Mad Max: Video Game (2015)

Mad Max (2015)

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sandbox | Players: 1 | Developer: Avalanche Studios

An open-world sandbox game with a lot of actual (er... virtual) sand to futz around in. The setting is a similar post-apocalyptic wasteland landscape to that of the Mad Max films; it isn't based on any one feature, instead taking ideas from them all, but draws most heavily from MM: Fury Road (2015).

You play as the titular anti-hero, Max. Again, it's a new but familiar version, not rendered in the likeness of either Mel Gibson or Tom Hardy, but he's just as taciturn and gruff.

He's a standard video game tough guy, the kind that can survive getting hit by a speeding car but can't manage to jump over a foot-high fence that's blocking his way or manage to even walk while aiming his gun/projectile.

In some ways the controls are positively archaic, but somehow the on-foot sections aren't as bad as they could've been. And if you accept the limitations, then there's fun to be had in clearing out the villainy and scum from the many wretched settlements that are scattered across the baked wasteland.

The hand-to-hand combat is similar to that of the main Assassin's Creed games. It's rare that you'll have much trouble when going one-on-one with any of the standard enemies, but quite often you'll end up surrounded by half a dozen or more, during which times you'll need to block and counter incoming attacks. It took me a while to get used to the timing of the counter-attack requirements, so it's either not very forgiving, not very accurate, or I just sucked at it. (Can we assume it's a combination of all three, lest my withering gaming prowess be utterly destroyed?)

If you're lucky enough to have ammunition for your shotgun, then you can chain physical punch + kick attacks and weapon attacks together to dispense bothersome enemies quicker. Ammunition, however, is hard to come by until you unlock certain features, so don't go crazy with it.

Thankfully, the gasoline used to fuel Max's car isn't likewise restricted; the game suggests otherwise, but in reality it's so abundant that enemy strongholds are often burning through barrels of the stuff every minute via belching flame-throwing defences. I never once ran out.

Your main car can be upgraded and customised to a satisfying degree (alongside Max and his weapon skills) but it's a balancing act: add too much weighty armour and handling will suffer, making cornering difficult. Lighten the load and you can reach higher top speeds, which is useful for outrunning enemies when all you want to do is get from point A to B without having to engage in vehicular combat. Sometimes pursing enemies are as welcome as wasps at a picnic.

Your currency is scrap metal, pieces of which can be found scattered around the world or earned from cleaning out enemy camps. If you don't ignore the settlement side-missions that pop up, then you'll be better equipped to acquire currency when it's needed most.

Typically sandbox games with cars will have radio stations, but Max has none. It makes a kind of sense, seeing as how the world is post-apocalyptic, but they could've included something to help lessen the monotony of driving long distances. A battery-powered cassette player would've worked and could even have made an ongoing 'find new tunes' side-mission possible. It's not such a ridiculous idea when you consider that Max has a battery-powered torch (flashlight).

If you're playing the game on PC, then you'll be able to play music from your Music Folder easily, but you can add your own on PS4, too - just make sure you open the media player BEFORE you load the game files. I'm guessing there's a similar workaround on Microsoft's console(?). It's a bit dickish that there's no radio broadcasts but in-car GPS works just fine.

The game's main enemy is a thug whose anger issues perhaps stem from his having a name that sounds like a diseased testicle: Lord Scabrous Scrotus. He's a blank cliché whose sole function is to be the big bad. The real conflict in Max's life is one of conscience, with an additional spiritual slant. It's underdeveloped but is still a lot more interesting than the vengeful ball-bag.

Most of the story doesn't happen until the second half. Until then, you'll likely either appreciate the liberating amount of freedom that you're granted or wonder why it appears to be skirting around the bigger issues, with no real feeling of progression. I'm in the former camp; I enjoyed the self-governing aspect of the gameplay. In fact, overall, I enjoyed the game a lot.