Mad Max

Picked this game up on sale because I am a huge fan of the films and desert shennanigans in general. After playing a solid 30% of what this game has to offer I can say this: It has definitely earned a lot of the griping from its original launch, but it's also not unplayable. At the end of the day it feels like a polished indie game, so you will see and hear A LOT of recycled sets, NPCs, and the same half a dozen or so voice performers delivering samey sounding lines. The story is "meh" but on par with the likes of the original Mad Max trilogy. Tough, rugged, burly people doing tough, burly, rugged things in the australian desert. Serviceable enough to drive the action forward and give you an excuse to explore the expanded environment around Gastown. For $5-10, you could do A LOT worse. If you are a fan of the newer, shinier, smarter Mad Max/Furiosa films, this ain't your ride. But if you just want to shut your brain off and go play in the desert without suffering the heat, this game has got you.

This game goes up to 11. I didn't know anything about the franchise before I started. I am now a War Boy.

It is not a game for some, for instance: - you have to take your time to get to places; - AI is not amazing, some times it is frustating, because of the clear advantage they have when driving; - repetitive missions, although finite; - absolute frustating camera in close quaters; - immersion breaking habilities; - frustating drive handling with some vehicles, it becomes both a challenge and hassle to drive, if you lose control it gets to you; - the story is superficial, it is... just there. I have encountered some minor game breaking bugs. I say minor, because all the missions in general have a failsafe quicksave that is out of your controll, and when/if you encounter one of theses bugs, again few and minor, you can easily repeat your task/mission. Now, for its highlights: - amazing landscape, gorgeous art design; - the driving fights/battles FEEL GOOD, that is what Mad Max is about, basically; - the hand-to-hand fights are very well done, it would be perfect if it wasn't for the aforementioned camera's pitfall, Batman Arkham-style; - although the story is superficial, they do not force some mindless story with epic proportions, and they threw a few interesting dialogues here and there to fill some gaps; - Max is not a talker and his character has justice in this game, very well interpreted, but nothing amazing; - Max's actions are appreciated and you can see and hear in-world game progress of his legend; - soundtrack is good! What hooked me in this game was the combination of landscape roam and gameplay loop, specially the convoys. Overall, a good game.

For a movie tie-in game it's actually pretty decent. Driving around the wasteland feels really good, and hand-to-hand combat is quite satisfying, albeit being a bit buttonmash-y. Location design was pretty good, too. There certainly were similarities, but none of the locations gave me the feeling that assets had been re-used. Other aspects aren't quite as good, though. Scrap is basically the only kind of loot you get. Collectibles are plentiful, but feel shallow, since there's no overarching story to explore there. Quests and writing are average at best. Writing in particular is fanfiction level at times. Enemy types could also have been a lot more varied. It's not just that the grunts from all factions feel the same in fights, but the top dog minibosses are actually all the same (only slightly re-skinned). And the wasteland encounters are mostly garbage. Another issue is that you can't advance time. There simply is no "wait" mechanic. Which is pretty annoying when you,re forced to AFK, just because it's the middle of the day and a mission requires you to go to a location in the evening. Or when you have to wait out a storm. Which brings me to another point. Since you can't fast-travel when a storm approaches, and you also cannot outrun the storm, it would've been quite helpful if locations that can serve as shelter during a storm had been marked on the map. Because driving through a storm to the next stronghold is a pain in the rear. Still, despite these criticisms I enjoyed my time in the game for the most part, although a greater variety in quests and loot would've gone a long way. At a discount definitely give this one a try, if only for a ride through the wasteland.

There is not really much to this other that it's fun, it still looks good and it play very well. The game is not mind-blowing in any way but still recommendable for someone who want some fun action and driving! I was surprised by the amount of customization for Max and his car, you can have your unique car! At 20€, it's a steal!