Over the winter break, Scott Miller (co-founder of Apogee) unearthed an unusual relic from E3 2000. The item was a book created by the Gathering of Developers for press covering the event, teasing their upcoming releases. A tongue-in-cheek twist on the group's initials, the book took inspiration from the Bible, recreating the overall style and internal formatting for "The Next Testament".
Each segment was dedicated to a specific upcoming game, published by the company, and if you're curious about Max Payne's listing, you're in luck! Sharing the discovery with followers on Twitter, Miller posted two photographs: one of the cover and one of the Max Payne teaser. Alongside them, he writes, "This holy book was given out to press at E3 in 2000. It contained pages for the many to-be-published games by Gathering of Developers, including Max Payne. A true relic from an earlier age."
Check out the original tweet, HERE!
The Wickedness of Men
The Gospel According to Max Payne
Chapter 1
In the later years of the century there was a dwelling in New York City a gentle man by the name of Max Payne.
2 He was a law enforcement officer by trade and a devoted family man, as well.
3 And it came to pass that he returned to his dwelling one evening to find his family, each and every one of them, taken by the hand of violent bloody murder.
Chapter 2
It was at this time that a new scourge had touched the land.
2 A new instrument of the devil was wrapping its long bony fingers around the souls of men.
3 It was a synthetic drug called Valkyr. And to it thousands of souls had been lost.
4 Men turned to zombies. Their eyes burned green. They lusted for blood.
5 And so it was that this incarnation of pure evil was responsible for the murders of the Payne family.
Chapter 3
Hear me well. There have been many stories of Innocents suffering at the hands of evil.
2 But none so tragic and chilling as the story of Max Payne.
3 Vowing revenge and retribution, our hero disguised his true nature.
4 Going undercover for the DEO, he infiltrated a powerful Mafia family.
5 His soul was under siege, and his true identity was known only to his boss, who was his brother in spirit and his best friend.
Chapter 4
And so it came to pass that this man, his beloved friend, was also murdered.
2 And so it also came to pass that Max was framed.
3 And as a result, it came to pass that the cops believed him to be a cop killer, and the Mafia discovered his true identity.
4 Never has there been a man so hunted. Nor has there been a man so driven.
5 With evangelical zeal, Max began his journey to avenge the deaths of his loved ones, clear his sullied name, and snuff out the source of great evil.
Chapter 5
In times of great difficulty, take solace. Know that the Lord will not give you more than you can handle. Unless you are Max Payne.
Chapter 6
Max Payne is a hardcore 3D action shooter from 3D Realms and Remedy Entertainment that pushes the genre to its outer limits.
2 Spreading the word of hyperviolence, the title showcases Remedy's revolutionary MAX-FM Technology, the next-generation technology base that enables flexible and scalable computer game development that pushes the boundaries of 3D acceleration.
Chapter 7
Realism is Remedy's mantra and passion.
2 All weapons in Max Payne are created in realistic detail, with emptybrass ejected from arms exactly as in real life.
3 Ballistics are calculated as closely as possible to real-world speed, ricochet angles, and gravitational effect: bullet collisions with actors are graphically exact.
3 And Max Payne's particle systems are among the most advanced in the industry: muzzle flashes, fire, and smoke are fully volumetric.
5 Remedy is dedicated to developing photorealistic 3d characters, among the most realistic real-time characters in the industry.
6 Max has different states of movement, most of which are concentrated on the weapons and using them- including doge and the shoot-dodge that makes Max throw himself to any direction and squeezes a rapid fire of shots while in mid-air.
7 With radiosity lighting, reflective light and deep shadows, Max Payne provides environments that are chillingly realistic.
Chapter 8
So passionate are the developers to stay true to the church of visual effects; so dedicated are they to delivering only the gospel of grim beauty; so married to the notion of dark realism and heightened action, the title is exclusively 3D accelerated, via Direct 3D plus native support.
2 The action is enveloped by more than 80 hand-painted comic panels.
3 The City is recreated in gritty detail. And the villains are conjured straight from hell.
