game they haven't played as well.

Note that I'm not saying it will be a bad game in itself- what I've heard about it sounds actually sounds pretty good so far.

I just don't understand why they decided to use the Max Payne property when they obviously wanted to make something completely different.

My last post was before I saw your response.

Calm down.

Pretty much after every opinion I gave I said- so far. Of course I can't judge it like it's the final product but I am going to give my impression on everything they've said and shown up until this point. You're the one assuming things here.

I'm sorry and you're right i should calm down, I'm just kind of tired of getting into the same arguments.

"Max Payne property when they obviously wanted to make something completely different."

I'll repeat what I said earlier, Max Payne is not defined by the setting but rather the style, the elements which make it Noir. There isn't any reason why Rockstar couldn't bring that noir style to a new location. i mean, do you honestly believe the series should just stay the same with Payne fight yet another group of Mafia crime bosses? I wouldn't mind another game set in NYC, but I am excited to see what Rockstar could do with the Max Payne franchise in a different location and see if they can keep the same style that made Max Payne unique.

Actually James McCaffrey voiced both games.

You obviously didn't play the first two games. It was the same voice actor. Perhaps you mean the difference in visual likeness?

Unless I hear fantastic things about this game at release, I'm staying the hell away from it.

Maybe Tom Cruise will do the voice in 3.

http://gameesc.com/2009/06/13/im-not-liking-max-paynes-new-look/

I love the fact that rockstar puts a more real looking main character into their games.

I know that most of you need a CW looking character, where maybe max payne runs into his mom (who looks like she had him when she was nine) and find out that she has been sleeping with his best friend.

He cries out "oh this would have never of happened if we wern't all so hot".

Sinead O'Connor got BADASS.

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Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3 gets different, older voice actor

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