Mad Max (PS4)

Lackluster video game adaptations of successful movie franchises as are about as common as sand in the desert. Mad Max is one film series that deserves much better, thanks to the Road Warrior’s insanely awesome comeback in this summer’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Avalanche Studios, creators of the action-packed Just Cause games, takes players away to a post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with danger, junk cars, and the scraps of civilization.

A Man and his Magnum Opus

Remarkably, Mad Max doesn’t really focus on the human cult figure himself, but rather on his new set of wheels, the Magnum Opus. It doesn’t take long for the customizable vehicle to enter the spotlight, where it remains for the rest of the game. Those meeting Mad Max for the first time in this game are unlikely to understand the hype surrounding the iconic character. In the movies, he’s played by top actors like Mel Gibson and Tom Hardy in the movies, which probably has a lot to do with the character’s popularity. The main storyline is pretty mediocre, consisting of 15 missions that take about 20 hours to complete, filled with uninteresting minor characters and predictable events, none of which are especially spectacular, either. Things don’t really take off until about the final third of the game, and by then it’s almost over anyway. At least they allow you to continue roaming the world once the credits have rolled.

Into the Mouth of Madness

You can also explore the wasteland on your own initiative. The landscape is full of hostile camps, sniper positions, enemy patrols, minefields, and “scarecrows” – large figures made of scrap metal and body parts, intended to scare off anyone who comes snooping around. A bird’s-eye view can be very useful in spotting these things, and you can use a balloon to survey the area with binoculars. Once spotted, these locations will show up on the well designed map and can be used to fast travel.

So in order to reduce the threat level in each of the regions, you’re going to have to take on the various challenges they throw your way. The most effective – and most challenging – way to do this is to take out enemy camps. As you approach the camp, there will always be lookouts posted nearby, who will divulge useful information if pressed. The outer lines of defense are usually protected by flame tubes and snipers. The inner camp usually has one or more War Criers – get close to one of these, and they’ll sound the alarm, making nearby hostiles more powerful.

Even apart from these side missions, Max constantly has to fend off attacks, whether he’s on foot or in a vehicle. Enemy drivers will always seek direct confrontation, chasing, ramming, and otherwise attacking you. Further complicating matters, the ones who aren’t driving will often cling to the sides of their vehicles, ready to pounce on you like a wild animal when the moment is right. These little skirmishes are as engaging as they are fun, and they’re right in line with the movie version. Since weapons and ammo are hard to come by, and there’s no stealth or cover system to speak of, you spend a lot of the time duking it out with the War Boys the old-fashioned way.

The combat system is a lot like the one in the Batman: Arkham series, so it’s pretty easy to get the hang of the attacks, parries, and effective counters used to take out your enemies, who usually come in large groups. Unfortunately, this means that fights can tend to drag on, and the camera often ends up in awkward positions. Enemies don’t hold back, either – they all take a very active role in the action. You really have to concentrate during these brawls, and you’re going to need good reflexes until the very end. If you find yourself in a bind, you can always dodge with a well-timed roll, or disarm your foes, in which case you’ll be able to use their weapon against them for a short time – at least until it breaks.

If you manage to consistently pull off successful combos with direct hits, you end up activating a “rage mode” of sorts, which makes your attacks a lot more powerful. Unfortunately most miniboss fights are over all too quickly – usually a healthy combination of dodges and counters is more than enough. If you do end up dying, you’ll have to start over from the most recent autosave point. Health doesn’t really regenerate on its own; instead you have to restore it by consuming canned food – or the maggots you find on decomposing corpses. You can also use your canteen to regain energy, which you can refill at various water sources.

Of course, if a game like this is going to have any real long-term motivation, then a fair amount of RPG elements are in order. Mad Max lets you build bases, and naturally, upgrade Max and his vehicle. You can improve Max’s shotgun, knuckle dusters, jacket armor, parry skill, ammo inventory, and combat skills. At certain spots in the wasteland you’ll encounter the mysterious Griffa, who will enable Max to improve his stamina, or increase his efficiency when using important resources like food, ammo, water, gasoline, or scrap metal.

Ideally, gasoline is found in full jerry cans. You can use it as an explosive if you need to, but more often than not you’re going to have to keep filling up the tank of the Magnum Opus, at least until another Griffa upgrade reduces the amount of gasoline you use when driving vehicles. There’s a huge range of options at the garage for upgrading and customizing vehicles: harpoons, ramming grill, armor, engine, exhaust, tires, suspension, boosters, rims, spikes, hood ornaments, trim, paint job, body, rate of repair, side burners, grappling hooks, “thunderpoons”, and sniper rifles can all be upgraded in a variety of ways and installed in multiple configurations. These changes have noticeable effects on your attack, defense, weapons, top speed, acceleration, handling, and boosts. You can unlock additional options by collecting scrap metal and completing challenges.

The Barren Wastes