Back in 2002, Max Payne was not the joke that he is now. Before the days of being forced into matches with Gordon Freeman and characters from his own company, Max Payne was a widely respected and favored character. Take for example his prediction percentage in this match. It was the highest number seen since the two matches involving Donkey Kong and Mario's victories. His odds of winning the contest were are very high, and there was even talk about Max possibly taking down Pac Man and making an Elite 8 appearance. His odds of winning the contest outright were even relatively high, scoring better odds than the likes of Duke Nukem, Squall, and Pikachu.