WorstUsernameEver
But best title ever!
Between lists, Wasteland 2 updates and assorted craziness we've forgot to cover a title that fits squarely into our coverage, Mad Max, an open-world take on the seminal post-apocalyptic movie series from Just Cause developers Avalanche. The game is coming to current and next generation consoles and PC, and seems to place a heavy emphasis on driving and scavenging.
There's a CGI trailer on the official Warner Bros Games channel:
<center><iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BCR4Bs5NHn8" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>
Here's a snip from the E3 fact sheet, to give you an idea of the gameplay:<blockquote>
· Be Mad Max - Become the iconic post-apocalyptic warrior, crafting and upgrading Max’s equipment and weapons to survive by combining melee combat, gunplay and tactical techniques. Gamers must make difficult decisions as they work towards the goal of escaping The Wasteland.
· Immersive Primal Wasteland - Explore the gritty, dynamic world while braving the treacherous landscapes, hostile weather patterns and deadly gangs of marauders.
· Trash is Treasure - Every scrap that’s scavenged is important and can be utilized to upgrade and enhance equipment, weapons and vehicles. Gamers raid enemy encampments to gain access to valuable resources.
· Survive the Open-World Landscape - Staying alive isn’t easy. Players clash with deadly factions and gangs through scores of dangerous side-missions and quests in the dynamic open-world full of exploration.
· Intense Vehicular Combat - Engage in dynamic inter-vehicular combat, taking down enemy vehicles with a range of powerful weapons. Car combat is entirely physics-based, so no two battles are ever the same.
· Build the Ultimate War Machine - Players design, customize and upgrade their ultimate combat vehicle—the Magnum Opus—choosing from different car bodies and a slew of upgrades including mounted weapons, armor and engines to survive another day.</blockquote>And a quote from a Eurogamer preview, based on a hands-off demo:<blockquote>The section of the game Avalanche demoes at E3 tasks Max with getting past a heavily fortified barrier guarded marauders. Using his binoculars, Max can see that the barrier is glowing red, an indicator that our vehicle is not yet strong enough to smash through it. In the real game, you'll have to explore the wasteland, fight foes, and loot gear to eventually upgrade your ride, but for demo purposes Avalanche cheats and pumps points into the Magnum Opus' vast upgrade tree.
With that out of the way, the question becomes how to infiltrate the outpost. Max could attempt to mow the thugs over, he could hop out of his car and make use of that nifty sawed-off shotgun, or he could snipe them from a distance. Avalanche opts for the latter, Max finding a spot on the high-ground to perch and switching places with Chumbucket, so he can man the makeshift sniper rifle in the back. Thankfully, all the enemies are standing next to explosive barrels, which actually makes some sense in this bizarre world because they're actually guarding the gasoline.
Hanging back and sniping will only work some of the time, and more regularly you'll engage marauders in random encounters across the wasteland. Much of the combat is vehicular-based with all manner of jerry-rigged jalopies hot on your tail. There's a slow-motion mechanic when you drive up real close to a foe and use your shotgun. It's unclear if this is a limited use ability or if it recharges over time, but it certainly looks great. Frequently foes will hop on board the Magnum Opus and you'll have to manually shoot them off or ram them into vehicles before they can gouge your eye out with a bowie knife.</blockquote>GameReactor has a decent interview, also (kinda?) clarifying the game's place in the timeline:<blockquote>"We're a completely standalone game, so we're not really tied into any movie at all, I mean we're obviously completely authentic to the IP. The game itself is set, in a timeline reference, it's set prior to the new movie appearing, but it's completely unrelated in that sense," he told us before revealing that "none of the characters will be featuring from the different films, apart from Max himself obviously."</blockquote>Finally, IGN, of all websites, has an article criticizing Avalanche for going with a generic American accent for Max. Can't say I disagree:<blockquote>However, running a cultural filter through a property like Mad Max, an important cult film that has stood the test of time, and failing to expect criticism seems almost impossibly naïve. Of course there’s backlash. If David Fincher had set The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in New York, or Chicago, there would have been backlash. Shifting Mad Max from its native setting to a non-descript location where everyone has an American accent is no different.
You see, Mad Max isn’t some long-forgotten movie from a foreign film industry that barely remembers making it. It’s a film credited with truly bringing Australian New Wave cinema to the attention of the world. For two decades Mad Max held the world record for the highest profit-to-cost ratio of a motion picture, making around USD$100 million on a budget of just AUD$400,000, until ousted by The Blair Witch Project in 1999. It and its sequels have helped define post-apocalyptic fiction. The junkyard aesthetic and ridiculous clothing of Mad Max’s decaying future inspired a host of imitators.</blockquote>
Update: Looks like Avalanche changed their minds (or caved to peer pressure) and Max will have his trademark Aussie accent. Thanks to FearMonkey for finding this.
