Max Payne 3 - Sam Lake Mod (Classic Max)

Sam Lake Mod for Max Payne 3! This mod brings back the original look of Max Payne from the first game to Max Payne 3. So we now get to experience the HD version of "Classic Max".
More about this mod:
- The head with Sam Lake's legendary facial expression modeled specially for Max Payne 3. This allowed the head to be fully integrated into the game with the preservation of facial expressions and materials. All the textures of the head have been adapted and every wound that appears on Max's face during the story has been saved. Even drops of sweat flowing down the character's face in real time are saved too.
- Each hairstyle change is adapted to Sam Lake's head. It turns out there are 14 hairstyles in the story, not just hair on and hair off.
- The leather jacket with Hawaiian shirt from the first game modeled specially for chapters in New York.
- Every single Max's costumes is fitted to Sam Lake's physique. Every single one. It was necessary to keep the character's integrity intact over the course of the story.
DOWNLOAD: www.nexusmods.com/maxpayne3/m...
0:00 - Sam Lake in NYC...with hair
11:06 - Sam Lake in Brazil...with hair
23:00 - Sam Lake in Brazil...without hair!
● Platform: Windows PC
● Recorded using Mirillis Action
● Edited using Adobe Premiere 2022
Follow Me:
● / willzyyy
● www.Willzyyy.com

[@Willzyyy]

Sam Lake approves of this mod... This is really impressive and the amount of detail is incredible. I especially love the New York outfit being re-made from scratch to reference the original game. This is just a fun throwback to the classic Max Payne 1 face we all know. Info in the description!

[@branjer1304]

It is a great mod, made me replay the whole game

[@eddy9216]

Slow motion shots, so awesome

[@Willzyyy]

@@branjer1304 It's unfortunate the pre-rendered cutscenes can't be changed making it inconsistent during important story cutscenes. Otherwise, yes, it's great!

[@DanielsArtStudioGamesAnimation]

Started a whole big war because of this 3 guys trying to provoke Max first. That's pretty unprofessional to say the least.

[@wealthyboy6445]

When bald look like Bruce Willis 🔥😂😂

[@MoskHotel]

Wow, he actually looks like Sam Lake from current year! It’s no wonder that he actually likes this face mod!

[@aaronweyl2272]

It's almost as real as voice actor that looks like Guts form Berserk!! XD

[@MachFiveFalcon]

I actually think he looks a bit younger than this mod in real life even today. Man aged well!

[@imembridibuddha]

He does? Where?

[@ReachTea]

where does he say he likes it

[@Red_dead_Redemption_4_Life]

​@@imembridibuddhaalan wake 2

[@Willzyyy]

On a side note: Can we just appreciate how bloody good this game still looks and plays? The shooting just feels great!

[@nicaalex6062]

Ikr

[@Savage-jw3cr]

Still a solid revisit after all these years

[@ultimatecontagion]

Every game in the trilogy just feels so nice to play.

[@jmz2144]

I'd rather Max Payne 3 on new consoles than rdr

[@shadowrage2593]

MP3 is THE WORST Max Payne ever. It wasn't made by Remedy and it shows. Here's why (in my opinon): 1) Max Payne was never a cover shooter. Feels like a GTAV mod... Oh wait!!! 2) Where are the graphic novels??? 3) Dull and boring story/characters. None of the side-characters are memorable. 4) Max Payne with a shaved head and beard a always felt out of character (Hence this mod I guess). 5) Only because Dan Houser can write GTA doesn't mean he can write a good MP game. The dialogue felt really weird, like he was trying to imitate Sam's style. 6) The soundtrack is rather forgettable.

[@metalgaming841]

The classic Max Payne never gets old with the smirk while shooting in Max Payne 3.😅

[@kartikahluwalia8356]

lmaoooooooooooooooooooooo

[@AngryShooter]

Max Payne should have never stopped being based on Sam Lake's appearance, he's by far the most iconic Max Payne look.

