Dude! I was so fucking surprised at how well Max Payne 3 still holds up. Better than most shooters nowadays.

3 was great on it's own merits as a game, but the noir elements were ratched way down compared to the first and second.

Max Payne 2 was... I dunno... damn well perfect for what it was supposed to be in the era it was developed with the technology of the time.

Balatro till I've beat it

Max Payne 1&2 still hold up I think. The upshot of using comic book style slideshow sequences instead of cutscenes is that it's aged really well. Story, mood and atmosphere is great in both and I think the gameplay is still pretty decent. Keep in mind 1&2 were Remedy games while 3 was Rockstar, so they will feel noticeably different for better or worse. Most Max Payne fans will say it like: Max Payne 3 is a great game, it's just not a great Max Payne game. It doesn't have that Remedy touch, it isn't good at the things that made the first two so special. Amazing 3rd person gunplay though.

Speaking of, there is a Remedy-themed Humble Bundle online right now with their whole catalogue minus Firebreak for like 30 bucks. Not a bad way to get your hands on MP 1&2. Pretty remarkable value, although with the two caveats that Alan Wake 2 is (1) only playable through Epic and (2) coming to PS+ next month if you have that platform and service.

Hey friend, cheers for the thread. I'm strangely happy and relieved to have found something chill enough to engage with in the midst of all the crazy political drama around the place.

I'm glad you're enjoying Max Payne 3. I liked it too, though It had to grow on me, especially after having played MP1 and MP2. The first one especially blew me away even when I played it for the first time back in 2008 - its combination of beautiful, prosaic noir writing, the modern incorporation of Norse mythology, and innovative (for the time) gameplay, among other traits, continues to make it stand out amongst the rest.

• If you get to play it, I'd highly recommend checking out the PCGamingWiki page for the fixes to help it work better in general and on modern systems.

Currently, I'm playing RoboCop: Rogue City and Schedule I. Playing on both sides of the law by the looks of it, haha.

• Rogue City is a great experience as far as faithfully adapting the dystopian, mega-corporatised, hyper-violent world of RoboCop to the gaming screen;
• Schedule I has you build a drug empire through a surprisingly addictive (heh) gameplay loop of producing and distributing different types of drugs (I found myself staying up til 4AM while crafting all-new marijuana strains with kickass names like the Ninja Witch).

I've also been revisiting old PS2 games on PCSX2 emulator. Currently replaying:

• WWE games - Here Comes the Pain, and SvR'06/07 (peak of the franchise, imo)
• Dog's Life - the adorable yet disturbing, fantastically scored, janky GTA-flavoured canine adventure still entertains.

Playing the original God of War for the first time via the PS3 collection. I'm also chipping away at Mario Picross 2 (Gameboy) on my Retroid Pocket 4.

Finished up "my friend Pedro" a couple of weeks ago (absolutely recommend if you haven't played it, especially with a high refresh rate screen), played control for a bit (interesting beginning, but the more you play the more confusing/boring I found it), and been revisiting doom eternal since I just upgraded my PC about a month ago. I was planning to play it through with the dlc expansions, then maybe try cyberpunk after. Also been intermittently playing "golf with your friends" when I have game night, pretty fun to play with friends and doesn't take too much effort.

I can't stop playing Enter the Gungeon, this is a cry for help. /hj

Also I decided to try Flashback again (Genesis version). This game always seemed really cool but I never progressed far on it since it's so unlike anything else from the era. Kind of surprising more indies don't take a crack at this formula.

Megabonk and Balatro. And I've just finished Max Payne 3! Really liked it!

Max Payne 3 is an an amazing. If you like slowmo bullet time stuff you might enjoy"My Friend Pedro"

Finally picked up Hades II now that it's been officially released and I can enjoy it with all its polish. Already got 30 hours in and can't wait to spend more time tonight. The music is just constantly stuck in my head now.

When the Xbox is free, Borderlands 4. (Just finished the main story and going back to grab up all them side quests)

Otherwise, my wife and I take turns beating each other at Tetris & Dr Mario.

Finally playing Silent Hill 2, which is scary as heck. (Try playing it with the sound off and your controller vibration on for a bit.)

Still playing Noita a lot.

Also DMing weekly campaigns on Neverwinter Nights.

I’ve been playing First Contact Protocol for the GBC and it’s really good!

Azure Dreams, PS1 and GBC, I was really surprised how good both versions were when deciding which to play so I'm playing both.

The Amiga version of Alien Breed 2. Bitch is hard as nails in a coffin. In comparison the Alien Breed trilogy on PC on hardest difficulty is a walk in the park.

• A Plague's Tale: Innocence
• Blade Runner
• Freedom Fighters and trying hard to make Dominatrix work to play SiN Gold again.

I'm playing Chrono Trigger on my Miyoo Mini and I'm planning to finish it and play Mother 3 (since I finished Earthbound some time ago and really loved it). Also honorable mention when I need a quick time kill: Catrap (GB) and Apotris

I absolutely do recommend playing Earthbound if you still haven't because this really is a story with a soul and I'm astonished that I haven't heard about it before. Also btw this game has an S-tier manual, google it.

I'm playing through hollow Knight for the first time! I have always enjoyed Metroid and most of Castlevania, and with the silk song hype I felt it was time. I have no idea how far along I am, I don't suspect very far based on how full my inventory screen is. And I'm using the strategy of "re explore old areas once you learn a new move", which is working okay, but I'm getting a little annoyed by how much back tracking I'm doing. I want to find the map for the jellyfish area, but I can't get past this black barrier.

There are fun optional platforming areas that remind me of Celeste. Now if I only I had unlimited tries like she did. And the boss battles are challenging and punishing in a way that reminds me of elden ring - everyone has a pattern, and they will hurt you if you are too greedy with your attacks.

Overall I recommend it if you enjoy Metroidvanias

Resident Evil 7. The last game I played was RE5 and I really didn't enjoy it. It's been years but I played the remake of RE2 when it came out and loved it. Picked up 7 and 8 during a recent steam sale. So far RE 7 is shaping up to be one of my favorites in the series.

Max Payne is nothing like the original and its sequel. I found it to be a dispassionate mess lacking any of the compelling elements of Remedy's games. Rockstar took the name and nothing else.