Earlier this year Mad Max the game was announced but I have to admit that I didn’t even look at it. I expected a cheap movie tie-in and really couldn’t be bothered to waste my time with that. How wrong I was.
While at Gamescom 2013 I was in the Warner Bros area waiting to see Batman Arkham Origins and I noticed that they were also showing off Mad Max which had actually picked up an award from some dodgy publication trying to get coverage. So after Batman I snuck into the Mad Max hands off screening and my life was changed.
The game was being played with a PS4 controller and the reps started to explain that the game was set in a post apocalyptic wasteland where your vehicle is the most important thing as you will not survive for long without it.
So it comes as no surprise that a lot of the action and story revolves around vehicles of one sort or another. We are introduced to Chumbucket, your loyal mechanic and companion on your journey. Chumbucket rides in the back of your vehicle and helps out at certain points.
The hands-off started with this video that really gets you into the mood of the game.
Then we jumped into the game, playing a level where we needed to steal a car from a group of vigilantes for a leader of another group of vigilantes. Apologies for the lack of details but like I said I wasn’t expecting much so I didn’t write all this down.
So we set off in our car with the hunchback Chumbucket on the back and stopped just short of the gangs base. The base was being protected by 2 snipers so Max pulled out his sniper rifle, a folding rifle that must have ended up nearly 3 meters long and took the simple shot to take out the first sniper.
However we couldn’t get the second sniper from this position so it was back in the car to move closer and this is when the game really started livening up. We were told that there were many ways to approach each objective. We could either get to another vantage point to snipe the second sniper or we could ram the rickety platform that he was standing on to bring it crashing down. But to be more entertaining they decided to reverse up to the platform then shoot a grappling hook onto the platform and then gun it and down came the entire platform, sniper and all.
So far Max has not left his vehicle but now that he needed to get into the gangs compound he jumped out the car and strolled into the compound as if he owned the place. The gang members didn’t take too kindly to that and came charging at Max. We were then treated to some of the most visceral hand to hand combat I’ve seen in quite some time.
While we don’t know how much of the scenes are automated I can confirm that Max is seriously tough and took out the gangs by snapping necks, breaking bones and to top it all off he pulled out his iconic double barrelled shotgun, shoved the guys face into the barrel and took it clean off.
Make no mistake Mad Max is a mature title which will satisfy the violent needs of just about any psychopath.
After killing everything in sight and leaving a trail of dynamic destruction in his wake Max captures the car he was sent to get and starts to head home. Chumbucket radios in to say he’s taking your car home and that you need to be careful as the road is full of vigilantes.
What a perfect time to show us some vehicular combat. While heading back Max keeps running up against armed hijackers who are insistent on taking the car from him but you’re not going to make it easy. In the following 5 minutes we saw a countless number of ways that vehicle fighting takes place. The first, and still my favourite, is when Max was being chased he slammed on the breaks and executed a perfect 180 turn and started reversing. Now facing the oncoming bandits he pulled out his shotgun and targeted the driver’s skull which was obliterated in a shower of blood before the car crashed out and rolled over.
After spinning back around the next car appeared and Max leaned out of his window to target the wheels of the vehicle putting it out of commission, next up he used his handy grappling hook to grab the back of a chasing vehicle and spin it around and into a rock. The sheer number of ways you can take out cars while driving was quite impressive indeed and looked like a whole lot of fun.
After this we were shown some of the vehicle upgrades you can do, upgrades which affected the defensive, offensive, handling and speed of the vehicle. According to the studios, Avalanche Studios, the number of customisation options are estimated to be in the millions. Even the aesthetics give you extra options with a special fire retardant paint for example which is great if your enemies are using flame throwers.
So you get a huge open world game with fantastic shooting, melee and vehicle combat options. The pre-alpha graphics looked incredible already and if they released the game as is I’d likely buy it. But add to that the fact that it will also contain a multitude of side missions that you can either engage in or ignore and we are possibly looking at one of the best titles to be released in 2014.
So have we finally reached the stage where movie tie-in titles are actually going to be good?
Well no, not in my opinion. I do not believe this game was developed with Mad Max in mind and when Warner noticed what they had and that they were making a new Mad Max film they told the studio to give the main character an Australian accent and a shotgun and call it Mad Max. This isn’t a bad thing but this game would have been excellent no matter what it was called.
I feel I need to apologise to Avalanche Studios for not paying attention to their game before but have no fear you have my full attention now. And yes our award went right up next to the existing one at the end of the show. I can’t believe it didn’t have a full wall of awards yet.
Mad Max is coming to next gen consoles and PC next year
Last Updated: August 29, 2013
John of Vault 11
August 29, 2013 at 09:17
I really want this. And it’s coming to PC!
Brady miaau
August 29, 2013 at 09:55
well, no, It seems mostly the opposite to me.
Very un- if you know what I mean.
I will get my coat
Sageville
August 29, 2013 at 09:56
Nobody knows what you mean….
Brady miaau
August 29, 2013 at 10:11
PC, politically correct. Because, you know, Mad Max. Mel Gibson. So many tie ins to the only realistic way to do politically correct.
