"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
09/14/2015 at 15:30 • Filed to: mad max
3
6|
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
09/14/2015 at 15:30 • Filed to: mad max | 3
| 6 |
Mad Max is a game with about as many mixed reviews as a recent Adam Sandler movie, so is it a worthy companion to go with your Forza 6? Let’s find out. And the best part? No spoilers!
What Mad Max is: It’s a game loosely based on the movie franchise. While not included in the cinematic universe, the game’s plot is inspired by the second through fourth movies. It’s Max getting into a bunch of situations while trying to help himself.
What Mad Max isn’t: The survival game it was kinda hyped up to be. Yes, petrol, ammunition, food, and the lack of parts are all big parts of the game. Your vehicle doesn’t have unlimited fuel, you need scrap to build your car, and you’ll need water and food to replenish health. However like in the movie, these things are just how life is in the wasteland. The movies have bigger plots to follow and as does the game. But like in the movies, you are constantly reminded that you have limited resources. More on that later.
When it came to what driving games I wanted this Fall season, I had quite a bit of choices. I reduced my choices to Mad Max and Forza 6. While Forza 6 is awesome, that would have been so typical of me, so I got Mad Max.
Oh gosh...
Environments
Mad Max is a beautiful game. No, beautiful is an understatement. It’s majestic. It’s hard to make desert environments look appealing, but Mad Max did it purrrrfectly. There’s not so much clutter that it looks unrealistic, yet there’s still so much unique things in the desert that you just want to drive further and further and discover everything.
The massive map is divided up into what almost look like counties. Each “county” has its own unique environment, challenges, and perils. The geography of each environment is very different, yet still sticking to a desert wasteland theme.
You’ll spend much of the game driving around what used to be a harbour (hence the lack of actual roads and lots of marine debris). Later on, you’ll be on land, where you’ll actually be able to drive on roads and go through what used to be towns and villages.
At night, the stars shine, free from any light pollution. And it’s funny I say that, because that’s how realistic the night sky looks..
Periodically, storms will roll through the map. These storms are just as gorgeous as the map itself is. The least harmful is the dust storm. If you see a huge wall of dust rushing towards you, it’s best to find shelter. In these storms, debris flies around, there’s absolutely no visibility, and getting stuck can be fatal. In the electric storms, you’re basically outrunning massive explosions while not being able to see anything.
The map? I’m not even sure how large it is, but expansive is definitely the wrong term. Certainly enough, actually exploring all of it will take you a few hours unless you do fast travelling. It makes GTA V’s map look tiny.
Another note is that there’s always someone trying to kill you. As you travel the landscape, there are always “war boys” out on patrol, trying to hinder your progress. It can get annoying at times, but encounters with them usually end quickly. You can also steal their cars and blend in.
This game was also marketed with the survival aspect that there are no finite borders in the game. If you leave the known map area, the game is supposed to generate scenery, petrol, food, and loot. The further you leave the map, the less of it you find...Somewhere, somehow, this idea didn’t make it into the final game...which is pretty disappointing. If you go into the Big Nothing...you’re dead in 10 seconds.
Cars
Ah, the bread and butter of this universe! Cars are like a religion in the Mad Max universe The car models seem closely based on real life models. They’re done in the same vain of GTA IV where the cars are pretty close to the real deal save for the front clip, rear end, etc. The cars look realistically damaged and aged, to the point where the cars in the game are kinda in poorer condition than the cars in the movies!
I’m not a big fan of using Havoc for a game heavily based on driving, but the engine handles driving fairly well. Every car handles differently, and with powerful cars, getting way too much Oppo properly results in spinning out. The cars range from what looks like a Hindustan Ambassador, all the way up to a giant COE truck, because awesome!
The cars do have an interior view. The interior views make almost any vehicular activity more intense. However, if you have enough armour that it blocks your windscreen, the interior views become useless. Realistic? Yes, but useless unless you like not being able to see.
Fuel consumption seems somewhat accurate too. you start off with a somewhat frugal V6, and through time you’ll graduate to some hungry beasts, including a V12 that eats fuel about as fast as a Bugatti Veyron. It is possible to run out of fuel if you aren’t paying attention. Otherwise, you should always be able to find a can of fuel somewhere. And gosh, it is really satisfying to speed through a desert in this game. The engine notes are nice and hearty and the open world makes you feel like you can do anything! Bonus! Everything is an offroader!
