Mad Max

Mad Max Review Mad Max is a surprisingly interesting game, mainly because its setting and atmosphere feel unlike almost anything else I’ve played. The wasteland genuinely feels hostile and abandoned, and despite being mostly desert, the different regions still manage to have their own identity. Driving across the map during a sandstorm, scavenging abandoned locations and coming across convoys gives the world a great sense of atmosphere. The story is also much better written than I expected. There are some genuinely memorable characters, with **Chumbucket, the Blackfinger mechanic**, easily being one of my favourites. His personality, obsession with the Magnum Opus and relationship with Max give the game a lot of character. The vehicle progression is probably one of the strongest parts of the game. You gradually turn the Magnum Opus from a fairly basic car into an absolute monster, and the vehicle combat is extremely satisfying once you start unlocking better armour, weapons, engines and harpoons. Taking down convoys and ripping parts off enemy vehicles never really gets old. On-foot combat is also enjoyable and clearly takes inspiration from the Arkham-style counter system. It isn't particularly difficult once you understand it, but landing heavy attacks and building up Fury still feels satisfying. I didn't find the game particularly difficult to complete overall, although some of the side activities can become repetitive if you're going for 100%. Unfortunately, the game has some serious problems with modern hardware. On my 1440p 540Hz monitor I experienced transparent texture and rendering glitches unless I capped the game at around 100 FPS. Without the cap, large parts of the map simply wouldn't render correctly. It's obviously an older game, but having to limit a modern system just to prevent the engine from breaking is pretty ridiculous. Achievement hunters should also be aware that one achievement is effectively unobtainable through the original online functionality because the official servers were shut down. There are community-made workarounds involving third-party server implementations that can recreate the required daily challenge functionality, but it's an unnecessary headache if you're trying to legitimately 100% an older game. Overall, *Mad Max* has aged surprisingly well where it matters. The world, characters, vehicle combat and progression are genuinely memorable, and there's something strangely relaxing about simply driving through the wasteland upgrading the Magnum Opus. It's just unfortunate that the game hasn't aged nearly as gracefully from a technical perspective. With a few compatibility fixes for modern hardware, it would be much easier to recommend without reservations.