Mad Max Reviews
Mad Max has its ragged edges, relying too much on not-so-optional side activities, but it's a fast, thrilling open-world action game that captures the spirit of the George Miller films. Bad timing makes it unlikely that it will be this year's Shadows of Mordor, but if so it won't be for a lack of effort, quality or style.
With it's great visuals, film-like appeal, and incredibly fun and engaging car on car combat, there's a lot going for it. I give it a solid recommendation for any fan of the film series or of open-world, car-heavy games. Maybe it isn't everything it could have been, but it sure as hell isn't the typical film-to-game disasterpiece that many gamers might expect by now.
Mad Max's fondness for never-ending upgrades and tedious open-world quests stymies the exceptional car combat and compelling characters.
While the gameplay is solid and Avalanche Studios did a great job digitally creating the Wasteland, Mad Max starts off slow in the story department and may turn off potential players. However, if you stick with it, you'll finally get the Mad Max you were expecting.
Fury Road was a big, expensive, risky film that paid off because of the irrepressible will and talent of its director, George Miller. In video game form, Mad Max lacks that same kind of originality and danger. It's familiar and formulaic, competent but rarely exceptional. This Max could have used a little more madness.
It has fun melee and vehicle combat mechanics, and it has an engaging upgrade and customization system in place. While things did begin to feel old after a while, players can still get many, many hours out of the game before that happens.
Mad Max is a serviceable and enjoyable beginning to what I hope will become a series of games set in this world. Every legend needs to start somewhere, and the basics of greatness are here. Max and his Magnum Opus just need a bit more tuning and the helping hand of a good Blackfinger to get into true fighting shape.
There's one enemy that even Max can't overcome however, and it defines the entire Mad Max experience: repetition.
Overall, Mad Max is a game that's solid but could've used just one more extra push to really reach its true potential. Folks who are burnt out from standard open world gameplay or don't like driving won't get as much bang for the buck from it. If you love great car combat and wandering around a large sandbox while checking off side missions, however, this is a game you'll get lots of extra mileage from.
Mad Max has the basics right and looks great, but beyond the first few hours it's a monotonous grind.
If there weren't balances to these rather significant downers, the game would suffer greatly, but with the story picking up near the end, the driving being fun and the drive to customize both Max and the Magnum Opus being truly motivating, the game ends up being a fun, but not great experience.
Mad Max is a solid game. There's a lot to do and barring looking through every piece of rubble like myself, the game's story is fun and keeps you entertained. Throw in some massive car carnage, excellent brawls with ten or more enemies, and beautiful graphics and it completes the package nicely. My only wish is there was more to do in the world than just driving to mission markers to look for scrap or other assorted items. Things like the warbosses were wonderful additions, but I felt like the bulk of my time was exploring old shacks and boats to find some scrap for upgrades.
Mad Max is a solid, if slightly unremarkable open-world game that does a good job in replicating the atmosphere and tone of the movies, and the character's essence, but fails to provide any real excitement beyond its vehicle-based combat. Exploring the Wasteland can be a boring affair at times, but if exploring Max's relentlessly bleak world sounds like your cup of tea, you'll probably love Mad Max. Still, it's hard to shake the sense that this could have been better.
An almost equal number of significant pros and cons make Mad Max an interesting and polarizing title. Ultimately, it's a game I would recommend, but with some due caution as described in the article.
Time in this wasteland isn't time wasted.
Mad Max is a flawed experience, but its late game character moments and beautiful wasteland save it from being purely mediocre.
Mad Max is a decent if, uninspiring time waster. You have a vast laundry list of tasks to chew through, but hardly any of them are particularly challenging or interesting. The excellent road combat and meaty progression system make it worth your time once you've beaten the significantly better open world games available at the moment.
Avalanche Studios have managed to create a game that is true to its inspiration, while offering all the hallmarks of a AAA game.
If you allow yourself to get lost in the world of Mad Max, you could easily spend around 40 hours in this game as you explore this world, search for valuable scrap and upgrade your abilities as you seek our additional quests and bonuses. Even though the third person mode as Mad is a little dull at times, the hand to hand combat is flawless as are the spectacular vehicle battles. In the end, Mad Max is a great addition to the open-world action adventure genre that is as slick and memorable as the Hollywood blockbuster film, Mad Max Fury Road.