That’s really the only downside to motoring in this game. The game’s 1-2 gallon jerry cans will fill your entire tank. It would have been more awesome if 1 can only gave you like a quarter. But again, the game’s goal isn’t to force you to always be looking for your next tank of petrol.
Max
He is your typical RPG character. You can upgrade his stats and customize him as the game progresses. Here’s where the RPG elements come in. Max’s stats are customizable all the way down to how much water he will collect from a source. Technically speaking, you can have infinite variations in your Max character He has a nice and thick Australian accent...as he should have!
Fighting
This game borrows the fighting mechanic from the Arkham games. While not the smoothest thing ever, it is really fun as heck to beat the crap out of everyone. The finishing moves are equally as gratifying.
This game has enough emphasis on fighting that you really do not need to worry about not having a lot of ammo. Guns are fun, but punching is...funner?
Plot
This game closely follows the movies in that there kinda isn’t a true plot. You’re going to be doing lots of odd jobs for yourself and for others. You’re going to be defeating baddies and upgrading yourself. It’s very similar to Far Cry 2 in that there isn’t a lot of character development...you’re kinda just there to fuck shit up and make the world a better place. The story is also incredibly long. There are some people who are 30 hours in and still not finished.
Summary
Mad Max is not the game everyone expected it to be, but is that bad? That’s up to you. I love the game. It’s desert porn with a LOT of very fun explosions. It’s a game where cars are basically a religion! But most importantly, it’s an open world RPG with a heavy car influence. This game is basically Miss Tesla’s world merging into mine.
If I had to compare it to another game? It’s Far Cry 2 set in a post-apocalyptic world. Survival is a theme, but it’s just a part of something so much bigger. If you play the game with the expectation that it’ll be like the movies, you’ll have a fun time. And it’s a very long game...
But, there’s more?
I’d LOVE to see the Big Nothing be what the developers said it would be. Up to a week before the game’s release, they said the game had no boundaries. That if you wanted a survival experience, leave the map. The game would randomly produce scenery and you drive as far as you possibly can with the scarce resources that you can find. That never happened, and to this day there’s still no reason why. I mean, the map is plenty big, but that survival aspect sounded really kick-ass...especially when the big big payouts in scrap were supposed to be off the map as well.
I also think a multiplayer could be a little fun as well, but not entirely necessary.
Should you buy?
I’d give this game a B- . It’s hella fun, absolutely stunning, and merges two gaming worlds together that never really get merged. On the downside, there isn’t much in the way of a story and it can get repetitive sometimes. Your enemies are also annoying, even if they’re easily defeated. And one of the game’s greatest selling points didn’t really get included in the game.
(Photo Credits: HammerHeadFistPunch and random screenshots scoured from Google)
djmt1
> Mercedes Streeter
09/14/2015 at 15:39 |
|
I really wanna try it out but I can’t stop playing Forza 6. Fallout 4 might be the only thing that will stop me but given Bethesda track record of broken launches even that isn’t guaranteed. At least it will be a lot cheaper later on.
Takuro Spirit
> Mercedes Streeter
09/14/2015 at 15:41 |
|
I might buy this. But then again I JUST installed Forza5 finally (it came with the Xbone I got for Father’s Day) so I might spend whatever free time I have with that.
Menebrio
> Mercedes Streeter
09/14/2015 at 15:44 |
|
This looks more apocalyptic than the movie, Autonommous cars!!!! AAAAAHHHH!!!
Yeah Nah It's Rowan
> Mercedes Streeter
09/14/2015 at 16:22 |
|
Australian Valiant Charger - 245 HEMI I6. Great car, even in post apocalyptic form...
rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
> Mercedes Streeter
09/14/2015 at 18:44 |
|
Great review. I’d probably give it a B+, but I’ve been a Mad Max fan since the original so I imagine there is probably internal grade inflation. It’s definitely fun zooming around the huge desert and getting in random fights.
I’ve actually been considering taking armor off the car just to make the fights more intense.
Definitely agree that I’d like to see the Big Nothing as an update or even if done right (for example, with missions far out of the main territory) as DLC. Other great DLCs could basically be stolen from the entire 2nd and 4th movies.
Tohru
> Mercedes Streeter
09/17/2015 at 04:58 |
|
I’ve got 27 hours in it. I haven’t touched it in a week. Both things are related.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/burned-out-on-…
