(AfroGamers.com) Recently, I’ve gotten into and revisited a couple of open-world games. As I’ve expressed in the past, open-world is my favorite approach to games since the linear approach just doesn’t do it for me. If I know how the progression is going without me getting there at my own pace, I’m going to lose interest quickly.
I don’t know, maybe it’s knowing the ending of the game is coming as opposed to having my own defined adventure and reaching the ending at my own pace. Open-world games have been a popular development trend for close to two decades now with games like Grand Theft Auto III, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and a few others really opening the gates for the genre in the 3D era of gaming.
Fast forward to the 2010s, and there are an abundance of titles out there but we’re focusing on one that I feel should be a regular franchise: Mad Max.
A Forgotten Open-World Cult Classic: Mad Max
Released in 2015, Mad Max is based on the post-apocalyptic classic film franchise while being its own story. That’s what works about the MM series: it has an amazing setting, Max is a character who can be as simple or complex as the writers want, and the stories can be self-contained or tied together. It’s a very flexible series.
As for Mad Max the game, it caught the vibe of the franchise taking place in a dried-out, war-ravaged landscape occupied by mostly raiders with whatever vehicles are still available. It’s different from my one of my top three favorites in Fallout which really doesn’t have drivable vehicles.
Note, there are vehicles in FO but you can’t drive them and the aircraft that are featured can’t be operated by the player. In MM all vehicles are drivable and it’s actually preferred that you’re in a vehicle during your adventures. The world of Mad Max just isn’t safe on foot at all.
On the note of driving, the game shines with vehicular combat. Mind you, it’s a grind to get the upgrades you need to truly be effective—the sniper rifle and the grappling hook—but getting those weapons and the upgrades is very rewarding. The problem is that most upgrades are locked behind storyline missions that are kind of mid.
Correction: the storyline missions are very mid and the overall storyline is mid as well. The prologue is awesome. We go from seasoned road warrior to down bad gas gremlin and have to build our boy Max back up. It’s just that everything in between is a slog. It’s very along the lines of why I eventually play the main missions in open-world titles.
That’s actually part of the fun to MM: making your own adventures by smashing raider camps. The mechanics in MM work very well. On-foot combat and the upgrades are all great, the driving is wonderful, and the territory reclamation system rocks and is something I love to see in action games.
Where’s the Sequel?
Well, that’s the thing about Mad Max…it came out around the same time as another open-world title with more behind it: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It’s a long-running franchise that had a ton of hype and anticipation behind it. Meanwhile, MM came in after the 2014 film Mad Max: Fury Road but wasn’t tied to it.
While that was a good lead-in for the game, you’re not going to outpace Metal Gear Solid. However, it did well in certain markets as it was second to MGSV in the UK and got the “Greatest Hits” tag on PlayStation. It’s truly a game that could’ve done with a sequel and would’ve given players something different but familiar alongside Avalanche Studios’ titanic series Just Cause which is an open-world game with a modern setting.
Besides the smidgen of story and repetitive missions, Mad Max was a fine game that could’ve built up to a good series. Hell, keeping with Avalanche Studios, the first Just Cause didn’t take off but they kept with it and the series popped with the sequel. MM performed well in sales and should’ve seen a second game at least. It was the barebones of something that could’ve been more involved.
A problem would’ve been having start from scratch as a player similar to Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.
What did you think of Mad Max? Did it deserve a sequel or was one game enough? Share your thoughts!
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.