8 Video Game ‘Final Instalments’ That Shouldn't Actually Be The Last

2. Max Payne 3

Another icon of the gaming medium; angsty, no-nonsense anti-hero Max Payne went on hiatus for a long time after his first sequel, but was thankfully resurrected by Rockstar in the summer of 2012 to widespread critical acclaim. It provided a fitting end for Max's story in the process, though it is a bit of a shame that we won't get to see the series' trademark 'bullet time' ability again anytime soon. In many ways the Max Payne franchise is the seminal arcade third-person shooter, having pioneered the use of slow-motion in gameplay as well as perfectly capturing a solid noir-esque setting, Max's visual update to the Xbox 360 and PS3 showed that the character and IP still had an audience a decade on from his last outing. So, as much as we might hate the long intervals between releases in the franchise becoming an unintended consequence of Rockstar's wide ranging talents, the long wait only seems to age the series like a fine wine. Not an 'ending' to the series in any explicit sense, but the third title's narrative did provide enough closure to end the trilogy comfortably. Said ending may have been the one we thought Max deserved, but trouble always finds him one way or another - it's just a matter of time until it does.