Mad Max Review
 CHEATfactor Game Review by:  Joe Sinicki Reviewed on: PC 
 

Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Mad Max. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

Much like his ride, the Magnum Opus, Mad Max from Avalanche Studios feels like it's been pieced together from parts scavenged from other franchises. There's the combat of Batman, the car combat of Twisted Metal and more. It all comes together to make a game that's fun in it's own right but it never succeeds in creating it's own identity enough to make it memorable. There's a lot to enjoy here but it all feels like you've done it before and done it better.

 
This is a far different wasteland...
Mad Max Review Screenshot
 

Timeline wise, it's tough to say where Mad Max fits in with the other entries in the franchise and it's loads different. As far as I can tell it takes place before Fury Road but even that isn't for sure. This is a far different wasteland than George Miller showed in his masterpiece of an action movie, and a far different Max. The Max from Fury road was silent and stoic but here Max talks and does so frequently. In fact, so do a lot of the enemies. The best way I can describe it is if someone were to make a Mad Max Saturday morning cartoon, complete with villains spouting monologues of their plans to Max.

Much of the game revolves around Max trying to find parts for his car, the Magnum Opus. You and your cartoony sidekick Chumbucket (he's kind of like Quasimodo meets Charlie Brown) drive make-shift vehicles to destinations looking for specific parts and scraps. Of course on the way you'll be doing regular open world stuff like going on fetch quests, assaulting bases and taking out enemies but the majority of your time is spent finishing up the Opus. It's a simple set of goals and it shows, especially if you've been playing for a long time. Each mission is pretty similar to the one before it and while a lot of open world action games are guilty of this, Mad Max does it more than most and the result is a game that you'll grow tired of long before you should.

The wasteland of Mad Max is a huge world but it's also a boring one. You can literally drive for hours and not hit some sort of obstacle that makes you turn back, in fact more often than not you won't hit anything at all. This is not an open-world like you see in GTA V or Metal Gear Solid V that's alive, not by a long shot. Yes, the open-world of Mad Max is huge but what's the point when it's so empty? I mean, I get it - it's the wasteland and it's supposed to be empty but why let me drive for hours when there's nothing to do save for the occasional ambush or base?

 
What Mad Max does right though is combat...
Mad Max Review Screenshot
 

What Mad Max does right though is combat, both in the car and on foot. Of course, this is all things we've seen done better in better games but it's at least enjoyable here. On foot combat is most similar to Batman's Arkham series, rhythm like and based on a series of parries and counters. It's a system that works well for a game like this and a number of the attacks are beautifully visceral. It's very satisfying to take an enemy and slam him against a barrier and just wail on him. You will have weapons like a shotgun at your disposal but ammo is scarce so you'll have to rely on using other means of taking out your enemies. What I did like was the how the weapons are incredibly powerful and you can take out multiple enemies at once with them - making me appreciate them more when I have access to them.

Car combat is where Mad Max almost makes a name for itself though. Much like in Fury Road, Max will be spending a lot of time in his car taking out enemies. It's a lot like Twisted Metal in a way but the controls feel a lot simpler. You'll start with the basic attacks of being able to ram other cars and shoot out your windows but you'll gain access to more as you progress through the game. The most exciting moments of the game where in high octane chases that had me at the end of my health meter. A bit of a tip though, play these driving sequences in first person mode. By pressing down on the d-pad twice you can get a pretty dramatic view that's similar to what you saw in Fury Road. It's a bit harder but it's damn worth it.

Mad Max could have been of this year's biggest sleeper hits but instead it's barely something to waste your time with. There's fun to be had sure but it's all been done before and been done better. Even with all that it does right, in a season packed with AAA action titles Mad Max just doesn't stand up to the competition.

 
Overall:  6/10 Presentation: 7 Gameplay: 6 
Lasting Appeal: 6 CHEATfactor: 8 
 
 
CHEATfactor
 
CHEATS USED: Super Health, No Reload, Fill Fuel, more
 
Unlike some other games, nearly every resource is hard to come by in Mad Max, but not with the trainer from Cheat Happens. There are options for unlimited water, fuel and more. The trainer does a great job at taking some of the micro managing out of the experience and just lets you focus on what the game does best - blowing stuff up. Lots of stuff, of course be sure to use the Super Health cheat to make sure you don't blow yourself up in the process.
 
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