Escape From Mount Stupid: Max Payne

Hello! I'm Johnny, and I am not on holiday. Danny, however, is, so it has fallen to me to write this bit of preamble. If you're confused as to who I am, I've been producing this season of Escape From Mount Stupid alongside Danny. I wrote most of the script for this episode, as well as editing it together. I also happen to love Max Payne.

When Max Payne launched I was thirteen, and technically too young to play it (please don't arrest my parents). That said, I definitely wasn't too young to appreciate it--from the moment Max first stepped onto the frozen streets of New York, to the unbelievably frustrating blood mazes and beyond.

I knew then it was good, but I didn't realise just how good until I revisited it while working on this episode, at which point Max Payne immediately rocketed into my top 10 games of all time. The pacing, story, and execution are all superb, and I think there is still a lot developers today could learn from that game--and the second one, come to think of it. The film, on the other hand…well, there's still a lot to be learned from that little adventure, but pretty much for all the wrong reasons (most of them Chris O'Donnell).

Anyway, that's enough from me. I hope you enjoy this episode--it was a pleasure to write it with Danny, a joy to edit, and is (hopefully) a fitting end to Season 2. The two of us will be back with Season 3 soon, but in the meantime, if you have any suggestions for things we should cover on our return, feel free to leave a comment below, or get in touch with us on Twitter. I'm @johnneh, and Danny (as I'm sure you know) is @dannyodwyer.

Take it easy folks. See you back up Mount Stupid soon.

You can watch (or download) the site version of this episode right here, or subscribe to the show on YouTube.