There's a CGI trailer on the official Warner Bros Games channel:
<center><iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BCR4Bs5NHn8" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>
Here's a snip from the E3 fact sheet, to give you an idea of the gameplay:<blockquote>
· Be Mad Max - Become the iconic post-apocalyptic warrior, crafting and upgrading Max’s equipment and weapons to survive by combining melee combat, gunplay and tactical techniques. Gamers must make difficult decisions as they work towards the goal of escaping The Wasteland.
· Immersive Primal Wasteland - Explore the gritty, dynamic world while braving the treacherous landscapes, hostile weather patterns and deadly gangs of marauders.
· Trash is Treasure - Every scrap that’s scavenged is important and can be utilized to upgrade and enhance equipment, weapons and vehicles. Gamers raid enemy encampments to gain access to valuable resources.
· Survive the Open-World Landscape - Staying alive isn’t easy. Players clash with deadly factions and gangs through scores of dangerous side-missions and quests in the dynamic open-world full of exploration.
· Intense Vehicular Combat - Engage in dynamic inter-vehicular combat, taking down enemy vehicles with a range of powerful weapons. Car combat is entirely physics-based, so no two battles are ever the same.
· Build the Ultimate War Machine - Players design, customize and upgrade their ultimate combat vehicle—the Magnum Opus—choosing from different car bodies and a slew of upgrades including mounted weapons, armor and engines to survive another day.</blockquote>And a quote from a Eurogamer preview, based on a hands-off demo:<blockquote>The section of the game Avalanche demoes at E3 tasks Max with getting past a heavily fortified barrier guarded marauders. Using his binoculars, Max can see that the barrier is glowing red, an indicator that our vehicle is not yet strong enough to smash through it. In the real game, you'll have to explore the wasteland, fight foes, and loot gear to eventually upgrade your ride, but for demo purposes Avalanche cheats and pumps points into the Magnum Opus' vast upgrade tree.
With that out of the way, the question becomes how to infiltrate the outpost. Max could attempt to mow the thugs over, he could hop out of his car and make use of that nifty sawed-off shotgun, or he could snipe them from a distance. Avalanche opts for the latter, Max finding a spot on the high-ground to perch and switching places with Chumbucket, so he can man the makeshift sniper rifle in the back. Thankfully, all the enemies are standing next to explosive barrels, which actually makes some sense in this bizarre world because they're actually guarding the gasoline.
Hanging back and sniping will only work some of the time, and more regularly you'll engage marauders in random encounters across the wasteland. Much of the combat is vehicular-based with all manner of jerry-rigged jalopies hot on your tail. There's a slow-motion mechanic when you drive up real close to a foe and use your shotgun. It's unclear if this is a limited use ability or if it recharges over time, but it certainly looks great. Frequently foes will hop on board the Magnum Opus and you'll have to manually shoot them off or ram them into vehicles before they can gouge your eye out with a bowie knife.</blockquote>GameReactor has a decent interview, also (kinda?) clarifying the game's place in the timeline:<blockquote>"We're a completely standalone game, so we're not really tied into any movie at all, I mean we're obviously completely authentic to the IP. The game itself is set, in a timeline reference, it's set prior to the new movie appearing, but it's completely unrelated in that sense," he told us before revealing that "none of the characters will be featuring from the different films, apart from Max himself obviously."</blockquote>Finally, IGN, of all websites, has an article criticizing Avalanche for going with a generic American accent for Max. Can't say I disagree:<blockquote>However, running a cultural filter through a property like Mad Max, an important cult film that has stood the test of time, and failing to expect criticism seems almost impossibly naïve. Of course there’s backlash. If David Fincher had set The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in New York, or Chicago, there would have been backlash. Shifting Mad Max from its native setting to a non-descript location where everyone has an American accent is no different.
You see, Mad Max isn’t some long-forgotten movie from a foreign film industry that barely remembers making it. It’s a film credited with truly bringing Australian New Wave cinema to the attention of the world. For two decades Mad Max held the world record for the highest profit-to-cost ratio of a motion picture, making around USD$100 million on a budget of just AUD$400,000, until ousted by The Blair Witch Project in 1999. It and its sequels have helped define post-apocalyptic fiction. The junkyard aesthetic and ridiculous clothing of Mad Max’s decaying future inspired a host of imitators.</blockquote>
Update: Looks like Avalanche changed their minds (or caved to peer pressure) and Max will have his trademark Aussie accent. Thanks to FearMonkey for finding this.
