Mad Max (2015)

[novicius]

I've been absent from Xbox LIVE (read: Destiny) for the past 3 weeks and Mad Max is the reason why.

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. 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?

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.

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

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Note: if you've never played the original NES version of Mad Max, watch this vid. If you've never played Outlander on the SEGA Genesis, watch this vid. Both games made by Mindscape, Inc. (but Outlander was completed after they lost the license).