More than just the way they approach narrative, level design, and gunplay, there is one constant throughout every single one of Remedy's titles: they will always have the perfect song for the perfect occasion. While Alan Wake 2 is certainly their magnum opus in that regard among several contenders, it's about time we took a look back at the best needle drops in the studio's long history.

Max Payne Theme - Kärtsy Hatakka/Kimmo Kajasto (Max Payne)

The original Max Payne's legacy is very much tied to the time of its release. It was the first video game to fully implement the slo-mo gunplay John Woo and the Wachowski Sisters had been trying to make into a Thing. But all that felt rather passe the more other games came and diluted the formula. The bullet-time may have been what got players in the door. But it was the neo-noir graphic novel vibes that have endured over the years. The constant leitmotif of those vibes is that theme, a grim piano undercurrent that gave even more depth and gravitas to James McCaffrey's jagged, self-deprecating, hard-boiled detective narration, and would be the constant reminder of Max's escalating failures as time went on, with the fully string-based rendition of the theme representing absolute rock bottom for our hero in the Rockstar-developed third game.