And I get my coat, because it is wise to leave after a bad pun like that.
Edit * and I am sure some people would understand it?
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 29, 2013 at 11:49
I did & I chuckled. I think I’ve said before there’s no such thing as a bad pun.
Frederik Sjölund
August 29, 2013 at 16:02
Except the ones you need to be punished for. 😉
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 29, 2013 at 09:21
Sounds awesome, was pretty underwhelmed by the trailer, but this looks good. by the way anyone catch the South Park Stick of Truth gameplay before it was removed from Youtube. I didn’t know it’s turn based, but looks freaking AMAZING!!
Gavin Mannion
August 29, 2013 at 09:24
I heard rumours that it sucked to be honest
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 29, 2013 at 09:26
Really?meh, I hope not, I liked what I saw yesterday. though it was extremely profane, like an Alien probe coming out of your ass to shoot a ventilation shaft profane. Well, I have hope
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:27
Well, from someone who liked Aliens: Colonial Marines, your opinion means little *runs
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 29, 2013 at 09:29
Well from someone who did 3 playthroughs of Duke Nukem Forever your opinions means as nada amigo 😛
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 29, 2013 at 09:30
YOU BOTH ARE ROTTEN
😛
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:32
All I can say is, is, BOUNCY BOOBIES!
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 29, 2013 at 09:36
XD
Rudi
August 29, 2013 at 11:24
Pictures please, or it didn’t happen. 😛
Rudi
August 29, 2013 at 11:24
Pictures please, or it didn’t happen. 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 29, 2013 at 09:51
I don’t regret my one playthrough, but THREE? The man is a masochist.
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:57
He’s also a lying shit 😉
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 29, 2013 at 10:00
Thanx for calling me such nasty names ….. 🙁 🙁 *sniff*
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 10:02
Sorry! Come here! http://24.media.tumblr.com/e30b93c7e3fd5ea121e936d03bb1a196/tumblr_mgwhph6CMd1ruoxumo1_500.gif
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
August 29, 2013 at 10:04
I don’t want your holds!!*SNIIIFFFF*
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8s427YAOd1r7ajmy.gif
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 10:15
How about a pat on the head? 24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2g6iquLat1qbyrbao1_500.gif
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 29, 2013 at 10:21
He is? But I thought he was a Sony Fanboi, not Xbox :/
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:26
Man, I was worried about this. I was hoping (after first watching the trailer a month or so ago; trailer as in CGI…) it would turn into something awesome. If it is indeed a game that has been tweaked into a Mad Max IP all the better. I can see the developers creating a more adult version of Borderlands and then getting an email ‘Make it Mad M$x!’
Admiral Chief Raider of Tombs
August 29, 2013 at 09:30
SOLD
OVG
August 29, 2013 at 09:31
I cant believe that they turned down Mel Gibson’s Brother to do the voice acting.
HOW MUCH WAS HE ASKING???
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/421510/mad-max-studio-turns-down-mel-gibsons-brother-as-voice-actor/
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:34
They probably didn’t want a Gibson name attached to it. Least people think in order to enjoy the game you have to be fucking mental.
OVG
August 29, 2013 at 09:35
Then change the IP.
Like True Crime did with Sleeping Dogs AKA True Crime Hong Kong.
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:43
Ya, but as Gavin said, Warner Bros want the IP used, they know they’ll get the casual market interested. Who doesn’t want to be Mad Max?!
OVG
August 29, 2013 at 09:54
I have to say that WB was one of my top Producers last year. They are not bad and this might be the highest reviewed movie game tie in.
Fingers crossed.
RinceThisNintypoo
August 29, 2013 at 09:57
Or an epic fail like A:CM… 0-O
OVG
August 29, 2013 at 10:00
Nowhere near. WB know their shit. The Mortal Kombat reboot and Lollipop Chainsaw kicked ass.
Did they also do Batman AC? I cant remember.
Rock789
August 29, 2013 at 09:37
That really does sound pretty shweet! I must say, when I heard about this game, I was intrigued by it. But nothing more… This definitely takes that interest up a couple of notches – it’s on my radar now. Will be keeping a close eye on it from now on. Nice article Gavin! 🙂
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 29, 2013 at 09:41
Me too after reading this
Sageville
August 29, 2013 at 09:48
WANTS!
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 29, 2013 at 09:49
By Avalanche Studios? So it’s a Just Cause / Borderlandsish mash-up? BOOOOOOOOM!
Gavin Mannion
August 29, 2013 at 09:56
I’d say an overly realistic borderlands without the humour… but still awesome
Rudi
August 29, 2013 at 11:24
Does it too have 86 gazillion guns?
Rudi
August 29, 2013 at 11:24
Does it too have 86 gazillion guns?
Axon1988
August 29, 2013 at 12:43
Mad Max in the game had a American accent, just like everyone else in the game at first. But there were enough complaints. And so they changed his accent to Aussie! I have high hopes for this game, huge mad max fan.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
August 30, 2013 at 14:08
Come-on Gavin, this is the third time this week that you post an article on an awesome game, and I’m left responding “my body is ready”. Stop it already!