[@xxbullriderkillx9301]

Boy are you about to be saddened by today's news

[@AngryShooter]

@@xxbullriderkillx9301 Yeah I heard that James McCaffrey the voice actor, has passed away due to cancer, it really sucks. If Sam Lake's look is iconic, then I have to say the same about James voice acting, bringing that character to life. RIP

[@xxbullriderkillx9301]

It's crazy cause I was watching a max payne clip, and I opened instagram to James passing

[@adambrande]

They definitely had to change his look. Max aged up and lived a stressful life which made him look older. The entire point of Max Payne 3 was him trying to escape Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2

[@commietearsdrinker]

Sam Lake will always be Max Payne for me. I don't remember why he was the face of Max in the first game, but it doesn't much matter. It worked. And that's never gonna change for me.

[@Willzyyy]

I think Sam stepped in because at the time they couldn't afford an actor to portray Max...so Sam decided to do it. I think that's what happened anyway. Definitely worked out for the best!

[@checkmate5336]

@@Willzyyy Ok but like the voice actor for Max. McCarthy. Why didn't they use his face, was that extra pay on his part because he voiced and did the face model of Max Payne with his likeness?

[@ElliFong]

@@Willzyyy fyi Sam Lake's mom did the antagonist too.

[@majorborngusfluunduch8694]

Why did I read this comment in his voice?

[@imembridibuddha]

Prior to the events of the first game, Max used to be a humourous guy, and even a normal man next door who had a family. That's also why Sam Lake's face model worked for me. The other face models from the sequels make Max look like an action-movie actor.

[@gw6389]

The happy accident of Sam Lake being the face of Max is that it added an eccentricity to the character that was never fully understood by the creators and completely disregarded in subsequent games.. In Max1 he’s a hardboiled detective, but looks like he’s in his mid-late twenties. He’s undoubtedly tough and skilled with guns and yet he’s a thin, pale, undernourished, suicidal, depressive. Hardly the build or psychological makeup of your typical gun wielding action hero. Which in fact make sense when you consider the character is mentally destroyed by the loss of his family, suffering from insomnia, addicted to painkillers and so deep in undercover work that he moves and thinks more like a criminal than a police detective. That and the fact the character was anti social, sarcastic, cynical, anti authoritarian, hunted by criminals and police alike as a complete renegade made him for me and I’m sure for others a strange anti hero icon of alternative rebellion. Maybe I’m reading too deep. All I’m saying is Max 1 had more in common with Rauol Duke in Fear in Loathing, than any fellow cookie cutter shooter protags. Which in tandem with over the top angst ridden writing, owes a lot to the idiosyncratic physicality that Sam Lake provided the character.

[@007megaoof]

I agree with you that he looks a bit too “Hollywood” in Max Payne 2 & 3. I get the feeling that someone who constantly drinks and does painkillers shouldn’t be so bulky and buff.

[@Bullet_Tooth_Ronin]

Damn well said. I dare say best yt comment I can remember bare minimum. Makes me view Max Payne in a different sorta light.

[@INFILTR8US]

You nailed it.

[@drstrangelove307]

Honestly it’s a lot like Bruce Willis from Die Hard, where he wasn’t actually your standard looking action hero for the time, which is ironic since Sam Lake has a similar face to him.

[@Mahoromatic]

You said it how it is.

[@NickTovA]

I loved James face for Max, but damn, Sam's older and skinnier face just fits this Max so much better

[@Robin30025]

Rip James McCaffrey 🥺

[@bartfratze9529]

yes after his death we should appreciate his Face in Mp3 /= .R.i.p

[@AlexMorgan-er8rr]

He was 62 years old.... I miss him

[@AlexMorgan-er8rr]

But thanks to god for Sam Lake is still alive

[@steveramirez8291]

This is what Max Payne originally supposed to look like

[@ajaxtv8172]

this is probably what we are getting in the remakes done with remedy engine and rockstar cooperation

[@a.k8185]

Sam Lake's appearance is just a classic. Gotta love it.

[@SNip3RWoLf1337]

RIP James McAffery :( just soo hard to feel sad he's gone now damn

[@francof2437]

Wow they even got his body/physique right so it can suit with the face/head! This is a work well done right here! 👏👏

[@hamstel4540]

The Max we need haha this game is so ahead of it time shame we never really got a game like this the shooting is masterclass

[@Willzyyy]

I'm sure the Remakes will bring a whole lot of attention back to Max Payne 3 and will get the universal praise it deserves. 👍

[@hamstel4540]

@@Willzyyy looking forward to that day!

