Крупнейшее издание об играх в России

**Who among us doesn't remember Michael Madsen?!** That vacant, slightly mocking gaze and the knife dance of Mr. Blonde in the film "Reservoir Dogs." Or his small but so colorful "cowboy" cameo in yet another Tarantino masterpiece — "Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood." No matter what dusty VHS cassette you pull out of your grandmother's trunk, almost every 90s crime action film will be adorned by the performance of old man Madsen. Not always in leading roles. But constantly as the most authentic, lifelike, and real guy on the blue screen. There have been far more talented actors in the history of world cinema. But in terms of the "authenticity" of his characters, Michael Madsen is unrivaled.

And how could it be otherwise? After all, before entering the wonderful world of cinema, Michael Madsen worked everywhere. At a gas station, at a car wash, as an orderly in a hospital, as a laborer in a warehouse, and as a long-haul trucker across America. As he himself has said many times, he could have become a good garbage truck driver. But he got lucky — he ended up on the other side of the movie screen. And his career took off. The main thing is — not only in film.

It's more interesting for you and me to remember what Michael Madsen did in our beloved gaming industry, in good old gaming.

**The Beginning of the Journey**

It all started way back in 2001 with the voice of mafia boss Tony Cipriani in the game *GTA III*. Later, with his pleasantly hoarse, smoky voice, Michael Madsen graced projects such as *True Crime: Streets of L.A.*, *Driver 3*, *NARC*, and the English dub of *Yakuza*. The story with the film "Reservoir Dogs" turned out to be particularly successful. The video game of the same name expanded the universe of the film and answered questions that were only discussed on screen. The project allowed you to relive all the key moments of the jewelry store heist anew. Moreover, as different characters.

"I think this is a very interesting idea. Largely because in the film itself, the moment of the diamond theft isn't shown at all. Yes, in the film the characters discuss a lot, but the viewer doesn't see any of it. Thanks to this game, people have the opportunity to experience all of it. And that's just super-duper cool. Essentially, the game *Reservoir Dogs* is a quality expansion of the entire film script. Plus, don't forget that it retains the film's original *soundtrack*, which is its special charm. Quentin Tarantino has an excellent understanding of music, and for 'Dogs' he chose tracks that no one had heard for years, even decades. I think the music is what still attracts people to 'Reservoir Dogs'," — Michael Madsen shared his opinion about the video game continuation of "Reservoir Dogs" on an IGN podcast 15 years ago.

**The Voice of Dishonored**

And, of course, it's impossible to forget the voice of Michael Madsen, with which he voiced the legendary assassin Daud in the games of the *Dishonored* universe. Just the memory of his assassin's image in a hood and with a blade in hand inspires you to play through all these games again. With the firm stride of a hired killer, board the schooner *Dreadful Whale* and head somewhere far away from the capital Dunwall, away from Serkonos.

To set off and help the people of the Empire free themselves from the tyranny of yet another gang of imperialist oppressors of the common folk. To the island of Morley and even to distant Tyvia. And then sail to Pandyssia to explore that uninhabited continent — and make it inhabited. The flight of fancy through the little-explored *Dishonored* universe is simply unstoppable. They used to make games like that! Just 10-15 years ago.

**The Crime Boss**

But now things aren't all that bad either. And largely thanks to the same Michael Madsen. For his latest game, *Crime Boss: Rockay City*, he gave not only his voice but also his likeness! Yes, yes, damn it. In this cool project about the life of a 90s crime boss in a city resembling Miami, you can play as the great Michael Madsen himself. And not just run around and shoot at soulless NPC gangsters. No, in *Crime Boss*, the story of becoming the city's crime boss and fighting for territory is implemented quite well.

But in terms of gameplay, something else is even more important. The heftiest part of the game — robbing banks, warehouses, stores, and armored cars — turned out splendidly. Surely, it wasn't without a bit of Michael Madsen's magic. Although, of course, the main credit goes to the solid work of the developers from the Czech Ingame Studios.

You arrive at the location, look around without haste, "tag" the cops or guards patrolling the area of the target object. And then, calmly, get down to business. The game doesn't rush you (except for rare time challenges). On the contrary, *Crime Boss* encourages leisurely exploration. Including thanks to the fact that in each new mission, the same location "spawns" differently. Okay, in several variations. But that also adds freshness to each subsequent "run."

Yes, sometimes the tied-up representatives of the law behave strangely. They sit silently and calmly five meters from each other, not drawing attention or making a sound. But it's good that all this isn't like reality. This is, after all, a game. And the mechanics should work within the framework of this particular game world. And in *Crime Boss: Rockay City*, especially in the heist missions, this mechanic works excellently. "Cleared" the location, tied up all the cops, calmly move on to the process of cracking safes. With a lockpick or a drill. If you want the latter to drill through the steel of the money vault faster — overcome a mini-game. Everything is fair. There's also an option to go through "loudly." In this case, while opening the "tin cans" full of cash, you'll have to deal with armed representatives of the law. But here, too, everything is implemented no worse than in *PayDay 2*. Maybe even better! Yes, enemies regularly arrive in cars. But there's nothing even close to that "ninth wave" of their countless numbers like in *Payday*. But, of course, it's better to do everything quietly. To go through in *stealth*, as they say. So that everything is neat and tidy.

And all of this, playing as Michael Madsen himself! As if we, instead of him, are starring in all his famous 90s action films. As if we, with his famous hoarse voice, are giving orders to our subordinates. As if we are coming up with the next brilliant plan to rob a bank or a jewelry store. Like his character, Mr. Blonde from "Reservoir Dogs." We come up with a plan and hum some pleasant, familiar tune to ourselves. Thank you, Michael Madsen, for the opportunity to feel like a hero of a real Hollywood action movie! You will forever remain great not only for cinema fans but also for all "authentic," old-school gamers!

**Author: Viktor Shestopalov**

Sports commentator, writing author, and old-school gamer with 25 years of experience in the first, second, and third. Always preferred PC to consoles. Played on all possible consoles and personally met Neil Druckmann. Loves serious, genre-specific, single-player games à la *Last of Us*, sports simulators, and especially the stealth genre. Believes that gameplay is much more important than graphics. And dreams that in *GTA 6* you can enter, at a minimum, 70 percent of the buildings and play basketball.