Why You Should Check Out Mad Max

The team behind Just Cause is back – with a new game titled Mad Max based on the classic movie franchise.

Mad Max is an iconic movie series with a huge fan base, and game developer Avalanche has high expectations to meet. From what it sounds like, they’re all set to do it and more.

Not much was revealed at the E3 premiere of Mad Max‘s trailer yesterday. Today, Avalanche gave more information with its E3 demo to Gamespot, unveiling exciting aspects of the game. 

Here are three reasons to check out Mad Max:

#1 The Plot

For those worried this will be a replay of a Mad Max movie, have no fear. The devs at Avalanche have ensured the storyline isn’t based off either the old or new movies. Though the universe itself is based on the movie franchise, the game’s plot will be completely new.

What will remain unchanged will be Max himself. Avalanche is making an effort to preserve his well-known personality. He remains as characteristically Max as ever, a loner and the kind of classic anti-hero gamers love to play as. The only person with a shred of humanity around, Max nurses his many inner demons as he tries to escape the wasteland. His major objective is to get to the Plains of Silence. Along the way, he’ll encounter opponents and situations that draw him in and test him, and his primary focus is getting what he needs and getting out (hint: it’s a car).

Nothing is known yet about Max’s primary antagonist. 

#2 Car Combat

For anyone familiar with Mad Max, cars were a key feature, and remain so in this game. Early on in the game, Max will lose his beloved Interceptor. This sets up an opportunity for players to recreate their own version of that iconic vehicle. There are over 50 authentic Mad Max vehicles available. And here is where customization options become important.

Car combat is a major feature in the game. The combat system is fully based on physics, and how you build your car will determine its performance. In the words of the devs:

“Instead of pushing buttons, players will use the physical attributes of a car to fight.”

You can tune the engine, adjust the weight of the car, pick different types of tires and select ramming abilities, and all of those will change the way car handles and how well (or badly) it does in combat. Your vehicle is essentially a weapon, and how you decide to use this weapon will dictate your gameplay experience.

#3 The Open World

Mad Max is set in the vast expanse of Australia and the open-world feature of the game allows for an immersive environment. The Mad Max movies were built around Max’s encounter with different people and that is what Avalanche is hoping to achieve. The dev team is working to get players into the world right from the start. Players will have the freedom to decide their own priorities. The gameplay will be reminiscent of Just Cause, offering many choices for a unique experience.

Currently, the game is in pre-alpha, so the actual size of this open world is constantly changing.

Because of Max’s reclusive tendencies, the dev team is focused on providing a strong single-player game, and not so sure about adding multiplayer at all. Whether this deters you from wanting the game is subjective.

Mad Max will be out for next-gen consoles and PC in 2014.