[@andressainz6539]

@@Willzyyyremakes?! When 😮

[@IsaacHozz]

@@andressainz6539 several years still.

[@Cobra-gl7or]

Max Payne change gaming for me forever back in 2001. Can't wait for the remake.

[@trteeerryfse-wy2ww]

What remake?

[@vinilima1227]

@@trteeerryfse-wy2wwthere will be a remake of max payne 1 and 2 !! It was announced last year but it’s still in very early development! So wait a couple of years maybe 3-5 years ! I think it’s gonna be awesome!! They will be released in one single title !!

[@bothatguyyoudontknow]

Fingers crossed Take Two isn't in charge or else we'll get another mobile game on a console.

[@dogpd3]

Hopefully they actually bring Sam Lake back! He is Max Payne!!!!

[@Chapmike]

@@bothatguyyoudontknow Don't worry, they asked Remedy to do it.

[@ThirstyHyena]

Gotta give this game a try. Looks like something I could play over a few thousand times.

[@Sh0ckV]

hopefully you won't dedicate your entire life to the game

[@thekotabear3262]

I replay the trilogy atleast once a year. Welcome to the club friend

[@adityajoglekar7873]

​C'mon it ain't that bad it feels like an interactive movies

[@WH250398]

​@@preternatural9417 That sucks for sure. At least it does have chapterselection. Wolfenstein 2 doesn't have it, which kills all replayvalue.

[@drakep.5857]

Max payne 3 is one of the most greatest shooters ever created, sitting along the esteemed likes of Blood, cod WAW and hotline miami 2 for me I do really wish it had a proper skin cutscenes feature and that the arcade mode trimmed off every single cut scene from the levels, but really if you haven't yet, I heavily recommend it. It starts as a simple cover shooter, until you learn it's mechanics, and then it becomes an incredible john woo action scene simulator!

[@Robocop_1987]

I just finished the game in Old school mode a couple of weeks ago , I'll make this mod an excuse to play again . The facial animations translate quite well for Sam Lake's face .

[@Extreme96PL]

If only this game didn't have some pre-rendered cutscenes to keep Max's face from switching between vanilla and mod :( I always liked Sam Lake as Max's face most.

[@ericle5366]

I like the classic mod of Max Payne. Very impressive.

[@nunyabuziness1162]

holy shit, game still looking really good

[@ulyssevgl5148]

instantly makes the game darker somehow. I always tought his face was silly in the first, but seing it in fully detailed 3d makes so much sense now. I'm definitely giving this game a try

[@jeanjacqueslundi3502]

Silly? Gimme a break. Changing it for 2 was a crime.

[@Pir-o]

If you want to see even a better 3d model of Max Payne, check out Alan Wake 2

[@videocommenter9085]

​@@Pir-ogood one

[@dirtyoldmano]

Sam Lake is literally Keanu Reeves of gaming. Love him. And Sam too

[@bryanwalton6200]

This will always be my max payne. I hate it when companies try to change the face of the main star. His looks is what made max payne, max payne. Sam Lake you rock!!

[@lexradu]

Sam Lake was the first to change Max Payne's face in Max Payne 2 with another actor. If anything Rockstar making Max look like his voice Actor was the natural step that Sam too would have made, considering that he also made Trench look like James in Control.

[@bonniefinleyanimation]

Yup, Sam and Remedy changed the face in 2. Can't ever understand the hate this game gets. It's a bonafied masterpiece.

[@lexradu]

@@bonniefinleyanimation Especially since Max Payne 2 ended up with the reveal that it was all a Dream, a Nightmare Max had that his wife was murdered. Yes, Michelle is still dead in Max Payne 3, but the more realistic tone and Max looking like James implies that this is the real Max instead of Dream Max, which in some eays ehile being less Neo Noir, is more messed up, reality is more cruel.

[@peepongdingdong9208]

To me Sam Lake is the look of the real Max Payne.

