Mad Max

Mad Max was a bit of a sleeper hit upon it’s release, and I feel it’s appropriate, with the free release with the PS Plus subscription, that everyone who missed out can now try it. It was overlooked as it was unfortunately released around the same time as MGS Phantom Pain. So with it now available, I’m going to run the rule on it.

Graphically, the game is not bad. Not console defining by any means but good enough for today’s standards. The people are animated well and look decent in game, fairly better in cut-scenes. The cars all hold up to scrutiny, and have enough variation to be interesting to steal and claim ownership of. The dystopian world itself is kinda blasé, with just rocks and sand (that does kick up in the wind, though sandstorms make the world greenish yellow) to occupy the open-world. The heaps of metal (camps) that periodically turn up in the countryside are rusted orange, all in all, not too demanding an environment for the PS4.

From a technical standpoint, there aren’t any issues that impeded gameplay and it runs together very well. From animations, to textures and the engine system I didn’t have any problems with the game.

Now for the most important part, gameplay. The game is cut into two types of gameplay, in vehicle and on foot, which is entirely appropriate for the dystopian end of world that Mad Max inhabits.

Starting with in vehicle, you spend the majority of the game in the Magnum Opus, a very upgradeable and superior car you receive for story reasons. What is unusual compared to most cars in games is that you need to keep your car ‘gassed’ up, like in real life. In it’s base form, the car is an all rounder but nothing special. It’s only real perk is the mechanic who fixes the car everytime you stop. Start upgrading, and the car becomes a different beast. One you can tailor to your gameplay style. Using a balanced upgrade system, you can make your car faster and more fuel efficient but you can also add armour and weaponry for your Magnum Opus. You need to balance armour and weaponry with speed as the weight can make a difference to how your car handles and the speed it can drive. Actual combat is great fun, with a variety of weapons available to take down other cars, from a harpoon, flamethrowers or straight up ramming the other guy. I enjoyed the car handling and the combat was more fun than other games attempts (go home Arkham Knight, don’t drink and drive) so thumbs up on the Magnum Opus.

Moving on, you don’t spend the whole game in the car, you get to get out and bust some heads. The combat is pretty much like all open world games now, using the Batman Arkham system, though more brutal than Batman and less than Middle Earth. The fight mechanics feel solid and satisfying, breaking bones with painful finishers. Melee weapons you use as you see them, and will last for a limited time but I mainly stuck to fist fighting. You do have a shotgun if things get tough but honestly shells are hard to come by in this harsh world and I never found myself needing it. It was more of a security blanket for me personally, just happy to know it was there. On foot you take down camps and fortresses, the grunts have variety and the mini bosses are a challenge to. Combined with looting I quickly found myself enjoying this part of gameplay the most. The upgrade comes in the form of Griffa, a sandraider/Yoda figure who gives you philosophical questions and lets you upgrade your damage and survivability. A good system though the ‘Yoda’ dude is a bit of hassle to get too so until you start struggling, visit him every couple of levels to get big progress jumps.

One last mechanic I’d like to mention is the lookout points made popular by Assassin’s Creed. In this game, you have to find hot air balloons, make sure the generators are working and there is fuel in the things. This is usually a small puzzle with the occasional grunt guard, but I found this to be a nice break from all the hopeless mayhem.

Last but not least, the story. I thought that this game had a good outline for a story and the humanity aspect of it was very appealing. My favourite part was the reminder of how desperate and cruel this world had become by refusing any chance of a happy ending, though that may be me. Other than that, I found the story very ‘meh’ and the very end disappointing (Boss fight included). So some ‘yays’ and ‘nays’ there.

All in all, I think that this was a fun game, with good length to it and would recommend you pick it up free on PS Plus or buy it cheap on eBay. This is a solid game that will definitely entertain you.

Hints and tips to surviving the end of the world:

• Get the Jimmy Bar, this lets you open locked places all over the map and get down to some vital looting.
• Level up water and/or fuel consumption firstly. These are valuable resources and at the start of the game are really hard to get a hold of.
• Chumbucket is your wacky mechanic, but in car combat he has wicked aim with the harpoon so let him do the shooting.
• Thunderpoon (read: missile) are a handy way of beating other cars, knocking down gated camps and quickly wrecking scarecrows.
• The sandstorms are a bit of a pain, but if you have upgraded your car then it can be worth having a little scout, as usually large caches of scrap (read: money) can be found there.
• Upgrading strongholds are worth your time, as they can quickly make issues in the early game much easier to deal with. Getting water, fuel, collecting scrap when your not even playing! Definite recommend at least one stronghold gets all the upgrades at the very least.
• The sniper rifle is a liitle OP. Even if you hit an enemies hand, they dead. very dead. So pop off shots quick, don’t sweat the small stuff.
• As you take down camps to reduce the threat level of a region (just realised where Far Cry 5 got the idea) you will come across little guys in a suspended chairs who shout and make disparaging remarks. Keep them alive until the end of the battle, it is hand on heart hilarious to hear them back track about everything they said.
• Visit Griffa when the game gets tough, as he is usually out the way on a mountain and can be inconvenient to visit, though early game water and fuel upgrades to make surviving a little easier.
• Get The Shiv Grapple Escape move as soon as you can and thank me later. Painted shiv-ers are sneaky and need to die quick.