Mad Max

Mad Max does a whole lot of things right. The vehicular combat will easily satisfy a ton of people, with its bombastic action hitting all the right notes from the movies. The world, its characters, and the overall atmosphere are all spot on, presenting a true Mad Max experience from top to bottom. However, the liberal use of tired open-world and fighting mechanics can easily put a damper on the overall feel of the game. Still, for those who want a great Mad Max game, this is it.

Despite its flaws, the journey of Mad Max is well worth experiencing when all is said and done. The frustration I felt with the emptiness of this world from a gameplay perspective ended up feeding into the game’s narrative when it decided to have one. It was surprising how much of the middle I was willing to forgive given the quality of what transpires later on. If you’re also willing to endure the slow burn and a bit of tedium, you’ll be treated with an experience that you won’t soon forget.

Max's adventure inevitably leads to a showdown with Scrotus, but as the story concludes you are left wondering what, if anything, was gained in this pursuit. At the end of the day, Max overtook some bases, ran a couple hundred cars off the road, met some forgettable characters, and buried his fist into the sunburnt skin of the villainous locals. Was it worth the effort? That ultimately depends on how much fun you had in performing these basic, repetitious open-world activities.