[@nnnnmhughuuhhjiijj9457]

For me; it's the most memey one of the faces. Of course, I personally prefer James McCaffrey.

[@Thesavagesouls]

Whoever did this deserves a medal

[@bbenjoe]

This had made me reinstall the game after years. And it was awesome to play it through again.The whole thing felt more Max Payne like this.

[@tacticaljunk1608]

This is what I was expecting when I heard there was an unlockable Max Payne 1 costume in the game you could use for the side modes. And now finally some years after releasing it's here.

[@RedHoodRubyRose]

This mods is a freaking masterpiece! The model is AAA quality! Remidy should hire the person who made this mod.

[@derick1618]

Remedy hire this man!

[@Garland846]

great mod! james mccaffrey will always be my favourite face model for max but it's cool seeing an aged up version of the classic

[@chebidrums]

Face model? It was the voice!

[@diabolicwaste]

​@@chebidrumsMcCaffrey did face mocap voice over and possibly full body mocap in max payne 3

[@Sgt_D_Pickle]

sooo NOSTALGIC. loved seeing this! I remember playing the 1st Max Payne. Really thought that this was how the game series was going to go. This mod is absolutly amazing!

[@twiggy101]

wow the mod looks sick I'm going to check it out!

[@mihzaelverzosa2588]

This gameplay is awesome dude even if is 20 year anniversary of Max Payne

[@RSNTM3NT]

Is it just me, or this mod makes Max looks skinny like Sam Lake? Cause it is a very specific detail.

[@Willzyyy]

Yep the mod changes the entire character model to fit Sam's physique. All outfits are altered too. Impressive detail!

[@thoughtfuldoomguy]

It's a really impressive detail right? I think they did a bang on job with the whole model, but I do have to say that it takes a bit away from the idea of Max being fat and washed in Brazil when he's that skinny looking.

[@Johny40Se7en]

I don't know why they didn't initially just have the same look as the old school Max. It's always more cool having the original style. The gritty NYC bits with snow is so nostalgia filled aye. Cool mod.

[@sunsetman22]

Rockstar should've pulled a RWS and just let the player choose the look from the three actors that played Max over the years.

[@Johny40Se7en]

@@sunsetman22 Aye, choices are always nice too of course.

[@Fidozo15]

The head looks gigantic. Somehow it reminds me of Dr House lmao. I want this

[@babizkit]

Это восхитительно. Анимация лица, модель с комплекцией под стать каноничного Макс Пейна.

[@RamaboyButylka777]

Правда лысый Сэм Лэйк выглядит странно

[@vikramjadhav3631]

Wow, I had finished this game when it came out. Now I want to play again. The voice fits the OG Max Payne face perfectly!

[@eddy9216]

Slow motion shots, so awesome!

[@applefresh7]

Mod looks great! And ah the music / score is so good in this game.

[@Anon0122]

Very impressive mod! He looks even better than the original Sam Lake skin mod from Rockstar.

[@SQOUREE]

Because that was exactly the face from Max Payne 1, this is modeled more like how Sam Lake looks

[@Anon0122]

@@SQOUREE You don't say

[@SQOUREE]

@@Anon0122 Well, what do you want me to say? if Rockstar told Sam Lake to come to the studio and make a motion capture for the game, the skin would have looked much more realistic to how Sam looks but instead we got that in the game

[@Водка665]

​@@SQOUREEI remember seeing somewhere that Rockstar Games even called Sam Lake, but he refused because it wasn't a production in which Remedy was involved.

[@SuperHns]

@@Водка665 he probably wanted some money and rock* probably didn't want to pay

[@patrykzukowski7471]

Alex Casey is the Max Payne we deserve

[@dmitrydagaev2750]

rip legend :(

[@lightningmonky7674]

It's solid seeing gameplay of someone actually really good at it, makes the gameplay so much more exciting and feel like a real action movie

[@mariothomas102]

We need these kinda of games back.

[@ChaseMC215]

Oh god, Sam Lake without hair is just cursed

[@gomerjomer9209]

HOLY SHIT. THIS IS AWESOME! THIS IS ABOVE AND BEYOND! This is EXACTLY how it would look if Sam Lake straight up did the face for max payne for max payne 3 back in the day! Like exactly! This amazing!

