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novicius
January 8th, 2016, 12:15 PM
I've been absent from Xbox LIVE (read: Destiny) for the past 3 weeks and Mad Max is the reason why. :lol:

There has been a lot of ink spilled on this title, lots of reviews and hand-wringing, so I'm going to keep my thoughts on the game as short and sweet as I can -- but hopefully without arousing too much hype. That said:

Mad Max is like Grand Theft Auto V meets Red Dead Redemption... if all there was to do was variations on liquor store hold-ups.

This is a single-player open-world "sandbox-ish" game. There are a lot of different cars & trucks, you can drive (and collect) all of them, and they handle about as good as Niko's cars in GTA IV do. :lol: But what are you gonna do? It's like 10 years after a nuclear war, the bushings are dry, the dampers are shot and there aren't many folks left alive that know how to do a good alignment.

I feel like the fighting is like Fable (2004) expanded to allow for multiple combatants simultaneously. Yes, yes Batman: Arkham Asylum but c'mon Mad Max is more like the Punisher here than Batman -- wastelanders die at your hands by the dozens and the camera, graphical feel and even combat options are changed from B:AA. There will be times where you'll look at a group of 8+ baddies with relish and be downright insulted when a single wasteoid lands a punch. Stealth takedowns are in the game as well as standup fights -- Mad Max: Advanced Warfare? :lol:

The story mode is light. Anemic is another word. But it sure isn't from lack of effort -- this game has been in development since 2008 and they've been teasing screenies since 2013. The polish in the animations is quality. Car customization is light. #shrug Overall the gameplay borders on really good. :up: :up:

So... yeah. It's a good game, the best Mad Max game ever! But it sure is... empty. Kinda heartbreaking. Like Mad Max himself, who could obviously have any woman he wanted in the Apoppyclips and set himself up as the baddest warlord ever but instead chooses to drive and mope. #nonemoreemo

::

Note: if you've never played the original NES version of Mad Max, watch this vid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ks4pefic1c). If you've never played Outlander on the SEGA Genesis, watch this vid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3tDPsN_yLU). Both games made by Mindscape, Inc. (but Outlander was completed after they lost the license).

SkylineObsession
January 9th, 2016, 03:56 AM
So, worth a play then? I've watched a few streams of people playing in on the PS4, but waiting for it to get real cheap until i think about a purchase.

TheBenior
January 9th, 2016, 04:21 AM
The wife picked it up for something like $20 around the holiday sales. Based on what you various reviewers wrote, it sounds like a decent value at that price.

novicius
January 9th, 2016, 11:43 AM
Well I am a stronger-than-typical North American Mad Max fan, and I played the hell out of the previous two MM games decades ago -- so yeah, it's worth a play and it's a deal @ $20 or less IMO.

The problem is: is it good enough to buy and put your limited game hours into in the face of GTA V, Fallout 4, The Witcher 3, Just Cause 3, Far Cry 4, etc? That's where it falls short because no, it's not. You really have to be a fan of the franchise (and not have played Fallout 4 yet :lol: ) to get the most enjoyment out of the game.

It’s not asking you to forgive its warts because it really has very few; it's just shallow. :|

SkylineObsession
January 9th, 2016, 01:14 PM
Oh, i'm a huge Mad Max fan, even of the new movie, so it should be all good in terms of fanboyism.

novicius
January 9th, 2016, 01:32 PM
Pro tip: turn off the music. I found it to be pretty heavy-handed.

TheBenior
January 9th, 2016, 05:35 PM
Well I am a stronger-than-typical North American Mad Max fan, and I played the hell out of the previous two MM games decades ago -- so yeah, it's worth a play and it's a deal @ $20 or less IMO.

The problem is: is it good enough to buy and put your limited game hours into in the face of GTA V, Fallout 4, The Witcher 3, Just Cause 3, Far Cry 4, etc? That's where it falls short because no, it's not. You really have to be a fan of the franchise (and not have played Fallout 4 yet :lol: ) to get the most enjoyment out of the game.

It’s not asking you to forgive its warts because it really has very few; it's just shallow. :|

I just finished playing MGS5, started Fallout 4, and have The Witcher 3 in the queue. Realistically, Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3 may be the only games I play for the rest of the year. :lol:

novicius
January 9th, 2016, 06:49 PM
Play through the Story Missions only before going any further in Fallout? #shrug

TheBenior
January 9th, 2016, 09:18 PM
Eh, once I get into Fallout 4, I'll be in for a while. I've been playing the series since the original on the PC.

novicius
January 10th, 2016, 05:26 AM
Understandable. :up:

Also to toggle between 3rd person driving and in-car view, double-click down on the D-pad. It's listed on the Controller - Button Maps - Vehicle Controls page but just be aware.

Also-also to bring up the in-game screenshot camera, click both thumbsticks.

8400RPM
January 10th, 2016, 10:39 AM
Thanks for the heads up on this game Novi, I was not aware of it. Found it on Amazon for $27 yesterday so ordered it!

SkylineObsession
November 16th, 2016, 12:51 PM
Just bought this a few days ago, as was finally cheap enough. Haven't played yet, so not sure why i posted in here. ;)

21Kid
November 16th, 2016, 01:32 PM
Thanks for the update. :finger:

SkylineObsession
December 5th, 2016, 01:50 PM
Fricking love this game.

Some of the best weather effects i've ever seen. Obviously no rain (so far), but the wind blows the dust around, wind causes mini dust swirls/storms (car/truck sized), the first game i've ever seen (aside from SimCity) with tornados - which actually do lift your car off the ground and throw you around, and then of course there are the frigging awesome random storms;


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fSpIE-ZHR0


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw2slqwhU84

I spend a lot of time mucking around (as i do in pretty much every open world game) and soaking it all it. Really don't want this game to end. :(

Some reviewers have said it's a bit empty feeling with not a lot going on - but come on, its post apocalyptic (or post global warming? ;) ) so naturally wildlife, and human activity is going to be scarce. I think it actually adds to the game. I often just park up on a ledge or something and watch the Ai baddies hoon around in their vehicles, watch the big dust clouds created by fuel etc convoys (thats impressive in itself) and enjoy the ever changing sky etc.

Sometimes games just need to be absorbed and not played. Why does everything have to revolve around doing something? I do the same in GTA, Fallout, Far Cry, Red Dead Redemption and so on. Try it one day; park up/ride up/walk up/whatever up somewhere and... just watch. Watch the wolves hunt the deer in Red Dead Redemption. Watch the citizens in GTA. Watch the deathclaws stalk the land in Fallout. Watch people getting mauled by animals in Far Cry.

Anyway, back to Mad Max. I also chase tornados when i see them. Not sure why.

9/10 for me so far.

novicius
December 5th, 2016, 04:03 PM
It's a gem. :up: :up:

SkylineObsession
July 29th, 2019, 05:33 PM
Three years later i'm still playing this game, and it's still a 9/10... (lack of ammo and guns is a downer, since you generally only find one bullet at a time).

Mainly haven't finished it because i *still* don't want it to end, so i move onto other games for six months or more, then come back to it again, then repeat the process. Just started playing it again yesterday and it still looks bloody awesome. I've still never seen another game which has such cool weather/lighting/cloud effects. Others have come close, but since they are usually in a less apocalyptic setting (aside from Fallout) they still aren't the same.

It's cheap enough now, so if there are still some of you out there who play games for the experience/weather effects/random openworldyness stuff, then give this a go. Go in with no expectations/no comparisons with other games and you may enjoy it more.

Gutted there has been no sequel to it or the movie so far though. :(