Max Payne is one of the best games ever made, but it wouldn't have been the same without Sam Lake's iconic face plastered on our hero's model.
Max Payne Remake Teaser Scenes in Alan Wake 2
It's a fairly well-known story of how Sam Lake, Remedy Entertainment's chief creative powerhouse, first entered the world of game development. Back then, the man could never have predicted that his own face would become one of the most iconic in video game history.
That's what happened with Max Payne's instant success back in 2001. Overnight, Payne, and by extension Lake, became the face of gritty, neo-noir storytelling in gaming. Fascinatingly, however, Lake has admitted recently that if he knew how big his game would be, he might have stopped to think twice before lending his handsome mug to the character.
While Remedy continues to run, despite some of the difficulties faced by Alan Wake 2's poor sales, it's perhaps a good time to reflect on Lake's early days, when he was both the protagonist and the creator of his stories.