[@pmurph1]

Thanks for giving me an excuse to play this again. Games so well optimised, plays amazing and had the most impressive animation.

Definitely install this when I buy the game!

[@Solidcal]

Honestly would love to see a playthrough with this mod on. Even with the pre-rendered Cutscenes breaking the immersion every so often.

[@RiasatSalminSami]

That face, looks photo realistic. His body does look a bit too skinny in my opinion. It makes sense since Sam lake is skinny. But the clothes should camouflage it to some extent in my opinion. Still it looks amazing.

[@queensmickey]

Oh my god this looks amazing. Absolutely, amazing.

[@caoimhinmccann4449]

This looks so good and fits extremely well.

[@mindaugassolys1963]

I'm surprised by quality of mod and how similar to real Sam Lake (today) the model looks.

[@olzhas1one755]

I always thought these cutscenes were pre-rendered. Apperantly they're real-time

[@frikkenI23]

46 minutes of them are pre-rendered, but the rest, yeah, in-game

[@dmer-zy3rb]

when i found out that the last of us cutscenes are ALL prerendered i thought my life is a lie!

[@roofkorean6948]

Plus they're loading screens in disguise. Dead Space 2 did a good job of this as well. The pacing makes it hard to stop playing 😆

[@nnnnmhughuuhhjiijj9457]

Cutscenes with cropped-screen are the pre-rendered ones, the rest are all in-game.

[@SandMaxxPayne]

Looked straight like Bruce Willis when we get to Brazil

[@asniffer6532]

It's surprising how 11 years old game still looks on par with the graphics of many games being launched to this day.

[@wulf2863]

Rockstar quality

[@Janfey]

umm...? have you even played any recent games?

[@dancinginfernal]

​@@JanfeyYeah, looks great m

[@Janfey]

@@dancinginfernal what looks great?

[@dancinginfernal]

@@Janfey these nuts baby, ayo!

[@TheAndygan]

it's so unusual to see the bald Sam Lake :D

[@mister_milkman]

Does this mod work with the one that removes most of the flashy, distorting visual effects?

[@10dev785]

Bro i was sooooo invested in this game. Just watching it now, makes me feel like im watching a GREAT all-time classic movie again. Every character had moments. and great acting and character development and models

[@zCREz]

The whole Max payne series is an underrated masterpiece. Not saying the original (MP3) isnt perfect, but this mod really pushes it to 110%! Only thing missing here tho is the thicc beard, no??

[@dillasoul2228]

Didn't know I needed this badly until now

[@peterfalconalanson3043]

I've been begging for this mod since FOREVER!

[@juanpijimenez9850]

It always cracks me up when Max says "Pessos" so confidently. He doesn't give a fuck

[@Tomofdahook17]

Dude now THIS is an awesome mod!

[@shadowbanned3716]

Passos had his motives, but i love how he jumped into the fight by max's side without hesitation. He didnt want to USE max. He needed his help.

[@anotherguttersnipe2]

Not to take anything away from this mod: I completely get why people feel the Sam Lake face is iconic. But James McCaffrey has been the voice actor for all 3 games, so for me his face just makes more sense. But, to each their own.

[@aailli]

Sam Lake is my favorite model for Max, but honestly...it worked best in game one, when Max was more quippy and had an air of almost fourth-wall-breaking self-awareness. It suited the Max who'd wear a shit-eating grin and make fun of Frankie Niagara's name while getting beaten with a baseball bat. Max's portrayal in 2 & 3 is played a bit more straight and somber -- still poetic and introspective, but not quite as snarky/flippant as he was in the first game...

[@gregor2833]

this game will never be too old to play, max payne trilogy was one of the best action shooter game with dark story, i never played any similar game as good as max payne.

[@buak809]

I cant wait for the remake, I currently replay Max Payne and Max Payne 2 for 150th time and i still enjoy it as if it was my first time

[@Name.Surname]

Now the game looks the way it was originally supposed to look. Now i can finally play this...

[@LakesideAmusementPro]

This looks a lot better than the MP1 multiplayer skin Rockstar made for the online.

[@ZeroTraceOperative]

I didnt know I needed this. Very fucking cool!

[@mr.sophistication3232]

Wow, this is awesome. Might have to play this game again lol

[@DanielTejnicky]

Hellyeah! been waiting for that, also how does the mod handle the hair shave and beard?

[@EuSouRCS]

Timeless MASTERPIECE!!!

[@EttoreB93]

I waited for this mod for so long, time to reinstall the game and finish it, since I left it halfway

[@RonDangerSolo]

This reminded me of just how terrible the MP1 costume looked in MP3. Awesome work here. The bald part caught me off guard lol, didn't expect it.

[@GazixVR]

huge improvement over the original model

[@Papa_Khan]

This just gives me hope that the remakes have sam lakes face especially considering the man himself approves of it.

[@DJmisterpeluca]

Max Payne is the only character that I know that has two great face models, he's either good with Sam Lake or James McCaffrey's face

[@aaronwoodcock4715]

The Vet who blows himself up always gave me a chuckle.

[@devendra.sanghavi]

Wonderful piece of art, max payne series

[@Bunch.]

I don't know how he made it but that face looks awesome! Professional work!

[@ADASADALOL32]

Impressive 👌 I wish a full game in this atmosphere, lets see how the remakes will be

[@GamingTohru698]

Love Max Payne forever

[@eatmerawww69]

with this mod i can probably finally enjoy max payne 3 .. it always felt so different going from mp1&2 to mp3 like it never felt right ..

[@Tophawtdog4411]

Rest in Peace James McCafferey, man defined some of my upbringing with his VA work

[@DylanStangel]

I wasn't expecting bald Sam Lake, in a brightly colored shirt, holding a gun to look so much like Hunter S. Thompson.

[@armagedoc66]

Never played the game, just because of the changed model. Will try this now!

[@akiluro2981]

11:07 And with that, the Remake Idea got born. (I swear someone at R* internally played with that Idea)

[@HaleTour]

Great Job!

[@eustacequinlank7418]

Given Alan Wake 2, this makes one of my favourite games perfect. I've loved the first game since the day of release, but I seemed to be of few to think that the idea of Max in 3 as a fish out of water, shagged out cop fighting alcoholism worked out great. The first games and Hoboken still resonated with the character in nearly every scene still (because the first two were that good in establishing it in the mind). Seeing him here in Brazil in a tan suit as a mercenary for hire? Bald? Fantastic. I always thought Max could of bulked out, it happens on booze, but he's a become a rakish, spooky figure (a gaunt Stephen McHattie like) and the older face they've done here and in Alan Wake 2 cements him as one of my favourite characters in a film or game. edit: I tended to think that Max Payne 3 was the way to go if you ever wanted to do a simple 'Souls with Guns'. Here it is/was, those set pieces 'arenas' are the 'bosses' and you will die and die again until you learn their ways : ) P.s Health gave Max the best soundtrack he needed beyond the main theme. Hoping there are remasters of all 3.

[@CarmineGold28]

Damn i think im going to play the game again because of this

[@BloodBiscuitTV]

Great vid. He's actually in New Jersey in the beginning though.

[@RealRHernz]

Nice vid 👍🏼

[@KevTheGalaxybender]

def going with this mod when i get to this one

[@chaserush1382]

this looks way better than the one we got in the original game.

[@3rdStreetAVolitionite]

You know... It kinda speaks to me how Max Payne, being Sam Lake, is much skinnier in this mod. A small statured man like him going up against a bunch of roided up gangsters, paramilitaries, and UFE troops. It's different from the regular game, yeah, but welcome I think. :) He's been spending too much time drinking and not enough eating. Depression can make one not wanna eat.

[@Imtrane15]

22:40 in all honesty,i love how even as sam lake,max actually kinda looks like cole macgrath from infamous right here.

[@tvmeyer]

Wow, that looks great!

[@user-xz6ol5oi9v]

Look different and so classic! Feelings much better and history look better. Charisma!

[@SkillinIt25]

The mod looked phenomenal, Sam Lake was and always will be THE Max Payne face of the game.